Nonspecific acid esterase activity was studied in lymph node imprints, peripheral blood smears and/or bone marrow smears obtained from the patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia (CLL) and lymphoplasmacytoid lymphoma (Immunocytoma) . In CLL cases the reaction products in neoplastic lymphocytes were shown only weak or completely negative, on the contrary, in most cases of tumor cells of immunocytomas diffuse or coarse granular products were dispersed in the whole cytoplasma. It may be suggested from the present study that nonspecific acid esterase staining is one of important diagnostic means to distinguish immunocytoma from CLL in routine practical procedure of lymph node investigation.

View full abstract

Effects of six β-adrenergic blocking drugs (β-blockers) on human platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) were studied. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) was used as enzyme material. MAO activities were determined by the radiometric assay using ¹⁴C-tyramine as substrate.Indenolol, propranolol, pindolol, oxprenolol, atenolol and carteolol, at concentration of 1mM inhibited human platelet MAO. These β-blockers inhibited human platelet MAO activity fromll to 47% of control activity. The order of potency of β-blockers was indenolol>propranolol>pindolol>oxprenolol>atenolol>carteolol. Inhibitions of MAO activity by propranolol, indenolol, carteolol and atenolol were reversible, while inhibitions of MAO activity by oxprenolol and pindolol were irreversible. Propranolol, indenolol and pindolol inhibited humanplatelet MAO competitively, while oxpernolol, carteolol and atenonol inhibited noncompetitively. Ki values were 1, 1.9, 1, 1.6, 4.4 and 2.7 mM using propranolol, oxprenolol, indenolol, pindolol, carteolol and atenolol, respectively. These results suggest that inhibitions ofhuman platelet MAO activity by β-blockers are weak and propranolol, indenolol and pindololinhibit human platelet MAO activity in active site or at least near active site.

View full abstract

Thirteen male and 12 female students with large differences in maximal oxygen uptake (Vo₂max) were served as subjects. After seated resting for 20 min., each subject workedout on a bicycle ergometer (70W) for 80 min. in a hot environment (Ta; 34.5°C, Rh; 65%) .Following exercise, the subject recovered after being seated for 20 min. Heart rate (HR), rectal temperature (Tre), mean skin temperatyre (Tsk), oxygen requirement (ΔVo₂) and sweat rate (SR) were measured. HR, Tre, Tsk and ΔVo₂ increased with exercise time for both sexes. The increase in ΔVo₂ throughout exercise was more severe for men than for women. There were highcorrelations between relative work loads (% Vo₂max) and HR during and after exercise forboth sexes. Slopes and elevations of these regression lines were not significantly different between the sexes in any time of the exercises, indicating that there were no sex differences in correlations between % Vo₂ max and HR. The correlation coefficients between % Vo₂ maxand.Tre were only significant at the end of the exercise for males and lower than those between % Vo₂max and HR. The correlations between Tsk and SR with % Vo₂max were notsignificant for either sex. The magnitudes of decrease in HR, Tre, Tsk and ΔVo₂during recovery in the heat were relatively greater in women than those in men. Lower increase in ΔVo₂ and higher surface area-to-mass ratio for women than for men would be of advantageto physiological responses in women to prolonged exercise under the conditions of humid heat.

View full abstract

Serum creatine kinase (CK, EC 2.7.3.2.) isoenzyme MM was separated by agarose gel electrophoresis into three sub-bands: CK-MM₁, CK-MM₂ and CK-MM₃. In order to achieve clear separation, electrophoresis was carried out for a period of 120 min. CK-MM subbands were analyzed in 30 healthy individuals and little inter-individual difference was found. The healthy value of CK-MM sub-bands obtained was as follows: CK-MM₁=56.3±5.2 %, CK-MM₂=29.5±4.8 % and CK-MM₃=14.1±2.6%. Serial change in CK-MM sub-bands was demonstrated in 20 patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction. CK-MM₃was markedly increased at 4-12 hours after onset of symptoms and decreased at early phase of acute myocardial infarction and gradually increased. The CK-MM sub-band patterns returned to normal at 36.48 hours after onset of symptoms. The ratio of CK-MM₃and CK-MM₁ (CK-MM₃/CK-MM₁), with a healthy value of 0.25±0.02, was elevated above normal at early phase of acute myorardial infarction in all of the patients. Therefore, CK-MM₃/CK-MM₁might be an excellent indicator in diagnosis of early phase of acute myocardial infarction.

View full abstract

Serum Creatine kinase (CK, EC 2.7.3.2) isoenzyme MM was separated by agarose gel electrophoresis into three sub-bands: CK-MM₁, CK-MM₂and CK-MM₃. In acute myocardial infarction, CK-MM₃was markedly elevated at 4-12 hours after onset of symptoms and decreased gradually with time, whereas CK-MM₁, which was a major sub-band in healthy individuals, was decreased at early phase of acute myocardial infarction and gradually increased. At 36-48 hours after onset of symptoms, CK-MM sub-band patterns returned to normal (CK-MM₁> CK-MM₂> CK-MM₃) . Since myocardial homogenate had only CK-MM₃ sub-band, CK-MM₃changed to CK-MM₂ and CK-MM₁in serum by some converting factor. The physico-chemical properties of the converting factor were examined and the following results were obtained: 1) The converting factor was heat labile and depended on reaction temperature. 2) The activity of the converting factor was activated with metal ion, especially Ca _??_. 3) The activity of the converting factor depended on reaction mixture pH, 7.0-7.5 was optimum. 4) The converting factor, with a molecular weight of 210000 daltons, was dialyzable with concentration by ultrafiltration method. 5) The converting factor was present in protease fraction obtained by CM Affi-Gel Blue chromatography. With these results, we assumed that the converting factor was involved with protease or deaminase.

View full abstract

We administered N-15-labelled L-aspartic acid and N-15-labelled urea to rats and measured excretion levels of N-15 by optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometer. We compared the total body irradiated group with the non-irradiated group. The tumor-bearing group was observed separately as to a locally irradiated subgroup and a non-irradiated subgroup. In addition, we measured N-15 levels of tumors, liver, muscle, blood, urine and stool after administration of N-15-labelled L-aspartic acid. In the case of administration of N-15-labelled urea, the excretion level of N-15 in the irradiated group was lower than that in the non-irradiated group. A possible explanation for the above might be that irradiation affected renal function. The excretion levels of N-15 in irradiated group were higher than those in the non-irradiated group, on the occasion of administration of N-15-labelled L-aspartic acid. It seemed likely that this might reflect acceleration of catabolism by irradiation. In the experiment on local irradiation, the excretion levels of N-15 in tumor-bearing and in the irradiated group were higher than those in other groups. The peak level of N-15 uptake in tumors and in liver occurred 12 hours after administration of N-15-labelled L-aspartic acid. The level of N-15 in tumors increased about twofold over that in the liver. There might be a relation between this and‘nitrogen trapping’.

View full abstract

A.N.A.E. (acid -naphtyl acetate eaterase) staining and monoclonal antibodies have recently been used for the characterization of mononuculear cells in various dermatoses. A.N.A.E. staining was reported as a specific T cell marker for human T lymphocytes. Monoclonal antibodies, termed OKT 3, react with all peripheral T cells. Also, OKT 4 reacts with T cells, which perform helper activities, and OKT 8 reacts with T cells, performing suppressor activities. Normal human tonsils and 60 cases of various dermatoses were studied by the A.N.A.E. staining method. Furthermore, normal human tonsils and 6 cases of lichen planus were studied with OKT 3, 4 and 8. The results summarized are as follows: 1) A high percentage of A.N.A.E. positive cells were found at the paracortical area of the tonsil. 2) In sections of eczema, dermatitis and prurigo, A.N.A.E. negative cells were predominant at the dermis. 3) In a section of granuloma annulare, a preponderance of B cells were observed at the penvascular lesion, which suggest humoral immunity mechanism at play. 4) In mononuclear cells, observed in cases of erythematosquamous dermatoses, especially in lichen planus, A.N.A.E. positive cells were predominant. 5) On a specimen of cutaneous T cell lymphoma group, a great number of lymphocytes in the vicinity of the epidermis were observed as A.N.A.E. positive. 6) In sections of cutaneous malignant tumors, most mononuclear cells, attached closely at tumor nests, were A.N.A.E. positive, which suggests the “mechanism of tumor exclusion” . 7) According to findings on OKT 3, 4 and 8 staining in lichen planus, band-like infiltrated cells located directly under the epidermis consisted mainly of T cells, as with the findings on A.N.A.E. staining. Furthermore, the findings on OKT 4 showed 70% of the T cells to be helper T cells. It was also found that the closer the site of the infietration was adjacent to the epidermis, the higher was the density of helper T cells. This fact suggests that basal keratinocytes serve as important factors in the histogenesis of this dermatosis.

View full abstract

Mitogenic activity of DNP-Ficoll to SRBC-primed spleen cells (C57BL/6 and ICR mice) was investigated in microculture without FBS by determining³H-thymidine incorporation into acid-insoluble fragment from their cells.
The spleen cell suspensions were cultured for 48hr at 37°C after addition of this TI-2 antigen and³H-thymidine. DNP-Ficoll was added to 200-μl culture at a ratio of 0.0002, 0.002 or 0.02μ1/ml. When the spleens excised from C57BL/6 mice 6 days after immunization with SRBC antigen (4×10⁸cells/mouse, i.v.) were used, enhancement of radioactivity was observed in the DNP-Ficoll treated cultures. This enhancement was again found in ICR mouse spleen cells (6-day nostimmunization) .
However, DNA syntheses of T or B lymphocytes separated from the spleen cell suspension by nylon wool column were not stimulated in the presence of DNP-Ficoll.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

Histological studies were carried out on experimental lung injury in rats. Wistar rats were injected intratracheally with suspension of zymosan, a particulate activator of the alternative complement pathway, and were sacrificed in groups at intervals of : 6 hr, 24 hr, 5 days and 14 days. Histological findings on lungs in the 6-hr after injection group showed polymorphonuclear cell infiltration in the alveolar walls and in the peribronchiolar tissues. In the 24-hr after injection group, the reaction was more marked, and, in the 5-day after injection group, diffuse lymphocytic infiltration, macrophagic accumulation and granuloma-like changes were observed. The response at 14 days was essentially that of 5 days. It was suggested that zymosan-induced lung injury may be activation of alternative complement pathway-dependent and may have some relation to zymosan's particulate nature. Effects of 4 drugs on the zymosan-induced injury at 5 days were investigated. Intra-alveolar lymphocytic infiltration and granuloma-like changes were suppressed by administration of gold sodium thiomalate and Cu-chlorophyllin, but were not suppressed by prednisolone or ketoprofen. Macrophagic accumulation was suppressed by administration of gold sodium thiomalate and prednisolone, but was not by ketoprofen or Cu-chlorophyllin.

View full abstract

Employees who have inhaled insoluble minerals or organic dust for long periods contracted various environmental lung diseases, i.e. pneumoconiosis. Pathologically, such lungs show fibrotic and proliferative degeneration. When inhaled, some partcles are deposited in the airways or lungs themselves, depending on their size, weight and shape. Especially small particles (1-2 um in diameter) are depositied in the smaller airways and form fibrotic nodules in the walls of respiratory bronchioli. It is said that the earliest lesions occur in the small airways. The frequency and clinical importance of pneumoconiosis are increasingly recognized. At present, implementation of the causes of this disease is limited to mineral dusts (Silica, Asbestos and Coal dust, etc.) and is not related to organic dust. Chest X-rays provide important diagnostic information, however, they are not precise enough to elucidate the condition of small airway diseases in asymptomatic subjects. We performed health examinations on 1199 male employees who were working in heavy industries. MMF, PEFR, V 75, V 50 and V 25 provide effective diagnostic information in spirometric tests and flow tests.

View full abstract

The relationship between the hearing levels of 160 cases of sensorineural hearing loss and the accoustic responsiveness of their hearing aids was studied, especially with regard to the difference between congenital hearing loss and non-congenital hearing loss. One hundred and ten cases of congenital hearing loss and 50 of non-congenital were studied. The results are as follows: 1) In 250Hz, the responsiveness gain in hearing aids of congenital hearing loss was about 10 dB higher than that of non-congenital hearing loss. 2) In 500Hz, the hearing aid responsiveness gain in both hearing losses was almost identical. 3) In 1000Hz and 2000 Hz, hearing aid responsiveness gain in noncongenital hearing loss was somewhat greater than that in congenital hearing loss. 4) In congenital hearing loss, a high level gain was revealed in the group that had extensively depended on their auditory senses. 5) The hearing aid responsiveness gain in individuals about 5-20 dB lower than that of the half gain rule.

View full abstract

A bacterial culture (No. 24 strain) belonging to the genusBacilluswas isolated from the contaminants of a cataplasm. Based on morphological and biochemical characteristics, No. 24 strain was considered to be identical toBacillus circulans.Bacillus circulansis closely related toB. macerans. The principal differential characteristic betweenB. circulansandB. maceransis known to be gas formation from glucose. Generally, B. maceransproduces both acid and gas, butB, circulansproduces acid only. However, B. maceransIFO 3490, used as a reference strain in this study, showed no gaseous formation. Then, the susceptibility ofB. maceransandB. circulansto various antibiotics was tested. It was found thatB. maceransIFO 3490 was resistant to macrolides (especially erythromycin), the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of erythromycin being 50 μg/ml. On the contrary, both No. 24 strain andB. circulansIFO 3329 were sensitive to erythromycin (MIC : 0.1-0.2 μg/ ml) . It was suggested that the application of a sensitivity test to erythromycin might be useful for the differentiation ofB. circulansfromB. macerans.

View full abstract

The aminergic axon terminals forming synaptic contacts with the somatostatin (SRIF) -like immunoreactive nerve cell bodies and fibers in the periventricular region of the preoptic nucleus of the rat hypothalamus were examined by means of a combined technique of immunocytochemistry using SRIF antiserum and autoradiography using³H-noradrenaline (³H-NA) or 5-hydoxydopamine (5-OHDA) labelling method for catecholamines.
Numerous SRIF-like immunoreactive nerve cell bodies and fibers containing SRIF-like immunoreactive granular vesicles (80-120 nm in diameter) occured in the periventricular region of the preoptic nucleus. SRIF-like immunoreactive cell bodies and fibers received synaptic contacts by immunonegative axon terminals containing a large number of clear vesicles (40-50 nm in diameter) alone or combined with a few dense granular vesicles (70-100 nm in diameter) . Axon terminals labeled with³H-NA or 5-OHDA made synaptic contacts with SRIF-like immunoreactive cell bodies and fibers. In addition, a small number of silver grains of³H-NA were simultaneously found in the SRIF-like immunoreactive terminals. SRIF-like immunoreactive axon terminals were rarely found to make synaptic contacts with the perikarya and fibers of SRIF-immunonegative neurons. These findings suggest that catecholaminergic neurons may play a role in the control of SRIF secretionviathe synapses and SRIF may coexist with catecholamine in the same nerve terminals.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

Of the perforation of the digestive tract, gall-bladder perforation is low in incidence, but found frequently in the elderly persons and known to take a serious clinical course. In this paper we presented 7 cases of gall-bladder perforation we encountered and studied anatomical characteristics of the gall-bladder considered important as a background of development of perforation and the relationship between the gall-bladder perforation and general disease. Of 186 cases of adult digestive tract perforation treated at this department in the past 9 years (1970-1978), 7 were gall-bladder perforation (3.8 %) . The male-female ratio was 0.8: 1 and the age distribution 38-79 years (average 64.4 years) ; compared with other cases of digestive tract perforation, it was found often in the elderly persons. According to Niemeier's classification of gall-bladder perforation, there were 2 cases of type I (acute free perforation), 2 cases of type II (subacute perforation with pericholecystic abscess) and 3 cases of type III (chronic perforation with cholecystoenteric fistula) . The period of illness from the onset of the disease to surgical operation was short in the type I and II, and long in the type III compared with the types I and II . By the clinical state before operation, types I and II showed peritonitis and type III ileus in two cases. The perforated site of the gall-bladder located at the fundus in four cases, at the collum in two cases, and at the body in one case. When we examined the mortality rate of the digestive tract perforation, gall-bladder perforation showed the highest mortality rate with operative death being found in 2 out of 7 cases (28.6 %) . According to literature, in the cases of the tabulation by Fletcher et al, Roslyn et al, Miyake et al, and ours, operative death is found in 57 out of 233 cases (24.5 %), the mortality rate being high in the types I and H. As for the perforated site of the gall-bladder, the perforation occurs the most at the fundus, followed by the collum according to the tabulation of the cases reported in Japan. The fundus of the gall-bladder is poorly vascularized anatomically and liable to cause ischemic changes compared with other regions. The collum is the narrowest and it is reported that gall stone gets easily incarcerated there. Furthermore, the histopathological examination on the resected gall-bladder has revealed that sinus of Rokitansky-Aschoff appears on the gall-bladder wall at considerably high frequency and often reaches the subserosa. Accordingly, inflammation is liable to spread deep into the gall-bladder wall. These anatomical characteristics are presumed to be closely related to the gall-bladder perforation. On the other hand, cases of gall-bladder perforation were often accompanied by underlying disease called general disease such as arteriosclerotic cardiovascular lesion, malignant tumor and being on the administration of steroid. In these patients, even slight inflammation must have easily progressed to serious perforation. Accordingly, it is desirable that surgical operation must be performed early, before cholecystitis or gall-blader perforation develops in patients with gall stone and that elderly patients with cholecystitis must undergo operation early.

View full abstract

A 6-year-old boy with chronic granulomatous disease was admitted to our hospital due to a fever, cough and dyspnea. Diagnosis of mycoplasmal pneumonia was established on the basis of rising titer of specific antibody. The patient was treated with MIND, SMX-TMP, Amphotericin-B, Pentamizin and CEX. Although his clinical course was severe and complicated as compared with that of an underlying disease, the patient recovered and was discharged on the 30 th day following the onset of his illness.

View full abstract