Rapid determination of thyroxine binding proteins of human serum

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.</p

A case of hypocholinesterasemia induced by trichlorfon

A case of hypocholinesterasemia induced by ingestion of trichlorfon is presented. A female patient took 20 gm of this insecticide for the purpose of the suicide. She was brought to the hospital one hour later, and her life was saved by gastric lavage. Cyanosis on lips and nails, pupils with sluggish light reaction and fibrillary muscle twitch were observed upon arrival. Laboratory examination performed on the admission disclosed a serum cholinesterase activity of 0.3deltapH per hour. The enzyme activity was depressed to 0.05 deltapH per hour on the second day of hospitalization. The enzyme activity then increased gradually in the two subsequent weeks and the patient recovered.</p

Methemoglobinemia induced by chlorphenamidine

A 76-year old farmer ingested 100 g of chlorphenamidine (Galectron), a plant acaricle, for the purpose of suicide. Gastric lavage was performed and the patient survived. Methemoglobinemia was noted after emergency treatment and was still present at 20 hours after ingestion of the compound. The patient was lethargic for at least 50 hours. Moderate neutrophilic leukocytosis and kidney injury were observed.</p

An extremely basic monoclonal IgG in an aged apoplectic patient with prolonged bacterial infection

A case with prolonged bacterial infection accompanied by an abnormal serum protein which migrated in the post-gamma region on electrophoresis is presented. The abnormal protein was identified as IgG with gamma-type light chain moiety. The patient suffered from prolonged pneumonia and cholecystitis, Bone marrow aspiration and skeletal x-rays did not indicate multiple myeloma.</p

A case of alcaptonuria with fatal cardiovascular disturbance

A case of alcaptonuria combined with aortic insufficiency was found in a 28-year-old male. The patient was palpitating at admission. The daily excretion of homogentisic acid was 2.0-6.0 g. Electrocardiography indicated atrial fibrillation and left ventricular hypertrophy with a ST-T change and right axis deviation. Cartilage tissues in the knee-joints showed no pigmentation. Vertebral X-ray revealed no calcification. The patient's history disclosed a family intermarriage in his grandparents. The patient's mother noticed the presence of black stains on diapers in his infancy and brown pigmentation on the skin and sclera in childhood. No kin had similar symptoms.</p

Social Implementation of Tsunami Prediction System on Wakayama by Using DONET Information

High possibility of occurrence of earthquake with M9 or lager in the Nankai subduction zone was pointed out by Cabinet Office of Japanese government. Local governments along the area revised estimation of tsunami damages and attempt to reconstruct action plans for the disaster prevention. However, according to Cabinet office of Japanese government, the coastal area near the rupture zone receives huge tsunami within a few minutes after the earthquake happens. To take actions against the severe situation, we need a high-speed, and high-accurate tsunami prediction system. Baba et al. (2014) investigated the possibility for use of a concept of tsunami amplification in the early tsunami prediction. They computed tsunami waveforms at the twenty pressure gauges of dense ocean floor network system for earthquakes and tsunamis (DONET) and at prediction points near shore. They found clear correlations between them because tsunami height basically depends on the topography (bathymetry) during its propagation. In this study, an early tsunami prediction system using the concept of tsunami amplification was societally implemented in 6 regional areas in Wakayama Prefecture. We constructed a tsunami database that contains pre-computed tsunamis offshore and nearshore from 1506 earthquake scenarios may occur in the Nankai subduction zones. The new system detects first arrivals of earthquake and tsunami from DONET data in real time, and calculate average value of absolute observed pressure values among twenty DONET stations. The value is used to select an appropriate scenario from the tsunami database. Prediction accuracy of the system was also investigated by using cases of the 1944 Tonankai earthquake and the scenario earthquake provided by the Cabinet office. As a result, we found that predicted inundation area to be overestimated as the safety of the prediction.南海トラフの沈み込み帯において，M9クラス巨大地震とそれにともなう巨大津波の発生の可能性が内閣府により指摘されて久しい。この津波被害想定によると，地震域近傍の沿岸地域では地震発生から数分後に巨大な津波が到達してしまうため，津波防災に向けた行動計画の再構築や人的被害軽減のための迅速な対応策の検討が極めて重要になる。その対応策のひとつとして，高速かつ高精度な即時津波予測が有効と考えられる。本研究では，地震と津波観測に向けた稠密海底観測網(DONET)による沖合観測網を利用した即時津波予測システムを構築し，和歌山県沿岸6地域において実装を行い，その有効性の検討を行った。本システムにより，地震と津波の初動到達時間を即時評価できること，沿岸津波高や浸水域の即時予測が可能であることを示した。さらに，1944年昭和東南海地震の事例と内閣府のM9クラス巨大地震の波源シナリオを用いて本システムの予測精度を検証した。本システムで即時予測される沿岸津波高や浸水域面積はやや過大評価傾向にあるものの，おおむね安全側の予測結果となり，津波防災上有効なシステムであることを示した

Further studies on an eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease--clinical studies

An eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease (Yok), surviving for more than 10 years and still living showed clinical and pathological findings similar to cases described in the past. The patient was given only glucocorticosteroids, ACTH, antibiotics and gamma globulin, as specific drugs. Precipitation arcs besides the major ones formed by albumin and Fc fragment were disclosed by immunoelectrophoresis. The existence of these minor components were confirmed with antigen-antibody crossed electrophoresis and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. They did not form precipitation arcs with the other antigens available and they appeared in the same fractions of IgG on gel filtration suggesting their having higher molecular weight than the major ones. In addition to these findings, the clinical course of the patient is described.</p

Further studies on an eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease--biosynthetic studies

In vitro quantitative biosynthetic studies were carried out on bone marrow cells obtained from an eleventh case with gamma heavy chain disease. The findings indicate that neither cytoplasmic nor extracellular degradation was responsible for the presence of the gamma heavy chain fragment in serum. The absence of a covalent-bound light chain was also confirmed.</p

Further studies on an eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease--physico-chemical studies

An abnormal protein with similar antigenic properties to Fc fragments of IgG, was found in the serum and urine of an eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease (Yok). This protein was purified with ammonium sulfate precipitation and by column chromatography of DEAE cellulose, CM cellulose and Sephadex G-200. The purity of the protein obtained was 98.5%. It was crystallized easily, forming thin hexagonal plates of various sizes. The chemical compositions and physical properties of the protein including viscosity, partial specific volume, diffusion constant, sedimentation constant, frictional ratio, extinction coefficient and iso-ionic point are reported.</p

Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer in Early Stage — The Clinical Ob­servation of Operated Cases

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 &#34;precancerous group&#34; (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.</p