In order to obtain an epidemiological picture of occupational pleural malignant mesotheliomas in Japan, the author surveyed the Annual of Pathological Autopsy Cases (published by the Japanese Pathological Society) from 1974 through 1980. Two hundred and twenty-two malignant mesotheliomas (0.114% of all autopsy cases) were found in that period. One hundred and forty-five cases (0.074%) of them were of pleural origin. Until 1977, there were no pleural malignant mesotheliomas associated with asbestosis, but there were one in 1978, three in 1979 and two in 1980. Two of them were housewives and the others were a shipbuilder, a welder, a ceramist and a steel factory worker. Two lived in Sakae City, and the others in Kure City, Kaizuka City, Nagasaki City and Kanagawa Prefecture, where large shipyards are located. Compared to the Western countries, there is a time lag of 10 to 20 years in the increase of consumption of asbestos in Japan, where the increase has occurred rapidly after World War II. The epidemiological picture obtained by this study clearly states that the number of occupational pleural malignant mesotheliomas began to increase in the past few years in Japan.

View full abstract

Reports seeking the rate of successful echography of the fetal scrotum, penis and labia majora classified by individual weeks of gestation over the long period from the 22nd to the 41st week of gestation, are few. In the present study, the rates of successful echography of the scrotum, penis, labia majora, M-type and F-type of the fetal APG region in the breech and transverse presentations in each week of gestation for the period from the 22nd to the 41st week of gestation were pursued with a view to finding out the best suited time for the observation of each image. Ultrasonography was performed 3039 times in total on 620 pregnant women who delivered their babies, and the following results were obtained :1) The rates of successful echography classified by presentation decreased in the order of cephalic, breech and transverse presentations. 2) The rates of successful echography with the first and second manipulations classified by individual weeks of gestation were also determined, and the optimal periods for observation were sought. 3) The rates of correct echography as a whole were also determined, with the following results: Breech presentation is 74.1% in male fetuses and 68.3% in female fetuses; Transverse presentation is 66.2% in male fetuses and 58.6% in female fetuses, respectively.

View full abstract

The forms of purified rat liver RNA polymerase II and their functions were analyzed by an electron microscopy. The author ｆound that highly purified RNA polymerase II showed the following distinct two forms; dimeric and monomeric forms. Furthermore, the preferential binding to promotors of λ dvl template by dimeric enzyme forms was observed. Finally, the role of dimeric RNA polymerase II on DNA template recognition was discussed.

View full abstract

The present investigation was undertaken during the course of a 14-day dry saturation dive at 31 ATA to study hematologic changes and osmotic fragility of red blood cells in relation to lipid contents of the plasma and red cells. Increase in the hematocrit and blood cell count was observed in the early phase at 31 ATA, which was attributed to the hemoconcentration caused by the hyperbaric diuresis. Osmotic fragility of red blood cells fluctuated during the course of the experiment, but the change was not related to the atmospheric pressure. Cholesterol and phospholipid contents in red blood cells and the plasma also fluctuated but the change was not caused by the pressure. However, an overall correlation between the osmotic fragility and the phosphatidyl choline of red cells and the correlation between the osmotic fragility and the total cholesterol level in the plasma were observed at both 1 and 31 ATA. These correlations revealed an intimate relation between the red cell fragility and lipid composition of the cell membrane and the plasma within intra- and interindividual variations during the course of the dive. The present result did not indicate any significant alteration of red blood cell function due to prolonged exposure to 31 ATA He-O₂ environment.

View full abstract

A new human diploid fibroblast-like cell strain has been established from dermal tissue of a 2 months old female embryo. This cell strain showed diploid karyo type and has a finite life span of 95－100 generations. No spontaneous transformation was observed during the whole life span in vitro. This cell strain is susceptible to SV40 infection and can be transformed easily by it.

View full abstract

The metrical analysis of the anatomical characteristics is important because of its objectiveness. As it is concerned with the organs belonging to the locomotor system, the metrical method of the bones has already been systematized by Martin (1928), whereas the same kind of method for use on other organs remains undeveloped. The author aims to establish the metrical method of the plantar aponeurosis. The method for measuring the tibial part of the aponeurosis developed in this paper is sufficiently applicable for obtaining its principal anatomical characteristics. The results show that the tibial portion of the plantar aponeurosis becomes statistically significantly wider and thinner in its anterior part, and that the thickness of the tibial portion of the aponeurosis in the anterior part is larger on the right side than on the left side.

View full abstract

The plantar aponeurosis consists of the tibial and fibular parts. It is already known that the form of the fibular part markedly varies according to individuals. However, there have been few anatomical observations on this variation and none have statistically analysed it. This paper is concerned with the variation of the fibular part of the aponeurosis. Observations were carried out by dissecting thirty-nine present-day Japanese cadavers. The variations observed were classified into four types according to the Loth's method. It was clarified by means of the Chi-square test that the percentage of the medial fibre bundle is significantly higher in present-day Japanese than in Europeans, that is up to 20.5%. It was also found that the top portion of the medial fibre bundle, if it exists, is the origin of a part of the transverse head of the adductor pollicis muscle and the flexor digiti minimi brevis muscle in some cases.

View full abstract

In 1982, there are 196 physicians who belong to the Kitakyushu Medical Association, working (full time or part time) in 244 social welfare institutions and administrations. Several characteristics regarding their sexes, ages and main specialties were classified by district (Moji, Kokura, Wakamatsu, Yahata and Tobata) and by medical group (class A members: physicians paying full dues including those being employed－mainly in private practice, and class B members: physicians being employed－mainly in public, university or private hospitals). There were 24 members in Moji, 78 in Kokura, 20 in Wakamatsu, 55 in Yahata and 19 in Tobata; 173 members in class A (165 males and 8 females) and 23 in class B (all were males). Among their main specialities, internal medicine was the highest (121 members) followed by pediatrics (31), surgery (20), obstetrics and gynecology (9), orthopedics (6), psychiatry (6), otorhinolaryngology (3) and ophthalmology (1). 32.5 percent (113 members) of all specialists of internal medicine in class A and 47.5 percent (28 members) of all pediatricians in class A work in social welfare institutions and administrations. Among orthopedists or specialists of obstetrics and gynecology class B members were more than class A members. It was noted that the main specialities of 64.3 percent of 126 contract physicians in 158 Day Nurseries were internal medicine (81 members), but on the other hand specialists were needed in some specialized institutions and administrations.

View full abstract

Ten healthy males, 20－45years of age, were subjected to measure the non-evaporative heat exchange by using thermal flux transducers at different ambient temperatures, atmospheric pressures, air velosities and body postures. Fifteen thermal flux transducers were mounted on each subject at the same points as Winslow's method (1936) proposed for calculating mean skin temperature. Non-evaporative heat exchange(Q) was computed from 15 heat flux measurements using the same weighting formula of Winslow. Evaporative heat loss (E) was estimated from body weight changes measured on a Potter bed scale. Metabolic heat production (M) was estimated indirectly from the oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. Mean body temperature was estimated from mean skin temperature calculated from 15 points and the esophageal temperature. In a wide variation of environmental conditions the summation of body heat storage during the experiment equaled that of the heat that reduced E and Q from M. However, the transducer seemed to overestimate the non-evaporative heat exchange of the body at high ambient temperatures where sweat rate was very high. The above results suggest that thermal flux transducer is a reliable tool in estimating non-evaporative heat exchange under a wide variation of environmental and physical conditions when used with great caution.

View full abstract

At the present time the administration of an exogenous estrogen for the treatment of climacteric disorders is generally accepted both in Japan and foreign countries. However, there have been several reports to show that estrogen will promote carcinogenecity. With special attention to this point, the author performed the endocrinological treatment without estrogen for climacteric disorders. The author would like to propose the reactivation method on functionally declining ovary by the approach of induction of ovulation. In this paper the author describes a successful case treated by the new method of hormone therapy.

View full abstract

The patient was a 59-year-old man who had been in hospital suffering from aplastic anemia with transfusion hemosiderosis. Sudden onset of weakness, shaking chills and headache was observed after his staying out overnight on July 25, 1981. His temperature was 39.3℃ and he complained of abdominal pain and abdominal distension. His blood pressure dropped to a dangerous level and tonic convulsions that had begun in the upper body gradually extended to the whole body and he died 23 hours after his return. V.vulnificus was isolated by the blood culture performed before death. During his stay away from the hospital, he had eaten raw cuttlefish, which was considered to be the source of infection. V.vulnificus is one of the halophilic marine vibrios and is isolated frequently in summertime from the sea foods and sea water near Japan. It has been disclosed that the presence of underlying diseases such as liver cirrhosis, hemochromatosis can predispose a person to fatal sepsis by V.vulnificus. In this case, besides leukocytopenia, the presence of hemosiderosis induced by many transfusions was considered to be a major cause leading to the fulminating course of the disease.

View full abstract

Visual display terminals (VDT) are popular in offices . Many VDT operators have complained about eye-function impairment. Experiments using an accommodo polyrecorder and an infrared optometer showed that visual tasks in VDT work might induce temporary effects in the visual accommodation system ; prolonged the near point distance and the contraction time of accommodation and increased the low frequency component of the small fluctuation of accommodation after VDT work. The inhibition of accommodation caused by VDT work was more severe than that caused by the conventional hard-copy work, and changes in the accommodative function were found with statistical significance in the smaller-size character group but tended to deteriorate in the larger-size character group. The inhibition was more evident in the elderly and middle age groups than in the young age group. The inhibition of accommodation by VDT work might be inhibited by administration of methylcobalamin.

View full abstract

The control levels of air quality in the workroom proposed in the first criteria report were reviewed.

View full abstract

Study on German Elementary Course.
From the time when language-education in Japan became a matter of wide discussion, a lot of research work has been done on the reasons why the system which has been in use for such a long time is not adjusted to present needs. Especially as far as German is concerned, a linear progression, orientated exclusively at grammar-problems and very passive usage of the vocabulary (mostly reading and translating) has not created much active usage of the language. Since international links have increased greatly, a more active approach in language education is aimed at, but in order to realize good results during a comparatively short basic course, new ways of teaching have to be found. The primarily linear progression has to be combined with a more concentric approach, and the amount of basic vocabulary has to be cut down to an optimal number that fulfils the demands of an active usage in everyday situations as well as provides enough possibilities for exercises and repeated usage within the course. Our report tries to show some of the important factors that have to be considered in order to obtain better results from an elementary course.

View full abstract

In contrast with the other lectures given in the Course on humanics and bioethics at the UOEH, which address the questions of life and death from the standpoint of the physician or the philosopher, this lecture considers these issues as seen by the cancer patient who has had a close encounter with death. The attitudes of Americans concerning abortion, the use of life-support systems, "mercy killings", suicide and the use of cancer chemotherapy are discussed with particular emphasis on restraints imposed by the courts, the churches and the family systems. An attempt is made to contrast the American and Japanese attitudes on these questions but this is difficult because of different cultural and religious backgrounds. The author describes his own experiences as a cancer patient who has approached death very closely and the changes in his own attitude toward life which results from the encounter with death. He also talks about the joy of being alive and describes his own experience with receiving cancer chemotherapy, the resulting discomfort and inconveniences and his feelings about a "tolerable" existence. Finally, the author considers the question of the "quality of life" for the cancer patient who has a violent reaction to certain forms of chemotherapy. This is a dilemma for the patient and the doctor who must consider the choice between death and a miserable existence.

View full abstract