1) A contractile protein extracted from the intestinal wall showed superprecipitation at low ionic strength in the presence of Mg⁺⁺ and ATP and it possessed ATPase activity (E. C. 3. 6. 1. 3.). Superprecipitation of the protein was enhanced by an increase of Mg⁺⁺ concentration up to 20mM in a medium and was closely associated with enhancement of ATPase activity of the protein as Mg⁺⁺ concentration increased.
2) The electronmicrogram of the protein showed, at high ionic strength without ATP, an “arrow head” structure characteristic of myosin B from skeletal muscles. This structure disappeared after addition of ATP.
3) It might be concluded that a contractile protein, the so-called actomyosin was observed in the intestinal wall.

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Effect of amylase inhihitor obtained from wheat flour on serum amylase was investigated.
The activity of serum amylase was proportionately inhibited with the increasing amount of inhibitor added, and the inhibition was remarkable at neutral condition.
Kinetic analysis indicated that V max of serum amylase decreased by adding inhibitor, whereas the Km value remained unchanged, suggesting that the inhibition was non-competitive.
From the results obtained here, possible clinical significance of amylase inhibitory mechanism in pancreatic disease and malabsorption was discussed.

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S: udies were made of serum macroamylase (large molecular amylase) detected in a patient of diabetes mellitus with hepatic disorders. Gel filtration and ultracentrifugation showed it to be in macromolecular (9 S) form. In acid dissociation (pH 3.4) it was separated into 7 S and of 4.5 S while undergoing perfect dissociat on in 6 M urea the amylase was of normal 4.5 S. When subjected to electrophoresis, this component moved as slow β, which suggested its loose combination with protein. No report may have been presented so far of such macroamylase as this case.

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Details of an enzymatic radioassay procedure ofdopamine-β-hydroxylase in serum and tissues have been described. The method is based on the formation of octopamine from tyramine by dopamine-β-hydroxylase and a subsequent conversion of octopamine to N-¹⁴C-methyl-octopamine by the second incubation with S-adenosyl-L-methionine-(methyl-¹⁴C) and phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase. The normal value of human serum and examples of the activities of human sera in various diseases, as well as the activities in rat sera have been shown.

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A quantitative electrophoretic estimation method of serum lipoproteins is proposed in which four kinds of lipoproteins are quantitatively determined by measuring total lipid. concentration and relative staining ratio of the lipoproteins separated on electrophoresis. The electrophoretic separation was carried out on the cellogel membrane, and for lipid staining Fat Red 7 B was used. Normal lipoprotein values of those from 15 to above 60 years and the values in several lipoprotein disorders were estimated according to this proposed method

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The correlation between the values of serum GOT and GPT activities obtained by the following two assay methods was studied. One is the previously established colorimetric method based on measuring the amount of 2-oxoglutaric acid consumed in the enzyme reaction utilizing diazotized sulfanilic acid as the selective color developing agent for the acid (DS method), and the other is the improved Reitman-Frankel method which uses 2mM 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine solution and 0.2N sodium hydroxide solution containing 0.1M potassium sodium tartarate in color development (improved R-F method).
The values of enzyme activities obtained by the normal procedure (with serum blank) in the improved R-F method were compared with those obtained by the procedure without serum blank, in order to know which procedure should be compared with the DS method. The results (Fig. 1) indicated that the coloration due to serum might often contribute greatly to give an erroneously higher value. Therefore, the normal procedure should be employed even in routine assay.
The correlation between the values determined by the normal procedure of the improved R-F method and the DS method (Fig. 2) was shown by the quadratic regression equations described in the text. In the equations, Y_o and Y_p are the values of GOT and GPT activities in the improved R-F method (Karmen unit), respectively, and X_o and X_p are those of GOT and GPT activities in the Ds method,(the unit is expressed as the number ofit moles of 2-oxoglutaric acid consumed by 1000ml of serum permin at 37°), respectively.
The color reacticn utilized in the DS method is fairly selective for 2-oxoglutaric acid, and tha method seems to be more favorable than the Reitman-Frankel method as a colorimetric method for measuring the enzyme activities inserum

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An aliquot of urine was spotted on an anion-exchange paper (ECTEOLA-cellulose) to avoid diffusion of VMA, and a solution of diazotized p-nitroaniline in 0.1N hydrochloric acid was sprayed on the paper. The wet paper was immersed in 0.5N ammonia solution to make the coupling reaction proceed and to remove the reagent. VMA yielded a violet colour. All of the urine specimens of patients with pheochromocytoma or neuroblastoma tested gave positivereaction.

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A silica-gel chromatographic method was devised to determine homogentisic acid which is apparently not detectable in normal urine. As a result the output of the acid in alcaptonuria was found to be in a range of 3-5g/day.
The new method was confirmed to provide a sufficient recovery and a high degree of specificity of homogentisic acid on its clinical use.

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