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To clarify the factors relating to the prognosis of spinocerebellar degenerations (SCD), we performed a follow-up study on the survival of patients with Friedreich disease, familial spastic paraparasis, sporadic olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA), hereditary OPCA of Menzel type, sporadic late cortical cerebellar atrophy (LCCA), cerebellar atrophy of Holmes type, Shy-Drager syndrome, striatonigral degeneration, dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy, or Joseph disease. One hundred and forty-eight patients admitted to the Nagoya University Hospital during the period of 1976 to 1990 were dealt with. They had been followed-up for 15 years at longest through the medical records, or through the direct informations from the patients or their family members or both. In order to find factors influencing the survival of the patients, Kaplan-Meier method was used as the 1st step to construct the survival curve for each factor. These were calculated by generalized Wilcoxon test. Employing Cox's proportional hazard model, a multivariate analysis was then performed based on the factors which were shown significant in the 1st step. The multivariate analysis showed that the following four factors are related to the prognosis of SCD patients, i.e., lack of hereditary trait, existence of orthostatic hypotension, lack of walking disorder at onset, and lack of nystagmus on admission. Of these factors, the lack of hereditary trait had the most intimate relation to their poor prognosis. Therefore, these four factors are statistically informative to predict prognosis of each patient with SCD.

To the Yang-Baxter equation an additional relation can be added. This is the reflection equation which appears in various places, with or without spectral parameter. For example, in factorizable scattering on a half-line, integrable lattice models with non-periodic boundary conditions, non-commutative differential geometry on quantum groups, etc. We study two forms of spectral parameter independent reflection equations, chosen by the requirement that their solutions be comodules with respect to the quantum group coaction leaving invariant the reflection equations. For a variety of known solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation we give the constant solutions of the reflection equations. Various quadratic algebras defined by the reflection equations are also given explicitly., Comment: 31 pages

A method for estimating the intervals for the number of patients with intractable diseases from nationwide epidemiological surveys was developed under the assumption that response is independent of frequency of patients. This method is based on data utilizing the number of response hospitals classified by their reported number of patients. The approximate 95% confidence intervals of numbers of several intractable diseases patients were estimated using this method.

Erythropoietin (Epo) has three N-linked sugar chains. Codons for asparagine at N-glycosylation sites in genomic human Epo DNA were replaced with those for glutamine. The wild-type Epo gene and seven mutants that lacked N-glycosylation sites in every possible combination were introduced into baby hamster-kidney cells. To study the role of the N-linked sugars in Epo biosynthesis, Epo protein expressed transiently was measured by an enzyme-linked immunoassay. The elimination of all three N-glycosylation sites decreased Epo production to 10% of that of the wild-type Epo. Wild-type and mutant Epos produced by stably transfected cells were partially purified to investigate their properties. Removal of N-glycosylation sites changed affinity of Epo to the receptor. The in vitro activity of Epo that lost all N-glycosylation sites was comparable with that of the wild-type Epo, while the in vivo activity severely decreased. These results indicate that N-linked sugars of Epo have two major functions; N-linked sugars are important for 1) proper biosynthesis and/or secretion and 2) expression of the in vivo activity probably by enhancing survival in the circulation. N-Linked sugars of Epo affect binding affinity of the ligand to the receptor but do not play a key role in expression of the in vitro activity.

A factor with burst-promoting activity (BPA) stimulates the formation of erythroid bursts in the presence of erythropoietin, acting on early erythroid progenitor cells (erythroid burst-forming units, or BFU-E). Here we investigated the biological properties of this factor partially purified from the urine of anemic patients. The human urinary factor did not cause the formation of late erythroid progenitor cells (erythroid colony-forming units, or CFU-E) or enhance such colony formation in the presence of erythropoietin. Thus, the urinary factor was a different substance from erythroid potentiating activity and from activin, which act on both BFU-E and CFU-E. The urinary factor promoted the colony formation of BFU-E from both humans and mice, but the human hematopoietic growth factors such as recombinant interleukin-3, interleukin-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor did not stimulate the formation of BFU-E derived colonies from mice. The results suggested that the factor in the urine of anemic patients was different from the hematopoietic growth factors identified so far.

The incidence and prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis has declined steadily in Japan, but the trends differ greatly by area according to epidemiological status. We studied the incidence and trends of pulmonary tuberculosis in an urban area (population approx. 150,000) during the period of 1979-1988. The area studied is a part of a large commercial city, characterized as having the most prevalent rate of tuberculosis area in that city. Of 1245 newly registered cases, 80% were over 40 years of age. While the incidence rate decreased to 57% in the last 10 years in this area, compared to 69% decrease for all of Japan, it was still considerably higher than the national average. Especially in the 20-59 age group it continued to be 2 times higher than that of the whole of Japan. Moreover, the positive rate of tubercle bacilli at the time of registration had increased remarkably from 27% in 1979 to 62% in 1988. These results suggest the tuberculosis continues to be a significant problem in this urban area, although the steady decline in the incidence of tuberculosis had led to a lack of awareness of this disease.

SUMMARY The effect of human recombinant erythropoietin (Epo) on B cell responses was studied in a serum-free medium. Epo enhanced IgM production and thymidine uptake by a human IgM-producing lymphoblasloid cell line, CBL. This effect was specific to Epo since enhancement was blocked by anti-Epo antibody but not by control antibody. Among the various cytokines, interleukin-4 (IL-4) enhanced IgM production and thymidine uptake while IL-6 enhanced IgM production without affecting thymidine uptake. In contrast, other cytokines including IL-1β, IL-2, IL-5, interferon-alpha (IFN-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), or granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were without effect. However, the enhancing effect of Epo is different from that of IL-4 or IL-6, since Epo effect was not blocked by anti-IL-4 antibody or anti-IL-6 antibody. Moreover, specific binding of Epo was detected on CBL cells. Epo also enhanced immunoglobulin (IgG, IgM and IgA) production and thymidine uptake by purified tonsil small resting B cells stimulated by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I (SAC) or by large activated B cells. In contrast, Epo had no effect on unstimulated smalt resting B cells. These results indicate that Epo could directly stimulate activated and differentiated B cells and could enhance B cell immunoglobulin production and proliferation.

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) is an important marker for the diagnosis and the therapy of leukemia and lymphoma patients. In this study, we developed the quantitative method for the assay of TdT antigen in leukemic cells using a combination of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies prepared for this enzyme. High correlation was obtained between the values measured by biochemical assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This method (ELISA), using antibodies to TdT, permits the rapid and quantitative estimation of TdT antigen in leukemic cells.

To find the most adequate method for estimating the number of patients in nationwide epidemiological surveys of intractable diseases, we examined six existing methods using reported data on 13 selected diseases. Estimated numbers of patients by the methods, except for methods with theoretical inadequacy or other problems, were almost equal to each other. The simple method, by which the number of patients is estimated as the reported one divided by the response rate, is recommended.

A novel erythroid cell line, RM10, was established from a long-term bone marrow culture of a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). RM10 cells were positive for periodic acid Schiff (PAS), but negative for peroxidase and dual esterase. RM10 cells had la, pre B (CD10), myeloid (CD13, CD14, CD33) and erythroid (glycophorin A) markers, but had no other lymphoid, megakaryocytic, or mesenchymal cell markers. RM10 cells spontaneously synthesized hemoglobin, which was markedly enhanced with hemin. Isoelectric focusing of the cell lysates and northern blot analysis of the total cellular RNA revealed hemoglobin synthesis in the cells. Using 125I-labeled recombinant human erythropoietin (Epo), two classes of Epo receptors were demonstrated in the RM10 cells. However, Epo did affect neither growth nor erythroid differentiation of the cells. RM10 cells rapidly differentiated to monocytic cells in the presence of 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, and simultaneously expressed glycoprotein IIb/IIIa. RM10 cells had Philadelphia chromosome (Ph), and expressed p210bcr-abl using immunoprecipitation with anti-c-abl and anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies. These results indicate that the RM10 cells have the characteristics of multipotential hemopoietic cells originating from Ph-positive CML and that high affinity Epo receptor class is not a sufficient condition for Epo responsiveness.

In 1984 the Public Health Bureau of Nagoya City began a new health check-up program to encourage citizens aged 40 years to have a medical examination. The rate of participation was 46.6% greater than that of the previous program; however, at about 16%, it was still low. From the survey in Moriyama Ward following results were suggested. Housewives and female part-time workers who had not had a health examination during the previous year showed participation rates of 32.7% and 42.4%, respectively. It would seem that the low rate of participation in the health examination program conducted in the metropolitan area by the municipal Public Health Bureau is due to the existence of many medical care facilities, and the fact that 64.6% of men and 52.6% of women had undergone a medical examination in the year preceding the program. Total screening rates became 69.7% in males and 66.0% in females. Participation rates of 32.7% and 42.4% were achieved by unemployed women and by women with part-time employment, respectively, who had no experience of screening in the previous year. Total screening rates were 63.7% for the unemployed women and 82.1% for the part-time women.

A large-scale cohort study has been planned in cooperation of 22 epidemiologists in Japan since 1986. The objective of this new cohort aged more than 40, consisting the inhabitants throughout Japan is to evaluate risk factors of cancer already known and suspected agents in so rapidly changing society of Japan where age-sex contraction of population, disease pattern and lifestyle habits have remarkably changing for the last decades. The factors examined are not only social factors but also biological ones from blood, serum and other body fluids. At the same time serum bank of healthy inhabitants in Japan is established in this study.

A total of 8,316 barbers were followed up from 1976 to 1987 to examine the relations between hair dye use and deaths from hematopoietic disorders. The follow-up rate was about 95%. Three leukemia deaths and two malignant lymphoma deaths were observed in this cohort. The observed deaths were less than the expected number calculated from age- and sex-specific mortality of the general population in Japan (3.8 and 3.0, respectively). No deaths from aplastic anemia or the other hematopoietic disorders were observed.

In this talk we introduce generalised Calogero–Moser models and demonstrate their integrability by constructing universal Lax pair operators. These include models based on non-crystallographic root systems, that is the root systems ofthe finite reflection groups, H3, H4, and the dihedral group I2(m), besides the well-known ones based on crystallographic root systems, namely those associated with Lie algebras. Universal Lax pair operators for all of the generalised Calogero–Moser models and for any choices ofthe potentials are linear combinations ofthe reflection operators. The equivalence ofthe Lax pair with the equations ofmotion is proved by decomposing the root system into a sum oftwo-dimensional sub-root systems, A2, B2, G2 ,a ndI2(m). The root type and the minimal type Lax pairs, derived in our previous papers, are given as the simplest representations. The spectral parameter dependence plays an important role in the Lax pair operators, which bear a strong resemblance to the Dunkl operators.

Transient numerical analysis of electrical signal injection into the surface charge-coupled device (CCD) is given regarding the potential equilibration method. The analysis is composed of the charging and discharging processes of signal charges, characterized by time intervals T C and T D of the respective input pulses. A concept of "setting time T S " explains how the mode of injection converts from the potential equilibration to dynamic injection, and determines an optimum T C . A concept of "residual effect of excess charges" is discussed in relation to sampling effect. The procedure to determine an optimum T D is also proposed. The optimum input timing is divided into two instances in accordance with the degree of the gate length L; L > µm. For the instances ( L > 5-8 µm) the timing condition is further split into two cases, depending on the biased potential difference V_{G1}-V_{BL} . The above conclusions can be applied to setting input pulses and the structure of CCD inputs designed for analog signal processing.

We present an analysis of static axially symmetric gauge fields for an arbitrary gauge group G. Two ansatze are considered. The full ansatz involves a total of 4d(d = dim G), the reduced ansatz only 2d functions of (ϱ, z). Imposing self-duality is shown to reduce the problem to a sigma model in the curved two-dimensional (ϱ, z) space over the coset spaces G/G for the full, and G∗/K for the reduced ansatz. G is the complexification of G. ∗ is a particular non-compact form of G, and K the local form-preserving symmetry group of the reduced ansatz. We give explicitly the Lax-pair type representations (linear scattering problem) of the sigma model, indicating that the standard methods available for certain non-linear two-dimensional problems can be used to generate solutions. Our procedure has the advantage that only real fields over a real manifold enter the analysis.

A linear scattering problem associated with the static axially symmetric self-duality equation is introduced in a natural way using a symmetry argument. In conjunction with previously found symmetry (Backlund) transformations it provides an algebraic construction method of the self-dual solutions. This algebraic procedure which can be used to construct multi-monopoles is presented in some detail.

The characteristics of an acoustic treatment employing fibrous material and its effect on fan noise reduction radiated from a turbofan engine have been studied. The predominant feature of the treatment is that it is composed of a fibrous layer backed with an air cavity, which facilitates control of the acoustic impedance of the treatment. This paper presents the design procedures for the treatment developed through this study and the results of the tests made to investigate its mechanical and acoustic properties. As a result of acoustic tests using the XF3-1 turbofan engine, it is shown that both discrete and combination tones of the fan can be attenuated effectively by the treatment.

Elementary solutions of the invariant scalar, spinor and vector field equations in the (4, 1) de Sitter space are given and their relations to the representation theory of theSO4,1 de Sitter group are pointed out. The solutions obtained for this space-time of constant curvature having curvature radiusR are analogous to the plane-wave solutions in flat Minkowski space-time. They are constructed in terms of the so-called horospheres determining the wave fronts of these de Sitter plane-wave solutions which are characterized by a timelike four-vector ζ(±)μ. For the case of the continuous series of unitary irreducible representations ofSO4,1 the four-vector ζ(±)μ is related to the energy-momentum four-vector ±pμ in the flat-space limitR→∞, and the elementary,i.e. horospherical, solutions in de Sitter space-time go over in this limit into the positive- and negative-frequency plane-wave solutions in Minkowski space-time.

Several symmetry (Backlund) transformations for the static axially symmetric self-dual gauge field equations, which are equivalent to nonlinear sigma models in a (curved) two-dimensional space, are presented. Combined with the inverse scattering method, they play an essential role in the algebraic construction of solutions.

In the Riemann-Cartan space we develop a gravitational theory of spinor electrodynamics, making torsion propagate in vacuum. Prom the precision experiment we can deduce the torsion coupling constant divided by the mass,f2/4πμ2< 10−5 (GeV)−2, for ώ≪mα and ώ≫mα, where m is the electron mass and α is the fine-structure constant. It is interesting to inquire if there is a new interaction.

High terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activities were found in blast cells having B cell markers in 3 patients suffering from chronic myelogenous leukemia. The blast cells from these patients were lymphoblastic in appearance. Two of these cases were treated with vincristine and prednisolone. They responded well to this therapy.