It is impossible now to affirm that the hypersensitivity reaction of immediate plays a definite role in every case with bronchial asthma. However, some of the patients with this disorder reveal positive skin tests or inhalation tests by specific antigens and their sera sometimes yield positive PK reactions. Before concluding whether or not a certain substance mediates the hypersensitivity reaction of immediate type in a certain organ, it is essential to check the following: 1) Is the substance or its precursor containced in the organ? 2) Is the substance released from the sensitized organ when challenged with specific antigens? 3) Is the substance able to elicit the symptoms skin to those evoked by the hypersensitivity reaction of immediate type in the organ? 4) Is the substance metabolized in the organ? This review on the relationship between histamine and the hypersensitivity reaction of immediate type in the human lung makes the following clear: 1) Histamine is contained in the human lung. 2) Histamine is released from the sensitized human lung when challenged with specific antigens. 3) It has not been certain whether the effect of histamine and that of antigens on the sensitized human lung are similar or different. 4) Mysteries on the metabolism of histamine in the human lung have scarecely uncovered.

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Basic studies of RAST using cyanogen bromide activated paper disc were carried out for IgE system and followings were found: 1) At least 24 hour of incubation is necessary to conjugate antigen to cyanogen bromide activated paper disc. 2) Activated paper disc is quite stable when stored at -20℃ in dry condition and can be used even after 8 months of storage. 3) Conjugation of antigen with paper disc is not influenced significantly by PH and morality of solvent of antigen. 4) Antigen conjugated paper disc is stable at least several months when kept at -4℃, disregarding whether suspended in solution or kept dried. 5) Incubation of serum for 3 hours is usually sufficient to allow IgE antibody to conjugate with anigen-paper complex. 6) More than overnight is needed in incubation of anti-IgE. 7) Standard curve of RAST is S-shaped and not linear. Consequently serum should be diluted 5 to 10 times to make IgE antibody to compare reasonably with standard serum. 8) There was close correlation between isotope counts of house dust and mite antigens with RAST in 125 asthmatic patients. Correlation coefficient was 0.91. 9) Result of RAST against antigenic potency has some correlation with the end point of skin reaction. 10) RAST does not work well in IgG system in human serum, probably because of non-specific absorption of IgG to paper disc.

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The basic studies on the interaction between human peripheral lymphocytes and sheep red blood cells in vitro were performed under various conditions enzyme treatments. The preparation of peripheral lymphocytes was carried out with Conray-Ficoll method. All lymphocytes binding more than two sheep red blood cells were considered to be positive. The peripheral lymphocytes of healthy subjects was detected as 32.4 ± 13.0% on the percentage of sheep red blood cell rosette-forming cell, and 82% of the lymphocytes from the thymus of myasthenic patient. The lymphocytes scaled under 5 μ in diameter showed higher positivity (79.4%) of sheep red blood cell rosette-forming cell than the lymphocytes of over 7 μ in the diameter (2.2%). Higher positive percentage was obtained by frecher sheep red blood cell than older one. The centrifugation increased remarkably the positivity of sheep red blood cell rosette-forming cell population. No effects on this reaction were detected by the sheep red blood cells treated with both trypsin and papain. The lymphocyte surface treated with either trypsin or papain showed lower binding activity against the sheep red blood cells depending on the enzyme concentrations. Trypsin was stronger about a hundredfold in adhesive blocking action between lymphocyteand sheep red blood cell than papain; 5 × 10^6 lymphocytes were treated with 1 × 10^<-3> g trypsin and 1 × 10^<-2> g papain with the decreased positivity of sheep red blood cell rosette-forming cell to 3.9 ± 1.5% and 2.2 ± 2.1%, respectively, in the contrast of 54.5 ± 12.5% positive with the nontreated lymphocytes.

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To investigate the effect of bronchodilator ST1512 (S group) in instant and continuous uses on adult bronchial asthma, a double blind trial was performed in 9 institutes by using metaproterenol (A group) and inactive placebo (P group) as controls. The result of an open trial was analyzed according to the Fisher's direct probability computation method, and the number of samples necessary for this double blind trial was found to be 36 cases per group. Accordingly, it follows that 108 cases or so will do for three groups. Therefore, an interim inspection was done, when the number of samples reached 105 cases. The samples tested totaled 104 cases, made up as follows: S group (34 cases), A group (36 cases) and P group (34 cases). And there was no significant difference in back ground among the three groups. As to the test method, one tablet eact was administered to all the patients in groups S (ST1512 lmg), A (metaproterenol 10 mg) and P (placebo). Subjective and objective symptoms and lung functions were examined before and 1 hour after the drug administration. H-test and U-test were conducted on general assessments of doctors. These tests revealed that there was a significant difference in the drug effect between S and P groups at less than 0.5% level but that there were no significant differences between S and A group and between A and P groups at a 5% level. Next, a detailed discrimination analysis among the three groups was also carried out.

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