If the physical characteristics of several sounds or subjects' psychological factors differ, the unpleasantness that subjects feel towards a sound seems to differ even if the loudness of the sound are equal. Such unpleasantness of sound has been shown to provoke several kinds of stress responses. The present study attempt to examine this.
For the study, the unpleasantness of four kinds of sounds with equal-A-weighted sound levels (70dB(A)) was quantified. The noises included that of scratch a fryingpan with a metal ladle (Fryingpan Noise: FN), scratch a flosted glass with a metal ladle (Glass Noise: GN), a synthesizer (Synthesizer Noise: SN) and white noise (WN). Psychophysical methods of quantification included the rating scale and the paired comparisons. The order of unpleasantness was FN>GN>WN>SN or the most unpleasant was FN.
EEGs were then recorded during a 30-minute exposure to sound of FN, WN, SN stimuli, respectively. At rest, with the eyes closed, 40 minute EEGs were recorded for the control (CTRL). Changes in EEGs due to unpleasantness were estimated by FFT spectral analysis and the usefulness of certain spectral parameters was examined.
Changes in EEG were found to depend not on the kind of stimulus, but on the subjects' psychological responses depending on whether they regarded a stimulus as unpleasant or not. When a subject indicated discomfort, the alpha wave decreased and slow waves increased. Parameters such as log (%x/(100-%x)) [%x: relative power in x-band] were deemed excellent representation of changes in EEG.

View full abstract

The metabolism of gold in male rats was investigated over a period of 144 hours after single intraperitoneal injections of sodium aurothiomalate containing 12.1mg Au, a compound used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The amount of gold in blood serum and visceral organs was measured by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry using a carbon rod atomizer. It was found that there was a linear relationship between the concentration of gold (0-2.0ppm) and the absorbance with the detection limit for gold at 5×10^-11g. Six hours after the injection, gold concentrations in serum had reached their highest levels, after which they decreased rapidly. Significant accumulations in the kidneys were found when compared to those recorded for the liver, lungs and spleen. Gold-treated rats had elevated blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine concentrations as well as acute renal tubular necrosis. Therefore, it seems that kidney is one of the target organs of gold in this study.

View full abstract

The effects of dietary intake of nutrients on the activity and isozyme pattern of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were examined.
In an epidemiological study, no significant correlations were found between the serum total LDH activity and dietary intakes of nutrients in healthy young volunteero (92 men, 10 women). However, high inverse correlations were found between the percentage of the fourth isozyme of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH-4) and protein intake, between the percentage of the fifth isozyme of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH-5) and protein intake, between the percentage of LDH-4 and fat intake, and between the percentage of LDH-5 and protein intake/kg of body weight.
In a laboratory study, the percentages of LDH-4 and LDH-5 in four volunteers on a relatively low protein diet (40-50g of protein per day) tended to increase, in particular, the percentage of LDH-5 increased significantly from 5.3±1.7 to 10.6±2.6% (p<0.05).

View full abstract

The changes in blood acid-base equilibrium in mouse during and after exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) were studied with special reference to the relationship to carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) content in blood. Acid-base parameters investigated were pH, pCO₂, HCO₃^- and base excess (BE).
The results obtained were as follows:
1. The changes in blood acid-base equilibrium during CO exposure took place in two phases depending strongly upon HbCO content in blood.
2. The decrease in pCO₂ and increase in pH, i. e., a respiratory alkalosis was observed in the first phase which appeared when HbCO content in blood reached 50-60%. Little change in HCO₃^- and BE was observed.
3. The decrease in HCO₃^-, BE and pH, i. e., a metabolic acidosis was observed in the second phase which appeared when HbCO content in blood increased more than 60-70%. The decrease in pCO₂ was also remarkable.
4. The metabolic acidosis caused by CO exposure remained unchanged for a while after discontinuing the exposure, although rapid decrease in HbCO content in blood was observed.
5. All the blood acid-base parameters began to improve when HbCO content in blood fell to 30-40%. Metabolic acidosis disappeared when HbCO content in blood became approximately 20%. On the other hand, at this time, pCO₂ increased beyond the upper limit of normal value and a state of respiratory acidosis developed.
6. The results so far obtained indicate that shift in blood acid-base equilibrium must be carefully taken into consideration in the diagnosis of CO poisoning and its treatments.

View full abstract

Conus-sting is a syndrome produced by the sting of marine snails belonging to the genus Conus. These snails are predacious and feed on their prey (fishes, snails and polychaetes) by means of shooting a radular tooth into the victim. The radular tooth, which is hollow and harpoon-like in shape and charged with venom, is ejected from the tip of a tapering proboscis lengthened from the mouth (rostrum).
More than 55 cases of Conus-sting including 21 fatalities have been recorded in tropical Indo-Pacific (16 cases including 7 fatalities in Japan) as of Aug. 1982. The majority of fatal case are caused by C. geographus although about 20 species of Conus are reported to have stung humans. The fatality rate of C. geographus stings is 66.7% in the world and 55.3% in Japan. The main symptoms induced by C. geographus' venom (CGV) are paralysis of voluntary muscles and death caused by hindrances of respiration. No cardiac disfunction was observed.
In considering possible therapy for the Conus-sting syndrome in humans, the effect of ligation of an extremity at the part proximal from the site injected with CGV was examined using mice. The crude CGV used was obtained by squeezing the venom duct of the living snail, and was stored in a deep freezer until use. The ligation was performed for 30 minutes as follows: A) Ligation at the distal end of a thigh just before injection with CGV in 1.54-3.84×LD_1h (Lethal dose within 1 hour) into a leg; B) Ligation at the ankle joint 10 seconds after injection of CGV in 1.0-2.5×LD_1h into the sole of a foot; C) Ligation at the distal end of a thigh various times (10, 30, 60, 180, 240 and 300 seconds) after injection with CGV in 1.54×LD_1h into the sole of a foot. In this experiment, the LD_1h of dried crude CGV for mice corresponds to 1.3mg/kg into a thigh or leg and about 2.0mg/kg into the sole. The symptoms caused by these doses of CGV were crying, due to severe pain at the time of the injection, excitement, fatigue, ataxia in gait, clonic convulsions on every voluntary muscle (continues to death), breathing disorders (irregular, convulsive and finally standstill) and death within 1 hour. In the control group injected with a dose of. 1.5×LD_1h or more without ligation, death came within 10 minutes.
As a result, in all the cases accompanied by ligation, except one that was ligated 5 minutes after injection with CGV, lifesaving or lifepreservation was successful. Especially, in the case of mice injected with CGV in the foot area, death could be completely prevented and the mice recovered without any physical signs, when the thigh was ligated within 3 minutes after injection of 1.5×LD_1h or just before the injection of 3.84×LD_1h. Ligation in these cases has a larger significance than in cases of snakebites by species with necrotic venom because Conus-sting is not accompanied by organic changes such as necrosis. Ligation is therefore considered to be the most effective primary treatment of Conus-sting due to C. geographus in humans as well.

View full abstract

Conus-sting, 55 cases, including 21 fatalities caused by about 20 species of Conus as of Aug. 1982. Among the 21 fatalities, 18 cases were caused by C. geographus. The fatality rate associated with this species has reached 55.3% in Japan and 66.7% in the world. C. geographus is therefore considered to be the most dangerous snail belonging to the genus Conus. This fact is also proven experimentally by comparison of the lethal dose within 1 hour (LD_1h) of the venom of this species (CGV) in various animals. Results show the values of LD_1h of crude CGV are 1.3mg/kg in mice, 4mg/kg in chickens and 0.09mg/kg in goldfishes. These values represent the lowest value of venoms in various species of Conus examined by the author.
However, it is impossible to estimate the lethal dose (even not LD_1h) in humans directly by means of experiment. Therefore the lethal dose for humans was estimated by means of 1) examination of the records of Conus-stings in the world and 2) measurement of the quantity of CGV thought to be injected into a victim by the snail.
1) From an analysis of the record of Conus-stings collected by Shirai (June 1982) and 3 cases investigated by the author (Sep. 1982) it can be concluded that C. geographus injects in one attack crude CGV in ammount corresponding to LD₇₀ in humans. Consequently, it was fatal in the cases of small men or children stung by large snails and death came within 40 minutes to 5 hours after the sting but larger men stung by smaller snails were saved.
2) It has already been proven by the author that C. geographus injects its venom only in the amount charged within a single radular tooth into the victim according to its predatory behavior. As a result of the measurement of the volume of capacity of a single radular tooth from C. geographus in several sizes, the amount of raw crude CGV which would be injected into a human was converted into 0.06 to 0.2mg in dry weight.
Thus the lethal dose of CGV in humans was estimated to be 1 to 3μg/kg. However in 2 cases of geographus cone-stings which occured in Okinawa on Jul. 22 and Aug. 17 in 1982, both doses of CGV are presumed to be only 0.2 and 0.5μg/kg respectively according to the estimation in this report. Yet the patients fell into severe paralysis of voluntary movement accompanied by disturbance of speech and dyspnea. They subsequently recovered in a hospital aided by medical treatment.

View full abstract

The mutagenicity of N-nitrosomethamphetamine and N-nitrosoephedrine synthesized from methamphetamine and ephedrine in our laboratory was proved to be significant by the modified method of the Ames assay using Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and TA98 and E. coli WP2 uvrA/pKM in the presence of hamster S9.
The formation of N-nitrosomethamphetamine from methamphetamine and nitrite when incubated in vitro in the human urine or in human gastric juice was found. On the other hand, N-nitrosomethamphetamine was detected from the urine of methamphetamine addicts.
The identification of N-nitrosomethamphetamine was carried out by GC/MS.

View full abstract

Using Japanese Vital Statistics, the average (five years) annual mortality rates from cerebrovascular diseases (B22 in the 7th revision of ICD and B30 in the 8th revision of ICD) were calculated for the years 1960, 1965, 1970, and 1975, for males and females ranging in age from 35 to 74, grouped into five-year age groups. Two mathematical models r_ij=cα_iβ'_jγ_k (Model A) and r_ij=cα_iγ_kexp (β_jf⋅δ_l) (Model B) were postulated, and their fit to the observed data was tested. Where, r_ij is the population mortality rate in cell (i, j), c is a constant, α_i, β_j, γ_k represents the effect of ith age group, jth year of death and kth birth cohort, respectively, and exp (β_iδ_l) represents the effect of jth year of death in the lth age group.
For male data, Model B fit very well to the observed data, but the fit of Model A was not good. For female data, both Model A and Model B fit relatively well to the observed data, but the fit of Model B was better than the fit of Model A. Model B seems to be a mathematical model worthy of further consideration, although some estimates of parameteres in Model B throw slight suspicion on the reality of this model.

View full abstract

The day to day variations of urinary hydroxyproline (H. P) and creatinine excretion were investigated in five (two women and three men) healthy adults aged 28-42 years old under an ad lib. diet, collecting daytime and nighttime urine separately on 17-42 successive days. The daily protein intake of these subjects was also investigated, and the relation between daily H. P or creatinine excretion and daily protein intake was evaluated.
The following results were obtained:
1. Urinary H. P and H. P/creatinine have shown considerable day to day variations for all the five subjects (C. V 12.6-19.8% for H. P and 13.2-19.5% for H. P/creatinine). The day to day variation of creatinine excretion was much smaller than that of H. P (C. V 3.6-8.5%). The autocorrelation analysis of these time series suggested that there was no systematic temporal pattern.
2. In four out of five subjects, urinary H. P excretion during daytime and/or nighttime of a day showed significant positive correlations with the amount of protein intake on the same day or one or two days before. This finding suggests that the amount of urinary H. P excretion may be affected by dietary protein intake.
3. The difference of mean H. P excretion between daytime and nighttime was negligible in all five subjects.

View full abstract

We analyzed sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency in lymphocytes in 39 non-smokers and 29 smokers. Non-smokers had 9.9±1.5 SCEs/cell (mean±s. d.), and smokers had 11.4±1.9 SCEs/cell. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). The SCE frequency in smokers was dependent on the number of cigarettes smoked per day. We think that SCE frequency in lymphocytes is useful for evaluation of environmental mutagens.

View full abstract