The quality and quantity of litterfall in a climax forest and in a secondary forest were compared from the viewpoint of the functional change of plant community with succession. Litterfall investigations were carried out over a period of four years in a climax forest dominated by Castanopsis cuspidata and in a secondary coppice forest. Both forests are located in the northern region of Kyushu which belongs to the warm temperate evergreen broad-leaved forest zone. The standing crop, mean annual growth in dry weight and net production of the two forests were estimated by allometry and census. In the climax forest. these values were 263.6 t ha^-1, 4.0 t ha^-1, yr^-1 and 11.9 t ha^-1 yrs^-1, respectively, while in the secondary forest, the values were 114.7 t ha^-1, 2.5 t ha^-1 yr^-1 and 9.3t ha^-1, yr^-1, respectively The annual fine litterfall (litter-fall without large branches) ranged from 6.6 to 9.2 t ha^-1 yr^-1 (mean: 7.7 t ha^-1 yr^-1) in the climax forest and from 5.9 to 7.0 t ha^-1 yr^-1 (mean: 6.5 t ha^-1 yr^-1) in the secondary forest. The leaf fall had little yearly fluctuation in both stands, however there were regular seasonal fluctuations with a high peak occurring in spring in the climax forest and in late autumn in the secondary forest. The ratio of non-photosynthetic organs to photosynthetic organs (C/F ratio) of litterfall was larger in the climax forest than in the secondary forest. The turnover rate in the secondary forest was larger than that in the climax forest.

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The purpose of this study was to analyze how the locus of the sway of the center of gravity (LSCG) while standing could serve as a prognostic predictor of the hemiplegic's walking ability. It was demonstrated that the prognosis of the walking ability could be predicted by the size of LSCG while standing. The size of LSCG was based on the results of the rehabilitation of 33 stroke patients with hemiplegia. After rehabilitation treatment, LSCG was significantly small and its level was maintained for a short follow-up. In the deep sensory disturbance group, however, LSCG was still larger after treatment than that of the control group. LSCG was closely correlated with walking ability at admission and discharge With regard to the predictable factor of the walking ability improvement rate, four important factors in the following order were able to be determined by using multivariate analysis: Walking ability at admission, duration of illness, LSCG with eyes opened at admission and the rate of visual suppression (% VS). Furthermore, with respect to the predictable factor of walking ability at discharge, the following four factors, were able to be concluded: duration of illness, LSCG with eyes opened, % VS and Barthel Index Score (BIS) at the time of admission. It is therefore suggested that LSCG can make it possible to predict the walking ability, i.e., the improvement and the quality of it.

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It has been observed clinically that there is a contradiction between the assessment of the function recovery of the hemiplegic limb and disability of walking In part I it was also shown that controversy might exist regarding functional assessment's methods. The purpose of this presentation is to show that the contradiction between the two can be demonstrated. It was demonstrated by using EMG that the potential functional recovery contributed to the improvement of the walking ability of a patient, even when the test results did not prove "sufficiency". I presented in this paper my original criteria assessment of walking ability which will be clinically useful and of course correlate it significantly to the functional recovery test. Both the functional recovery assessment and walking ability assessment method arc reviewed in light of available literatures. It is suggested that more valuable and simple functional assessment methods should be developed for the future.

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To estimate the absorbed dose in the critical organs of Thorotrast patients, it is necessary to know not only the distribution and concentration of ²³²Th but also its daughter nuclides in the body. The present investigation was undertaken in order to clarify the long-term ²³²Th tissue distribution and steady state activity ratios between subsequent daughters in the critical tissues using about 30 Wister male rats, as a basis for estimating absorbed doses. The tissue distribution of thorium was examined by means of an autoradiography of the whole body and/or the gamma-ray spectrometry at various times during 2 to 24 months following injection. The concentrations of daughter nuclides in tissues were determined by repetitive gamma examination over a period from 1 hr to 35 days after being sacrificed. The data indicate (1) that approximately 90% of injected Thorotrast is retained in the body for a prolonged period, but about 50% of radium and 10% of radon produced from thorium are eliminated from the body, (2) that the mean steady state activity ratios of ²²⁴Ra and ^2l2Pb to ²²⁸Th for liver are 0.56 and 0.28, and 0.54 and 0.16 for spleen, 0.58 and 0.82 for lungs, respectively, and (3) that the parent ²²⁸Th is translocated to the bone.

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The effect of ethylene oxide on rat hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 was studied in vitro. Cytochrome P-450, but not b₅, was decreased by ethanol. When hepatic microsome was bubbled with ethylene oxide gas, cytochrome P-450 content remained unchanged when compared with CO₂ bubbling. The addition of NADPH 1 mM also did not change cytochrome P-450 significantly. The excessive high exposure to 500 mM ethylene oxide also did not affect microsomal cytochrome P-450. These results indicate that ethylene oxide does not destroy directly the hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 under these conditions.

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Healthy worker effect (HWE), which can be described as a lower death rate within a work force when compared to the general population, has been observed in many epidemiological mortality studies on industrial work populations free of significant life-shortening hazards. The purpose of this report is to evaluate this effect on the active work populations engaged in large scale manufacturing companies in Japan, and to appreciate the possible attributable factors to this phenomenon. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for workers in the member companies of The Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) and The Japan Chemical Fibers and Textile Association (JCFTA), where mortality surveillance systems have been established. SMRs for all causes of death from 1969 to 1981 were within the range of 50 to 81 in JISF, and 34 to 41 in JCFTA. These results point to the existence of strong HWE, equal to or even lower than the reported values in some industrial populations in the United States. An evident HWE for cancer was also observed in the study populations, but it was reported to be of little significance, if at all, in the United States. HWE can be considered as a composite result of factors such as: (1) selection of healthier work force, (2) risk reduction due to life style modification during employment, and (3) methodological characteristics of the SMR, which are dependent on the percentage of active workers. The results of the present study suggest that life style modification, which is related to health promotion programs in Japanese industry, is considered to be playing a relatively large role, especially in the case of the work population employed in large scale companies such as members of JISF or JCFTA. Selective laying off of workers with health problems in recent years is also thought to be an important factor. The blood pressure control programs might play a certain role in the prevention of various diseases, including cancer.

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Effect of intravenous infusion of 16, 16-dimethyl prostaglandin E₂ (16, 16-dmPGE₂) on the alkaline secretion of the proximal duodenal mucosa was investigated using a lumen perfusion system of the duodenal loop in rats. The following results were obtained: 1) 0.001 to 1 μg/kg/hr of 16, 16-dmPGE₂ increased the alkaline secretion significantly and dose-dependently 2) Indomethacin (5 mg/kg) inhibited the alkaline secretion and 16, 16-dmPGE₂ (0.1 μg/kg/hr) completely repaired this inhibition. 3) In cysteamine-treated rats, 16, 16-dmPGE₂ (1 p μg/kg/hr) completely repaired the inhibition of the alkaline secretion induced by cysteamine. 4) Prostaglandin was a potent stimulator of alkaline secretion of the proximal duodenal mucosa not only in cysteamine-treated rats but also in normal rats. This is in contrast to our previous report which showed that secretin repaired the alkaline secretion in cysteamine-treated rats without affecting it in normal rats. We have concluded that prostaglandin and secretin may be involved differently in the mechanism of alkaline secretion of the proximal duodenal mucosa. Further investigation is required to elucidate the mechanism.

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Toxic side effects of germanium dioxide contained in drugs that promote health, include nephropathy, anemia and peripheral neuropathy Although the neuropathy, which we are interested in, is believed to occur in the patients taking excessive amounts of germanium dioxide, the pathogenesis of such neuropathy is not well understood Therefore, we studied whether germanium dioxide causes the degeneration of the peripheral nerve in rats and monkeys. Our results showed that in rats, germanium dioxide administered orally and intraperitoneally, 100 mg/kg per day, 3 days a week for 8 weeks and 400 mg/kg per day, once a week for 8 weeks, respectively, did not produce a degeneration of myelinated fibers in teased fiber preparations and Epon-embedded sections of the peripheral nerve. In two monkeys also, germanium dioxide, administered orally, 30 to 40 mg/kg per day, 5 days a week for 8 months, did not produce a degeneration of myelinated fibers of the sural nerve on biopsy, although our results revealed proteinuria and elevated blood urea nitrogen Further studies are warranted to elucidate the pathogenesis of germanium dioxide induced neuropathy.

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A quantitative analysis of copper in liver tissue and a qualitative analysis of copper-binding protein in the histologic sections were subjected to correlative study. Liver sections, obtained from autopsies and surgical resections, were examined histopathologically by orcein staining, rhodanine staining, and other special staining, in addition to hematoxylin eosin (HE) staining. The quantitative analysis was carried out by an atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Copper and copper-binding protein were not detectable by HE staining. The amount of orcein positive granules (OPGs) was graded semiquantitatively from negative (-) to three plus (+++). The average copper content was 24.9 μg/g dry liver weight (μg/g) in (-) group, 60.9 μg/g in (+) group, 158.9 μg/g in (++) group, and 299.3 μg/g in (+++) group respectively. Although the copper content and the amount of OPGs were relatively well correlated as mentioned above, standard deviations of copper contents were comparatively large in each group, especially in ( ++ ) or ( +++ ) group. Based upon the comparative study of staining qualities of various dyes, rhodanine staining and orcein staining were specific for copper or cop-per-binding protein. Finally, orcein staining was thought to be the most excellent method from the viewpoints of sensitivity, specificity, contrast and simplicity. The distribution of excessive copper in pathologic conditions was fairly uneven. We recommend a histopathologic examination by using many liver sections stained by orcein, when the condition of copper over-load is suspected.

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A false aneurysm that developed at the nidus of the cerebellar AVM in a 5-year-old boy is reported. A review of previous reports indicated that non-traumatic false aneurysms occur exclusively in the intraparenchymal brain tissue in association with vascular anomalies. Because the development of a false aneurysm at the nidus of AVM is extremely rare, its possible pathogenesis is discussed.

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A patient with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was treated with newly established adoptive immunotherapy using LAK cells (LAK therapy) together with transcatheter arterial embolization therapy (TAE). This patient responded well, and the therapeutic efficacy still continues 6 months after the therapy. Since the efficacy of LAK therapy does not last long, it is recommended that LAK therapy should be employed in combination with such therapeutic maneuvers as TAE or anticancer drugs in patients with HCC.

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