Most reports on the histological changes in the peripheral nerves in leprosy have been made from the study of biopsy specimens. A study of bigger nerves, in their entire length, including the spinal cord, has been made occasionally as this is possible only at autopsy. We have undertaken a detailed study of the peripheral nerves in lepromatous leprosy by which made an addition to modified embedding method of their entire length. In addition, a detailed histological examination of the spinal cord was also undertaken. Histological examination of peripheral nerves of the upper extremities including the plexus and the roots of origin from the spinal cord dissected from three autopsy cases showed a greater degree of destruction of the axis cylinders and myelin sheaths in a spindle-like from and moderate destruction of them in proximal parts. Lepra bacilli, besides being present all along the peripheral nerves were found to be concentrated in a spindle-like from part.
The examination of the spinal cords in three cases of lepromatous leprosy both histopathologically as well as by the staining method for the bacilli by Harada, failed to reveal acid fast organisms.
It is concluded, therefore, that the lepra bacilli travel along the peripheral nerves to the roots, but fail to enter the spinal cord and it degenerates only secondarily.

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Sato and Fieldsteel first described the nuclepore membrane filter method for concentration and quantitation of Mycobacterium leprae and proposed that the new method could be applied to detect M. leprae in quantities as few as less than 10⁴ in many types of specimens.
In this paper the authors present the results of their further tests on the nuclepore method comparing with the microspot and culture methods.
A one-week culture of M. fortuitum in Dubos liquid was divided into alliquots of 10 portions and each portions was diluted in series. Comparative counts of acid-fast bacteria were made on 10^-2 dilutions by the microspot method, on 10^-4 by the nuclepore method and on 10^-5 anb 10^-6 by the culture method. As shown in Table 1, there was close correlation between the nuclepore method and the culture method. However, about two times of bacteria were counted by the microspot method more than by the other two methods.
Cell culture fluids from M. leprae-infected cultures were examined by the microspot and nuclepore methods. It was clear from the data in Table 2 that the nuclepore method could detect M, leprae in quantities as small as 1.52×10² in specimens. This detection corresponded to approximately the same range as determined by the culture method on culturable mycobacteria.
As mentioned above, the authors confimed the findings reported by Sato and Fieldsteel.

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C3H/He strain mice, approximately 5 weeks of age, were subcutaneously inoculated at the thorax with 0.25ml of a 1: 1000 saline suspension prepared from a malignant leproma in a C3H mouse infected with murine leprosy bacilli, strain Hawaiian, about 25 weeks earlier. The susceptibility of these mice to the bacilli was evaluated by the development of leproma at the infection site and also by the involvement of visceral organs.
In only 2 out of 10 male mice tested, typically malignant leproma was observed at the infection site throughout the observation period. In almost all the other mice, subcutaneous leproma showed benign-like features at the early stage of infection. The leproma increased in size gradually, but did not show typically malignant features even at 40 to 50 weeks. However, visceral lesions in all the mice seemed to be severe with time, since autopsy revealed extensive involvement of the viscera. The visceral lesions and mean survival time of C3H/He mice were similar to those obtained in C3H mice. There were no pronounced differences in the susceptibility between male and female groups.
The susceptibility of C3H and C57BL/6 strain mice was also examined by the same manner above mentioned, as controls. Mice of C3H and C57BL/6 strains showed typically malignant and benign features, respectively.
From the observations of this and of our earlier experiments, it is clear that the disease course in C3H/He mice was intermediate to that observed in C3H and CF # 1 mice.

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The important factors closely relating to the structure of calcaneus trabecula are generally considered the static conditions, namely the charged pressure imposed by standing and/or walking and the traction force by muscle movement of lower half of the body at that time.
As frequently, leprosy accompanies with peroneal palsy (so-called as drop foot), calcaneus fracture, deformity in foot joint (Charcot's joint in particular), secondary foot joint union (triple-or pantalar-arthrodesis), secondary amputation of metatarsal part or their combinations. (or above combinations)
All of the above mentioned static conditions are considered to have a close relation with the structure of calcaneus trabecula.
Therefore, radiological studies on changes in calcaneus trabecula have been carried out on the deformed feet in leprosy.
The results are as follows :
(1) Even in the old peroneal palsy cases, if the form of longitudinal arch is slightly decomposed, no effects are observed on the trabecula a, C1 and/or C2 due to steppage gait. The pressure by standing and/or walking which goes through the longitudinal axis of the tibia, further through the center of the foot joint, is ramified (spreaded) to each condition in the metatarsal part and tuber calcanei and, as the trabecula a, C1 and C2 coincide with their own routes respectively, the pressure in the stance phase with the greatest pressure imposed by standing and/or walking is considered to show normal ramification, even in the case of steppage gait.
Even if the joint condition is normal in the stance phase, the trabecula b and/or C2 tends to become coarser when the foot joint is fixed. This seems as the fact of the pressure imposed by standing and/or walking, which goes through the longitudinal axes of the tibia, is not ramified toward the metatarsal part but perpendicularly to the bottom of the calcaneus.
(2) Excepting for the peroneal palsy cases (the majority of the cases) and calcaneus fracture cases with normal Bohler angle, the trabecula d1 and d2 have been found to be weakened or disappearing in almost all studied cases. This seems as these trabeculae have relations with the traction force of the sole muscles. Also, as the calcaeus frequently occurs in leprosy patients, these trabeculae cross the tabecula b, C1 and C2 to make the skeletal structure strong.
(3) As the contructure of calcaneus tendon or loss of its function, the trabecula e markedly increased its disappearing tendency,
As the above, this trabecula is considered to have a closed correlation with the traction force of the calcaneus tendon.

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化学療法と併用される免疫賦活療法はらい治療の有力な手段と考えられる。植物由来多糖体に優秀な細胞内浸透性や宿主への緩和な作用が望見され,著者らの一人はくまざさ抽出物服用により癌患者腹水が著減したという臨床経験を提起したので,その免疫賦活作用の有無を調べる前に成分分折を施行した。熱時または冷時に乾燥葉細切片を抽出し,イオン交換クロマトグラフィー,分子鯖過,種々の限外濾過で酸性あるいは分子量の違いにより数種分画に別けた。ガスクロマトグラフィーで,内山らの報告同様多糖構成単糖として溜出の速い方からアラビノーズ,キシローズ,ガラクトーズ,グルコーズを検出し,新知見としてグルコーズは強酸性低分子分画に多く,一方五炭糖は逆に少ない傾向を認め,また多糖に取込まれない遊離単糖としてリボーズ,マンノーズの微量を検出した。抽出液の加温濃縮時にpHが酸性へと変化しがちであるのに冷時濃縮ではこの現象が見られないので,結合硫酸基の存在と加温時遊離を想定し調べたところ,微量の結合硫酸基の存在を推定したが,それが酸性へと傾く原因か,その結合相手が果して糖か否かは明らかでない。結合性燐酸は認められなかった。蛋白構成アミノ酸として16種アミノ酸の構成比が算出された。しかしその糖との結合は明らかでない。炎光分析で著量のカリウムが含まれている事が認められたが,抽出率は低かった。利尿作用との関係が興味深い。

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先報で検討の種々のくまざさ抽出物中,冷時抽出の分子量5万以上(A)と10³～5万(B)に重点を置き二,三の生物活性の有無を調べた。A, Bとも糖含量は低いので,全実験はATSOを標準物質とし,糖含量に基ずいた(A)(B)の量に関しおこなわれた。マウスB細胞免疫への影響をカニンガム法で調べたところ,(A)の25mg/kg, (B)の75mg/kg投与群に僅かにブラック細胞数の増加傾向を認めたが他群は対照と差異なかった。次にモルモットT細胞免疫への影響を兎赤血球ロゼット法で調べたところATSO10mg/kg群では明瞭に,(B)75mg/kgでは僅かにロゼット数増加が見られたが他は明瞭でなかった。多糖体は管内培養ではロゼット形成率を低下させた。カラゲニン浮腫抑制作用は(B)が(A)より強いような結果を得た。分画前の粗抽出物はカンジダ,アスペルギルス各1株に抗カビ作用を示さなかった。佐々木研究所の協力で粗抽出物と(B)のラット腹水肝癌AH41Cへの抗腫瘍作用が調べられたが,効果は陰性であった。しかし多糖体の宿主への作用が緩和でらい治療に適しているという想定から,特に単一分子量を持つ多糖体群に関し一層研究を進める必要がある。

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