Potent antigenotoxic and anti-tumor promoting activities of chlorophyll a from green tea (camellia sinensis) have been shown using in vitro cell culture experiments (Okai Y. et al. (1996) Mutation Res., 370, 11-17). In the present study, the authors analyzed in vivo effects of chlorophyll a and b from green tea on tumor promotion in mouse skin in the following ways. 1. When chlorophyll a and b from green tea were applied before each treatment by a tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on BALB/c mouse skin initiated by 7, 12-dimethylbenz [a] an-thracene (DMBA), they caused significant suppression in a dose-dependent manner against BALB/c mouse skin tumorigenesis. 2. Chlorophyll a and b showed significant suppressive effects against TPA-induced inflammatory reaction such as edema formation in BALB/c mouse ear skin in a dose-dependent fashion. These results suggest that chlorophyll a and b possess potent suppressive activities against tumor promotion in mouse skin.

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The activities expected of Public Health Nurses (PHN) at a Public Health Center (PHC) were evaluated by the AHP technique based on the results of a Focus Group Discussion among 7 PHNs working in K PHC, Fukuoka. Among the five PHN activities, "Collection and analysis of information" was evaluated as the most important, followed by "Consultation", "Coordination of different sectors", "Control and support of patients with chronic diseases", and "Health education for the public". However, the investigated PHNs concluded that their knowledge of and skill in doing "Collection and analysis of information" are insufficient. It is therefore recommended that continuous training courses on statistics and epidemiology be organized for the PHNs.

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In order to keep up with the rapid advance in knowledge and skills in various industrial sectors, the needs for the life-long learning has increased recently. This is also the case for the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, which has as its aim the education of occupational health specialists. In fact, there are many universities and colleges which have organized some post-graduate courses for the workers. However, most of these courses are for workers who can come to classes in the daytime or evening. In the case of UOEH, it is not enough to organize such type of classes in order to respond to the social needs, because it has to offer an opportunity of life-long learning for all occupational health specialists in all parts of Japan. In order to solve this problem, it is recommended that a distance learning system based on modern information technology such as the internet be organized. In this report, the authors present the distance learning system of Wisconsin University in the USA, and that of Tamagawa Gakuen University of Japan. After evaluating these two systems, a plan for a life-long learning support system of UOEH is suggested, which consists of a distance learning system based on the internet.

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Recently, it has been discussed that decision-making regarding the use of the most advanced medical techniques, i.e. gene therapy, organ transplant, needs ethical standards based on "bioethics". The fundamental concepts of bioethics are "self-determination" by the patient based on his autonomy and "persons theory", which means that reasonable persons can only have self-consciousness or a self-concept. However, limitations of bioethics have been indicated because of its characteristic concept. This concept differs from the ideas of the psychoanalysis and Buddhism that "ego" itself, which bioethics relies on, cannot be relied on. In this paper, the foundation and limitations of Informed Consent, Paternalism and Persons which are the fundamental concepts of bioethics, are discussed, concluding that there are possibilities of using bioethics in Japan and developing Seizon and Life Sciences, which is global bioethics. Furthermore, the relationship between occupational health and bioethics, in particular, the ethical and legal issues of occupational physicians are described.

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Partial amendments to the Japanese Regulation on the Prevention of Lead Poisoning and that of Organic Solvent Poisoning were made in 1989. As a result, the measurement of blood lead and urinary δ-aminolevulinic acid (δ-ALA) became indispensable items of the occupational health examination for workers who handle lead. Also, the measurement of urinary metabolites of workers who handle eight kinds of organic solvents (xylene, N,N-dimethylformamide) styrene, tetrachloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, toluene, and normal-hexane) became mandatory. The results of the biological monitoring mentioned above are classified into one of three categories, that is, distribution 1, 2 and 3, according to the concentration of the determinants. In this paper, the incidence of distribution 1, 2 and 3 of each determinant is reported and its change from 1991 to 1995 is discussed. The incidence of distribution 3 was 0.1-5.0% in each determinant. Although the ratio of distribution 1, 2 and 3 seems to have been almost the same for 5 years, some determinants decreased their percentage of distribution 3. It is important to utilize the biological monitoring results for the improvement of working environments and working styles, and health management.

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Three hundred and fifty-two OHNs and collaborative persons from 17 countries and the ILO assembled at UOEH to participate in the 17th UOEH International Symposium to commemorate the inauguration of the UOEH School of Health Sciences from October 20 to 22, 1997. The main theme of this Symposium was "Occupational Health Nurse (OHM) Expertise." The Symposium was opened by greetings from Dr. Akira Koizumi, followed by a message from ILO presented by Dr. G.H. Cappee, head of the Medical Section Occupational Safety & Health Branch, ILO. Dr. Bonnie Rogers of North Carolina University, Chapel Hill, and President of AAOHN, lectured on the main theme of the Symposium, and Dr. M.A. Fingerhut gave a lecture on "Partnership in Occupauonal Safety and Health." At the general sessions, 5 themes were discussed. - 1) Partnership in Occupational Health, 2) Education and Training of OHNs, 3) Intervention/Behavior to Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 4) How to Integrate Computing into Occupation Health Nursing and 5) Cost/Benefit Effectiveness of Occupational Health Nursing. For all 5 sessions, there were keynote lectures, oral and poster presentations. This report reviews the lectures by Dr. B. Rogers on "Expertise In Occupatuonal Health Nursing," by Dr. Kuchinski on "Education and Training of Occupational Health Nurses in The US," the presentation by Mrs. J. Fanchette, DIUST/GIT Service de Pathologie Professionnelle Hospital Civil, France, on "Evaluatuon of An Interuniversity Diploma Course Occupatronal Health Nurse Qualification," by Dr. K. June, Soonchunhyang Univ., Korea, on "Transition of Occupational Health Nursing Education in Korea" and finally, the lecture by Dr. F. Mitsuhashi on "Revisions in the Industrial Safety and Health Law and Expected Models for Occupational Health Nursing Staff."

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