We described some characteristics of the occupational pollinosis due to artificial pollination of Japanese pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai) among pear farmers. And we discussed some problems that are assosiated to the modern agricultural labour and the allergic respiratory diseases
1. We observed that the allergic symptoms and signs (pollinosis) were induced by pear pollen which had been thought having little allergenicity.
2. By our epidemiological survey, the prevalence rate of the pollinosis was showed over 10% of the pear farmers.
3. The pollen of annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.), which was one of the most abundant species of the undergrowth of the orchard, was found an important allergen as well as the pear pollen.
4. The cross-reactivity was demonstrated immunologically between apple-pollen antigen and pear-pollen antigen: This findings supported the similarity of apple pollinosis and pear pollinosis.
5. These pollinosis were thought to be a new and important health problem which was connected with the modern labour and the technical renovation of nowadav agriculture in Tanan

View full abstract

Concerning the agricultural waste water treatment, adsorption removal of cresol which is one of disinfectants by commercial activated carbon was investigated.
It was not found the significant correlation between amount of cresol adsorbed and physical properties of eight kinds of activated carbon. The intraparticle diffusivity of cresol onto the pores of activated carbon was significantly related to the mesopore volume.
In the treatment of agricultural waste water, it is concluded that the activated carbon which is rich in mesopore volume is suitable for the adsorption removal of cresol from the standpoint of adsorption rate.

View full abstract

This survey was conducted in a local city, Tokushima for its 23 administrative sections, which were classified into rural, non-rural and mixed districts based on the data related to agriculture. Complaints of public nuisances in these districts have been examined and the following findings have been obtained.
1. Complaints about water pollution and offensive odor in the rural district and those about offensive odor and noise in the mixed district have been raised more often, respectively. While, in the non-rural district more complaints about noise have been raised. Thus, it is recognized that possible pollution phenomena vary depending on regional patterns.
2. In time-serial comparison between the first half (1977-1980) and the second half (1981-1984) of survey period, it is found that total complaints of public nuisances have been reduced and the complaints in the rural district have been increased for all the types excepting dust. Therefore, it is suggested that regional environment in suburban farm villages has been deteriorating.

View full abstract

The remarkable progress and spread of ultrasonic diagnostic equipment has maid it possible to diagnose various diseases more easily and quickly.
From August, 1983, we began to examine abdominal organs such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney, spleen, and bile duct using ultrasonic diagnostic equipment in the Health Care Center. On the other hand, we began ultrasonographic (US) mass screening for the people in the rural areas and occupational areas from March, 1984.
We examined 9803 subjects in the Health Care Center and 11558 subjects in 23 rural areas and 15 occupational areas of Kumamoto Prefecture through June, 1986. Among these 21361 subjects, 6882 (32.2 percent) cases showed abnormal findings. Main diseases detected by US screening were gallstone, gallbladder polyp, liver cyst, liver tumor, renal cyst, renal tumor, renal stone, and so on.
In the Health Care Center we could find 23 cancer cases such as two gallbladder cancer cases, seven hepatoma cases, twelve renal cell carcinoma cases, one bile duct carcinoma case, and one gastric cancer case. The prevalence rate was 0.23 percent. On the other hand, 14 cancer cases such as two gallbladder cancer cases, three hepatoma cases, two metastatic liver cancer cases, four renal cell carcinoma cases, one transitional cell carcinoma case of the kidney, and one pancreas cancer case were found in the US mass screening. The prevalence rate was 0.12 percent.
By using ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, we can find many latent diseases which show no abdominal findings by the traditional screening systems. Especially the fact that we discovered many cancer cases and the majority of them were operated on in their early stage was highly important. If we had no chance to examine these patients by US examination, these cancer cases could probably not have been discovered.
To conqure various problems such as the training of examiners, the systematization of these thorough examinations as well as post examination therapy, and the education of examinees will difinitely contribute significantly to the effectiveness of the US mass screening method.

View full abstract

In eastern Japan, Yamanashi Prefecture is noted for the high mortality from hepatic disease. The materials used in the present study are 86 cases diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma histologically over the past six years and one month and 176 pathological autopsy cases for these past five years at the Yamanashi Social Insurance Hospital. Study was conducted with attention focused on the incidence of schistosomiasis japonica, known as an endemic disease in the Kofu basin. The findings are as follows:
(1) In the 86 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, the average age was 62.4. The male/female ratio was 6.2. Schistosomiasis japonica was found in 43.0%. HBs antigen testing revealed that 20.0% were positive, while HBs antibody testing showed that 43.4% were positive. Liver cirrhosis was found in 68.5%. To be noted is the fact that the average age and the HBs antibody positivity ratio are high.
(2) Of the 176-pathological autopsy cases, 40 cases or 22.7% were smitten with cancer.
(3) In the pathological autopsy cases, 69 were schistosomiasis japonica cases, of which 30.0% were also affliated with malignancies in the liver. Although the ratio is high when compared with the cancer rate of 18.7% among the non-schistosomiasis cases, the difference is not considered significant. Thus, we should not rush to a conclusion that schistosomiasis japonica is directly involved in the occurrence of cancer in the liver.

View full abstract

For the preservation of health in rural areas, this paper reports on the variation of human serum lipids by intaking lentinus edodes.
Serum lipids levels showed no significant change by intaking lentinus edodes that amounts of 20, 40 and 60g per day each for 5 days. From data of correlationship between serum lipid levels and nutrition intake of experimental diet, it was recognized that high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol level was directly proportional to carbohydrate-fat ratio significantly (p< 0.02), and was inversely proportional to fat intake, fat-protein ratio and carbohydrate-protein ratio significantly (p< 0.05), respectively. Triglycerides level was inversely proportional to protein intake significantly (p< 0.05).
These results concluded that the decrease of serum cholesterol level by intaking of lentinus edodes in healthy young men whose serum cholesterol levels were in normal range was not recognized.

View full abstract

Striking discrepancy appears between:
the high performances of kidneys, HD and HP, in removing paraquat from the body
and the early established bad prognosis of the poisoning: the potentially lethal blood and urinary levels (which are good index of concentrations in lungs and other tissues) are very low
and the early established bad prognosis of the poisoning: the potentially lethal blood and urinary levels (which are good index of concentrations in lungs and other tissues) are very low
Do they actually increase the survival rate? Probably not. When they are started, potentially lethal concentrations have been already attained in highly vasculized tissues and in pneumocytes. These data suggest that the successful treatment of paraquat poisoning does not depend on the modification of the toxicokinetics of the weed-killer.

View full abstract