Polysaccharides extracted from radix of Chinese DC and dried Polyporus umbellate (pers) as well as a well known mitogen,phytohemagglutinin(PHA),were studied.It has been revealed that both the poly-saccharides as well as PHA stimulate the rate of DNA synthesis characterized by their increasing the incorporation of 3H-TdR and accelerating the release of thymus cells. These effects disappeared after adrenalectomy.Corticosterone concentration was found to be increased in the plasma after the administration of the polysaccharides These phenomena suggested that the adrenal cortex was the mediator of their actions. When they were administered to animals before an irradiation of 800 rad, the survival rate was increased by 30-70% over that of the controls. The mechanism of the effects was discussed.

A model of experimental allergic asthma was induced by sensitizing and challenging guinea pigs with egg albumin. The changes on the concentrations and affinities of ?2,? adrenergic and muscarinic receptors as well as the content of cyclic adenosine monophosphate in lung tissue of the asthmatic animals were investigated and compared with the values obtained from normal animals respectively. The results showed that the maximal binding volume of ? receptor as well as the content of cAMP decreased significantly, while the concentrations of ?2, receptor and M receptor increased. It is well known that the ? receptor mediates a process resulting in the relaxation of bronchial smooth muscle by stimulating adenylate cyclase and therefore, increases the cytoplasmic concentration of cAMP. whereas the ?2, and M receptor mediate processes resulting in the contraction of smooth muscle through quite different mechanisms. The significance of the two kinds of change operating towards opposite direction in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma was discussed.

Objective To study the characteristics of plasma adiponectin levels exhibiting in gestation women and newborns, as well as the relationships between adiponectin levels and fetal birth weight. Methods Totally 98 subjects have been considered in this study, in-cluding venous blood samples of 36 healthy non-pregnant women (control group), 31 uncomplicated pregnant women (pregnancies group) and the cord blood samples taken at delivery of their singleton infants born at term (newborns group). The concentrations of adiponectin and insulin were determined by radioimmunoassay technique. And SPSS was used for statistical analyses. Results The adiponectin level in women of late period of gestation (WLPG) (11.10±5.72)g/ml was lower than that of other two groups, and the newborns average cord plasma level of adiponectin was (30.71±12.77) g/ml significantly higher than that of the control group (16.52±6.87) g/ml. The adipone-ctin level for WLPG was correlated with FINS and HOMA-IR (r = -0.411, -0.393, P <0.05). The adiponectin level in cord plasma was positively correlated with birth weight(r = 0.416, P < 0.05). The adiponectin level in WLPG was correlated neither with the adiponec-tin level nor body weights of their newborns. Conclusions The average cord plasma adiponectin level of newboms is significantly higher than that of the control group and WLPG. It is positively correlated with birth weight, which suggests that adiponectin may be involved in reg-ulating fetal growth. The adiponectin level in WLPG is correlated neither with the adiponectin level nor body weights of their newborns.