Pancreata were obtained from 130 anatomical and surgical specimens: 65 after excess potation (80g/day ethanol, more than 10 years), 48 from cholelithiasis patients, and 17 pancreata with pancreatic head cancer. These were prepared for light microscope, electron microscope, and histometric examination. The point counting method was used. From histometric results, the amount of fiber and fat in the pancreas was classified as type O, I, II, or III from slight to severe ; and the dominant loci of fiber and fat were classified as type A, AB, or B depending on intralobule, intra-interlobule, or interlobule dominance. When the basic structure was completely destroyed by severe fibrosis or adiposis, the pancreata were classified only as type III, since they could not be classified by location. Pancreata of potators were characteristically associated with protein plug (23.1 %) ; dilation of acinal lumen, proliferation of centroacinal cells and small ducts (63.1 %) ; and dominantly type II A (33.8 %) or type I A (20 %) of intra lobular fibrosis. In type I A fibrosis, which was a presumed early stage of alcoholic fibrosis, periductal fibrosis with fibroblast-like cells, perivascular fibrosis with pericyte-like cells, and periachinal fibrosis with fat-storing cell-like mesenchymal cells were observed by electron microscope. Pancreata from potators with pancreatolithiasis showed parenchymal atrophy with marked interlobular fibrosis. In these cases pancreatic fibrosis seemed to be due to granulation tissue. Compared to those of potators, the pancreata of patients with cholelithiasis revealed more dominant adiposis and acute inflammatory foci with granulation tissue that seemed to be related to fibrosis. In patients with pancreatic head cancer, pancreata were characterized by dominant interlobular fibrosis that seemed to be produced by massive granulation tissue. Pancreatic adiposis was more dominant in interlobular than in intralobular sites in most patients, and it seemed that extralobular fatty tissue was infiltrating into pancreatic lobules.

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The number of diabetic and chronic renal failure patients undergoing hemodialysis is increasing. We examined leucocyte functions of 34 diabetic patients, 6 diabetic patients undergoing hemodialysis, 11 non-diabetic hemodialysis patients, and 19 healthy controls in an attempt to elucidate the origin of the infectious tendency of these patients. We differentiated diabetic patients with proteinuria from those without. Phagocytic and NBT reduction activity of immunobeads were examined at the same time. The order of phagocytic activity was: healthy controls>diabetics>diabetic dialysis>non-diabetic dialysis group. The order of NBT reduction activity was: healthy controls>diabetics=non-diabetic dialysis>diabetic dialysis. Relations were determined between leucocyte functions, other data (age, history of dialysis, etc.), and some laboratory data (creatinine, BUN, etc.) . In diabetics without proteinuria HbA1 score and age were higher, and NBT reduction rate was lower. In the non-diabetic dialysis group creatinine was correlated with both phagocytic and NBT reduction activity. History of dialysis was not related to either diabetics undergoing dialysis or the non-diabetic dialysis group. In the group of 34 diabetic patients there was no clear indication of influence by therapy other than diet or drug therapy.

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To study changes of circulating hormone levels related to parturition, oxytocin, estrogen stimulated neurophysin (ESN), and steroids derived from the feto-placento-maternal unit were measured serially in 30 pregnant women a week before the onset of labor, during first and second stages of labor, at delivery, and two hours after delivery. No apparent changes in the levels of estrone, estradiol or estriol were observed before or during labor, but they decreased dramatically two hours after delivery. Progesterone decreased significantly after the onset of labor from the levels measured a week before delivery, whereas DHA and DHA-S increased and peaked at delivery. Oxytocin concentration started to increase after the onset of labor and reached a maximum at delivery. ESN levels, however, did not change significantly in the period studied. There was positive correlation between the levels of estrone and ESN, estradiol and ESN, DHA-S and oxytocin, and, ESN and oxytocin. From the results obtained above, it was evident that the levels of both estradiol and estrone correlated well with that of ESN. The results also suggested that the initiation of labor may be closely related to changes of steroids levels, including decrease of progesterone and increment of DHA-S. Oxytocin may also be involved in the promotion of labor.

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Of 192 outpatients diagnosed as suffering from major depression by DSM-IIIR at Showa University Hospital between 1979 to 1985, 75 cases diagnosed as unipolar depression during initial diagnosis, were chosen as the subject of this study. The subjects were divided into two groups, the young included 28 cases younger than 45 years, and the involutional group included 47 cases 45 years or older. The profile of the involutional group was observed among females who tended to have obsessive personalities, and contracted the disease under stress caused by a“radically pressing situation”. The involutional depression was relatively mild, showing strong anxiety and agitatation, sleep disorder, and hypochondriasis while depersonalization and suicidal thoughts were minimal. The involutional group tended to be initially hospitalized, and to repeat recrudescence after dehospitalization. The involutional group has many characteristics and features in common with the young group, so it could hardly be considered an independ clinicalentity. However, the involutional group had depression with psychopathological characteristics similar to those described by Tellenbach, whereas the young group had depression with the characteristics simillar to the endogenous psychosis described by Kraepelin. In the present report, these two classical research subjects could have been linked.

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The effect of sampling rate on the measurement of left-ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), peak ejection rate (PER), and peak filling rate (PFR) was evaluated by computer simulation and clinical equilibrium blood pool imaging undertaken at rest and during excercise. In this simulation study, the effects of counting and fluctuation of R-R interval on statistical variation of ideal left-ventricular curve (assumed to consist of three harmonics) were taken into account by assuming Poisson and Gaussian distribution, respectively. The LV curves obtained with temporal resolution of 10 msec were added to make LV curves with temporal resolutions of 20, 30, and 40msec from which systolic and diastolic parameters were caluculated. On the other hand, LV curves with temporal resolution of 10 msec, undertaken at rest, and those which 20 msec, undertaken during excercise, were used to make LV curves with temporal resolution of 40msec. By observing changes in parameters measured with different temporal resolutions, we concluded that: a) sampling rate of 20-40 msec is recommended for rest study ; and b) sampling rate of 20msec is required for excercise study.

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Plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and haemodynamic indices were measured in 9 patients with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) before and after ligation of ductus. The patients were 8 children and 1 adult. Before operation, ANP levels were 157.8±118.6 (mean±SD) pg/ml. After induction of anesthesia, ANP levels were significantly increased compared to pre-operative levels. Three days after the operation, there was a significant decrease in ANP levels to 56.3±39.2 pg/ml. There was no significant correlation between ANP levels and either blood pressure or heart rate throughout this study. In four cases, central venous pressure (CVP) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) during operation were using Swan-Ganz catheter. After ligation of the ductus, PCWP fell significantly, whereas there were no remarakable changes in CVP. ANP levels decreased immediately after restoring PCWP by ligation of the ductus, and there was close correlation between ANP level and PCWP throughout the operative stages. The plasma levels of ANP in patients with PDA were correlated with Qp/Qs (pulmonary to systemic blood flow) ratio, Pp/Ps (systolic pulmonary arterial pressure to systolic systemic arterial pressure) ratio, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, and RVSTI (right ventricular systolic time intervals) measured by echocardiography. Thus it is strongly suggested that the measurment of ANP levels in patient with PDA may be valuable in evaluating of clinical severity.

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We made comparative studies on dysthymic disorder (DSM-III) in contrast to major depression (DSM-III) and identified the following results: 1. Onset time is below the age of 50. Incidence in females is highest at age 20 to 30, and in males at age 40 or older. 2. Neurotic personality inclinations after 40 years were introvert and obsession traits which are associated with major depression. 3. Most subjects with major depression were influenced by motivation and psychological factors, especially female subjects with family conflict problems. 4. Total score of DRS-S78 (Depression Rating Scale of Showa Method '78 edition) and its profile is as follows: Initial time, score was lower than major depression, after 1 week the score dropped until the 4th week after which it no longer dropped. The score of major depression dropped steadily until the third week. 5. The ratio of improved versus unimproved cases is lower, and took longer time to recover than major depression. No subjects were found in manic phase during follow-up. 6. No subjects were found whose parents or siblings ever had psychotic disease. 7. We classified dysthymic disorder into two sub-types; one was young females with immature neurotic personality, vulnerable to conflicts and easily depressed. The other was middle aged males with tendency for major depression.

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We found in our previous work that adrenalectomy abolished analgesia caused by low frequency stimulation of the acupuncture point (AA) as well as that caused by non-acu-puncture point (NAA) stimulation after lesioning of the analgesia inhibitory system. Since AA and NAA were abolished after adrenalectomy and abolished AA and NAA were not restored by corticosterone, and it has been reported that sodium ions are associated with opioid transmission, relations between sodium ions and adrenal gland functioning in production of AA and NAA were investigated in adrenalectomized rats. Pain threshold was measured by tail flick latency (TFL) . Concentration of sodium ions in the blood was measured by a Na-K analyzer. AA and NAA were abolished 12 and 24 hours after adrenalectomy, respectively, and 1-2ml of intraperitoneal or intravenous 5% NaCl restored abolished AA and NAA 1 hour after application. Potentials in the dorsal and lateral parts of periaqueductal central gray (D-PAG, L-PAG), evoked by stimulation of the acupuncture or non-acupuncture point, were abolished by adrenalectomy respectively, in 12 or 24 hours. These potentials were also restored by the same administrations of NaCl. Stimulation-produced analgesia in the D-PAG or L-PAG were abolished after adrenalectomy and were restored by NaCl. Abolished AA and NAA after hypophypectomy were restored by microinjecton of β-endorphin or ACTH to the posterior hypothalamic arcuate nucleus respectively. The restored AA and NAA were abolished again by adrenalectomy, and the abolished AA and NAA were restored by NaCl. AA and NAA, before their abolition after adrenalectomy, were not antagonized by naloxone or dexamethasone, respectively, unlike normal AA and NAA. The antagonistic action of naloxone and dexamethasone were restored by NaCI in adrenalectomized rats. The content of Na⁺ ions was restored gradually after adrenalectomy and this was recovered by NaCl application. These results indicate that 1) sodium ions are necessary for synaptic transmission associated with methionine-enkephalin in the spinal cord and, β-endorphin in the hypothalamus in AA, and dynorphin in the spinal cord and ACTH in the hypothalamus in NAA. These transmitters, associated with AA and NAA were investigated in our previous work. 2) Sodium ions are also necessary for the antagonists of these transmitters. 3) The amount of sodium ions needed was different between agonist of AA and of NAA and between antagonist and agonist.

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In previous work, we found opioid receptors in the spinal cord of the afferent pathway from the acupuncture point to the pituitary gland in acpuncture analgesia (AA) caused by low frequency stimulation of the acupuncture point. Non-acupuncture point stimulation-produced analgesia (NAA) caused by non-acupuncture point stimulation after lesioning of the analgesia inhibitory system, was not naloxone reversible, but was dexamethasone reversible. Association of mu, delta and kapper, subtypes of opioid receptors in AA and NAA were investigated. Pain threshold was measured by tail-flick latency (TFL) . Drug was applied intraperitoneally or intrathecally through inserted cannule into the subarachonid space. AA was abolished by intrathecally applied antiserum of methionine-enkephalin (Met-Enk), but not by leucine-enkephalin (Leu-Enk) nor dynorphin (Dyn) . On the other hand, NAA was abolished by antiserum of Dyn, but not by antiserum of Met-Enk nor Leu-Enk. Intraperitoneal kapper receptor antagonist Mr2266 (5mg/kg) antagonized NAA. The kapper receptor agonist, U50-488H (5mg/kg) produced analgesia in animals in which the analgasia inhibitor system was lesioned and this was antagonized by dexamethasone as in NAA. Potentials evoked in the lateral part of the periaqueductal central gray (L-PAG) by stimulation of the non-acupuncture point were abolished 15 minutes after application of Mr2266 and recoverd 60 minutes after, whereas those evoked in the dorsal PAG by stimulation of the acupuncture point were not influenced by Mr2266. From these results, immunoreactive Met-Enk might be associated in AA, with transmission through opioid receptors of the acupuncture afferent pathway in the spinal cord, and Dyn might have smilar characteristics in NAA.

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Early change in thyroid function, including the serum concentrations of FT₄, TBG and Tg, after administration of relatively small therapeutic doses of ¹³¹I in patients with Graves' disease was investigated. The subjects were 4 male and 16 female untreated Graves' patients with no complications. Ages were 32 to 62 years. Blood samples were withdrawn immediately before, and 1, 3, 7 and 10 days after ¹³¹I administration. The serum concentrations of T₄, T₃, FT₄, rT₃, TBG and Tg were significantly decreased in 7 cases (Group A) and increased in 3 (Group B) . The serum concentration of Tg increased in all cases, but no significant change was observed in serum TBG concentration. The initial goiter size, serum concentration of Tg, and dose of ¹³¹I administered tended to be greater in Group B than in Group A. These results indicate that the serum concentrations of thyroid hormones decrease after treatment with a relatively small dose of ¹³¹I in most Graves' patients with small goiters, but in cases with large goiters they may increase after ¹³¹I application. There is thus some possibility of thyroid crisis in those patients.

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Creatine kinase (CK) was isolated from the mitochondrial fraction obtained from bovine brain by ultracentrifugal separation. Two different sizes of CK-fraction A, low molecular weight, and B, high molecular weight were separated by Sephacryl S-200 column chromatography. Fractions A and B were further separated into fractions A₁ and A₂, and B₁ and B₂ by ion exchange column chromatography with DEAE Sephadex CL-6B as a resin. Fractions A₁, A₂ and B₁ migrated to the γ-globulin position, but fraction B₂ migrated to the prealbumin position on agarose gel electrophoresis. The former 3 fractions were not inhibited by anti-CK-M antibody. The results indicate that fraction A₁, A₂ and B₁ were mitochondrial CK. Thin-layer gel filtration and Sephacryl S-200 column chromatography revealed that the CK in fraction A₁ had a high molecular weight, and the CK in fraction A₂ had a low molecular weight, 82, 000 dalton. The Michaelis-Menten constants (Km) of CK in fractions A₁ and A₂ for creatine phosphate were 0.54-0.87 and 0.47-1.00 mmol/l, respectively. The activation energy of CK in fraction Al was 77.8-99.5 and CK in fraction A2 was 85.7-102.3 kJ/mole. The residual CK activity after heat treatment was 7.4% of CK in fraction A₁ and 3.8% of CK in fraction A₂. This showed that when purified, mitochondrial CK was more unstable than CK in serum.

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We studied the effects of SaSa senanesis Rehder extract (SE) and some crude drugs on membranes. SE was extracted from SaSa senanesis Rehder by alkaline hydrolysis, and six fractions (Fr. 1-Fr. 6) were obtained by silica gel column chromatography. SE protected erythrocytes from hypotonic hemolysis, and almost the same degree of protection was provided by Fr. 3 and Fr. 5. High concentrations of SE, Fr. 3 and Fr. 5 reduced surface tension. Leakage of GOT and GPT from the cultured hepatocytes was significantly decreased by SE. However, no fraction depressed the phase-transition temperature of the DPPC liposome bilayer, indicating that SE does not influence the fluidity of the phospholipid bilayer membrane. Inhibition of enzyme leakage from hepatocytes by SE was more potent than that of any other crude drug. These present results indicate that SE, composed of polysaccharide, lignin and chlorophyll, remarkably inhibits hypotonic hemolysis and enzyme leakage from cultured hepatocytes, and has a potent membrane protective effect.

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