Four different methods are suggested for the practical supplementation of selenium to the residents in Keshan Disease areas. They are: distribution of selenite tablets, enrichment of table salt with sodium selenite, use of foliar sprays on grain crops and selection of relatively selenium-rich foods in affected areas.Selenium contents of corn and rice could be raised to a level of about 0.07 and 0.05 pprn respectively by application of foliar sprays. A vailability of the increased selenium is similar to that occurred naturally in corn, as demonstrated by animal experiment. Furthermore, by this method the bio-availability of selenium is better than the other methods of administration.Observation on residents who were treated with selenite table salt for three years and three months revealed that the salt enriched with 10 ppm of sodium selenite is enough to maintain the residents' hair selenium concentration to a level above 0.2 ppm, if an average of 15 g of the salt could be taken from meals daily by an adult. Either by calculation based upon 10 ppm of sodium selenite concentration suggested or by dietary survey, a daily selenium intake of around 60 ?g is required to maintain such a hair selenium level.Since about a half-year's administration is required in order to raise the hair selenium level above 0.2 ppm, an extraoral selenite tablet supplementation seems needed during the early stage of Se table salt treatment.Availability of selenium in selenite iodized table salt is not altered either after one-year storage or after manufacture for fermented soybean curd or salted vegetables. No harmful substance was detected during manufacture of dishes as evidenced by animal experiment.Fresh water products such as shrimps, eels, small fishes and loaches, as well as various species of mushrooms were found to be selenium-rich foods in Keshan Disease area. Their selenium contents ranged from 0.3 to 1.0 ppm.The authors are of the opinion that one may select any method introduced above and at the same time urge the people to take more selenium-rich foods in their diets, thus residents in Keshan Disease areas would obtain enough selenium to prevent them from being seleniumdeficient.

Whole rice grain was dissected by hand into fractions of pericarp, ale-urone, scutellum, embryo and endosperm. For the convenience of having enough amount of samples for amino acids assay some of which were recom-bined and finally three parts, pericarp +aleurone layer, scutellum + embryo and endosperm, were obtained. Protein, lysine, methionine, threonine and valine contents were determined for each part. The data obtained indicated that although total weight of the first two parts accounted for only 7.27-8.43% of the whole grain, they contributed 14.5-15.8% protein, 29.0-30.5% lysine, 11.8% melhionine, 16.8% valine and 19.4% threonine, contained in the whole grain. During husking process it indicated that the lesser amounts of pericarp, aleurone, scutellum and embryo were retained and the larger percentage of protein and lysine was lost. This fact was identified either by a specially designed miller in the laboratory or a commonly used sand wheel miller in the factory. The suitable degree of milling for rice was discussed and it was proposed that 92% extration for rice rather rational.

Lysine and methionine contents were determined in proteins of 21 rice samples including 17 varieties grown in 11 provinces. Ranges of lysine and methionine contents on crude protein basis were 3.21-3.76% and 1.63-2.06% respectively. The lysine content was found to be negatively correlated with the protein content of rice, but no correlation was found in case of methionine when they were expressed on the basis of crude protein. The absolute amounts of lysine and methionine were positively correlated with protein contained in the samples. The importance of breeding rice variety with protein of high lysine content was discussed in relation to promoting the protein nutritive status in South China.

Total and water soluble selenium in soil, and total, tetravalent and he-xavalent selenium in drinking water were determined fluorimetrically by 2, 3-diaminonaphthalene. The digestive mixture was composed of sulphuric, perchloric acids and sodium molybdate 0.2 g of soil and 20 ml of water samples were sufficient for analysis when their selenium concentrations were at the level of 0.1 ppm and 1 ppb respectively. Coefficient of variation and recovery for soil was 12% and 92 ?6%, and for water was 4.3-5.8% and 98 ?2% respectively. Tetravalent and hexavalent selenium content could be measured differentially by the addition or omission of hydrochloric acid in ordinary water samples containing only small amounts of organic matter. In addition to tetravalent selenium substantial amounts of hexavalent selenium may occur occasionally in drinking water and it is thus necessary to add hydrochloric acid to the final digests to completely reduce hexavalent selenium to the tetravalent state for the estimation of total selenium in water samples.

A convenient microbiological method with high accuracy for cystine assay was introduced. Common foods including cereals, beans, sweet potato, fishes and other aquatic products as well as meats were selected for cystine and methionine analysis. Based on the data obtained, a brief discussion was made on the way for resolution of sulfur amino acids problem inherently in our traditional soy-cereal based diet.

Blood GSHpx activities of populations living in Keshan disease affected and non-affected areas were examined. The enzyme activities of people in affected areas were lower than that in non-affected areas. That of agricultural population is lower than that of workers and staff members living in same affected areas. The enzyme activities of patient suffering from Keshan disease were a little lower than that of other children. After oral administration of Na2SeO3 for one year, the enzyme activities of children in affected areas increased to the same level of that in non-affected areas. Significant correlation was found between selenium concentration of blood and hair and GSHpx activities.

The weaning male Wistar rats were fed diets with 0.2, 2.0 and 5.0 ppm as Na2SeO4 respectively for 7 weeks. On each Se level, rats were divided into groups with or without supplementation of vitamin E and DL-methi-onine (VE-Met) and possible metabolic interactions of VE-Met to dietary Se at different levels in relation to the detoxification mechanism were ob- served. The results showed that only rats in unsupplemented, 5 ppm Se-diet group exhibited distinct toxic manifestations, and supplementation of VE-Met to this group gave effective protection against the toxic action. In the supplemented group Se content of blood, liver, kidneys and skeletal muscle of the experimental animals was decreased, while the excretory rate of urinary trimethylselenonium ion was increased to a level of 33% in contrast to 22% in the unsupplemented group (P

Objective To optimize the matrix formula of propranolol hydrochloride gels. Methods On the basis of single factor experiment, central composite design-response surface method was used to optimize the formula. Addition levels of glycerol (A), PEG-400 (B) and HPMC (C) were evaluated as the independent variables.Eight-hour accumulative penetration amount per unit area measured by HPLC was used as the index. Quadratic polynomial was used to estimate the relationship between the index and the independent variables, and to delineate response surface and overlay contour plots in order to select the optimal formulations.Finally, predicted responses were verified. Results The optimized formula consisted of 18.53% glycerol, 8.54% PEG-400 and 2.35% HPMC.The quadratic polynomial regression model of 8-h accumulative penetration amount per unit area:R1=-7 415. 69+306. 10A+167. 47B+4 820. 59C-8. 26A2-9. 81B2-1 025. 75C2 , and the cumulative transmittance was 49.6%. Conclusion A credible model is established by using central composite design-response surface method and the formula of propranolol hydrochloride gels is optimized and the gel is stable and controllable.

The distribution of virus antigen of epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF) in infected suckling mice brain was studied by indirect immunofluorescence procedure. The specific fluorescence was presented in the following areas: (l)the limbic system, including the cingulate cortex, the piriform cortex, the anterior olfactory nucleus, the lateral septal nucleus, the hippocampus, the dental gyrus, the dorsomedial nucleus and lateral nuclei of thalamus, and several nuclei of the hypothalamus; (2)the special sensory nuclei, such as the medial and spinal vestibular nuclei, the cochlear nucleus, and the lateral lemniscus nucleus; (3)the nuclei associated with analgesic function, including the periaqueductal gray substance, the trigeminal sensory nucleus, the raphe nuclei of midbrain etc; (4)the extrapyramidal structures, for example, the caudal-putamen, the pallidum, the entopeduncular nucleus, the cerebellum and several nuclei of reticular formation in brainstem.