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Intestinal absorption tests with the use of D-xylose were conducted on 12 healthy Japanese subjects and the following results were obtained. 1) The mean value of the urinary xylose excretion within five hours after an oral administration of 25 g of D-xylose was 8.07 g and standard error of the mean was 0.11. The mean of urinary excretion was higher than most of previous reports. 2) The 5 hr urinary excretion after intravenous administration of 25 g D-xylose in normal subjects was almost equal to that reported by BUTTERWORTH et al. 3) The rate of D-xylose absorption from the intestine of normal Japanese subjects was higher than that in Europe, Canada and U. S. A. 4) The differences in the pattern of the intestinal absorption of D-xylose in normal individuals seemed to originate from different dietary habit continued over the period of many years, especially of carbohydrate contents.

Protein synthesis of the liver in both normal and CCl4 intoxicatedguinea pigs has been examined in vitro by incubating liver slices with C14-glycine. It has been demonstrated that normal liver slices synthesize albumin in vitro, which in turn incorporates with Cl4-glycine and is finally liberated into the medium very rapidly. On the other hand, immunized lymph nodes, kidney, and spleen do not show any C14-glycine incorporation into albumin. The liver slices of CCl4. intoxicated animal revealed a marked decrease in C14-glycine incorporation into albumin. Observation on the subcellular fractions proved that the incorporation of C14-glycine into microsome fraction is severely arrested, and oxygen consumption of liver slices is only slightly reduced. With the observation on the liver slices incubated with DNP, the author attributes the effect of CCl4 on protein synthesis to the decreased ATP formation by the action of CCl4 as an uncoupler for oxidative phosphorylation.

1. An attempt has been made to find the diagnostic criteria for early gastric cancer. It is most important to detect the evidences or suspected features of the malignant growth in incipient stage in order to attain the radical cure by surgical operation. 2. Twelve patients with early gastric cancer (groups A and B) were selected out of 476 patients who had undergone gastrectomy during the past three years in the Okayama Saiseikai General Hospital. The other 6 patients in the "precancerous group" (group C) were also studied, who had abnormal epithelial proliferation in the resected stomach membrane during the same period. 3. The processes of discovery of early cancer have been described. Fairly precise diagnosis can be made in the mucosal carcinoma, but it is not in the ulcer-carcinoma. It was generally difficult to estimate the degree of the malignancy and the extension of the growth preoperatively. 4. The details of the diagnostic aids are as follows. i. Negative occult blood of stool does not always mean the definite diagnostic aid. ii. The malignant gastric change may occur even in non-anacidity. Further investigations should be followed up on gastric ulcer patients if malignant alteration is under the consideration. iii. Minor roentgenological findings, such as the absence or irregularity of mucosal folds, rigid and/or overlapped contour, localized absence or decrease of the peristaltic waves and absence or bow-shaped deformity of the angulus, are of important significance. Such changes should be minutely sought for by X-ray film examination. iv. On gastroscopy and gastrocamera photography, such changes as erosion or irregular granular thickening of the membrane with abnormal reddening and edematous appearance, irregularity of ulcer edge, uneven swelling on ulcer margin with reddening and unsharpness of the edge of adherent coat on ulcer floor, must be noted in the early gastric cancer. v. It is not safe to leave a patient having stomach ulceration under a mere conservative management because it is often quite difficult to dissolve the question of malignancy of the lesion with all sorts of examinations. vi. So far as clinical examinations have indicated malignancy, histological examination must be carried out immediately at the time of operation, even when malignant lesion is absent in inspection and palpation on the exposure of the stomach. vii. On the gross observation of the resected stomach, a particular attention must be paid to erosion, depression or atrophy, irregular granular thickening and abnormal reddening on the restricted areas of the mucosal surface.

We investigated the diagnostic capabilities of I-131, Tl-201, and Tc-99m-MIBI (hexakis-2-methoxyisobutyl- isonitrile) scintigraphy for thyroid cancer metastases after total thyroidectomy over the entire body and for every locus before and after thyroid bed ablation. After total thyroidectomy of thyroid cancer, 36 cases were subjected to I-131 treatment 64 times. They consisted of 17 men and 19 women with 31 papillary carcinomas and 5 follicular carcinomas. Their ages were 22--75(an average of 60.5+/-12.3) years. I-131 scintigraphy(I-131), Tl-201 scintigraphy(Tl-201), and Tc-99m- MIBI scintigraphy (Tc-99m-MIBI) were performed. We defined the metastases as those cases in which serum thyroglobulin (Tg)increased significantly or in which we were able to prove the lesions on CT (computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or bone scintigram. Three radiology medical specialists visually evaluated each scintigram and calculated the sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio. For whole-body sensitivity, both Tl-201 and Tc-99m-MIBI were high before ablation and I-131 was high after ablation. Before ablation, the negative likelihood ratio was less than 0.1 for Tl-201 and Tc-99m-MIBI, while the positive likelihood ratio was more than 10 for Tl-201. After ablation, the positive likelihood ratio for I-131, Tl-201, and Tc-99m-MIBI was more than 10. The sensitivity of the mediastinum was appropriate, except for I-131 before ablation, and the sensitivity of the lung before and after ablation was inferior for either tracer. The specificity of the cervix for I-131 before ablation was markedly deteriorated, but it increased after ablation.

We have improved on conventional methods for HLA-DRB1 genotyping and devised a new method that is simple, cost-effective, and adequately applicable to routine forensic practice. This method consists of group-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the exon 2 region of the HLA-DRB1 gene and simultaneous detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at multiple sites using multiplex primer extension reactions. With this method, we successfully detected HLA-DRB1 genotypes from the following materials: the peripheral blood of 142 donors, 6 aged saliva stains of known DRB1 genotype stored for 5-10 years at room temperature, 10 aged bloodstains of unknown DRB1 genotype stored for 29 years at room temperature, and minimal bloodstains and saliva stains from 3 donors of known DRB1 genotypes. Furthermore, we were able to type DRB1 alleles of the minor component in mixed samples at a proportion of 1/1,000 or 1/10,000. In a criminal case, DRB1 alleles detected from mixed bloodstains on a sword found at the scene enabled us to explain the case. This method is expected to be useful for forensic medicine.

The unsaturated fatty acid fraction extracted from the liver of rabbit irradiated with X-rays exerts a strong cytotoxic effect on human coelothelioma cells and Yoshida sarcoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. The cell damage seems to initiate at the nucleus, finally leading to the complete cytolysis. The inhibiting effect of this substance on the mitosis of Yoshida sarcoma cells can be observed, especially marked from prophase up to metaphase giving almost the same results obtained after X-ray irradiation. From these results and the observations reported by several authors on the cell damage by X-ray irradiation, weshould call special attention to the fact that the essential mechanism of X-ray irradiation can be attributed to the cell toxin produced after the irradiation.

The author has carried out the investigations from various angles on the relationship between the function of diencephalon and the eye pressure, and has found that all the evidences in the investigations point to a quite important role being played by the diencephalon in regulation of the eye pressure. Today it is a common physio-anatomical knowledge that the functions such as respiration, pulsation, blood pressure, and digestive actions which are essential for the maintenance of life, all possessing autonomy, are performed and regulated by the centers existing in the diencephalon. Now, the eye pressure, having such an important relationship to the visual functions, can not possibly be a lone exception. From these, therefore, it may be concluded that at least an autonomic center of the eye pressure exists in the diencephalon.

A simple method is described for determing thyroxine binding proteins in human serum by electrophoresis at pH 8.6, using cellulose acetate membrane as the supporting medium. The procedure had high reliability in sera of normal subjects, pregnant women and patients with decreased thyroxine binding capacity of thyroxine binding globulin.

An anomalous zymogram of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the serum from a patient with liver cirrhosis was reported. Agar-gel electrophoresis of serum showed an extra LDH band close to the anodic side of LDH5 and a wide band of LDH5. Gel filtration of patient's serum in Sephadex G-200 demonstrated an abnormal LDH fraction eluted between immunoglobulin G (IgG) and macroglobulin in addition to a normal LDH component. Chromatographically abnormal LDH was demonstrated on agar gel as extra and wide LDH5 bands and resembled closely human hepatic LDH in various physico-chemical properties such as inhibition by urea or substrate, stability against heat, and Michaelis-Menten's constant. Immunological analyses demonstrated that abnormal LDH could be in the state combined with IgG. Molecular weight of the complex estimated by gel filtration was approximately 300,000. Mixtures of the heated patient's serum with normal or patient's hepatic LDH showed abnormal LDH fraction by gel filtration, whereas abnormal fraction was not demonstrated when heated normal serum was mixed with normal or the patient's hepatic LDH. These results strongly suggest that the occurrence of anomalous LDH zymogram in patient's serum is due to a formation of LDH-IgG complex, which is based on the binding of essentially normal hepatic LDH and abnormal IgG.

1. When the various anticancer agents are injected intravenously to normal rabbits and intraperitoneally to normal mice, it seems that the serum properdin levels fall transitorily for some hours after administration with a small dose and then keep rising, but with a massive dose it continues to fall from the beginning. 2. The properdin level is decreased considerably by Thio-TEPA and Carzinophilin; moderately by Mitomycin C; and slightly by M. H. OX-substance hardly changes the level and 8-azaguanine rather has a tendency to raise the level. 3. The administration of most anticancer agents seems to suppress the properdin system. 4. The influence of these agents on human serum properdin is similar to that of rabbits. 5. The properdin levels keep at high titers in the group to which the agents act effectively on the cancer, but the levels fall down more rapidly and animals die earlier in the group to which the agents act ineffectively on the cancer as compared with the control group.

1. The properdin levels in sera from mice bearing Ehrlich ascitic carcinoma and from rabbits with Brown-Pearce carcinoma decrease inversely with the increase of the ascites or the tumors. In the incipient period of tumor transplantation, the level rather rises. When the tumor is proliferating or large, the level keeps falling or is low. On the contrary, when the tumor is regressing or disappears, the level elevates or reverts to that before transplantation. Strong A and R III mice with spontaneous mammary cancer have markedly low serum properdin levels as compared with those of healthy mice. 2. The properdin levels are less than 2 units per milliliter of the serum in 44.4 per cent of patients with gastric cancer, in 18.2 per cent of ones with non-malignant tumor and in 18.2 per cent of ones with gastric or duodenal ulcer. The abnormal low level has been found in 33.3 per cent of patients without recurrence, who had undergone extended radical gastrectomy combined with radical lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer. 3. Some correlation can be seen between the serum properdin levels and the degree of progress of gastric cancer. 4. The cancer patients with low total serum protein have lower serum properdin levels than those having nomal protein. 5. As for influence of surgical operation on the serum properdin levels, there is observed a tendency that a minor operation causes the levels to increase and a major operation causes the levels to fall. 6. It has been inferred that the properdin system could be one of the host natural resistance against cancer.

1. Properdin assay which is comparatively sensitive and reproducible has been described. The assay may be called a modified method of properdin assay by HUNTER·HILL and McNALL. 2. The properdin assay of serum is possible by using a very small amount of test serum (0.1 ml at the least). The necessary amount of zymosan is very little, the procedure of properdin assay is comparatively simple and it can safely be used clinically. 3. Serum properdin of guinea pig, rat, rabbit and mouse can easily be measured by means of Rp and Ra made from guinea-pig sera. 4. In the properdin assay of human serum, human Rp serum IS preferable to guinea-pig Rp serum. 5. Human Rp serum is always prepared easily from pooled sera of advanced cancer bearing patients. 6. Insulin has not such ability of making Rp and R3 as can replace zymosan. 7. Properdin assay is possible by means of goat's hemolytic system as well as sheep's hemolytic system.

With an intention to establish definitely that detection of diatoms, vegetative plariktons, in the remains of a corpse will offer an unequivocal proof of death from drowning, even in the case where the suspected corpse has been cremated, the author observed organs and bones of 16 healthy adult rabbits which were drowned in a ditch, and burned as a whole with wood fire or incinerated in the electric oven. As the results it was found that diatoms can be detected in the interned organs so long as they remain. Even in the case where the corpse was cremated at high temperature, it is also possible to detect several kinds of diatoms in bones, the femur showing the greatest number followed by the humerus suggesting that long bones are more suitable for the detection of diatoms than any other bones, as they contain more numbers and kinds of diatoms. Thus it is concluded that detection of diatoms in the remains of the corpse suspected of drowning can definitely give an unequivocal evidence that the death is from drowning.

Okabayashi's radical extensive hysterectomy is one of the excellent operations for carcinoma of the cervix. In this study on the postoperative complications during the recent 5 years, we obtained the following results. 1. In the total of 861 cases studied, the primary mortality amounts to 1.2 per cent, the incidence of the uretero-vaginal fistula 2.7 per cent, the pelvic abscess 16.8 per cent, and the lymphocyst 23.3 per cent. 2. On comparing the results with our previous ones as well as those of other investigators, it is found that satisfactory results have been obtained due to the advent of various antibiotics in recent years and also due to a marked advance made in the technics of blood and fluid administration as well as anesthesia. 3. Since the various complications have not completely been overcome and they still pose an important problem, an effort should be made toward a better postoperative care in order to prevent the complications.

First of all, we investigated the origin, the construction and distribution of the bronchial arteries and veins in adult rabbits, and then observed various changes of the blood vessels in experimental cavities and caseous foci and also studied the effects of streptomycin and isoniazide on the blood vessels of the cavity wall. The summary findings of the present experiments are described in the following. 1) In ten out of the fifteen rabbits emloyed, the bronchial artery originates from the right supreme intercostal artery; in three cases, in addition to this origin, it originates also from the left supreme intercostal artery; and in another case from the intercostal thoracic artery; while in the remaining one from the arc of the aorta. 2) The bronchial veins are divided into the extra-pulmonary and the intra-pulmonary veins. The former arises from the submucous blood vessels located in the proximal part of the third bronchus, and running along with the bronchial artery, finally empties into the superior Vena cava; while the latter, originating from the submucous capillaries in the distal part of the third bronchus, and after anastomosing with one another in the capsule of the bronchus, is communicated with the pulmonary veins. 3) In the caseous foci, although blood vessels are obliterated, capillaries are newly formed around the main trunks of the pulmonary artery and vein as well as around their residual branches. 4) These caseous foci are supplied with arterial blood from the bronchial arteries, the blood vessels in the bronchial wall, and the newlyformed vessels of pulmonary arterial origin. 5) The capillaries in the cavity wall are classified into three types according to their origins; namely, Type I, those regenerating from fine branches of the pulmonary vessels; Type Ⅱ, those regenerating from the main trunk of the pulmonary vessels; and Type Ⅲ, those regenerating from the bronchial artery situated in the orifice of the drainage bronchus. 6) The tuberculous cavities only in the orifice of the drainage bronchus receive an abundant supply of arterial blood directly from the bronchial artery, but those in other regions receive a scanty blood supply indirectly from the anastomoses between the bronchial artery, its sister vessels and the pulmonary artery. 7) The regeneration of blood vessels in tuberculous foci has been confirmed to occur not only in the bronchial artery and its sister blood vessels but also in the pulmonary artery and vein as well. 8) The constructions of blood vessels in the cavities treated with streptomycin or isoniazide present no significant difference from those of the control. 9) The regeneration of blood vessels and hyperemia in the cavity wall of the cases treated with streptomycin present no significant difference from those observed in the control, but the cases treated with isoniazide show marked hyperemia, newly-formed vessels, and occasional bleedings.

Homogenous grafting of the ovary to patients of ovarian dysfunction all proved to be effective, but the degree of the effectiveness and the time of appearance of effect of the grafting were not fixed. Moreover, there was no relationship between the effectiveness of grafting and the type of blood. If the various conditions at the time of grafting are taken into· consideration as above mentioned, this operation utilizing as it does the ovary usually discarded at operation may be expected to bring about quite a satisfactory therapeutic result.

1. A method was described for a fairly accurate judgement of the effect of drugs inhibiting the edema in hind paws of a rat caused by local injection of egg white. 2. The degree of inhibition of egg-white edema by single doses of sinomenine, compound 48/80, or dextran was in parallel with histamine reduction in skin and other tissues of the paws (and the skin of abdomen), although prevention of the edema by prolonged treatment with sinomenine was incomplete even when the releasable histamine of the skin was practically exhausted. 3. Sodium salicylate, aminopyrine, butazolidine sodium, cortisone, and guaiazulene were capable of inhibiting egg-white edema without modifying the content of skin histamine. These drugs and a small dose of phenergan potentiated the inhibition by dextran of egg-white edema and inhibited the release of histamine by dextran. These actions lasted for over 24 hours with the exception of guaiazulene. 4. Irgapyrin and a large dose of phenergan, which possess actions of histamine release and of histamine release inhibition and also antihistaminic action, caused a slight reduction of skin histamine and a comparatively marked inhibition of the edema. 5. In adrenalectomized or hypophysectomized rats, the edema-inhibiting effect of salicylate and aminopyrine decreased but that of cortisone increased. The effect of guaiazulene remained unchanged. 6. The observations that inhibition of egg-white edema is caused by (a) histamine releasers, (b) histamine-release inhibitor, and (c) drugs exerting both histamine release and inhibition of the release were discussed with the consideration to a relationship between egg-white edema and skin histamine.

Using the granuloma pouch technique of SELYE, effect of modification in local histamine on the inflammatory tissue reactions was examined in rats. The increase in the weight of pouch wall and histological inflammatory changes were distinctly inhibited in either case of histamine depletion by sinomenine and of desensitization to histamine by repeated injections of histamine. In rats injected with aminoguanidine, the skin and local histamine contents increased in similar degree as those in rats receiving histamine injection, but the inflammatory tissue reactions were severer than in the control. The total histamine of the pouch wall during inflammation reached the maximum four days after the injection of croton oil and decreased thereaftcr. The prcliferative processes indicating the recovery of injured tissues in later stages of the inflammation were the most vigorous in rats treated with histamine and this was in contrast to the extreme weakness of this tendency in animals in which the local histamine had been depleted. These observations not only suggests the fairly close relationship of histamine to carly reaction of inflammation but also indicates the role of histamine in its recovery processes.

1. Considering an imaginable important role of histamine in inflammations or allergic reactions, some clinical and experimental studies were made for the purpose of findings the relationship of the pathological changes of A. P. to local histamine. 2. Gingivae in the case of A. P. showed a remarkable quantitative increase of histamine, compared with those in the case of normal healthy controls. It could be noticed that this increase had an increasing tendency in proportion to the degree of inflammatory pathologic changes in the gingiva. 3. In the gingivae of A. P. an increase of mast cells and their morphologic changes, particularly disintegration, were seen and the grade of changes was almost parallel to an increase of histamine. 4. When a histamine solution was repeatedly injected into the mucobuccal folds of animals, a remarkable increase of histamine and mast cells in the injected gingivae were recognized with inflammatory changes. An increase of gingival histamine could be hardly recognized by means of a simple mechanical stimulation or local anaphylaxis alone. However, in the combination of two, the increase of histamine was seen and relatively remarkable inflammatory changes suggestive of A. P. were macroscopically and microscopically noticed. 5. Topical applications of the ointment mixed with sinomenine, histamine-liberating substance, and benadryl, antihistamine substance, repeated every other day in the gingival pockets, showed favorable effects in slight or early cases of A. P. 6. These observations suggest the existence of both possible role of histamine in the development of local pathologic condition of A. P. and allergic processes in etiologic factors of the disease.

Pathologic, anatomical, and histological findings of 5 autopsy cases and one biopsy case of cryptococcosis have been described. Macroscopically the foci of the lung are grayish white or yellowish white in color and range in size from the small acinous-nodular ones to the larger lobular-nodular ones. In the brain the meninx appears gelatinous and edematous showing many small spots with indistinct boundary and with grayish white color. Lymph nodes infected with fungi are swollen in various degrees. Histologically the foci are mainly consisted of granulomatous inflammation containing giant cells. Besides, there are small degenerative foci having no inflammatory response and the lesions of marked fibrosis; the former will be newly formed foci and the latter the old ones. The size of C. neoformans found in tissue ranges from 3 to 30 μ, and the majority of fungi possess thick gelatinous capsule, but some of them in granulative lesions often possess no capsule. From the staining properties the capsule of C. neoformans is believed to be a kind of acid mucopolysaccharide. As for the staining method including general fungi, GOMORI's methenamine silver method is best, especially for the detailed examination of fungus structures, and for the differential diagnosis mucicarmine stain is the most suitable one. In tracing the distribution of the foci in the various organs, it seems that the first attack of this fungus occurs in the lung. The authors have called general attention, through their own experiences, to the fact that the small granulomatous foci caused by Cryptococcus infection, especially in the lung, may often escape the detection at autopsy.