Objective. In a model of rat cardiac hypertrophy, the changes in the distribution of ET-1 receptors in two subcellular fractions, the sarcolemma and the light vesicles during myocardial hypertrophy were studied. Methods. Cardiac hypertrophy was produced by placing a constricting clip around the suprarenal abdominal aorta of rats, and ET-1 receptor was assayed with radioactive analysis method. Results. It was found that plasma and ventricular ET-1 levels increased significantly on week 2 and week 4 of pressure overload. ET-1 binding studies showed that during myocardial hypertrophy, the maximum binding capacity (Bmax) was increased by 41％ (P<0.01) and 65％ (P< 0.01) in sarcolemma in H-2 week and H-4 week groups, but was decreased by 24％ (P< 0.01) and 21％ (P< 0.01) in light vesicles. The sum of Bmax of sarcolemmal and light vesicle fractions was increased by 33％ (P< 0.01) and 57％ (P< 0.01) in group H-2 week and H-4 week, respectively. ? Conclusion. ET-1 receptors in rat heart were externalized from light vesicles to sarcolemma, which may contribute to the development of myocardial hypertrophy.

Objectives. In order to identify the relationship between telomerase and the biological effect of radiation injury,and investigate the role of human telomerase catalytic subunit gene (hEST2) reverse transcriptase(RT) segment in the expression of telomerase activity. Methods. Tumor HeLa cells, KB cells and A431 cells were employed to measure the change in telomerase activity after 60Co ray irradiation at RNA level and protein level. Quantitative PCR and Northern blotting were used to determine the expression of hEST2 RT segment that encodes seven motifs of the human telomeres, a PCR based telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP)was used to assay telomerase activity after exposure to radiation. Results. Both of telomerase activity and the expression hEST2 RT segment were decreased with increasing dosage of radiation. In addition, testing the expression of motifs domain is similar to the measurement of telomerase activity. Conclusion. The detection of the hEST2 RT segment by Northern blotting and quantitative PCR are new methods for testing telomerase activity. Furthermore, radiation can cause a dose dependent decrease in telomerase activity. The effect of radiation on telomerase is one possible reason for the death of cancer cells after irradiation.

Objective. To compare and match metabolic images of PET with anatomic images of CT and MRI. Methods. The CT or MRI images of the patients were obtained through a photo scanner, and then transferred to the remote workstation of PET scanner with a floppy disk. A fusion method was developed to match the 2-dimensional CT or MRI slices with the correlative slices of 3-dimensional volume PET images. Results. Twenty－ nine metabolically changed foci were accurately localized in 21 epilepsy patients' MRI images, while MRI alone had only 6 true positive findings. In 53 cancer or suspicious cancer patients, 53 positive lesions detected by PET were compared and matched with the corresponding lesions in CT or MRI images, in which 10 lesions were missed. On the other hand, 23 lesions detected from the patients' CT or MRI images were negative or with low uptake in the PET images, and they were finally proved as benign. Conclusions. Comparing and matching metabolic images with anatomic images helped obtain a full understanding about the lesion and its peripheral structures. The fusion method was simple, practical and useful for localizing metabolically changed lesions.

Objective. To research the relations between low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein gene (LRP) polymorphism, butyrylcholinesterase gene (BchE) polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Chinese. Methods. The gene polymorphisms of LRP and BchE were genotyped in 38 AD cases and 40 controls with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methods. AD groups were classified according to the LRP C/C genotype and compared with matched controls. Results. AD group had higher frequencies of C/C homozygote (81.6％ vs 60.0％ , P<0.05) and of C allele (89.5％ vs 76.3％ , P< 0.05),with no significant difference between any of these LRP genotypes classified AD groups and their respective control groups.? Conclusions. A positive correlation was found between LRP gene polymorphism and AD, but not between BchE gene polymorphism and AD in Chinese AD cases.

Objective. To investigate the indications, surgical techniques and complications of laparoscopic myomectomy. Materials and methods. A retrospective study was carried out in 74 patients with fibroids >3cm from March, 1995 until May,2000 at PUMC Hospital. Indications for surgery were symptomatic fibroids（ 20 cases） , mainly pain or urine frequency ； progressively increasing fibroid size (7 cases)； coexistent adnexal pathology（ 26 cases） and infertility（ 21 cases） . Results. The number of fibroids of each patient varied from 1 to 4 with single fibroid of 62 cases (83.7％ ).The fibroids were located in anterior wall (30 cases), posterior wall (23 cases) and fundus (21 cases). A total of 93 fibroids were removed from these patients including 16 intramural fibroids and 77 subserous fibroids. The size of dominant fibroids ranged from 3～ 8 cm (mean 4.8 cm). In 19 cases (25.6％ ),the uterine wall was sutured in one layer. Mean duration of operation was 73 minutes and mean blood loss was 82 ml. Longer operating time and more blood loss were observed in patients with fibroids≥ 4cm than those with fibroids <4cm. The difference was statistically significant (P< 0.05). Mean postoperative hospital stay was 3.2 days and overall complication rate was 1.4％ . The average postoperative follow-up period was 22 months (1～ 62 months). All the patients with symptoms showed remission of their complaints at 2-month follow-up. Recurrence of fibroid occurred in 1 case 1 year after initial operation and second laparoscopic myomectomy was given to her successfully. Five patients became pregnant. The pregnancy was uneventful and proceeded to selective caesarean section at term pregnancy in 4 cases. One miscarriage occured at 8 weeks in the 5th case. No adhesions at myomectomy site were found in these 5 patients. Conclusions. Our study suggests the feasibility of laparoscopic myomectomy in selected patients, which leads to effectiveness, low complication rate and satisfactory remission of symptoms. Further study on recurrence and fertility must be continued.

Objective. To evaluate the results of TSRH instrumentation in the correction of coronal, sagittal and rotational deformity of scoliosis. Methods. From January 1998 to December 1999, thirty-two consecutive patients (6 males, 26 females) with scoliosis underwent anterior or posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion using TSRH instrumentation. Of these cases, 21 were idiopathic scoliosis and 11 were congenital scoliosis. The average age at surgery was 16.4 years (range, 11～ 45 years). The mean Cobb angle at surgery was 71 .2 (range, 44 ～ 125 ) in the coronal plane, and 49.2 ( range, 16 ～ 67 ) in the sagittal plane. Rotational deformity (Nash -Moe) ranged from I to III degree. Preoperative apical translation averaged 4.8 cm (range, 3～ 9 cm). Results. The average follow-up duration was 13.3 months (range, 10 ～ 24 months).At the final follow-up, the mean Cobb angle in the coronal plane was 26. 6 (range, 10 ～ 73 ),with a 63.8％ of improvement. Sagittal alignment was well maintained with a mean Cobb angle of 28 ( range, 10 ～ 45 ). The average correction of rotation of the apical vertebra was I degree. The average apical translation was 1.6 cm (range, 0.5～ 5.0 cm) representing a correction rate of 66,7％ . Complication was noted in two cases with an incidence of 3.1 ％ , one case had superficial infection and the other one had lower hook dislocation.There was no neurologic deficit and pseudoarthrodesis in this series. Conclusion. TSRH instrumentation is an effective and convenient three-dimensional correction system with a lower rate of complication, which can not only correct the coronal and rotational deformity, but maintain the sagittal alignment as well.

Objective. To report the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of acute cervical central cord syndrome and to determine their correlation with the prognosis. Methods. MRI findings of 35 patients with acute central cord syndrome were studied and compared with the recovery rate of ASIA score at presentation and in follow-up. Results. MRI data demonstrated spinal cord compression for 32 patients, spinal cord swelling for 16 patients, and abnormal signal intensity within the spinal cord for 19 patients, including 14 with edema and 3 with hematoma. No significant difference of the recovery rate was noted between the patients treated nonoperatively and operatively (P >0.05). There was a significant inverse correlation between the recovery rate and the degree of spinal cord compression as shown in MRI scans (P<0.01). The presence of hematoma in MRI scans was associated with poor prognosis, as demonstrated by a significant difference of the recovery rate (P< 0.01) among the patients with normal intensity, edema and hematoma within the spinal cord. Conclusions. MRI scans provide an efficient assistance for decision-making and accurate prognostic information regarding neurological function, and therefore should routinely be performed within the early phase of acute central cord syndrome.

Objective. To investigate whether angiotensin II receptor antagonist and endothelin receptor antagonist can improve the nitroglycerin (Nit) tolerance in vivo. Methods. Twenty-four rats were divided into 4 groups (n=6,each): Control group, Nitroglycerin (Nit) group, Nit＋ bosentan group and Nit＋ losartan group. Nitroglycerin tolerance was induced by 2-day treatment of nitroglycerin patch (0.05 mg/h). AngiotensinⅡ receptor antagonist losartan ( 10 mg· kg－ 1· d－ 1 ) and endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan ( 100 mg· kg－ 1· d－ 1 ) were given by gavage for 2 days respectively. Results. The least hypotensive response to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was observed in Nit group . The effective percentages of hypotensive response to SNP were increased in both Nit＋ losartan group and Nit＋ bosentan group compared with Nit group [(31.95± 4.45 ) ％ vs (21.00± 3.69 ) ％ , P Conclusion. Endothelin receptor antagonist and angiotensin Ⅱ receptor antagonist could prevent against the Nit tolerance .

It has been demonstrated that patients with asthma have a large number of NK cells and show a stronger NK activity. These results indicate that NK cell activity may be related to total IgE level in serum in healthy subjects. Previously,we have found that sodium butyrate (NaBu) markedly enhanced the IL-4-induced IgE production in the LPS-stimulated murine splenocytes in vitro, and inductive rat IgE production in vivo, and enhanced the NK cell activity ex vivo .We hypothesized that the IgE production might be involved in butyrate-enhanced NK cell activity in vivo. Mice were intraperitoneally treated/immunized with NaBu or/and Ascaris suum extract (ASC),and the spleen NK cell activity was evaluated. Furthermore, the effect of serum (NAS) on IL-2-or IFN-γ -induced spleen NK cell activity was determined. The spleen NK cell activity and IL-2-or IFN-γ -induced spleen NK cell activity of mice treated/immunized with NaBu or/and ASC were stronger than those of untreated/unimmunized mice. Although IL-4 blocked IL-2 (100 U/ml)-or IFN-γ (100 U/ml)-induced increase in NK cell activity,these NK cell activities in mice treated/immunized with NaBu/ASC were not inhibited. IgE production showed a tendency to rise in NaBu-treated mice serum, and a synergistic effect was observed with treatment of NaBu and ASC. Moreover, the NAS significantly increased IL-2(25 U/ml)-or IFN-γ (25 U/ml)-induced NK cell activity, and its effect was inhibited by anti-mouse IgE mAb.

Objective. To detect histological characteristic of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL). Methods. In each of 20 skeletally mature male mongrels and 4 men, the ACL and MCL were examined by standard hematoxylin-eosin procedure and toluidine blue staining for histologic observation. Results. The fibroblasts in medial collateral are elongated to spindle shape and aligned in a row between the bundles of collagenous fibers. Toluidine blue staining is negative. The anterior cruciate ligament demonstrated more heterogenous cell types and arrangement. It had three major cell forms:spindle, round and ovoid type, which were shorter but greater than the cells in medial collateral ligament. Toluidine blue staining was positive in anterior cruciate ligament. Most cells in anterior cruciate ligament were enclosed within lacunae. Conclusion. This study suggests that the ACL has different histological characteristics from MCL, and is more cartilage-like in nature.

Objective． An internal fixation apparatus— — distraction reduction fixation system(DRFS) was designed to satisfy the clinical needs for spondylolisthesis. Methods. Since 1996, 53 patients were treated with DRFS. Among them, 35 had spondylolisthesis, 12 had lumbar canal stenosis accompanied with instability, 2 had vertebral tumors and 4 suffered from spinal fracture. The average age was 53.6 years old (ranged 24～ 72yrs). The mean time for follow-up was 30.6 months (16 ～ 44 months). Results． The slip rate was 0.15± 0.10 before operation, and decreased to 0.09± 0.07 after operation. Entire slip reposition was achieved in 19 cases (54.3％ ). The change in height of the intervertebral space within the fixation segments was 0.7± 0.17. Conclusion． DRFS achieved better results for spondylolisthesis less II degree and no other adverse effects were found. Compared with other foreign and domestic techniques, it had advantages in less implants, less operation gears required and ease to utilize in operation. It was proved to be an ideal internal fixation apparatus.

Objective. To study the features and mechanism of the cerebral evoked potentials by repetitive stimulation of calf muscle in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients with obvious muscular dystrophy and psuedohypertrophy. Methods. Cerebral evoked potentials by stimulation of calf muscles and somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) by the stimulation of posterior tibial nerves at ankle were measured in 10 patients with DMD and 10 normal controls matched with gender and age. The intensity of the magnetic stimulation was at 30％ of maximal output (2.1 Tesla, MagPro magnetic stimulator, Dantec) and the frequency was 1 Hz. The low intensity of magnetic stimulation was just sufficient to produce a contraction of the muscle belly underneath the coil. Recording electrode was placed at 2 cm posterior to the Cz, reference to Fpz. The latencies of N33, P38, N48 and P55 and amplitude (P38－ N48) were recorded. SEPs were recorded by routine methods. Results. In normal subjects, the amplitudes of cerebral evoked potentials by magnetic stimulation of calf muscle was 40％ lower than that by electrical stimulation of the posterior tibial nerves at ankle. The latency of P38 was 2.9± 2.1 ms longer compared with electrical stimulation of the posterior tibial nerves at ankle. In 6 patients, P38 latency from magnetic stimulation was remarkably prolonged (P<0.01), and in 4 patients, there was no remarkable response. SEPs evoked by electrical stimulation were normal in all of the patients.? Conclusion. DMD is an available model for the study of mechanism of cerebral evoked potentials by magnetic stimulating muscle. We can conclude that the responses from magnetic stimulation were produced by muscle input. The abnormal responses in patients may relate to decreased input of muscle by stimulating dystrophic and psedohypertrophic muscle.

Dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD) is a variant of childhood-onset idiopathic torsion dystonia(ITD).The clinical features of DRD include onset with dystonia, usually affecting gait; the concurrent or later development of signs of parkinsonism in most affected individuals; and a dramatic therapeutic response to levodopa (1). Here we reported a case of DRD and made a discussion. CASE REPORT The boy patient aged 15 years old was admitted to PUMC hospital in May 1997 because of abnormal gait of 6 years accompanied by tremor of arms. He came from Hebei province. The patient developed well until he gradually felt difficulties in walking. The symptoms started from left lower extremity and gradually affected the right one in the fall of 1992, and he had a left foot operation for “ equinovarus” then. The symptoms progressed insidiously, and tremor developed to both hands. The patient's symptoms improved after sleep but worsened during the day, especially in the afternoon. Before admission, the patient was given anticholinergic drug with some improvement for his tremor and rigidity. When he came to this hospital recently he was wheelchair limited. No positive family history was obtained.

1. July 6～ 10, 2001. Pediatric Endocrinology 2001, Montré al, Canada Contact: PedEndo Secretariat, 1110 Pine Avenue West, Montré al, QC, Canada H3A 1A3 Tel:＋ 1-514-3983770; Fax:＋ 1-514-3984854E-mail: pedendo@umsl.lan.mcgill.ca Web site:www.med.mcgill.ca/pedendo 2. July 10～ 13, 2001. 29th Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (BCOG), Birmingham, UK Contact: BCOG Secretariat, Congress House, 65 West Drive, Cheam. Sutton, Surrey SM2 7NB, UK Tel:＋ 44(0) 2086610877; Fax:＋ 44(0) 2086619036 E-mail: info@conforg.com 3. Aug.1～ 3, 2001. 1st Paraguayan Congress of Climaterium Asunció n, Paraguay Contact: Paraguayan Society of Climaterium and Menopause Fax:＋ 595 21 211 393 E-mail: sisad@conexion.com.py 4. Aug. 4～ 8, 2001. Recent Progress in Hormone Research, Washington DC. USA Contact: Beverly Glover, Administrative Assistant, Meetings, The Endocrine Society, 4350 East West Highway, Suite 500, Bethesda, MD 20814-4410. USA Tel:＋ 1-301-9410220; Fax:＋ 1-301-9410259 5. Aug. 25～ 29, 2001.27th Meeting of the European Thyroid Association. Warsaw, Poland Contact: Prof. Janusz Nauman E-mail: eurothyroid-assoc@cf.ac.uk 6. Aug. 26～ 31, 2001.20th International League of Associations for Rheumatology World Congress, Edm-onton,Canada Tel:＋ 1-905-2733080; Fax:＋ 1-905-27323611 E-mail: healthcarecomm@sympatico.ca 7. Aug. 26～ 31, 2001. 34th International Congress of Physiological Sciences, Christchurch, New Zealand Contact: The Conference Company, PO Box 90-040, Auckland, New Zealand Fax:＋ 64-9-3601242 E-mail: info@tcc.co.nz Web site: www.iups 2001.org.nz 8. Sep. 3～ 6, 2001. Mediterranean Urological Association (MUA), 7th Congress, Marrakech, Morocco Contact: Congress Office, MUA-Morocco, 201 rue Mustafa El Maani, 2000 Casablanca, Morocco Fax: 212 2 44 84 10 E-mail: marmua@hotmail.com9. Sep. 03～ 11, 2001. 11th International Society for Chromaffin Cell Biology (ISCCB-11) Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA Contact: Dan O′ Connor, Department of Medicine and Center for Molecular Genetics, University of California, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive,San Diego, CA 92161-9111H, USA Tel:＋ 1-858-5528585, Office ext. 7373; Fax:＋ 1-6426331 E-mail: doconnor@ucsc.edu Web site: medicine.ucsd.edu/hypertension 10. Sep. 9～ 14, 2001. The 23rd International Congress of Pediatrics, the Great Hall of the People, Beijing Contact: Dept of Foreign Relations, Chinese Medical Association, 42 Dongsi Xidajie, Beijing 100710, China Tel:＋ 86 10 65254774/＋ 86 10 65278804; Fax: ＋ 86 10 65123754 E-mail: cmafrd@public3bta.net.cn Web site: www.chinamed.com.cn/pediatrics 11. Sep. 21～ 23, 2001.Eastern Neuroradiological Society (ENRS), 13th Annual Meeting, The Sagamore, Bolton Landing, New York 12. Sep. 29～ Oct. 3, 2001. Ⅵ Congress of the International Xenotransplantation Association, Chicago Contact: Conference Secretariat, Felicissimo ＆ Associates Inc., 205 Viger Avenue West, Suite 201, Montreal, Quebec,Canada H2X 1G2 Tel: 514-874-1998; Fax: 514-874-1580 E-mail: info@ixa2001chicago.com Web site: www.ixa2001chicago.com 13. Sep. 30～ Oct.3, 2001. 4th Biennial Congress of the European Society for Sexual and Impotence Research, Rome, Italy Contact: SC Studio Congressi, Via F, Ferrara, 40, 00191 Rome, Italy Tel:＋ 39-06-36306897 E-mail: sc.congressi@agora.stm.it Web site: www.essir2001.it14. Oct. 4～ 6, 2001. Annual Meeting, The North American Menopause Society, New Orleans, USA Contact: The Resource Centre, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, PO Box 96920, Washington, DC 20090-6920,USA Tel:＋ 1 202 6385577 15. Oct. 4～ 7, 2001. Western Neuroradiological Society (WNRS), 33rd Annual Meeting, Four Seasons Baltimore Hotel, Santa Barbara,California 16. Oct. 7～ 10, 2001. Clinical Endocrinology Update: 2001, Illinois, USA Contact: Beverly Glover, Administrative Assistant, Meetings, The Endocrine Society, 4350 East West Highway, Suite 500, Bethesda,MD 20814-4410, USA Tel:＋ 1-301-9410220; Fax:＋ 1-301-9410259 17.Oct. 8～ 10, 2001. Third International Symposium on Urological Stents (ISUS3), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Scotland Contact: Peter J Paterson, Department of Urology, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Alexandra Parade, G31 2ER, United Kingdom Tel: ＃ 44 141 211 5492; Fax: ＃ 44 141 211 4464 E-mail: PeterPaterson@msn.com 18.Oct. 12～ 16, 2001. 23rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), Phoenix, AZ, USA Contact: ASBMR Tel: 1-202-857-1161; Fax: 1-202-223-4579 E-mail: ASBMR@sba.com Web site: www.asbmr.org19. Oct. 20～ 24, 2001. Annual Meeting, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Orlando, USA Contact: The Resource Centre, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, PO Box 96920, Washington,DC 20090-6920,USA Tel:＋ 1 202 6385577 20. Oct. 21～ 24, 2001. The Joint Annual Scientific Meeting of the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Australian Society of Blood Transfusion, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre Contact: HSANZ ASBT Meeting Secretariat, PO Box 1280, MILTON QLD 4064, AUSTRALIA Tel:＋ 61(0) 7 3858 5388; Fax:＋ 61(0) 7 3858 5510 E-mail: hsanzasbt2001@im.com.au Web site: www.hsanzasbt2001.im.com.au 21. Oct. 25～ 27, 2001. 6th International Congress of the Dutch Urological Association(DUA-Ⅵ ): Optimal Urological Care Contact: Office DUA, Mrs René e van der Maesen, PO Box 20061, 3502 LB Utrecht, The Netherlands Tel:＋ 31 30 2823218; Fax:＋ 31 30 2804741 E-mail: nvu@xs4all.nl 22. Nov. 11～ 15, 2001. 65th National Scientific Meeting of American College of Rheumatology (ASR), San Francisco, CA, USA Contact: ASR Fax: 1-404-633-1870 Web site: www.rheumatology.org23. Nov. 21～ 24, 2001. 49th Brazilian Congress of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Anhembi Convention Palace-Sao Paulo Contact: Febrasgo Presidency Tel:＋ 55 11 50821474; Fax:＋ 55 11 50821474 E-mail: febrasgocbgo2001@uol.com.br 24. Nov. 24～ Dec. 1, 2001. 17th World Congress of Fertility and Sterility (IFFS 2001), Melbourne, Australia Contact: Gabor Kovacs, M.D., Monash Medical School, Box Hill Hospital, Nelson Road, Box Hill, 3128, Australia Tel:＋ 61 398953379; Fax:＋ 61 398953143 25. Jan. 14～ 19, 2002. Annual Meeting, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (formerly: Society of Perinatal Obstetricians), New Orleans,USA Contact: The Resource Centre, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, PO Box 96920, Washington, DC 20090-6920,USA Tel:＋ 1 202 6385577 26. April 08～ 11, 2002. 21st Joint Meeting of the British Endocrine Societies, Harrogate, UK. Contact: British Endocrine Societies, 17/18 The Courtyard, Woodlands, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS 32 4NQ,UK Tel:＋ 44-1454-619347; Fax:＋ 44-1454-616071 E-mail: info@endocrinology.org Web site: www.endocrinology.org 27. May 4～ 9, 2002. Annual Meeting, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Los Angeles, USA Contact: The Resource Centre, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, PO Box 96920, Washington,DC 20090-6920, USA Tel:＋ 1 202 6385577 28. May 11～ 17, 2002. American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR), 40th Annual Meeting, Vancouver Convention ＆ Exhibition Centre,Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA Contact: American Society of Neuroradiology, 2210 Midwest Road, Suite 207,Oak Brook,Illinois 60523-8205 E-mail: bmack@asnr.org or kcammarata@asnr.org29. June 19～ 22, 2002. 84th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, San Francisco, CA, USA Contact: Endocrine Society Tel: 1-301-941-0200; Fax: 1-301-941-0259 E-mail: endostaff@endo-society.org Web site: www.endo-society.org 30. June 27～ 30, 2002. 34th International Congress on Pathophysiology of Pregnancy, Lake Balaton, Hungary Contact: Congress Secretariat, Weiss Manfred Hospital, Dept Gynec. Obstet. Budapest, Dé li utea 11,1211 Hungary Tel:＋ 36 1 276 5511; Fax:＋ 36 1 275 3619 E-mail: cskorhaz@mail.matav.hu 31. Aug. 18～ 23, 2002. World Federation of Neuroradiological Societies (WFNRS), Symposium Neuroradiologicum ⅩⅦ , Palais des Congres-Porte Maillot, Paris, FRANCE 32. Sep. 7～ 11, 2002. 5th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology, Bristol. UK Contact: BioScientifica Ltd., 16 The Courtyard, Woodlands, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS324NQ, UK Tel:＋ 44-1454-619347; Fax:＋ 44-1454-616071 E-mail: icn2002@endocrinology.org Web site: www.bioscientifica.com/icn2002.htm

Objective. To study the associations of IDDM3, IDDM4, IDDM5 and IDDM8 with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Methods. The polymorphisms of short tandem repeat (STR) loci D15S657, D11S1369, D6S2420 and D6S503, linked to IDDM3, IDDM4, IDDM5 and IDDM8 respectively, were studied by polymerase chain reaction and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PCR-PAGE) followed by direct sequencing of PCR products in 105 normal Chinese Han nationality subjects and 48 patients with IDDM. Results. The allele frequencies of allele A5 at D15S657 locus, allele A5 at D11S1369 locus and allele A4 at D6S2420 locus were increased significantly in patients with IDDM compared to those in the control group. No difference in the allele frequencies at D6S503 locus was observed between IDDM and control group. Conclusion. IDDM3, IDDM4 , IDDM5 but not IDDM8 may be associated with IDDM in Chinese Han nationality population.