The Chinese drug Ma Huang, Herba Ephedrae, is well known in the East and West. The botanical origin specified in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (1985 edition) includes the dried herbaceous stems of Ephedra sinica Stapf, E. equisetina Bunge and E. intermedia Schrenk ex Mey. A survey of the botanical origin of this drug, however, revealed that other Eqhedra spp. are also used in certain districts in China. In order to find means for the identification of drugs derived from different plant origins, it is necessary to make a comparative study of the morphology and histology of all the Eqhedra spp. growing in China. In this paper, the morphological and histological characters of the crude drugs derived from the Eqhedra spp. chiefly growing in north China, viz. E. sinica Stapf, E. equisetina Bunge, E. intermedia Schrenk ex Mey., E. qrzewaskiistaqs E. monosperma Gmel. ex Mey., E. fedtschenkoae Pauls, and E. regeliana Florin are described, compared and illustrated with line drawings. It is discovered that the following characters are useful for their differentiation, viz. (1) the presence, shape and height of cuticular papillae of the stem; (2) the presence, amount and arrangement of sclereids at stem-nodes; (3) vessels and tracheids with bordered pits and spiral thickenings, tracheids with bordered pits and reticulate thickenings, and xylem parenchyma cells with reticulate thickenings, (4) the ratios of longitudinal and transverse diameters of stomata on the epidermis of stem and leaf. Observation with scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that the perforations of the end walls of vessel element in Eqherda spp. are bordered. It is also found that the degree of lignification of fibres and medullary cells of the herbaceous stems is related to the positions and diameters of the stems. It is therefore unsuitable as a diagnostic feature for the differentiation of Eqhedrra species.

Two brothers in a Chinese family were affected with dyskeratosis congenita (DC). The proband's stepbrother died of pancytopenia and rectal adenocarcinoma. The proband with progressive pancytopenia was studied in genetics and hematology. Family investigations suggest that the disorder was inherited as an X-linked recessive transmission. No specific chromosome aberrations were detected in both peripheral blood and bone marrow cells. Bone marrow biopsy revealed markedly hypocellular marrow without prominent reticulin fibers. Hematopoiesis was assessed by assay of granulomonocytic (CFU-GM) colonies and clusters in vitro. Numbers of CFU-GM were profoundly reduced in marrow cultures from our patient. Although a defect in the stromal microenvironment and lymphocyte mediated suppression could not be excluded. It is possible that the defect is intrinsic to the hematopoietic stem cells. The familial disease described by this paper favors that the dyskeratosis congenita is X-linked with constitutional aplastic anemia. It is believed that the pancytopenia with hypocellular marrow in DC is an inherited rather than an acquired condition.

By 3H-TdR incorporation, dye exclusion and cell colony-forming tests, the capability of short-term in vitro growth of the epithelial cell line of human poorly differentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (CNE-2Z) was assayed. At the same time, its response to 54 kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs and marine drugs was studied. The results showed that the 3H-TdR incorporation rate of cells was 1.8 +/- 0.02%, reproduction rate was 60.9 +/- 13.0% and colony-forming rate, 40.8 +/- 3.5%. As to the ratios of the three cell growth indexes and response to medicines, the Chinese medicinal herbs and marine drugs causing the reduction of colony-forming and cell survival ratios were predominant (64.8% and 40.7%). The results indicate that the majority of drugs possess the cytotoxic and inhibitory effect on cell reproduction to different degrees. The composite cell response to every kind of drug could be divided into 6 types: descending, ascending, peaked, valley-like, depressed and stable. The depressing type drugs might inhibit or arrest the cell growth of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and are worthy of further study.