1. Attempts were made for defining the significance of concentration and dose factors of NaCl solution in relation to their teratogenic effects on rat embryos. Further, anomalies produced were characterized by morphological patterns and sensitive stages in addition to the observation on morphogenesis during a short period after the treatment. 2. It was found that the noxious effects of NaCl on embryos depended upon its concentration and dose. The combination of 9.5 % in concentration and 1,710 mg/kg in dose produced higher incidence of the anomalies with relatively low prenatal mortality. 3. Gross malformations observed at term were brachy-, ectro- and syndactyly as well as tail anomalies such as shortenings and curvatures. Hematoma in digits and hematoma and/or cyst at the tip of the tail were associated with the above malformations. The sensitive stage for those anomalies ranged from day 12 through 16 of the gestation. Because of restricted localization in occurrence, consistent and characteristic type and unusual sensitive stage of the anomalies, they were considered as one syndrome ("apical defects"). 4. Subcutaneous edemas and clear blisters in various regions of embryos as well as conspicuous hemorrhages in the maxillary process, the limb and the tail were grossly observed during 4 to 6 hours after treatment. Histologically, cellular necrosis and disarrangement of tissue were noticed around conglomerations of blood cells. 5. Supplementary data demonstrated that apical defects were manifested only when a large amount of NaCl at high concentration was administered into maternal extracellular fluid system (I.P. or I.V. routes). In addition, it was suggested that a major factor correlating with the production of the defects was not Na^+ and/or Cl^- but hypertonicity of the solution. 6. In the light of references, the present observation is suggestive of a possibility that highly hypertonic solutions may cause initially extracellular fluid- and circulating disturbances in embryos as shown by edemas and hemorrhages and subsequently digital and caudal anomalies are induced through process of pathological changes.

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A case of sex chromosome anomaly, an XXXX sex chromosome complex, found in a mentally retarded female is reported. She is 29 years of age, has irregular menstruation, eye symptoms, abnormal findings in EEG, slight low values of 17-KS and 17-OHCS and hypofunction of the adrenal cortex, though enzyme activity of erythrocytes is almost normal. This is the first recorded instance of an XXXX sex chromosome complex in Japanese females.

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An attempt was made in these experiments to investigate the effects of an anabolic steroid (AS) on the teratogenic activity of mitomycin C(MC). Pregnant mice of CF#1 strain were given a single intravenous injection of 5 mg/kg. bw. of MC on the 12th day of gestation and were also subjected to double intramuscular injections of 25mg/kg. bw. of As, first one hour before and then two hours after the MC treatment. Other groups of mice were treated with MC or AS alone for comparison purposes. Pregnant mice were laparotomized on the 19th day of gestation and the fetuses were examined for external and skeletal abnormalities as well as for their body weight changes. Thirty-two (64.0%)of 50 pregnant mice with the MC treatment alone were delivered of more than one anomalous baby; external or skeletal malformations appeared in 201 live fetuses (44.6%) among 451 born to these mothers. Cleft palate, oligodactyly and syndactyly were observed most frequently, and abnormalities of the ossification of the sternum were the most common of skeletal malformations. Of 50 mothers with the combined treatment of MC and AS, however, only 19(38.0%) produced deformed babies; 49(10.7%) fetuses out of 457 live-borns. Only two anomalous babies(0.4%) were found among 472 fetuses born to 50 mothers with the AS treatment alone, which incidence was within the limit of the spontaneous occurrence of congenital malformations in this particular strain of mice. The average body weights of live fetuses from the AS group, the AS-MC group and the AS group were 1.169g, 0.903g and 0.780g respectively, differences among the groups being significant at the probability level of less than 0.01. Also, highly significant differences were observed among the three groups in the maternal body weight increase during pregnacy (AS group: 18.97g, AS-MC group: 15.03g and MC group:12.54g). These results indicate that anabolic steroids act inhibitively on the teratogenic activity of mitomycin C. Speculative discussion was made of the mechanism of this effect in the text.

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