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Twenty-five patients with intractable asthma had swimming training in a hot spring pool for 3 months. The subjects were divided into three groups according to their clinical symptoms and ages. Changes of ventilatory function during swimming training were observed in in each group. The ventilatory function test revealed that free swimming training in a hot spring pool for 30 min did not induce bronchoconstriction in any of the groups. The values of ventilatory parameters such as FEV 1.0%, %PEFR, %V50 and %V25 were improved after the 3-month swimming training. The improvement of ventilatory parameters, especially %MMF, %V50 and %V25, by the training was most remarkable in the type II asthma group. The percent increase in %MMF, %V50 and %V25 was highest in patients more than 61 years of age, and higher in patients aged 40 to 60 years than in younger patients.

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.

Caryophyllaeidae Claus, 1879 1. Glaridacris limnodrili Yamaguti, 1934 Bothriocephalidae Blanchard, 1849 2. Bothriocephalus fluviatilis n. sp. 3. B. lateolabracis n. sp. 4. B. branchiostegi n. sp. 5. B. acheilognathi Yamaguti, 1934 6. B. brotulae n. sp. 7. B. apogonis n. sp. 8. Oncodiscus sauridae Yamaguti, 1934 9. Glossobothrium nipponicum n. g., n. sp. Amphicotylidae Ariola, 1899 10. Amphicotyle quinquarii n. sp. 11. Eubothrioides lamellatus n. g., n. sp. Phyllobothriidae Braun, 1900 12. Phyllobothrium triacis n. sp. 13. P. filiforme n. sp. 14. P. serratum n. sp. 15. P. laciniatum (Linton, 1889) 16. P. loculatum n. sp. 17. P. squali n. sp. 18. P. lactuca van Beneden, 1850 19. Anthobothrium rajae n. sp. 20. A. pteroplateae n. sp. 21. A. bifidum n. sp. 22. A. parvum Stossich, 1895 23. Orygmatobothrium musteli (van Beneden, 1850) 24. O. versatile Die3ing, 1854 25. Monorygma megacotyla n. sp. 26. Pithophorus vulpeculae n. sp. 27. Echeneibothrium bifidum n. sp. 28. E. tobijei Yamaguti, 1934 29. Marsupiobothrium alopias n. g ., n. sp. 30. Dinobothrium spinulosum n. sp. 31. Gastrolecithus planus (Linton, 1922) n. g. Onchobothriidae Braun, 1900 32. Acanthobothrium triads n. sp. 33. A. micracantha n. sp. 34. A. latum n. sp. 35. A. gracile n. sp. 36. A. dasybati Yamaguti, 1934 37. A. ijimai Yoshida, 1917 38. A. grandiceps n. sp. 39. Calliobothrium verticillatum (Rud., 1819) van Bened., 1850 40. Platybothrium auriculatum n. sp. 41. P. musteli n. sp. Aberrant Tetraphyllidea 42. Pelichnibothrium speciosum Montic., 1889 43. Discobothrium japonicum Yamaguti, 1934 Tentaculariidae Poche, 1926 44. Nyelinia manazo n. sp. 45. N. sphyrnae n. sp. Floricipitidae Dollfus, 1929 46. Floriceps uncinatus (Linton, 1924) Tetrarhynchidean larvae 47. Pintneriella musculicola Yamaguti. 1934 48. Microbothriorhynchus coelorhynchi n. g., n. sp. 49. Oncomegas wageneri (Linton, 1890) 50. Pterobothrium chaeturichthydis n. sp. 51. P. hira n. sp. 52. Callotetrarhynchus speciosus (Linton, 1897) 53. Symbothriorhynchus uranoscopi n. g., n. sp. 54. Nybelinia anguillae n. sp. 55. N. nipponica n. sp. 56. Otobothrium dipsacum Linton, 1897

To investigate the effect of exclusive breastfeeding on the likelihood of Japanese preschool children being overweight, population-based cross-sectional survey data from M town in Japan were used. Using the population registry of this town, all 616 preschool children were identified, and a self-administered questionnaire was sent to their parents. The exposure variable of interest was exclusive breastfeeding from birth to 6 months, and the outcome variable of interest was the children being overweight at preschool age. Statistical analyses used included logistic regression and sensitivity analyses. In the final analyses, we included 448 preschool children. Although all point estimates indicated a protective effect, logistic regression analyses showed no significant reduction in being overweight due to exclusive breastfeeding in the unadjusted model (odds ratio (OR)0.70, 95% confidence intervals:0.30-1.64), the model adjusted for birth weight (OR0.70, 95% CI:0.30-1.63), the model adjusted for child lifestyle (OR0.71, 95% CI:0.30-1.67), or the model adjusted for parental factors (OR0.46, 95% CI:0.15-1.37). In sensitivity analyses, point estimates were not significant, but a protective effect was observed. In conclusion, our results suggest that breastfeeding might have a protective effect on Japanese preschool children against being overweight, although statistical significance was not observed due to the limitation of the statistical power of the findings.

This study evaluated the effects of chronic hypoxia from birth on the resistance of rat hearts to global ischemia, with special emphasis on the duration of hypoxia. Male Wistar rats were housed from birth for 4 weeks or 8 weeks either in a hypoxic environment (FiO20.12) or in ambient air (8 animals for each group). Isolated rat hearts were perfused for 40 min with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit buffer, subjected to 20 min global no-flow ischemia at 37, and then underwent 40 min of reperfusion. A non-elastic balloon was inserted into the left ventricle and inflated until the pre-ischemic LVEDP rose to 8mmHg. Cardiac function was measured before and after ischemia. The post-ischemic percent recovery of LVDP in hypoxic hearts was worse than in normoxic hearts (4 weeks:55+/-7 vs. 96+/-3%, p0.01;8 weeks:40+/-5 vs. 92+/-4%, p0.01), and was worst in the 8-week-hypoxic hearts. Similarly, the percent recovery of dP/dt in the hypoxic hearts was lower than in the normoxic hearts (4 weeks:51+/-5 vs. 96+/-7%, p0.01;8 weeks:31+/-6 vs. 92+/-7%, p0.01), and was lowest in the 8-week-hypoxic hearts. In conclusion, cyanotic myocardium revealed an age-dependent vulnerability to ischemia-reperfusion injury in a chronic hypoxic rat model.

A clinical trial was performed to investigate the efficacy of hyperthermia in combination with chemotherapy for gynecological malignancies. Sixty-nine patients with vaginal or vulvar malignancies (9 primary vulvar, 3 recurrent vulvar, 11 primary vaginal, 4 primary cervical, 40 recurrent cervical, and 2 recurrent ovarian carcinomas) were treated by thermochemotherapy (42 cases) or chemotherapy alone (27 cases). After treatment, 7 patients underwent surgery and 46 patients irradiation. The chemotherapeutic schedule was mainly a combination therapy with bleomycin and mitomycin C (B-M). Microwaves of 2.45 GHz were applied to induce local hyperthermia. The side effects of chemotherapy were not increased by hyperthermia. The rate of partial response plus complete response increased to 84% (16/19) in primary cancers and 45% in recurrent cancers by hyperthermia, compared to the respective values of 40% (2/5) and 17% (3/17) for chemotherapy alone. However, a satisfactory prognosis cannot be expected with thermochemotherapy, unless additional treatments are performed. Subsequent surgery or radiation treatment improved the progression-free interval.

We encountered a rare case of suffocation by an advertising balloon filled with pure helium gas. Suffocation caused by inhalation of atmosphere lacking in oxygen is not exceptional, but reports of death by suffocation due to a pure inert gas such as helium are very rare. In this case, the balloon mooring on the ground was enclosed, warning signs were displayed, and it was clear that entering the balloon filled with an atmosphere lacking in oxygen was extremely dangerous and should not be done; the accident did, however, occur. Accidents of this kind may occur in the future unless appropriate education and countermeasures are taken.

The morbidity of diabetes mellitus is increasing gradually in Japanese populations. It is important to clarify the risk factors of diabetes in Japanese populations in order to take adequate measures against the increasing morbidity of diabetes. In order to evaluate the link between past and concurrent obesity and diabetes in middle-aged Japanese men, we conducted a worksite-based historical cohort study in Okayama, Japan in 1999. Annual health examination data of middle-aged male workers in a worksite were collected. The relative risks of past and concurrent obesity for developing diabetes were calculated. Subjects with a past history of obesity at between 40 and 50 years of age had a significantly higher risk of developing diabetes by age 55 than did subjects in the normal weight group. These results suggest that, in order to prevent diabetes in middle-aged Japanese men, health guidance for normal weight maintenance should be provided not only for middle-aged men, but also for men under age 40.

A 55-year-old Japanese woman presented at our hospital complaining of hematochezia 4 months after surgery for a rectal carcinoma. A proctoscopy revealed 2 protuberant lesions in the rectum, 5 mm anally from the anastomotic suture line. The diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was confirmed by biopsy. It was considered that these lesions were caused by intraluminal implantation from the primary rectal carcinoma. The patient underwent an endoscopic resection for these recurrent lesions and has remained stable, with neither recurrence nor metastasis, in the 7 years since the resection. For rectal carcinoma, we propose early follow-up by proctoscopy, namely within 4 months after surgery.

Corticoids are well known for their immunosuppressive properties. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an intrinsic antiinflammatory peptide in immune diseases, originally identified as cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor. We examined the effect of hydrocortisone sodium succinate (HSS) on the production of IL-10 by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). PBMCs from healthy volunteers and cancer-burden patients were preincubated separately with or without HSS for 1 h, then stimulated with 5 microg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Production of IL-10 by human PBMCs was detected with LPS stimulation and its production was higher in cancer-burden patients than in normal volunteers, although this was not statistically significant. HSS suppressed production of IL-10 by LPS-stimulated PBMCs in a dose-dependent manner both in normal volunteers and in cancer-burden patients. These results indicate that, in addition to their antiinflammatory properties, corticoids act to restore the immunosuppressive states even in cancer-burden states

The presence of the HTLV-I gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was studied by polymerase chain reaction in 42 patients including 16 with lung cancer, 12 with diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB), 11 with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), and 3 with pneumoconiosis and hematological malignancy. Sequences equal to a part of the pX gene were found in 44% of the lung cancer cases, 50% of the DPB cases, 55% of the IIP cases, and 100% of the cases of pneumoconiosis and leukemia. In the lung cancer cases, detection of the pX gene was frequently associated with the existence of diffuse interstitial pulmonary shadows. The pX gene was detected in 100% of patients with anti-HTLV-I antibody, 50% of patients with HTLV-I-related reaction and 14% of patients who tested seronegative. It may be inferred from the results that respiratory diseases that produce diffuse interstitial pulmonary shadows are closely associated with HTLV-I infection and that the HTLV-I-related reaction to the immunofluorescent test might reflect the latent infection state of HTLV-I.

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.

"Smoldering acute leukemia", a variant of acute myelogenous leukemia, has been recognized with frequent incidence in recent years. This is chracterized by benign clinical course, poor physical findings, leukopenia and mild anemia in the peripheral blood, and apparent infiltration of abnormal myeloblasts in the bone marrow. Immunological studies of the host defence mechanism were made, because the pathogenesis of its "smoldering" course has never been well understood. Nine cases, seen during last 2 years, were investigated for immunological profile, especially the cellular immunity. Purified protein derivative (PPD) skin test, i.e., tuberculin test, was found to be positive in 8 of 9 cases (88.9%). Dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) sensitization test showed to be positive in 4 of 6 cases examined (66.9%). Peripheral lymphocyte balstogenesis by stimulating with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was evaluated using the smear counting method. The blastoid lymphocyte ratio was 55% at the median value (range: 31-68%), compared with 63% in normal young control (age: 25-32) and 41% in normal aged control (age: 60-75). In this report, the cellular immunity in smoldering acute leukemia was proved to be preserved at the normal level and to be more competent than that in aged group. The preserved cellular immunity is considered to explain the phenomenon of "smoldering", in other words, the exacerbating proliferation of leukemic cells is suppressed by immuno-surveillance system.

Depuis que M. le Docteur SZIRMAI a fait connaitre en 1954-55 son invention pharmaceutique, le H.A.H. (Heacrin) et qu'il a expose de la circulation peripherque1, theorie ayant une importance particuliere dans la therapeutique, le traitement par H.A.H. a ete suivie avec un vif interet. La sphere d'indication du medicament a ete essayee dans plusieurs cas pathologiques par l'auteur lui-meme, qui a rendu compte des resultats de ses experiences dans plusieurs publications2,3,4 et conferenceso5. Pour ce qui concerne les details je me permets de renvoyer aux renseignements de la bibliographie respective.

The hematological findings of 233 patients with brucellosis are presented and the possible pathologies discussed. Anemia was present in 128 patients (55%), leukopenia in 49 (21%) and thrombocytopenia in 59 (26%). Bone marrow aspirates of 18 patients (8%) with pancytopenia were examined. The bone marrow was hypercellular in 15 and normocellular in 3 patients. Granulomatous lesions were detected in 12 cases (67%), and slight to moderate cytophagocytosis of erythrocytes, granulocytes and platelets existed in all patients. Blood cell counts reverted to normal within 2-3 weeks of initiating chemotherapy with recovery from the disease.

Almost all the umbilical lymphocytes showed more extensive blast cell formation than that of their mother's lymphocytes with PHA. Pathological conditions of mother in pregnancy and labor such as anemia, gestational toxicosis, difficult labor and asphyxia of babies, inhibited the normal response of both maternal and umbilical lymphocytes to PHA.

Mononuclear cells from rabbit joint fluid were studied after synovitis was induced by various means, including the intra-articular injection of bacterial endotoxin or of aggregated human gamma globulin in normal rabbits, or of HGG in rabbits previously sensitized to this material. The large majority of mononuclear cells in all groups were monocytoid rather lymphocytoid, and these cells were most readily labeled with tritiated thymidine on the first day after injection. On day 2 and 3, the numbers of labeled cells decreased, except for the animals previously sensitized with HGG, in which there was an upswing of labeling on day 3. This upswing was associated with a considerable increase in numbers of cells resembing synovial cells, and may possibly be a reflection of synovial proliferation. Macrophages loaded with engulfed polymorphonuclear cells were observed in all experimental groups, a finding which emphasizes the lack of specificity of this reaction.