THE STUDY ON APPLICATION OF LATHYROGEN THERAPY TO PROGRESSIVE SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS

The aim of lathyrogen therapy is, in short, to bring about the disappearance of the cross linkings of the collagen fibers and elastin in the sc1 erotic foci, thus increasing the amount of the soluble component. In the past three years, the author treated 10 cases of progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) with N-aminoacetonitrile (PCPG-AAN), a newly developed lathyrogen, and obtained satisfactory therapeutic results in the majority of the cases. It seems that PCPG-AAN produces less side effects compared with the other lathyrogens and is effective against not only sclcroden,1a in PSS, but also against the visceral lesions. In addition, it was confirmed that PCPG-AAN can suppress the proliferation of the chick embryo fibroblasts on culture as well as of the mature collagen fibers

STUDY ON AUTOIMMUNE PHENOMENON IN LIVER DISEASES -Blastoid Cell Transformation of Lymphocytes Cultured With Autologous Liver Homogenate-

Correlation between self-perpetuation of hepatitis and autoimmune phenomenon still remains obscure. Recently, attention has been drawn to the fact that blastoid cell transformation occurs with the addition of phytohemagglutinin when culturing human lymphocytes. Using lymphocytes taken from 55 patients with chronic liver diseases, which were cultured with a medium containing autologous liver homogenate obtained by needle biopsy, the occurrence of blastoid cell transformation was studied. Blastoid cell transformation was demonstrated in about one-third of the patients. The transformation rate, ranging from 0.2% to 7.4%, was lower than that of lymphocyte cultures to which phytohemagglutinin was added. But no evidence of blastoid cells was found in the patients without liver diseases. As compared to those with a negative response, the values of GOT, GPT and BSP were significantly elevated in the patients with a positive response and, histologically, marked infiltration of small lymphocytes and necrosis of liver cells were observed. Furthermore, a tendency toward poor prognosis was shown by many patients with a positive response. In patients with a positive blastoid cell response, positive rheumatoid serologic findings were also present significantly, indicating a close correlation between the two. The above observations suggest that the lymphocytes, sensitized by the patient’s own liver, play a certain part in the mechanism of self-perpetuation of hepatitis