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In 2004, we searched for very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray emission from the Galactic Plane using the CANGAROO-III stereoscopic observation system. Two different longitude regions (l = −19°.5 and l = +13°.0) on the Galactic Plane were observed during July and August 2004. We analyzed events that triggered three telescopes aiming to measure the diffuse emission component. No significant signal associated with the Galactic Plane was found from either of the regions. Assuming that the gamma-ray spectrum is described by a single power-law for energies ranging between a few GeV and TeV, lower limits of the power-law spectral indices were found to be 2.2 for both of the regions with a 99.9% confidence level. This result is consistent with the other VHE measurements and constrains a hypothesis in which a very hard (∼2.0) cosmic ray electron spectrum was introduced to explain the EGRET GeV anomaly.

To gain the public acceptance for the transport of irradiated nuclear fuel, environmental impact assessments have been made by assuming that a transport package may be sunk into the sea. General circulation models for the Japan Sea and for the world ocean were employed to simulate radionuclide concentration in the ocean near shore and in deep sea areas respectively. Radionuclide concentrations were simulated for the hypothetical release from a submerged transport package of fresh mixed oxide fuel in the Japan Sea and the global ocean by general circulation models. Simulated concentrations were quite small compared to the background concentration by the fallout. The effective doses of radiation exposure to the public for both cases were much less than the effective dose limit (1 mSv year–1) by the ICRP recommendation.

The present paper summarises the tests that have been performed on type B packages by CRIEPI in Japan to conditions different from the regulatory test standard for impact, fire and immersion. A drop test of a spent fuel package with transport frame was performed. The drop height was 7·8 m and the target was reinforced concrete floor. Drop tests of spent fuel packages without impact limiters were performed. The drop heights were 1·5, 5·0 and 17 m and the target was a reinforced concrete floor. Dynamic crash tests simulating accidental drop of heavy object onto a spent fuel transport/storage package without impact limiters were performed. The heavy object was a slab made of reinforced concrete. The drop heights were 5 to 17 m. A thermal test was performed using a spent fuel package specimen. During the thermal test in a furnace, the environmental temperature increased up to 1000°C. An immersion test under a head of water at 3000 m for one hour was performed. The specimens were packages of spent fuel...

著者人数: 51名, Accepted: 2004-12-10, 資料番号: SA1003414000

著者人数: 51名, Accepted: 2004-03-24, 資料番号: SA1003408000

著者人数: 51名, 資料番号: SA1003983000

著者人数: 46名, Accepted: 2003-05-20, 資料番号: SA1003406000

Protons with energies up to approximately 10(15) eV are the main component of cosmic rays, but evidence for the specific locations where they could have been accelerated to these energies has been lacking. Electrons are known to be accelerated to cosmic-ray energies in supernova remnants, and the shock waves associated with such remnants, when they hit the surrounding interstellar medium, could also provide the energy to accelerate protons. The signature of such a process would be the decay of pions (pi(0)), which are generated when the protons collide with atoms and molecules in an interstellar cloud: pion decay results in gamma-rays with a particular spectral-energy distribution. Here we report the observation of cascade showers of optical photons resulting from gamma-rays at energies of approximately 10(12) eV hitting Earth's upper atmosphere, in the direction of the supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946. The spectrum is a good match to that predicted by pion decay, and cannot be explained by other mechanisms.

Based on mapping observations with ASCA, an unusual hot region with a spatial extent of 1 square degree was discovered between M87 and M49 at a center coordinate of R. A. = 12h 27m 36s and Dec. = $9^\circ18'$ (J2000). The X-ray emission from the region has a 2-10 keV flux of $1 \times 10^{-11}$ ergs s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ and a temperature of $kT \gtrsim 4$ keV, which is significantly higher than that in the surrounding medium of $\sim 2$ keV. The internal thermal energy in the hot region is estimated to be $V n k T \sim 10^{60}$ ergs with a gas density of $\sim 10^{-4}$ cm$^{-3}$. A power-law spectrum with a photon index $1.7-2.3$ is also allowed by the data. The hot region suggests there is an energy input due to a shock which is probably caused by the motion of the gas associated with M49, infalling toward the M87 cluster with a velocity $\gtrsim 1000$ km s$^{-1}$.

Background.—Contamination of nontumor tissue makes genetic analysis difficult. For this reason, it is important to obtain pure tumor tissue to ensure accurate genetic analysis. Objective.—To accurately assess the incidence of mutation of tumor suppressor genes (p53: exon 5–8; APC: mutated cluster region; NF-2 gene: all exons) in 45 colorectal carcinomas. Methods.—We developed an application of the polymerase chain reaction–single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequence by coupling them with crypt isolation. Results.—Mutations of p53 and APC genes were found in 24 and 22 of 45 colorectal carcinomas, respectively. No mutation of the NF-2 gene was observed in this cancer. Single-strand conformation polymorphism using a crypt isolation technique showed a clear migrating band and no false-positive data. Conclusions.—The crypt isolation technique is a useful method for accurately analyzing genetic alterations. Furthermore, our proposed method confirmed the morphological findings obtained before the genetic analysis.

On the basis of the oscillator-representation method, we obtain the energy eigenvalue formulae upto the second order in the perturbation Hamiltonian for the 1S-6S, 1P, 2P, 1D and 2D states of the heavy quarkonia. The application of the formulae to the 1S-6S states in the linear confining potential suggests that we cannot neglect the effect of the relativistic kinetic terms on the energy eigenvalues in the excited states of the charmonia.

To ensure the safe transport of high-level radioactive wastes, the demonstration tests stipulated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) transport regulations were carried out in the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI). This paper describes the water immersion test. The test cask for the test was designed as a Type B package and the design combines the specific structural features of both the COGEMA and the BNFL (planned) casks, which are used for shipping HLW from France and the United Kingdom respectively. The test results show that strains due to the water pressure were negligible at the test of a head of 15 m. At the immersion test at 200 m water depth the measured maximum strain was sufficiently within the elastic limit and no rupture was observed. In addition, the immersion test at a water pressure of more than 2 MPa, which is beyond specification, was carried out to assess the capability of the cask against water pressure. Maximum water pressure was set ...

The decay kinetics of the recombination luminescence of self-trapped excitons (STEs) in hexagonal GeO2 (h-GeO2) and crystalline SiO2 (α-quartz) have been studied at low temperature for evaluating zero-field splitting energies. For the two decay components which become observable below 50 K, temperature dependencies of the decay time and intensities are analyzed by the rate-equation model which includes nonradiative transitions among zero-field split sublevels. The analysis gives the zero-field splitting of 0.09 meV in h-GeO2 which is almost the same as that in α-quartz. The configuration of the STE in h-GeO2 is discussed based on the result.

Heavy-quarkonium spectroscopy is discussed in the non-relativistic quark model for a hybrid potential which is Coulomb plus square-root (ur2−v)1/2 suggested by string theory at long distance and Coulomb plus harmonic at short distance. The predictons for the e+e− decay widths of the c\(\overline c \) and b\(\overline b \) bound states are also given. Our results for the energy levels and the leptonic decay widths are in very good agreement with the experimental data for b\(\overline b \) and reasonable for c\(\overline c \) with almost the same values ofas (c\(\overline c \)) andas(b\(\overline b \)).

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is transiently expressed on vascular endothelial cells in response to cytokines. It plays a major role in the adhesion of leucocytes to the endothelium by interaction with its ligand VLA-4, a member of the β1 integrin family. We measured the serum concentration of the soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) in 114 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 37 normal controls by enzyme-linked immunoassay in comparison with trace element concentration. sVCAM-1 levels were markedly higher ( mean ± SD =833.2 ± 328.9 ng/ml ) in the sera of patients with AMI than in normal controls ( mean ± SD = 549.5 ± 188.8 ng/ml , p

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) is transiently expressed on vascular endothelial cells in response to cytokines. It plays a major role in the adhesion of leucocytes to the endothelium by interaction with its ligand VLA-4, a member of the β1 integrin family. We measured the serum concentration of the soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) in 114 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and 37 normal controls by enzyme-linked immunoassay in comparison with trace element concentration. sVCAM-1 levels were markedly higher (mean± SD=833.2±328.9 ng/ml) in the sera of patients with AMI than in normal controls (mean±SD= 549.5±188.8 ng/ml, p

Masses of the bottom baryons are calculated discussing quark distances in a semi-relativistic quark model. Our result of Λb mass is consistent with the recent UA1 result, Λb = (5640 ± 50 ± 30) MeV within the experimental error. The predicted mass difference Ξb′(b[su])-Σb(bdu) is negative, contrary to the expectation from the fact thatms> md. We show that the quark distances in a baryon are the same as those of perturbation theory up to the 2s state of the harmonic oscillator, if quarks in the baryon have the same flavour.

Three sets of impact tests, small-, intermediate-, and full-scale tests, have been executed to determine local damage to reinforced concrete structures caused by the impact of aircraft engine missiles. The results of the test program showed that (1) the use of the similarity law is appropriate, (2) suitable empirical formulas exist for predicting the local damage caused by rigid missiles, (3) reduction factors may be used for evaluating the reduction in local damage due to the deformability of the engines, (4) the reinforcement ratio has no effect on local damage, and (5) the test results could be adequately predicted using nonlinear response analysis.

Discussing the quark distances, we compute the masses ofs-wave heavy mesons in a semi-relativistic quark model. We reproduce the masses of the heavy mesons within ±4 MeV except for D*s. The new data of ARGUS imply a very different value of the B−−B0 mass difference, even in sign compared with the old data. The new data fit well in our model. We predict Bs=5344 MeV and B*s=5393 MeV, which are not so far from the B and B* masses and detectable in the γ(5S) decays.

Because accretion and merger shocks in clusters of galaxies may accelerate particles to high energies, clusters are candidate sites for the origin of ultra-high-energy (UHE) cosmic-rays. A prediction was presented for gamma-ray emission from a cluster of galaxies at a detectable level with the current generation of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. The gamma-ray emission was produced via inverse Compton upscattering of cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons by electron-positron pairs generated by collisions of UHE cosmic rays in the cluster. We observed two clusters of galaxies, Abell 3667 and Abell 4038, searching for very-high-energy gamma-ray emission with the CANGAROO-III atmospheric Cherenkov telescope system in 2006. The analysis showed no significant excess around these clusters, yielding upper limits on the gamma-ray emission. From a comparison of the upper limit for the north-west radio relic region of Abell 3667 with a model prediction, we derive a lower limit for the magnetic field of the region of ~0.1 micro G. This shows the potential of gamma-ray observations in studies of the cluster environment. We also discuss the flux upper limit from cluster center regions using a model of gamma-ray emission from neutral pions produced in hadronic collisions of cosmic-ray protons with the intra-cluster medium (ICM). The derived upper limit of the cosmic-ray energy density within this framework is an order of magnitude higher than that of our Galaxy., 7 pages, 6 figures, Accepted in ApJ

Ternary compound crystals of (Cr, Fe)5Si3 were obtained on a quartz substrate by the in situ CVD process using in situ reaction of the stainless steel 410 powder, Si2Cl6 and hydrogen, and its crystal morphology was examined in some detail. Crystals with various interesting morphologies, such as spiral, conical, rose-like, seaweed-like, globefish-like, etc., were obtained. The most commonly observed growth habits of the crystals were spiral, conical and seaweed-like crystals.

We have used the CANGAROO-III imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes to observe the high-frequency-peaked BL Lacertae (HBL) object PKS 2155-304 between 2006 July 28 (MJD 53944) and August 2, triggered by the H.E.S.S. report that the source was in a high state of TeV gamma-ray emission. A signal was detected at the 4.8 sigma level in an effective live time of 25.1 hours during the outburst period. The flux of Very High Energy gammarays from the CANGAROO-III observations shows the variability on the time scale of less than a few hours. The averaged integral flux above 660 GeV is (1.6 +/- 0.3_stat +/- 0.5_syst) x 10^-11 cm^-2 sec^-1 which corresponds to ~45% of the flux observed from the Crab nebula. Follow-up observations between August 17 (MJD 53964) and 25 indicate the source activity had decreased., 24 pages, 7 figures, to be published in ApJ

We have observed the giant radio galaxy Centaurus A and the globular cluster $\omega$ Centauri in the TeV energy region using the CANGAROO-III stereoscopic system. The system has been in operation since 2004 withan array of four Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACT) with $\sim$100-m spacings. The observations were carried out in March and April 2004. In total, approximately 10 hours data were obtained for each target.No statistically significant gamma-ray signal has been found above 420 GeV over a wide angular region (a one-degree radius from thepointing center) and we derive flux upper limits using all of the field of view.Implications for the total energy of cosmic rays and the density of the cold dark matter are considered., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, to appear in ApJ, emulateapj.cls

(0.41± 0.52Nm/kg) at landing phase. Sidestep cutting had peak valgusmoment (0.86± 0.35Nm/kg). Crossover cutting had peak varus moment (2.68± 0.43Nm/kg). Conclusion(s): High knee valgus moment during medial single leg hop at jumping phase, lateral single leg hop at landing phase and sidestep cutting maneuvers may increase ACL load and risk of injury. Medial and lateral single leg hop close to biomechanical property of actual sidestep cutting are more likely valid for predicting the risk of injury. Implications: Evaluations of knee valgus moment during medial, lateral single leg hop may produce effective ACL injury prevention programs in sports involving sidestep cutting.

forward movement of the trunk. The prolongation of time required for the standing-up movement may be attributed to the time lag between the recognition of the wearer’s motion intention by HAL and assistance by HAL, and the subjects may also delay their motion in accordance with HAL assistance. Further studies, including statistical analysis, are necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of HAL. Implications: These results suggest that HAL may be effective for shifting the patient’s movement closer to a normalmovement pattern. Therefore, appropriatemotor learning training with HAL may be effective in improving a stroke patient’s movement. However, patients and rehabilitation staff are hesitant to use HAL due to the high cost and complicated operating system. An improvement in these factors is necessary to ensure the practical use of HAL.

Sub-TeV gamma-ray emission from the North-West rim of the supernova remnant RX J0852.0$-$4622 was detected with the CANGAROO-II telescope and recently confirmed by the H.E.S.S. group. In addition, the H.E.S.S. data revealed a very wide (up to two degrees in diameter), shell-like profile of the gamma-ray emission. We have carried out CANGAROO-III observations in January and February 2005 with three telescopes and show here the results of three-fold coincidence data. We confirm the H.E.S.S. results about the morphology and the energy spectrum, and find the energy spectrum in the NW-rim is consistent with that of the whole remnant., 9 pages, 13 figures, to appear in ApJ

We made stereoscopic observations of the Vela Pulsar region with two of the 10 m diameter CANGAROO-III imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes in January and February, 2004, in a search for sub-TeV gamma-rays from the pulsar and surrounding regions. We describe the observations, provide a detailed account of the calibration methods, and introduce the improved and bias-free analysis techniques employed for CANGAROO-III data. No evidence of gamma-ray emission is found from either the pulsar position or the previously reported position offset by 0.13 degree, and the resulting upper limits are a factor of five less than the previously reported flux from observations with the CANGAROO-I 3.8 m telescope. Following the recent report by the H.E.S.S. group of TeV gamma-ray emission from the Pulsar Wind Nebula, which is $\sim$0.5 degree south of the pulsar position, we examined this region and found supporting evidence for emission extended over $\sim$0.6 degree., 13 pages, 26 figures, emulateapj.cls, to appear in ApJ

著者人数: 46名, Accepted: 2004-02-16, 資料番号: SA1003381000

A gamma-ray halo in a nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253 was found by the CANGAROO-II Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT). By fitting the energy spectrum with expected curves from Cold Dark Matter (CDM) annihilations, we constrain the CDM-annihilation rate in the halo of NGC 253. Upper limits for the CDM density were obtained in the wide mass range between 0.5 and 50 TeV. Although these limits are higher than the expected values, it is complementary important to the other experimental techniques, especially considering the energy coverage. We also investigate the next astronomical targets to improve these limits., 13 pages, 5 figures, aastex.cls, natbib.sty, To appear in ApJ v596n1, Oct. 10, 2003

Recently, the CANGAROO-II telescope detected diffuse TeV gamma-ray emission from a nearby edge-on starburst galaxy, NGC 253. The emission mechanism is discussed in this report. We review the emissions of radio-to-TeV gamma-rays from NGC 253, and present a model of the non-thermal emissions due to synchrotron radiations and inverse Compton scatterings. A halo model successfully explains the multiband spectrum of NGC 253., 11 pages, 1 figure. submitted to ApJL

著者人数: 45名, Accepted: 2003-02-14, 資料番号: SA1003347000

We report the TeV gamma-ray observations of the nearby normal spiral galaxy NGC 253. At a distance of $\sim$2.5 Mpc, NGC 253 is one of the nearest starburst galaxies. This relative closeness, coupled with the high star formation rate in the galaxy, make it a good candidate TeV gamma-ray source. Observations were carried out in 2000 and 2001 with the CANGAROO-II 10 m imaging atmospheric Cerenkov telescope. TeV gamma-ray emission is detected at the $\sim 11\sigma$ level with a flux of $(7.8 \pm 2.5)\times 10^{-12} {\rm cm}^{-2} {\rm sec}^{-1}$ at energies $>$0.5 TeV. The data indicate that the emission region is broader than the point spread function of our telescope., Comment: 4 pages, double colomn, 3 figures, aa.cls

著者人数: 47名, Accepted: 2002-12-02, 資料番号: SA1003998000

The authors reported a rare case of chronic subdural hematoma presenting bilateral visual impairment caused by papilledema. A 49-year-old man was admitted to our department due to left blurred vision. On admission, ophthalmological examination revealed visual acuity disturbance on the left eye, bilateral nasal visual field defect and papilledema. CT scan and MRI demonstrated bilateral subdural hematoma. No remarkable findings were detected on cerebral angiography. After evacuation of bilateral subdural hematomas, his visual symptoms recovered. In this report, we discuss the mechanism of visual impairment caused by chronic subdural hematoma.

The surveillance study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial activity of fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tosufloxacin) and other 20 antimicrobial agents against 5,180 clinical isolates obtained from 26 medical institutions during 1998 in Japan. The resistance to fluoroquinolones was remarkable in Enterococci, methicillin-resistant staphylococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from UTI. However, many of the common pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae including penicillin-resistant isolates, methicillin-susceptible Stahylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis, the family of Enterobacteriaceae, Haemophilus influenzae including ampicillin-resistant isolates have been kept to be susceptible to fluoroquinolones. About 90% of P. aeruginosa isolates from RTI were susceptible to fluoroquinolones. In conclusion, the results from this surveillance study suggest that fluoroquinolones are useful in the treatment of various bacterial infections including respiratory infections.

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung was diagnosed in a 39-year-old Chinese woman. In situ hybridization of Epstein Barr virus-encoded small nuclear RNA 1 (EBER 1) detected strong EBER 1 signals in the nuclei of tumor cell specimens from the patient. After polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, electrophoresis identified the IR-1 region in this tumor as a positive sharp band, closely resembling Raji cells (Burkitt's cell line). The uniform and intense presence of EBER 1 in the tumor nuclei and the PCR products of EBV DNA in the tumor demonstrated that a high copy number of EB virus genome existed in the tumor, and indicated involvement of the EB virus in the pathogenesis of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the lung.

We discuss the study of the kinetic aspects of charge trapping and defect creation which result from the intense electronic excitation caused in wide bandgap dielectrics by an intense laser irradiation. Because of the ultrashort time constants of such processes, they can only be studied using intense subpicosecond laser sources. More precisely, we present the results obtained in a number of optical material using a special interferometric measurement of the instantaneous refractive index, which allows to determine whether the photoinjected carriers are still in the conduction band or trapped in the deep defect states. Different types of materials (oxides and alkali halides) supporting excitonic charge trapping are studied, and a number of effects of the experimental conditions (in particular: excitation density and charge trapping impurity content) are described.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

ACE inhibitor is known to have a therapeutic efficacy in renal diseases by reducing proteinuria and maintaining renal function. However, the relationship between ACE gene polymorphism and renal disease has not been fully elucidated. In this study, a 287 base pair(bp) I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene was examined with polymerase chain reaction(PCR) in 100 healthy subjects, 34 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis(CGN), 29 with chronic renal failure(CRF) and 25 with diabetes mellitus(DM) with(13) and without(12) nephropathy. We also measured serum ACE activity of these patients. ACE genotype and derived allele frequencies in each disease group did not differ significantly from those in healthy subjects. In all disease groups, values of serum ACE activity were higher in genotype DD than in genotype II. These findings suggest no significant association between I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene and renal disease. Further studies are needed to clarify these findings, considering renal function and type of renal disease.

Platelets are anucleated blood cells that play a fundamental role in the initiation of hemostasis. In addition to platelet adhesion to the extracellular matrix, aggregation or platelet-platelet interaction is a requisite event in hemostasis. Some glycoproteins on platelet membranes mediate adhesion platelets. The glycoprotein (GP) Ib/IX/V complex is important in platelet adhesion and the GPIIb/IIIa complex mediate platelet to platelet interaction. P-selectin is a member of the selectin family and is transferred from secretory granules to the surface of activated platelets. P-selectin may function to mediate the interaction between activated platelets and leucocytes. We reviewed structure, function, biological roles and clinical application of three platelet-associated adhesion molecules.

An anonymous unlinked HIV antibody test was conducted on 1632 Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) antibody positive women from 10 institutes of 7 prefectures in Japan. All the sera were negative for both HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies. The result may support the suggestion that HIV prevalence is low among general population in Japan. Such a test as this study will be useful not only for developing a reliable HIV surveillance system but also for the study of sexual behavior of general population, since C. trachomatis infection is sensitive to reflect sexual contact.

Adherence of circulating monocytes and lymphocytes to arterial endothelium is detectable early in experimental and human atherosclerotic plaque formation. The purpose of the present study was to assess vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) mRNA expression and the properties of soluble VCAM-1 in patients with atherosclerotic aortic disease.Thirteen patients with aortic disease (mean age 64 years) and 40 healthy volunteers (mean age 32 years) were included in the study. We investigated the expression of VCAM-1 mRNA in eight human aortic specimens obtained during surgery. Of these, two showed no evidence of atherosclerotic plaque formation [aortic dissection (n = 1) and annuloaortic ectasia (n = 1)], whereas six had demonstrable complex atherosclerotic formation [abdominal aneurysm (n = 5) and aortic dissection (n = 1)]. The RNase protection assay was performed using an alpha 32P-labeled 121 base pair VCAM-1 cRNA probe. We also measured concentrations of the soluble VCAM-1 using two-site enzyme immunoassays in 40 healthy volunteers and in 13 patients with abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms.In human samples, VCAM-1 mRNA expression was found to be higher in the six patients with complex atherosclerotic formation [optical density (OD), 0.71 +/- 0.14] than in the two patients with no evidence of atherosclerotic plaque formation (OD, 0.53 and 0.49). The concentration of serum soluble VCAM-1 was higher (850 +/- 298 ng/ml) in patients with aortic or thoracic disease than in the healthy volunteers (494 +/- 94 ng/ml). In addition, there was a relationship between VCAM-1 mRNA expression and the concentration of soluble VCAM-1 (y = 2088x-554, r2 = 0.73).VCAM-1 expression is higher in the human aorta in patients with atheromatous changes. Furthermore, concentrations of soluble VCAM-1 may provide important information about endothelial activation or in-vivo damage.

The protein CD62P expressed on platelet surface membrane was measured by flow cytometry to evaluate its clinical significance. Whole blood contained 0.32% citrate from 64 patients with heart disease and 30 healthy adults were fixed with 0.1% paraformaldehyde. To 50 microliters of the fixed blood, 10 microliters of CD62 PE (Becton Dickinson) was added. After standing for 20 minutes at room temperature, the samples were washed and suspended in 1ml of PBS. Platelets were analyzed with Spectrum III (Ortho) flow cytometer. In healthy control, the percentage of platelets positive for anti-CD62P was 0.16 +/- 0.20 (mean +/- SD)%. Abnormal levels of CD62P were observed in 5 patients with unstable angina, 6 patients with acute myocardial infarction, 1 patient with old myocardial infarction, and 2 patients with mitral stenosis. These results show that activated platelets may play some roles in pathogenesis of heart disease though it is not fully clear yet.