[in Japanese]

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The electrical activities of the olfactory receptors of the terrestrial and aquatic animals were comparatively studied, using bullfrogs, carps and catfishes. The olfactory epithelia of these animals were stimulated with various odorants in the gaseous and/or aqueous phases.
1 By recording the induced waves in the olfactory bulb, it was shown that the bullfrog responds to odorants in the two phases, but the carp can respond only to odorants in the aqueous phase
2 Stimulative effects of the same odorants in the two phases were compared in the bullfrog. The same single cells in the olfactory bulb responded to various odorants in the two phases in the same or different patterns. When the responses to the same odorants of different concentrations in the two phases were compared, the same or different patterns were also found.
3 Thus, different response patterns to the same gaseous and aqueous stimuli of single cells in the olcactory bulb were found in most cases. These differences may be due to a difference in the application methods of the vapors and solutions. Consequently, a problem of whether or not the olfactory sensation is different in the bullfrog, when the dame odorants of the same concentration was applied in the two phases, could not be answered in the present experiment on the olfactory bulb.

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1. Plasma catecholamine concentrations were determined in eight young patients with essential hypertension and eight normotensive healthy volunteers before, during and after the exercise bybicycle ergomter, 60 Watt for 10 minutes.
2. The plasma norepinephrine concentration at rest was significantly higher in the hypertensive patients than in the normotensives. A significant positive correlation was demonstrated between the plasma norepinephrine concentrations and the systolic and mean blood pressure.
3. Although plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine were increased during the ergometer exercise both in the hypertensives and the normotensives, the changes were statistically significant only in the hypertensives. In the hypertensives, the increase in plasma norepinephrine was observed 5 min after the exercise.
4. The above results suggest the hyperactivity of sympathetic nervous system and that it may play an important role in maintaining an elevated blood pressure in the young essential hypertensives.

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In order to determine the clinical reliability of currently available methods for determination of cardiac output, comparisons were made between the values obtained by thermodilution, earpiece dye-dilution, echocardiography and impedance cardiography in 46 cardiac patients. The case materials consisted of 2 cases of ischemic heart disease, 17 cases of idiopathic cardiomyopathy, 20 cases of rheumatic valvular disease, 5 cases of conduction disturbance, 1 case of myocarditis and 1 case of acute pericarditis.
There was a good agreement between the values obtained by earpiece dye-dilution and those by thermodilution, especially when the cases with valvular diseases were excluded. Among the cases other than valvular disease, the regression equation was Y =0.99X-0.1 (r = +0.83, p <0.01), where X and Y represent the values by tehrmodilution and earpiece dye-dilution, respectively.
The cardiac output calculated from the echocardiographic measurements were also closely correlated with the values obtained by thermodilution, when the cases with regurgitant flow and/or atrial fibrillation were excluded. The regression equation was Y =0.98X +0.5 (r = +0.82, p < 0.01), where X and Y represent the values by thermodilution and echocardiography, respectively.
Although the previous reports indicated that the impedance cardiography might be a reliable method for the determination of cardiac output, the present study failed to demonstrate a good correlation between the values obtained by this method and those by thermodilution or earpiece dye-dilution.
From the above observations we think that both the thermodilution and earpiece dye-dilution are clinically reliable methods for the determination of cardiac output, while the echocardiographic measurements may also give reasonable values in the absence of regurgitant flow, shunt and/or arrhythmias. On the other hand, the absolute values of cardiac output based on the impedance cardiography are clinically unreliable.

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Frank lead vectorcardiograms (VCGs) were recorded in 81 women between the age of 21 and 35 years during the course of uncomplicated pregnancy. No consistent changes were observed in the VCGs recorded in 6th and 8th month as compared with those recorded in 4th month. The changes of the VCGs following the postural changes during pregnancy were almost the same as in nonpregnant cases except a slightly greater lengthening of the maximum T vectors in left lateral position in 8th month. Brody effect was thought not to be playing important roles in postural changes of VCGs.

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This is a case report of 50 year old male patient, post-anterior resection of carcinoma of sigmoid colon with known hepatic metastases. CEA level was 20.1 ng/ml.
On infusion hepatic angiogram, multiple hepatic hypervascular areas are presented in right hepatic lobe. Successful embolization of proper hepatic artery with 2 pieces of MMC soaked Gelfoam was done. On 16 days post-embolization, CEA level decreased to 5.2 ng/ml. GOT & GPT raised 110IU/dl, 86 IU/dl immediately after the procedure, but returned to normal in 6 weeks. The patient was discharged 45 days post-embolization.

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A 17-year-old girl was first admitted to the hospital because of recurrences of syncopal attacks due to ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Bilateral adrenal pheochromocytoma was recognized and excised 2 years later. Retrospectively, the syncopal attacks were the only suggestive signs of pheochromocytoma during the first admission in this patient.

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