The process of development of transrectal ultrasonotomography is described. This is an entirely new diagnostic technique to visualize various intrapelvic organs as a cross-section picture. A special “chairtype” equipment for the procedure has been successfully developed. The diagnotic application of this method to the prostate, the urinary bladder, the seminal vesicles etc. is discussed. The detailed reports in English have been or will be published elsewhere.

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Urolithiasis of the upper urinary tract, especially recurrent and bilateral renal stones including nephrocalcinosis, is common and important but still obscures the causes in urological field.
Hyperparathyroidism which is one of the causes of urolithiasis has been diagnosed with abnormal serum and urinary calcium and phosphate. It is, however, difficult to make a diagnosis with total serum calcium in cases of borderline hypercalcemia.
Ionized serum calcium level was measured in 10 patients with hyperparathyroidism by a flowthrough electrode. On the determination of ionized calcium in those patients, only 3.3% showed in normal range of 3.6mg/dl to 4.8mg/dl while 20% of the determination of total calcium in the same patients showed a normal range of 9mg/dl to 11mg/dl.
It is suggested that serum ionized calcium should be measured in patients with borderline hypercalcemia.
Another interesting aspect is that ionized calcium recovers in advance of total calcium after parathyroidectomy. It might be suggested that rate of calcium ionization is increased at this point.

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Using one step of Sephadex LH-20 micro column chromatography with the soluvent system of hexane, benzene, methanol (90:5:5), complete separation of testosterone from 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) was developed. The antiserum against testosterone-3 oxime-bovine serum albumin was supplied by the Department of Pharmacological Research, Teikoku Hormone Mfg. Co., Ltd. and was used at a dilution of 1:20, 000. The antiserum has high affinity for testosterone and DHT (Cross reaction: testosterone 100, DHT 117%). It is possible to determine simulteneously testosterone and DHT concentrations in plasma by this method.
Plasma of 0.05ml from men and 0.5ml from women was used for analysis. Following extraction with ether and chromatography on Sephadex LH-20, the dried purified extract was incubated with antiserum at room temperature for 30min. (NH₄)₂SO₄ was used to separate free from bound testosterone.
Various factors affecting the method blank, accuracy, sensitivity, and precision were investigated. The mean blank was 9.0±5.9 (M±SD) pg per sample. The mean recovery of testosterone ³H added to 21 samples was 83.6±6.3%. The accuracy and precision of the method were satisfactory. The concentration of testosterone in plasma from men was 559±170ng/dl, and in the sample collected from women 32±12ng/dl, and in plasma from patients with carcinoma of the prostate who were treated by synthetic estrogenic agents for 1 to 7 years 19±6ng/dl. Our values for plasma testosterone concentration in women were lower than those reported previously. To determine plasma testosterone concentration by the use of radioimmunoassay, complete separation of testosterone from other steroids is quite essential.

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1) Twenty-nine cases without upper urinary tract dilatation and renal impairment were studied on urinary solutes excretion induced by PGA₂.
2) An intravenous infusion of PGA₂ with the rate of 400ng/Kg/min. caused marked increases of urine volume and urinary excretion of both sodium and chloride. Especially as for sodium excretion, more increase was observed among hypertensives than normotensives.
3) The same effect of PGA₂ was observed at the state of dehydration followed by an intramuscular injection of 5 units of vasopressin. U_osm decreased slightly, while C_osm and T^C_H2O increased.
4) These effects of PGA₂ on urinary solute excretion were supposed to be due to the fact that PGA₂ increases the renomedullary blood flow and inhibits the sodium reabsorption at the proximal tubuli.

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The levels of plasma luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone were measured in 48 males who complained of infertility (oligospermia and Klinefelter's syndrome). Correlations between the hormonal results and clinical, histological findings were studied and the testicular-hypophyseal relationship was discussed.
The results were as follows.
1) Synthetic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) of 100μg was administered to normal controls and to patients with infertility. The responses of gonadotropins to LH-RH in these patients were almost the same as controls. These findings might indicate that there was no abnormality in hypophyseal function on gonadotropin secretion in patients with primary testicular failure.
2) In the cases of oligospermia, the mean plasma FSH concentration was significantly higher than that of the control group, but LH concentration was not significantly elevated. In the cases of azoospermia, plasma LH and FSH levels were significantly elevated.
3) The relationships between serum gonadotropins and testicular weight were investigated. When the testis was lower than 17grs. in weight, FSH concentrations were always higher than normal levels. On the other hand, LH concentrations were ordinarily within the normal range and increased when the testicular weight fell below 12grs. in weight.
4) Spermatogenic activity of germinal epithelium was evaluated by the methods of score count, germinal cell index and DNA synthesizing capacity of germinal epithelium. Good correlations were observed among serum LH, FSH and spermatogenic activity. It might be indicated that LH and FSH had a close relation to spermatogenesis.
5) However, there were some differences between LH and FSH as to spermatogenesis. From an early stage of disturbaces of spermatogenesis, FSH levels were always elevated while LH concentrations remained normal. LH concentrations were significantly increased at the severely disturbed stage of spermatogenesis. It was considered from the above findings that the damage of testicular function might be initiated by a disturbance of spermatogenesis. The disturbance of Leydig cell function might not occur until the testicular damage had advanced severely.
6) From the correlation of FSH concentration and germinal cell index, which was the ratio of germinal cell count to Sertoli cell count in seminiferous tubulus, it was considered that the stage of spermatogenesis affected by FSH in the testicular-hypophyseal relationship in man might be the stage of matured germ cell involving secondary spermatocytes and spermatids.
7) As an index of the Leydig cell function, the authors culculated the Leydig cell index, which was the proportions of the interstitium to the areas of Leydig cells, and a good correlation was obtained between LH and Leydig cell index.

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