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In order to evaluate the functions of the peripheral somatic nerve and autonomic nerve in patients with occupational vibration disease objectively and quantitatively, four examinations were performed on twenty 44-63 yr old patients with occupational vibration disease and their total operating time ranged from 5,000 to 43,750 h. 1) Motor nerve conduction velocities (MCV) and sensory nerve conduction velocities (SCV) of the ulnar and median nerves were measured using conventional methods. 2) Electrogustatory thresholds under the controlled area of the chorda tympani nerve were measured by Tomita's method using an electrogustometer (610-M, M.E.C.). 3) Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) activity in blood was assayed by the photometric assay of Nagatsu and Udenfriend. 4) Coefficient of variation of R-R interval in ECG (CVR-R) was measured after 15-min-resting in supine position by using a R-R interval analyzer (Autonomic R 100, M.E.C.). The results of these examinations were compared with those of special examinations for the diagnosis of vibration disease. In patients with occupational vibration disease, MCV and SCV of the ulnar and median nerve were lower in value than those in age-matched healthy controls. In particular, MCV of the ulnar nerve, MCV and SCV of the median nerve were significantly lower in the patients than in the controls. Nerve conduction velocities were significantly correlated with skin temperature and nailpress test, though diminished nerve conduction velocities observed in vibration disease patients were considered to be attributable to peripheral circulatory disturbance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Between February 1984 and August 1987, 10 patients with severe aplastic anemia were treated with bone marrow transplantation from HLA-identical sibling donors after preparation with cyclophosphamide (CY) 200 mg/kg and total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) 750 cGy. Ages ranged from 5 to 28 years (median 14 years). All patients were previously transfused. Median number of transfusions was 16 (range, 3-886). For post-transplant immunosuppression all patients were given cyclosporine and the last three patients received additional immunosuppression with short-term methotrexate. All patients had initial engraftment and survived for more than 3-46 months after transplantation. One patient developed significant acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and three of nine recipients who survived more than 100 days developed chronic GVHD. One male patient who had received 21 transfusions from his marrow donor before transplantation suffered from persistent granulocytopenia. Otherwise all have Karnofsky performance scores of 90-100%. Although the number of patients is small, it appears that allogeneic bone marrow transplantation with the regimen of CY + TLI for preparation combined with cyclosporine (+ short-term methotrexate) for post-transplant immunosuppression is a promising modality for treatment of previously transfused patients with severe aplastic anemia.

Epidemics of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis due to a coxsackievirus A24 variant occurred in July-November, 1985 and August-October, 1986 in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. This is the first report of an acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis epidemic due to a coxsackievirus A24 variant in Japan The epidemic involved most islands of the prefecture. The prefectural surveillance center was notified of 9,952 cases in 1985 and 6,096 cases in 1986 from three sentinel eye clinics. The neutralizing antibody-positive rate against the coxsackievirus A24 variant of the serum samples collected before and immediately after the 1985 epidemic rose from 1.0% to 8.5%. The coxsackievirus A24 variant was isolated from 48 out of 68 conjunctival swabs collected during the epidemics. The isolates were indistinguishable antigenically in the plaque reduction test from the prototype strain, EH24/70, but had a markedly distinct oligonucleotide pattern.