Over a period of 1966 to 1976, a serologic survey was performed on the serum samples of native and imported horses raised in Hokkaido and Tokyo. No hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies against the subtype 1 (Prague strain) and the subtype 2 (Miami and Tokyo strains) of equine influenza (EI) virus were detected in any of the sera from 587 native draft horses throughout the observation period. When examined by the HI test over a period of 1966 to 1970, 28 native racing horses had no such antibodies. Twelve and 16 (55 and 73%) of 22 native racing horses tested in 1972 and 1973, respectively, and 67 (72%) of the 93 native racing and riding horses tested in 1976, had HI titers of 1:8 to 1:512 against the strains. Of 80 imported racing horses tested over a period of 1966 to 1970, 48 (60%) had positive titers for the Prague strain and 23 (29%) for the Miami strain. Almost the same percentage was recognized against each of the strains in 28 imported horses tested in 1972 and 1973. In 1976, 12 to 14 (67 to 78%) of 18 imported horses were reactive in positive titers to the strains. These results indicated that there had been a marked difference in the antibody response of racing and riding horses between the time before and the time after the first outbreak of EI infection in 1971.

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Infectivity, hemagglutination (HA) activity and complement-fixation (CF) activity of feline parvovirus (FPV) were investigated with 11 strains of the virus. The peaks of infectivity, HA activity and CF activity were observed similarly at a buoyant density of 1.32-1.35 g/ml in CsCl gradient. The eleven strains of FPV had the same CF antigenicity and were not distinguished from one another. Both infectivity and HA activity were affected with potassium periodate (KIO₄) and formaldehyde. Since a receptor for viral hemagglutinin on the porcine erythrocyte was inactivated almost completely by trypsin, KIO₄ and α-amylase, and to some extent by formaldehyde, it was supposed to have the same character as a glycoprotein. The agglutinability of erythrocytes by the virus was reduced when treated with neuraminidase as well.

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Chicken skeletal myoglobin purified by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography revealed heterogeneity, showing three myoglobin bands by acrylamide disc gel electrophoresis and two precipitin lines by double immunodiffusion against anti-chicken skeletal myoglobin; the one fused with the line formed with a major myoglobin (Mb I) and the other fused with the line formed with one of minor myoglobins (Mb II). The skeletal Mb II was not identical to Mb I in immunochemical reaction. Two precipitin lines identical to Mb I and Mb II were formed in all the limb muscles diffused against the anti-skeletal myoglobin, except that the mm. adductores, the red portion of m. pectoralis superficialis, the cardiac and the gizzard muscle formed a single line fusing with the line formed with Mb I. The white portion of m. pectoralis superticialis and the m. pectoralis profundus did not cross-react with the anti-skeletal myoglobin. Myoglobin concentration determined for Mb I and Mb II by single radial immunodiffusion was undetectable in the white m. pectoralis superficialis and extremely low in the m. pectoralis profundus. In the pelvic limb muscles, a significantly large amount of Mb I was contained in the mm. vastus intermedius, adductores, gastrocnemius caput mediale and tibialis posterior, which contained an extremely small amount of Mb II or no Mb II, whereas the mm. biceps brachii, triceps brachii, biceps femoris and semimembranosus with a significantly small amount of Mb I contained Mb II in a high level. There was a negative correlation between the contents of Mb I and Mb II in the individual limb muscles. The cardiac and the gizzard muscles contained only Mb I in relatively high level, and in extremely large amounts, respectively. These quantitative results were consistent with the observation with the immunochemical reaction. Thus, Mb II seemed to be a specific component contained only in the skelefal muscle.

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Bacteriophage typing was made on 221 strains of coagulase-positive staphylococci isolated from dogs by use of the N.C.T.C. and bovine phage sets. Of these strains, eleven (5.0%) were typable by the former and ten (4.5%) by the latter. The typable strains were distributed mainly in groups I, II and III. All of them produced yellow pigment, but none of them were white-pigment producers, which were predominant in canine staphylococci and susceptible to some phages. No special relationship was observed between the source of strains and the phage pattern. Thus, the existing two phage sets were concluded to be useless for the typing of canine staphylococci.

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A mineral balance was examined in five non-pregnant ewes that had been fed a typical winter ration (hay and concentrates) for 16 days, spring herbage (orchard-grass solely) for the following 14 days, and again the winter ration for the last 7 days. Magnesium metabolism was evaluated in relation to other mineral (Ca, P, K and Na) metabolism. With regard to chemical constituents calculated from the daily consumption of crude protein, crude fat and crude fiber, the contents of the spring herbage were nearly the same as those of the winter ration, although they varied with the latter in mineral and nitrogen-free extracts. The spring herbage contained much more potassium, but less calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium than the winter ration. When feed was changed from the winter ration to the spring herbage, each rate of fecal and urinary excretion to Ca, P and Mg intake markedly increased and these mineral balances became negative. Consequently, Mg and inorganic P levels significantly fell, but Ca did not in blood serum. When feed was changed from the spring herbage to the winter ration, these minerals again showed a positive balance and serum Mg and P levels increased to the initial values. An increase in the fecal and urinary excretion of K and Na decreased these mineral balances to a small extent, but the serum levels of these minerals did not change. Significant positive correlations were found between the fecal excretion of Mg and that of Ca, P, K or Na and between Mg balance and Ca or P balance during the herbage-feeding period. Moreover, there was a signiticant positive correlation between the urinary excretion of Mg and that of Ca. It seemed that a close parallel relationship might exist between Ca and Mg in the fecal and urinary excretion and balance.

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To study the effects of various metal compounds on the cytotoxicity induced by hexavalent chromium of potassium dichromate, HeLa cells were incubated in Eagle's minimum essential medium (MEM) with or without the chromate alone, or both chromate and any one of cupric sulfate, zinc sulfate, cadmium nitrate, lead acetate and sodium selenite. After a given period of incubation, the growth and the chromium amount of the cells were calculated. The results obtained are summarized as follows. 1) The growth of HeLa cells in MEM with 1.7μM chromate at 3 days of incubation was approximately 60% of that of the control in MEM without the chromate. The growth of HeLa cells in MEM containing the above-mentioned concentration of the chromate present with 1.6μM or 8μM cupric sulfate was approximately 80% in both concentrations of the cupric compound. Furthermore, 8.0μM cupric compound could remarkably restore the growth inhibited with 3.4μM chromate. Thus no remarkable restorative effect on growth was observed by 1.4 to 140μM zinc sulfate, 5.2 nM to 3.2μM cadmium nitrate, 0.21 to 26μM lead acetate, or 4.6 to 580 nM sodium selenite present with the chromate in MEM. 2) The chromium amount (as Cr) of HeLa cells in MEM with 1.7μM chromate at 9 hours of incubation was 0.16μg/10⁶ cells. When 8.0μM cupric compound was present in MEM with 1.7μM chromate, the chromium amount decreased to 1.0μg/10⁶ cells, indicating 40% reduction. Other metal compounds, such as 140μM zinc sulfate, 26μM cadmium nitrate, 5.3μM lead acetate, and 0.58μM sodium selenite, which existed with the chromate in MEM also showed a tendency to reduce the chromium amount. Nevertheless, the rate of reduction was considerably lower than that by the cupric compound. Values under 15% without dose-dependency were observed. 3) When 8.0μM cupric acetate, cupric nitrate, or cupric chloride existed with 3.4μM chromate in MEM, the chromium amount of HeLa cells at 9 hours of incubation was 50 to 60% of that in MEM containing no cupric compound. The results mentioned above suggested that cupric compounds might have inhibited the chromium uptake of HeLa cells from the surrounding medium, which was closely related with the restorative effect of cupric compound on the chromium-induced cytotoxicity.

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Ultrastructural alterations in skeletal muscle fibers were electron microscopically studied in rats forced to run on the tread mill until "all-out". When they were mild and limited to relatively small areas, the reconstruction of filaments ensued within 10 days without infiltration of cells. When they were severe and extensive, phagocytes infiltrated in the lesions and removed degenerative sarcoplasmic debris from muscle fibers. A little later, myoblasts appeared and regeneration was accomplished in 30 days in much the same manner as in myogenesis.

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On modified FM medium, Fusobacterium species were examined from rumen juice of cattle. In 46 animals, 9 species (54 strains) of Fusobacterium were isolated. Of the strains isolated, F. varium was the most predominant and followed by F. naviforme, F.russii, F. symbiosum, F. necrophorum, F. plauti, F. aquatile, F. mortiferum and F. necrogenes. In bacterial number, F. varium from beef cattle with high carbohydrate feeding was isolated significantly more than from dairy cattle.

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