Even less is known about the role of gastrin, the most potent stimulator of gastric acid secretion, in the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease. The present study was undertaken to determine arginine-stimulated gastrin release in patients with peptic ulcer.
The results obtained herein were as follows :
1. The mean fasting serum gastrin concentrations for the patients with gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer did not differ from that of normal subjects.
2. Intravenous drip infusion of L-arginine (0.5g/kg, 30min) to normal subjects caused a significant rise in serum gastrin levels to approximately 130% of the baseline at 10min.
3. The peak values of serum gastrin, insulin, growth hormone and glucagon following arginine infusion were achieved at 10, 30, 45 and 30min. respectively.
4. The mean basal (BAO) and maximum gastric acid secretion (MAO) were greater in duodenal ulcer patients than in gastric ulcer patients. However, those of gastric ulcer patients were less than those of control subjects, although no significant differences between two groups were obtained.
5. Arginine-induced gastrin release was significantly greater in duodenal ulcer patients than in gastric ulcer patients. There was no difference between gastric ulcer patients and normal subjects.
6. According to the arginine-induced gastrin release, gastric ulcer patients were divided into 3groups : three types of high, normal and low gastrin response. High gastrin response group appeared to be related to the increased mucosal atrophy in the stomach, low gastric acid secretion and non-relapse cases of ulceration.
7. In duodenal ulcer patients, gastrin response to arginine was neither associated with increased mucosal atrophy nor diminished gastric acid secretion.
Thus, we have demonstrated that intravenous drip infusion of arginine is an effective stimulus for the release of gastrin. The observations described in this report have failed to support the concept that gastrin stasis is the cause of gastric ulcer. However, the increased susceptibility of gastrin release to arginine in duodenal ulcer patients suggests the potential importance of gastrin in the hypersecretory state that frequently characterizes duodenal ulcer disease.

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Spatial differences in the age-adjusted mortality rates (1971-74) from non-infectious chronic diseases were studied in Gunma prefecture by 12 health center jurisdictions (abridged as H.C. in following sentences). The population from 1970 national census was used for these calculations, and direct method was used for these standardization, with the total Gunma prefecture population (by sex) from the census as the standard population. Statistically significant high or low mortality rates were observed as follows :
1) All causes of death
Male : high in Shibukawa, Annaka and Tatebayashi H.C., and low in Maebashi H.C. Female : high in Ota and Tatebayashi H.C., and low in Maebashi and Nakanojo H.C.
2) All malignant neoplasms (B19)
Male : high in Annaka H.C., and low in Nakanojo H.C.
Female : high in Kiryu and Tatebayashi H.C., and low in Annaka and Nakanojo H.C.
3) Malignant neoplasm of Stomach (B19b)
Male : high in Annaka H.C., and low in Nakanojo H.C.
Female : high in Kiryu H.C., and low in Maebashi H.C. and Nakanojo H.C.
4) Malignant neoplasms of Liver (B19c)
Male : no jurisdiction has significantly different rate.
Female : high in Tatebayashi H.C.
5) Malignant Neoplasms of trachea, bronchus and lung (B19g)
No jurisdiction has significantly different rate.
6) Malignant neoplasms of uterus
Low in Shibukawa H.C.
7) Ischemic heart diseases (B28)
Male : high in Takasaki H.C., and low in Tomioka H.C.
Female : high in Kiryu H.C., and low in Isesaki and Nakanojo H.C.
8) Cerebrovascular diseases (B30)
Male : high in Shibukawa and Tatebayashi H.C., and low in Maebashi H.C.
Female : high in Takasaki and Shibukawa H.C., and low in Fujioka and Nakanojo H.C.
Summarizing these results, high mortality rates from all causes of death were effected by high rate from cerebrovascular diseases in Shibukawa and Tatebayashi H.C. male, and by high rate from malignant neoplasms in Annaka H.C. male and Tatebayashi H.C. female. And in Maebashi and Nakanojo H.C. which have low rates from all causes of death, rates from both cerebrovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms were low.

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Clinical evidence of cardiac involvement was present in 11 of 28 cases of progressive systemic slcerosis (PSS) between the age of 19 and 78 years. Abnormal electrocardiographic findings other than simple arrhythmia was seen in 9 cases while a depressed left ventricular function was diagnosed in 5 cases. Pericardial effusion was suspected in 3 cases echocardiographically.
Five of 11 cases with abnormal cardiac findings were not associated with systemic hypertension nor significant pulmonary fibrosis. It was considered that the myocardial lesions may develop primarily in PSS, although systemic hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis are significant contributing factors.

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In search of recent trend of local morbidity statistics, the published data on medical care covered by National Health Insurance for May, 1974 were analyzed and compared. The principal index was patient rate (consultation and hospitalization including) by each community. An observation revealed the following :
1. An average patient rates per 1, 000 insuranced were 48.29 for hypertensive diseases, 4.66 for ishemic heart diseases, and 17.724 for cerebro-vascular diseases.
2. Regional differences in patient rates for hypertensive diseases were observed, high in the northern and western region of the prefecture. Prevalence of ishemic heart diseases was noted in the central urban region around Maebashi, Takasaki cities, and the north-eastern portion around Numata city. On the contrary, prevalence of cerebro-vascular diseases was eminent around Mountain Akagi and Haruna, and in the lesser degree, on Isezaki city area.
3. Prevalence rate by category, of each community was studied by rank correlation coefficient with following findings : negative correlation between hypertensive and cardio-vascular diseases : positive correlation was revealed between ishemic heart diseases and cerebro-vascular diseases. As a reference, an interesting finding was a positive correlation between peptic ulcer and ishemic heart diseases.

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