It is important for clinical EMG to ensure a quantitative description of the behavior of the motor unit. The measurement of the duration of the motor unit is particularly useful in discovering the degree of muscle damage.
The purpose of this paper is to find out quantitatively the degree of the damage of muscles in pre-operative and post-operative stages in patients with intervertebral disc herniations (IDH) by means of the computer-assisted analysis of the duration of motor unit. The cases studied consisted of 34 subjects with IDH and, 20 normal subjects as controls. The muscles examined were the extensor hallucis longus (EHL) the tibialis anterior (TA) and the gastrocnemius (GC). The durations of 300 motor units which discharged consecutively during weak voluntary contractoin were displayed in the form of a histogram. The results obtained were as follows :
1) All the normal EHL, TA, and GC muscles showed a relatively steep one-peak type of duration histogram (DI-I). The peak was located at 2-4 msec, and the mean values of the endpoints were at 8.25 1.65msec for EHL, 9.35-4-1.23rnsec for TA, and 8.01 1.22msec for GC.
2) The types of DH of the patients with IDH were classified into four groups : normal, one-peak, two-peak and multiple-peak forms. The latter three forms demonstrated a wide DH indicating the presence of the motor unit of long duration.
3) The abnormal types of DH at the pre-operative stage occurred in 94.7% of the cases of EHL at the level of L_4-5 One month after the operation, the percentage remained the same as before, but it became 73.3% 3 months later, 50.0% 6 months later, and 41.2% 12 months later, showing a gradual decrease.
4) In the group of L₅-S₁, IDH, all the 15 cases of GC were of the abnorwal type before the operation. But the incidence was reduced to 84.6% 1-3 months later and 53.8n 6 months later.
To summarize the above findings, it can be stated that the abnormal DH tends to return into the normal DH in 3-6 months following the operation.
From these results, the author assumed that the damage to the nerve roots would cause the appearance of the motor unit of long duration such as complex NMU and grouping voltage, threreby producing the wide DH.

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The changes in the systolic time intervals (STI) and indices for myocardial oxygen consumption were compared between upright and supine exercise tests, using a treadmill and a bicycle ergometer, respectively. These values were determined not only in a recumbent position but also in an upright position. Although the heart rate of 150/min was used as the point at which to stop the exercises in a healthy group (12 cases), exercises done in the supine position were discontinued in 6 cases before reaching this point, because of fatigue of the lower extremities. In the angina group (20 cases), exercises were continued until anginal pain and/or ischemic ST deviation appeared.
The heart rate at the induction of angina was higher (p < 0.02) in the upright position (119±18/min) than in the recumbent position (110±17/min), indicating a lower threshold in the recumbent position. The percentage increase of the heart rate after the exercises was larger (p < 0.01) in the supine exercises. There was no difference in the healthy group. After doing exercises in both postures systolic blood pressure increased in both groups without any significant differences.
Although the left ventricular ejection time (LVET) was influenced by the heart rate, regression equations relating the heart rate and LVET obtained before and after the exercises were almost the same in both postures. Therefore, LVETc (=LVET/i/RR) proposed by Spodick was used as a corrected value at any heart rate. LEVT immediately after the exercises was longer (p < 0.01) in the angina group than in the control group in both positions, although it was significantly shortened after both exercises in both groups. LVETc was significantly shortened (p < 0.05) by the upright exercise but not in the supine exercise in the control groups, while prolongation was observed (p < 0.01) after both exercises in the angina group.
Pre-ejection period was longer (p < 0.05) in the angina group than in the control group immediately after the supine exercise, indicating the presence of heart failure in the former.
Katz index, double product, triple product and RPQ index, which are regarded as the indices of myocardial 0₂ consumption, were elevated at the time of exercise in both groups. Katz index and double product immediately after the exercises were higher (p < 0.01) in the upright position than in the supine position in both groups, but triple product and RPQ index did not show any differences in both positions. The percent changes of these indices were significantly lower in the upright exercise than in the supine exercise in the angina group, but there was no significant difference in the control group.
These results indicate that there are some differences between angina pectoris induced by the upright and that induced by the supine exercises.

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Changes in blood concentration of bradykinin (BK) and kininogen (KGN) during an anginal attack induced by means of supine bicycle ergometer or right atrial pacing were studied in 20 patients with angina pectoris of effort. BK levels were 6.6 0.6ng/ml in the coronary sinus (CS), 3.5 0.4 ng/ml in the left ventricle (LV) and 4.1 0.4 ng/ml in the cubital vein (CV) whenthe anginal pain appeared withischemic ST depression (stage 3). The levels were signifi. cantly higher than those before the induction of the anginal attack. On the other hand, there were no significant changes in blood BK levels when ischemic ST depression appeared without the chest pains (stage 2), nor at the time when there was neither ST change nor the pain (stage 1). KGN levels were 4.6 0.5μg/ml in CS, 5.6 0.6 μg/ml in LV and 5.0 0.6 μg/ml in CV at the stage 3. The levels were significantly lower than those before the induction of the anginal attack. No significant changes were observed in KGN at the stages 1 and 2. At the stage 3, concentration of BK was significantly higher and KGN was significantly lower in CS than in LV and CV. It was proved that there was significant negative correlation between the changes of BK and KGN in any of CS, LV and CV at all the stages. At the stage 3, kininase activity in CS and LV decreased whereas that in BK increased.
Myocardial lactate extraction ratio was negative in most of the patients at the stages 2 and 3. The difference between BK levels in LV and CS was measured. A significant positive correlation was observed between the difference and myocardial lactate extraction ratio at all the stages. The decrease in kininase activity was accompanied by an increase of lactate in CS. Prostaglandin E increased in CS only at the stage 3.
In 13 patients with acute myocardial infarction, the concentration of BK, when the chest pains were felt, was 40.6 ng/ml in the pulmonary artery (PA), 3.4 0.5ng/ml in the femoral artery (FA) and 3.4 0.7 ng/ml in CV, which were significantly higher than that when the chest pains disappeared. The level of BK was significantly higher in PA than in CV and FA.
These findings suggest that BK, activated from KGN in the ischemic area of myocardium, is responsible for the pain in angina pectoris of effort and acute myocardial infarction.

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During the pregnancy of the human subject, the immunity of the mother is possibly suppressed. The possibility was studied by examining whether or not the number of the lymphocytes having Y-chronosomes increased during the lymphocytic blastoid transformation in the culture in which the lymphocytes from the mother was mixed with those from her male baby.
After normal delivery, blood samples were obtained from both the mother and the baby. The lymphocytes were separated from the blood by means of the Limphoprep's specific gravity centrifugation and the separated cells were floated in RPMI 1640 solutions at a proportion of 2.5x 10⁶ cells/ml. Thus, two floating solutions were prepared, that is, the one containing the lymphocytes of the mother and the other having those from the baby. Then 0.2 ml was taken from each solution, and both of them were put in the same test tube for a mixed culture. After 72 hours, 0.1 μg colcemid was added to the test tube. After 3 hours following the addition, Y-chromosomes were examined and [⁸H] thymidine intake was studied. For comparison, similar studies were carried out, using the lymphocytes of male babies, in healthy non-pregnant women, as well as in cases with abnormal conditions such as threatened abortion, vomiting during pregnancy and uterus cancer.
(1) In the case of normal delivery, 86.3 5.9% of lymphocytes possessed Y-chromosomes. This indicates preponderant blastoid transformation of lymphocytes originating in the baby. In other words, the transformation of the lymphocytes originating in the mother was suppressed.
(2) A similar suppressive effect was also observed upon the lymphocytes of the mother who did not gave birth to the baby from whom the lymphocytes were obtained (65.1 6.9%).
(3) In the case of threatened abortion, a difference was observed between the cases with unfavourable prognosis and those with favourable prognosis. Namely, in the former case, the lymphocytes having Y-chromosomes were much less in number than in the latter case.
(4) In all cases studied, the mixed culture exhibited a high thymidine uptake alike.

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Rat transferrin was isolated from serum. At the second step of the purification procedure, rat transferrin was separated clearly into two fractions by the chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, with a linear gradient of a narrow range from 0 to 100 mM NaCl in 20mM P-K buffer pH 8.2. The purification after this step was followed individually in each fraction by CM-cellulose 52 ion-exchange chromatography, Sephadex G-150 gel filtration and Wheat germ Lectin-Sepharose 6 MB affinity chromatography. As the final step of the purification procedure of the front fraction, the transferrin fraction was deferrinized and applied on DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column. The elution of deferrinized transferrin shifted to the position of the back fraction. Anti-rat transferrin was obtained from albino rabbit. The purity of rat transferrin was certified by immunoelectrophoresis against anti-rat whole serum-rabbit serum and anti-rat transferrin just prepared.
The amino acid composition of rat transferrin was determined and each amino acid composition from 2 series of procedure was almost the same, and the molecular weight of rat transferrin was 74, 000 by gel filtration and 72, 000 by SDS polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis. Reduction and alkylation of rat transferrin indicated that rat transferrin was composed of a single polypeptide chain. Isoelectric points of rat transferrin showed within a range of pI 5.40--6.25 in holo-transferrin and pI 5.75-6.45 in apo-transferrin. Five to eight protein bands were identified with isoelectric focusing individually in each form of rat transferrin. Rat transferrin and hemopexin were separated by Wheat germ Lectin-Sepharose 6 MB affinity chromatography. The absorption spectrum of rat hemopexin was at 410 nm and 530 nm, while rat transferrin had faint absorption at 470nm. Con-A Sepharose could not bind rat transferrin, but bind hemopexin. The rat transferrin, whose histidine residues were modified with diethylpyrocarbonate, could not bind iron. While the transferrin used as the source of this chemical modification was able to bind 2 iron atoms.

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The purpose of the present investigation was to know whether the measurements of enzyme activities were of use in assessing the placental functions and of diagnostic value. A total of 2, 660 samples from the sera of 506 pregnant women and 42 samples from placental tissues were assayed for cystine aminopeptidose (CAP), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) and heat stable alkaline phosphatase (HSAP). And the following results were obtained.
(1) As regards enzyme concentrations in the placental tissue, CAP and LAP in a toxemic pregnancy showed lower values than those in a normal pregnancy. Nevertheless, in the case of a toxemic pregnancy, CAP and LAP in the maternal serum exhibited higher values than those in the placental tissue, and there were no correlations between the enzyme activities in the placental tissue and those in the maternal serum. As for HSAP, its values were low in both the placental tissue and the maternal serum. In the case of SFD, HSAP had a tendency to have a low value in both the maternal serum and the placental tissue.
(2) In a normal pregnancy, there was a correlation between the concentration of the given enzyme in the maternal serum and the total quantity of the enzyme in the placental tissue (γ= 0.54 in CAP, γ =0.57 in LAP, r=0.60 in HSAP). On the other hand, in an abnormal pregnancy, there was a rise in the correlation cofficient for HSAP (γ =0.74) whereas the correlation cofficient for LAP was 0.44.
(3) The activities of CAP, LAP and HSAP in serum increased as the gestational week advanced. Curves representing the variations in concentrations of these enzymes during a normal pregnancy consisted of two parts, i. e., the initial part where concentrations increased at a fixed rate and the late part where they increased at a continually decreasing rate.
(4) The enzyme activity index (actual value-to-predictional value ratio) was derived. The index clearly showed the difference between the actual and the predicted values. Furthermore, a conversion table was made to simplify the calculation of the predictional value.
(5) According to the activity index, one or more of these enzymes exhibited abnormal values in 76.46% of SFD (small for dates baby), 92.6% of toxemia of pregnancy and 50% of mild toxemia of pregnancy.

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Endoscopic examination of the ileocecal region is now very difficult, even for experts. To make this easier, we investigated the insertion technique together with a fibercolonoscope designed for experiment (FCS) and an improved model. A total of 231 cases, consisting of 161 healthy cases and 70 cases with diseases in the ileocecal area, were studied. As a result, FCS-L 2, a model having a total length of 1, 866mm and an effective length of 1, 660 mm, was found to be easy to insert into the ileocecal region. Using this equipment, several patterns of insertion in to the ileocecal region were found to occur. Sufficient understanding and confirmation of these patterns are necessary to insert this FCS. Namely, 3 passageways in the region of the sigmoid colon, i. e., N-loop, Q-loop and α-loop, were observed, and there were 4 patterns of passage on the left and right sides of the colon. The passageways of the FCS inserted into the ileocecal region can be divided into 5 patterns, among which pattern No. I, a simple form, had the highest insertion success rate into the ileum. The success of insertion into the ileocecal region was found to increase only when the appropriate technique was freely, used and based on a full recognition of the patterns mentioned above. The insertion success rate of FCS into the ileocecal region was generally higher in cases with organic diseases of the ileocecal region. Of particular note is that the success rate was 100% in cases with ulcerative colitis land cancer of the colon. In cases where insertion into the ileocecal region was impossible, intestinal abhesion due to previous laparotomy was the most common (48%) cause. The insertion success rate was also low in cases with diverticulosis of the right colon. Excluding these cases, the ileocecal insertion success rate using the FCS-L 2 was 96%.
The capacity of FCS-L 2 to perform observation and biopsy of the ileocecal region was also investigated:

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The most striking difference among animal species regarding gluconeogenesis is that of the intracellular location of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. In an adult chicken liver the enzyme is located entirely within the mitochondrial matrix. The situation is essentially reversed in rats, mice and hamsters, having a major activity in the cytosol. Most other mammalian species show substantial activities of both types of hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. The functional, structural and genetic relationships of the two varieties of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase are not well understood. In this report phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinases occurring in both the cytoplasm and mitochondria of the liver of an adult bullfrog and its larvae were studied with respect to their identity and turnover in vivo. The results obtained are as follows :
(1) Immunological and incorporation studies show that the liver of an adult bullfrog and its larvae contains a single type of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase which is mainly localized in the mitochondrial fraction.
(2) The mitochondrial enzyme activity increases at the climax of natural and 3, 5, 3′-tri iodothyronine - induce d metamorphosis.
(3) Labelling experiments in vivo of the enzyme with [⁸H] leucine show (j) that the cytosolic enzyme is labelled rapidly whereas the mitochondrial enzyme is labelled after a lag period of six minutes and 0 that the relative rate of synthesis of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase is about 3 times higher in the liver of a metamorphosing tadpole than that of a normal tadpole. Since no difference is observed in the degradation rate of the enzyme between normal and metamorphosing tadpoles, the increase in the enzyme activity at the metamorphic climax is based upon an acceleration of the enzyme synthesis.

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Numerous literature has been accumulated on the inter-face action or pulmonary surfactant material, however, only few papers are dealt with the physiological aspect of this material or inter-face action in asthmatic bronchitis. This communication is concerned with the alteration of the surfactant and interface action of the lung in experimentally induced asthmatic bronchitic condition in guinea pigs. The alteration of the interface action is quantitatively determined by the measurement of the phosphatidyl choline. The state of the anaphyractoid condition in asthmatic bronchitic change in passively sensitized and then locally desensitized guinea pigs had been clinically and anatomically observed.
The lung wash solution which was obtained through airway was subjected for determining surface tension and quantitative determination of the phosphatidyl choline. The maximum surface tension and minimum surface tension were calibrated from the hysteresis curve, namely diagram of the surface tension and area ratio which was drawn by X-Y axis curve, being connected by modified wilhelmy balance which was widely used for determination of the interface action of the lung.
The stability index was also caliculated from the given formula as follows :
The phosphatidyl choline was purified from the specimen and identified by the two dimensional paper chromatography and semi-quantitative determination of this substance was performed.
The results obtained were as follows :
(1) Actively sensitized guinea pigs with airsole exposure of the antigen led to cause slight degree of anaphyractic state. In this circumstance, the lungs were edematous with overexpansion and presence of occasional hemorrhagic foci.
On the other hand, local desensitized guinea pigs with repeated airsole exposure to the antigen turned out to be devoid of the anaphyractic reaction. The pathological findings of the lungs remained to be a lesser extent and were essentially identical with those of the control group.
(2) The elevation of the maximum and minimum surface tension was observed in the passively sensitized guinea pigs and contrary, locally desensitized guinea pigs with repeated airsole exposure to the antigen remained in normal range as of the control group. As the matter of fact, the stability index was lowered in the former group and returned to the range of the control group.
(3) The semi-quantitative determination of the phosphatidyl choline disclosed decrease in the former group and increase to the normal range as of the control group respectively. Therefore, it is postulated that the pulmonary surface tension is elevated at the sequence of the repeated attacks of the asthmatic condition and is lowered at recovery from the state. It is also reasonable to assume the alteration of the pulmonary surface tension is based on the quantitative changes of the pulmonary surfactant.

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Afferent discharges from the so-called mixed ciliary nerves were recorded unipolarly with a platinum wire electrode (200 μ in diameter) in rabbits anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium and immobilized with D-tubocurarine. The cornea was mechanically stimulated either with a calibrated nylon-monofilament (pressure: 25-300 mg, diameter: 135 μ-von Frey's hair) or with a blunt glass rod. It was also thermally stimulated by means of dropping Ringer's solutions of various temperatures (5-35..) in 2-10.. steps. And the following results were obtained.
1) Twenty-nine units exhibited a low threshold for mechanical stimulation. They were characterized by the lack of spontaneous discharges. Twenty-eight units out of them transiently increased their discharges in response to thermal stimulations at 5.. or at both 5.. and 15... One unit did not respond to thermal stimulations. The average conduction velocity was 8.1m/sec S.D.: 4.9m/sec, n=18). Their receptive fields were either round (1-2mm in diamet e (r) or oval (the length of the long axis: 5 mm) in shape.
2) Three units showed spontaneous discharges. They responded to various thermal stimulations. For example, they increased their discharges when the cornea was stimulated with a drop of Ringer's solution which was lower in temperature by 2C than the cornea. On the other hand, they decreased their discharges or disappeared completely when the cornea was stimulated with a drop of the solution having a temperature higher than that of the cornea. These results indicate that the discharge rate of these units was temperature-dependent. Exactly the same results were obtained in 17 cases in which multi-unit discharges were observed.
3) One unit and one multi-unit exhibited low thresholds for both thermal and mechanical stimulations.

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Various histochemical reactions, such as chromaffin, argyrophilic, and argentaffin reactions, and formalin-induced fluorescence, are commonly used to identify the so-called chromaffin cells which are one of the constituents of the APUD cells. With the purpose of finding out whether the former cells are composed of a single type of cells that possess all these characteristics, two or more methods mentioned above were applied to the adrenal gland, duodenum, and stomach of the male mouse on the same sections.
The procedure used for each reaction was as follows: six hours of fixation in Helly's solution for chromaffm reaction ; six hours of fixation in 10% formalin for formalin-induced fluorescence ; and methods by Masson-Fontana and by Grimelius for argentaffin and argyrophilic reactions respectively.
In order to find out whether chromaffin cells are the same as argentaffin and argyrophilic cells, silver impregnation was performed on sections which revealed chrornaffin cells after fixation in Helly's solution. All the chromaffin cells of the stomach and duodenum were rendered positive by argentaffin reaction while in the adrenal gland only the cells in the medulla with strong chromaffin reaction turned out to be argentaffin. All the chromaffin cells of the duodenum were also argyrophilic. In the stomach and duodenum the number of chromaffin cells was smaller than that of argentaffin or argyrophilic cells.
When the cells with forrralin-induced fluorescence were examined by applying silver impregnation to them, all the fluorescent cells in the adrenal medulla, sto7rach and duodenum turned positive to argentaffin reaction, and those in the duodenum showed positive argyrophilic reaction as well. In the duodenum there were fewer fluorescent cells than argentaffin or argyrophilic cells.
To find out whether the chromaffin cells showed formalin-induced fluorescence, chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, stomach and duodenum were observed under an ultraviolet light. This method indicated that all the chromaffin cells of the stomach and duodenum possessed formalin-induced fluorescence, although not all the fluorescent cells of the stomach were chromaffin cells.
From these observations we conclude that among the cells of the stomach and duodenum which are commonly called chromaffin cells, there exist some cells which show positive chromaffin, argentaffin and argyrophilic reactions and formalin-induced fluorescence while others only possess some of these characteristics, indicating that the so-called chromaffin cells are of a heterogenous population.

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