Heparin is a mucopolysaccharide composed of sulfate D-glucosamine and D-glucuronic acid. Heparin is found within mast cells and accounts for their characteristic metachromatic staining. The physiological function of heparin, if any, is the subject of great speculation. There is suggestive evidence that it acts as a natural anticoagulant to aid in maintaining the blood in a fluid state.
The present investigation was conducted to demonstrate the effect of sodium heparin on the contractile responses of guinea pig tracheal tissues induced by various bronchoconstrictors.
Male Hartley strain guinea pigs, weighing 250-300g, were sacrificed. Guinea pig tracheal tissues were removed and suspended in bioassay glass jackets and superfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution at 37°C, saturated with oxygen and carbon dioxide (95:5, v/v). Contraction of tissues was detected by an isotonic transducer and displayed on a polyrecorder.
1) The contractile responses of guinea pig tracheal tissues induced by histamine, prostaglandin F_2α, acetylcholine, and serotonin were attenuated dose-dependently with continuous infusion of sodium heparin.
2) The dose-response curve of histamine, prostaglandin F_2α, acetylcholine, serotonin and bradykinin were lowered by continuous infusion of sodium heparin.
3) These results may suggest that heparin can be used as an antiasthmatic agent combined with various bronchodilators and glucocorticoid.

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1. Analytical studies were performed on the roentgenographic manifestations in 22 P.S.S. cases (non-treated, 22 female, average age 38).
Chest roentgenographic manifestations were expressed by scores calculated from roentgenographic changes classified into 11 pattern categories, i.e. ground glass pattern (a), fine mottled pattern (b) mottled pattern (c), cloudy shadow (d), line shadow (L), fine reticular pattern (X), medium reticular pattern (Y), coarse reticular pattern (Z), honeycombing (H), reduction of lower lung field (F) and elevation of diaphragm (D). The densities and extent of these patterns were classified into 3 grades, the numbers were multiplied by each other, the products were summed up and total scores were calculated. These scores express the degree of roentgenographic manifestations in each patient and were also compared in terms of age, duration of disease and pulmonary function test changes (%VC, and D_Lco).
2. Ground glass patterns (a) were often observed in early stage patients with severe lung involvement (1st group and 2nd group, 5 cases) (Tab 1). In these cases, densities and extent of the patterns were greater (a_3×III-a_2×III) and total scores usually amounted to more than 10. %VC and D_Lco were also remarkably reduced. Mottled patterns (b) were observed also in early stage cases but with only slight lung involvement (13rd group, 4th group, 10cases). In these cases density and extent were low grade (b_1×I-b_1×II) and total scores usually amounted to less then 5. %VC was normal but reduction of D_Lco was always present.
Mottled patterns were equally observed in patients of chronic stage. The duration of disease of this group was always more than 4 years and the average age was 48 years (5th group, 7 cases). In these cases, some of the patterns of fibrotic changes, namely L, X, Y, Z, F, or D were observed synchronously. In 5, total scores were distributed in the 5-10 range and moderate reduction of %VC and D_Lco advanced very slowly.
3. Using this scoring-method of roentgenographic manifestations, we could divide the time course of lung involvement into 2 different types. The 1st is the fulminating type, becoming rapidly severe (1st and 2nd group). The 2nd remains in an arrested state and detoriorates slowly (5th group). Therefore this scoring-method, it is very useful toforecast the prognosis of lung inolvement particularly at the onset of the disease.
4. In early stage cases with slight lung imvolvment, %VC was always normal but D_Lco was reduced without exception. Because of good correlation between D_Lco and roentgenographic scores (Fig. 2), it is advisable to use roentgenographic scores as well as D_Lco to diagnose slight lung involvment in the early stage of P.S.S..

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Four subjects who had precipitating antibodies against avian serum and avian dropping extracts were studied for lymphocytes reactivity to avian serum.
Lymphocytes from symptomatic breeders (two cases) were significantly stimulated by budgerigar serum and pigeon serum, but lymphocytes from asymptomatic breeders were not stimulated by those antigens, while both groups showed precipitating antibodies. Moreover, the lymphocyte proliferative response stimulated by budgerigar serum was completely eliminated by removal of macrophages from the peripheral blood lymphocytes. We concluded from these studies that the cell mediated immune response rather than the humoral immune response plays an important role in the pathogenesis of bird breeder's disease.

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A rare case of giant cell type large cell anaplastic carcinoma tumor arising in a pulmonary bulla was described. The patient wasa 57-year-old male with an abnormal shadow at the right middle field on the chest X-ray film. The surgical specimen revealed a tumor which developed in a bulla. Histologically the tumor was composed of many mono- and multinucleated giant cells. Ultrastructurally tumor cells were divided into two categories, dark cells with prominent nucleoli and light cells with rich cytoplasmic organella, though myofibril component was not found. This tumor was considered to be derived from the metaplastic epithelia of the bulla.

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A case of 42 year old female of pulmonary hamartoangiomyomatosis surgically verified, is reported. The following clinical aspects of interest were observed: normal results of spirometry and other clinical tests, hemoptysis and pneumothorax, related with menstruation. The former evidence may suggest that pulmonary obstructive disturbance which has been emphasized in previous reports, are not prerequisite for this diseased condition, and the latter, that the disease may be etiologically related to changes of female hormone, although this remains to be fully elucidated.

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A 32-year-old housewife intentionally ingested about 15ml of paraquat, and suffered severe burning epigastric pain and vomiting. The next morning she was admitted to a certain hospital, but gastric lavage was not performed, because the paraquat ingestion was not revealed until that evening. Immediately corticosteroids and purgatives were administered, but from the 6th day she became febrile, cyanotic and edematous. On the 9th day she was transferred to Seirei Hamamatsu Hospital because of high blood nitrogen urea (100mg/dl).
She recovered from acute renal failure on the 3rd day after the administration of hydrocortisone and diuretics, but the respiratory status became gradually worse, necessitating the use of increasing concentration of oxygen. Finally, she could not turn in bed and the chest film obtained on the 14th hospital day showed coarse linear, nodular and macular patterns throughout the lungs with diminution of volume. In spite of increasing prednisolone dosage to 60mg, the arterial oxygen partial pressure remained about 30mmHg. She died after sudden severe dyspnea on the 28th hospital day (36 days after ingestion). The postmortem chest roentgenogram showed the pneumothorax in left lung.
Gross appearance of the lungs at autopsy showed an irregular outer surface made up of contracted solid areas and residual spongy parenchyma. The histopathological investigation of the lung revealed extensive areas of consolidation resulting from marked and diffuse fibrosis of the alveolar septa accompanied by only sparse infiltration of inflammatory cells. The alveolar spaces appeared to be markedly compressed, but basically were not obliterated. Histological abnormalities in the other organs were as follows; degeneration and hemorrhage of renal tubules, atrophy of the adrenal glands and liver cell degeneration mostly in the central zone of the lobules.

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