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In this paper, we investigate the convergence speed of the Arimoto-Blahut algorithm. For many channel matrices, the convergence speed is exponential, but for some channel matrices it is slower than exponential. By analyzing the Taylor expansion of the defining function of the Arimoto-Blahut algorithm, we will make the conditions clear for the exponential or slower convergence. The analysis of the slow convergence in this paper is new. Based on this analysis, we will compare the convergence speeds of the Arimoto-Blahut algorithm numerically with the values obtained in our theorems for several channel matrices. The purpose of this paper is to obtain a complete understanding of the convergence speed of the Arimoto-Blahut algorithm.

A highly efficient and practical synthetic method for the preparation of pyrone diesters was established. The pyrone diester 3c can be prepared from readily available starting materials on a multihundred gram scale. The pyrone diester 3c can easily be converted to dolutegravir sodium (1). The synthetic route demonstrated herein provides an efficient and atom-economical synthetic method for preparing this potent anti-HIV agent.

Structure-activity relationship studies of several morphinan derivatives were conducted to obtain dual antagonists for μ- and δ-opioid receptors. We discovered peripherally restricted dual antagonists for μ/δ-opioid receptors as a new chemotype with a morphinan scaffold, which are orally available and do not easily pass the blood–brain barrier. As we expected, some of these compounds inhibit opioid-induced constipation and emesis/vomiting with limited potential to interfere the analgesic effects of morphine. Among them, naldemedine was selected as a potential drug candidate.

Human serum (plasma) lipoproteins were fractionated into four or five classes using the ultracentrifugation technique of O. F. de Lalla and J. W. Gofman. The particle sizes of serum lipoprotein fractions are quite different from each other resulting in the application of gel permeation chromatography using agarose gel by T. Sata et al. and hydroxyapatite by G. M. Kostner et al. The reference standards of human serum lipoprotein are prepared by the sequential ultracentrifugal procedure of R. J. Havel et al. Each reference standard is assayed for its homogeneity by immunoelectrophoresis. R. M. Carrol and L. L. Rudel compared the separation patterns of total lipoprotein fraction with different combinations of column by monitoring the absorption at 280 nm. The shapes of the patterns drawn by triglyceride, total cholesterol, and phospholipid measurements accurately reflect the different contents of each lipid constituent in each lipoprotein fraction.

NR2B subunit containing N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor is an attractive target for chronic pain due to its involvement in disease states and its limited distribution in the central nervous system. Cyclohexanol-based leads 6a and 6c were identified as potent NR2B-selective NMDA antagonists utilizing a scaffold hopping approach. Further optimization of this series through replacement of the amide in the leads with an isoxazole and efforts to optimize the pharmacokinetic profiles led to the discovery of orally available brain penetrants 7k and 7l, which demonstrated analgesic activity in the mouse formalin test at early and late phases.

It is generally thought that orientation selectivity first appears in the primary visual cortex (V1), whereas neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), an input source for V1, are thought to be insensitive to stimulus orientation. Here we show that increasing both the spatial frequency and size of the grating stimuli beyond their respective optimal values strongly enhance the orientation tuning of LGN neurons. The resulting orientation tuning was clearly contrast-invariant. Furthermore, blocking intrathalamic inhibition by iontophoretically administering γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor antagonists, such as bicuculline and GABAzine, slightly but significantly weakened the contrast invariance. Our results suggest that orientation tuning in the LGN is caused by an elliptical classical receptive field and orientation-tuned surround suppression, and that its contrast invariance is ensured by local GABAA inhibition. This contrast-invariant orientation tuning in LGN neurons may contribute to the contrast-invariant orientation tuning seen in V1 neurons.

To study the molecular mechanism how cortical areas are specialized in adult primates, we searched for area-specific genes in macaque monkeys and found striking enrichment of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) 1B receptor mRNA, and to a lesser extent, of 5-HT2A receptor mRNA, in the primary visual area (V1). In situ hybridization analyses revealed that both mRNA species were highly concentrated in the geniculorecipient layers IVA and IVC, where they were coexpressed in the same neurons. Monocular inactivation by tetrodotoxin injection resulted in a strong and rapid (

A rice (Oryza sativa) Rac/Rop GTPase, Os Rac1, is involved in innate immunity, but its molecular function is largely unknown. RAR1 (for required for Mla12 resistance) and HSP90 (a heat shock protein 90 kD) are important components of R gene–mediated disease resistance, and their function is conserved in several plant species. HSP90 has also recently been shown to be important in mammalian innate immunity. However, their functions at the molecular level are not well understood. In this study, we examined the functional relationships between Os Rac1, RAR1, and HSP90. Os RAR1-RNA interference (RNAi) rice plants had impaired basal resistance to a compatible race of the blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea and the virulent bacterial blight pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae. Constitutively active Os Rac1 complemented the loss of resistance, suggesting that Os Rac1 and RAR1 are functionally linked. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments with rice cell culture extracts indicate that Rac1 forms a complex with RAR1, HSP90, and HSP70 in vivo. Studies with Os RAR1-RNAi and treatment with geldanamycin, an HSP90-specific inhibitor, showed that RAR1 and HSP90 are essential for the Rac1-mediated enhancement of pathogen-associated molecular pattern–triggered immune responses in rice cell cultures. Furthermore, the function of HSP90, but not RAR1, may be essential for their association with the Rac1 complex. Os Rac1 also regulates RAR1 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. Together, our results indicate that Rac1, RAR1, HSP90, and HSP70 form one or more protein complexes in rice cells and suggest that these proteins play important roles in innate immunity in rice.

Experiments have been performed to measure the response of the silicon-based linear energy transfer (LET) spectrometer (RRMD-III) to protons with energies ranging from 1 to 70 MeV. The beam energies incident upon RRMD-III were obtained using plastic polycarbonate degraders with mono-energetic proton beams that were extracted at 70, 40 and 25 MeV from a cyclotron. The energy loss in the degraders never exceeded 70% of the incident energy in order that the energy spread of the emerging protons created by straggling and scattering effects could be suppressed. Estimates of the LET were influenced by the asymmetric energy distribution of the degraded beam. Protons with energies less than 12.2 MeV did not reach the second Si detector in RRMD-III and were not measured. Measured values of LET were within ±7% of the expected value for incident protons that had an energy sufficient to penetrate the second Si detector in RRMD-III (E>15.4 MeV). The LET of stopping particles was computed using a lookup table listing LET vs E, and a simple stopping power formula for a particle with charge Z and energy E R, where E R is the energy of the stopping particle measured in the second Si detector.

The behavior of the densities of Si, SiF, and SiF2 radicals and SiF4 molecule were investigated for variations in electron density at pressure of 40 mTorr in a very high frequency (VHF) 60 MHz capacitively coupled plasma employing SiF4 gas. The SiF4 molecule was measured by infrared diode laser absorption spectroscopy, the SiF2 and SiF radicals were measured by laser-induced fluorescence, the Si atom was measured by ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, and the F atom was measured by actinometric optical emission spectroscopy. The SiF4 density decreased with an increase in electron density, and the dissociation ratio of SiF4 was saturated to about 63% at electron densities of above 8.7×1010 cm−3. The SiF2 density decreased due to electron impact dissociation, whereas the F, Si, and SiF densities increased with an increase in electron density above 1.2×1011 cm−3. The total Si density was estimated to be of the order of 1010–1011 cm−3. Furthermore, the spatial distributions of SiF, SiF2, and SiF4 densities w...

Phenylene-bis-quaternary ammonium compounds (Ph-bis-QACs), 4, 4'-(p-xylylenedithio) bis (1-alkylpyridinium iodide) s, N, N'-p-phenylenebis (1-alkyl-4-carbamoylpyridinium bromide) s and 4, 4'-(terephthaloylamino) bis (1-alkylpyridinium bromide) s composed of two pyridinium salt groups linked by a p-phenylene spacer chain were evaluated for their antimicrobial characteristics. We also compared the activities of these compounds with those of Methylene-bisquaternary ammonium compounds (M-bis-QACs), 4, 4% (1, 6-hexamethylenedithio) bis (1- alkylpyridinium iodide) s, N, N'-hexamethylenebis (4-carbamoyl-1-alkylpyridinium iodide) s and 4, 4% (tetramethylenedicarbonyldiamino) bis (1-alkylpyridinium iodide) s connected by a methylene spacer chain, and investigated the structure-activity relationship in a bis-QAC. Three Ph-bis-QACs exhibited a high and constant bactericidal activity with a carbon number from n = 8 to n =18, and a wide-ranging and effective antimicrobial activity against both bacteria and fungi. The antibacterial activities of Ph-bis-QACs were higher than those of M-bis-QACs by converting the methylene spacer chain of M-bis-QACs to a p-phenylene spacer chain. Moreover, while the activities of M-bis-QACs were influenced by the electron density of ammonium nitrogen, the activities of Ph-bis-QACs were not dependent on that. Therefore, these results suggested that the antibacterial activity of a bis-quaternary ammonium compound (bis- QAC) was strengthened more by decreasing the number of rotation axes in the spacer chain rather than changing the electron density of ammonium nitrogen and by increasing the rigid property of molecule structure, and that the steric structure of a bis-QAC is a significant factor influencing the antimicrobial activity of a bis-QAC.

In order to determine the efficacy of a detector tube method in formaldehyde (HCHO) measurement, we performed a chamber experiment and a field study. The experiment clearly showed that the value obtained by the detector tube method was significantly correlated to that obtained using an active-DNPH method, and was not influenced by the coexistence of toluene, xylene or carbon monoxide, but was by acetaldehyde. In the field study, we investigated 171 rooms in 81 houses. Indoor air was simultaneously sampled for 30 minutes by both an active-DNPH method and the detector tube method. The mean HCHO concentration in the 171 rooms was 0.110 +/- 0.089 ppm determined by the active-DNPH method and 0.12 +/- 0.10 ppm by the detector tube method. Regression analysis showed that the two measures closely correlated with a regression equation Y=1.057 X + 0.002 (r=0.912, p

In the primary visual cortex (V1), a neuronal response to stimulation of the classical receptive field (CRF) is predominantly suppressed by a stimulus presented outside the CRF (extraclassical receptive field, ECRF), a phenomenon referred to as ECRF suppression. To elucidate the neuronal mechanisms and origin of ECRF suppression in V1 of anesthetized cats, we examined the temporal properties of the spatial extent and orientation specificity of ECRF suppression in V1 and the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), using stationary-flashed sinusoidal grating. In V1, we found three components of ECRF suppression: 1) local and fast, 2) global and fast, and 3) global and late. The local and fast component, which resulted from within 2° of the boundary of the CRF, started no more than 10 ms after the onset of the CRF response and exhibited low specificity for the orientation of the ECRF stimulus. These spatiotemporal properties corresponded to those of geniculate ECRF suppression, suggesting that the local and fast component of V1 is inherited from the LGN. In contrast, the two global components showed rather large spatial extents ∼5° from the CRF boundary and high specificity for orientation, suggesting that their possible origin is the cortex, not the LGN. Correspondingly, the local component was observed in all neurons of the thalamocortical recipient layer, while the global component was biased toward other layers. Therefore, we conclude that both subcortical and cortical mechanisms with different spatiotemporal properties are involved in ECRF suppression.

Products that result from the irradiation of chloranil with phenylcyclopropane and with 1,2-diphenylcyclobutene in various solvents have been identified. The cyclopropane gave products that derive from nucleophilic attack on the small-ring radical cation that is formed on electron transfer quenching of the quinone excited triplet state. Contrastingly, the cyclobutene ring remains intact following an analogous radical cation formation, but undergoes an addition in which (formally) the quinone is added across an allylic CH bond. The results are consistent with the formation of radical ion pairs (triplet excited complexes, TECs) consisting of quinone radical anions and cations associated with the small-ring derivatives. Intra-ion-pair proton transfer and radical (ion) coupling reactions account for observation of the various products. Different pathways for photolysis of quinone and small-ring hydrocarbons in more polar media involving formation of free-radical ions were also established. The quenching of quinone excited triplet states and the appearance and decay of TEC-type and other intermediates were followed by laser flash photolysis.

Constant load creep tests were conducted at 873, 898 and 923 K under an initial stress of 50, 60 or 70 MPa to examine the effect of nitrogen addition (0.06, 0.11, 0.16 and 0.19 mass%) on the creep behavior of a 9mass%Cr-2mass%Co ferritic steel. Extraction residue analysis showed that 240 to 410 ppm of nitrogen was present as solid solution. The rest of the nitrogen existed as nitride precipitates. The creep rate decreased while creep rupture life increased with an increase in nitrogen content. It is also observed that the higher the nitrogen, the shorter the creep rupture strain. A state equation for creep could be represented as; e0=A0σ0nexp(-Q0/RT ), where e0 is the imaginary initial strain rate defined in the text, A0 is a constant, n is the stress exponent and Q0 is the apparent activation energy. The mean values of n and Q0 were 4.5 and 360 kJ/mol, respectively. The Orowan stress for specimens crept at 873 K and 70 MPa was estimated from the measurement of mean interparticle spacing obtained by TEM study. The resultant values are 15, 22, 30 and 38 MPa for specimens containing 0.06, 0.11, 0.16 and 0.19 mass% nitrogen, respectively.

Internal friction was measured of four mechanically alloyed aluminum alloys in a range of temperature from 300 to 700K at a frequency of about 1Hz. Peaks are observed at about 450K, at much lower temperature than that of pure aluminum produced by ingot metallurgy. The shift of the temperature is ascribed to the small grain size produced by mechanical alloying. The peak height of IN9052 (Al-4.0 mass%Mg) and IN9021 (Al-1.5 mass%Mg-4.0 mass%Cu) alloys, which exhibit superplasticity, is 6 to 10 times greater than that of the other alloys which fail to exhibit superplasticity. This fact is explained by the difference in the mobility of grain boundary among these alloys. Based on these facts, the conclusion has been drawn that the internal friction ascribable to grain boundary sliding can be a good measure to find structures feasible to superplasticity.

The biosynthetic origin of carbonyl oxygen of uroporphyrinogen III was investigated. A model experiment using methyl benzoate labeled with 13C and 18O revealed isotope shifts of 0.015 and 0.036 ppm, corresponding to alkoxy-18O- and carbonyl-18O-labeled carbonyl carbons, in the 13C-NMR spectrum. Doubly 18O-labeled methyl benzoate showed an isotope shift of 0.050 ppm, equal to the sum of the two singly 18O-labeled carbonyl carbons. Next, [1-13C, 1, 1, 4-18O3]5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was fed to Arthrobacter hyalinus, and the resulting porphyrin was esterified with trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate to afford 13C- and 18O-labeled uroporphyrin III octamethyl ester. The 13C-NMR signals exhibited carbonyl carbon 18O-isotope shifts of 0.013, 0.036 and 0.051 ppm, close to those obtained in the model experiment. Thus, the carbonyl oxygens of uroporphyrinogen III ang its oxidized product uroporpyrin III originated from ALA. This result shows that the loss of 18O at the acetate carbonyls of the A-ring in vitamin B12 does not occur before the formation of uroporphyrinogen III.

A new biosynthetic pathway, which can produce both vitamin B 12 and large amounts of porphyrins from isopropanol, was identified in Arthrobacter hyalinus using carbon-13 stable isotope tracer techniques and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance ( 13 C-NMR) spectroscopy. Studies on the incorporation of [2- 13 C]isopropanol, [1- or 2- 13 C]sodium acetate, l -[1- 13 C]glutamate, and [1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- 13 C]5-aminolevulinic acid into uroporphyrinogen III showed that isopropanol was metabolized into uroporphyrinogen III through acetyl CoA and that 5-aminolevulinic acid was produced from l -glutamic acid and not via Shemin's pathway.

Two cases of occupational vitiligo were observed in a resin factory where p-tert-butylphenol (PTBP) has been used as a starting material or an intermediate of synthetic resin. In this resin factory (A shop) and another resin factory (B shop), occupational exposure to PTBP was assessed in workers charging this chemical into the reaction vessel by means of a gas-chromatographic measurement of the environmental PTBP concentration and their urinary PTBP excretion. Assessment in A shop was made after the working condition was partly improved. Geometrical mean values of 8 h-time-weighted-average (8 h-TWA) of PTBP in air near the charger's breathing zone (personal air) were 0.215 mg/m3 in A shop and 2.12 mg/m3 in B shop. Continuous measurements of PTBP concentration in some stationary air of the shops showed that the maximum environmental PTBP values occurred during charging. Urinary PTBP concentration was increased to the maximum values 2 to 4 h after charging of this chemical and then rapidly decreased. Biological half-lives of urinary PTBP were estimated as 4.4 h in A shop and 4.8 h in B shop. The urinary PTBP concentration was correlated to 8 h-TWA of PTBP in the personal air. In particular, PTBP in urine collected at the end of the shift showed an excellent correlation to PTBP in the personal air (r = 0.84, n = 9, A shop; r = 0.88, n = 11, B shop). These results indicate that biological monitoring using urinary PTBP concentration is a suitable means of assessing exposure to this alkylphenol and the urine collected at the end of shift is the best sample for monitoring. In addition, the present environmental and urinary PTBP values were compared with those described in the literature and the relation of the occupational vitiligo with PTBP exposure is discussed.

The present study examined localization of cholecystokinin receptor (CCK-R) mRNA in the muscle layer of the ovine omasum and role of CCK-R type 1 (CCK-1R) in the regulation of muscle contraction of the omasum. We demonstrated that not only CCK-R type 2 (CCK-2R) mRNA but also CCK-1R mRNA is highly expressed in the muscle layer of the ovine omasum. Application of CCK-8 to muscle strips of the greater curvature of the ovine omasum at 1-100 nM induced tonic contraction in a concentration-dependent manner, and the contractile effect of CCK-8 was inhibited by both CCK-1R antagonist lorglumide (IC(50) 2.7 and 7.9 microM in the longitudinal and circular muscle, respectively) and CCK-2R antagonist PD135,158 (IC(50) 51.4 microM in the longitudinal muscle), indicating that not only CCK-2R but also CCK-1R is functionally expressed in the plasma membrane of smooth muscles in the omasum and mediates action of exogenous CCK. Contractile effect of intravenous infusion of CCK-8 (1-30 pmol/kg/min) on omasal contraction was also confirmed in the in vivo experiments using conscious sheep in the absence and presence of atropine infusion (14.4 nmol/kg/min), and showed that circulating CCK increases omasal electromyographic (EMG) activity at lower plasma concentration than that it inhibits ruminal contractions. Taking account of our previous results in the in vivo study using other CCK-1R antagonist, it is suggested that circulating CCK, even at normal range of plasma concentration, plays a physiological role as a regulator of omasal contractions in sheep and CCK-1R mediates the action of CCK.

The risk of cancer was analysed in a cohort of 604 male workers who had been engaged in manufacturing and/or handling benzidine and/or beta-naphthylamine during the period 1945-71 at two factories located in the city of Osaka. The cohort was followed up from 1 January 1970 to the date of death or 31 December 1986. The mean follow-up time was 16.1 years. A total of 84 deaths was found compared with 112.66 expected based on the mortality of the Osaka population. Thirty-six were found to be dead of malignant neoplasms; 9 stomach, 2 colon, 1 rectum, 3 liver, 1 bile duct, 1 pancreas, 1 maxillary sinus, 6 lung, 8 bladder, and 2 ureter neoplasms as well as 1 case of myeloid leukemia. Seven cases were ascertained on death certificates as neoplasms of uncertain behaviour, all of which were tumors of genitourinary organs except for one case of brain tumor. Cancers of genitourinary organs and tumors of uncertain behaviour showed statistically significant increased standardized ratios (SMR = 12.20, 4.89). The mean age of death of those having genitourinary organs including cancer was 59 years old, and the latent period between the first exposure and the occurrence of the disease was 19.7 years on average. Non-significant increased risks of cancers of the colon, rectum, liver and lung were observed among the workers exposed to benzidine. Among the 7 histologically confirmed cases of these cancers, there were 2 adenocarcinomas of the lung, 1 adenocarcinoma of the rectum, 2 hepatocellular carcinoma and 1 adenocarcinoma of the bile duct. Seven patients with genitourinary tumors were found to have died of other primary cancers.

Electroretinographic changes induced by organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) were studied in rats. Male Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with fenthion, chlorpyrifos, fenitrothion, dichlorvos or chlorfenvinphos at doses of 0.01 mmol/kg and/or 0.05 mmol/kg. The electroretinogram (ERG) was retorded at 5 hours and 2 days after the administration, and brain and retinochoroid cholinesterase (ChE) activities was assayed at 3 days after the injections. The brain and retinochoroid ChE activities were reduced in rats treated with the OPs. Notably, the reduction of ChE activities by fenthion, chlorpyrifos and dichlorvos were similar. The administration of OPs induced a change in the ERG, characterized by alteration of the amplitudes of a- and b-waves. Nevertheless the ChE activities in the brain and retinochoroid were inhibited by all of the OPs, the OPs affected the amplitude of ERG differently. Fenthion and chlorpyrifos decreased the amplitudes ; dichlorvos and chlorfenvinphos increased ; and fenitrothion transiently decreased at 5 hours but incredsed 2 days after the injection. These results indicate that a factor or factors other than inhibition of ChE activities contributes to the alteration of ERG induced by OPs.

The adverse health effects caused by indoor air pollution are termed "sick building syndrome". We report such a patient whose symptoms appeared in the workplace. A 36-year-old female office worker developed nausea and headache during working hours in a refurbished office. After eight months of seeking help at other clinics or hospitals without improvement, she was referred to our hospital. At that time she reacted to the smells of various chemicals outside of the office building. Biochemical findings were all within normal ranges. Specific IgE antibody to cedar pollen was positive and the ratio of TH1/TH2 was 4.5. In the Eye Tracking Test (ETT), vertical eye movement was saccadic. Her anxiety level was very high according to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire. Subjective symptoms, ETT findings and anxiety levels on STAI gradually improved during two years of follow-up. One year after the onset of her illness, the formaldehyde concentrations in the building air ranged from 0.017-0.053 ppm. Even though relatively low, chemical exposure from building materials such as formaldehyde induced a range of symptoms. Also, lack of recognition by superiors and doctors that sick building syndrome might have been the source of her illness coupled with her high state of anxiety may have exacerbated her symptoms and led to the onset of multiple chemical sensitivity. Thus psychosocial factors may contribute to sick building syndrome in the workplace.

Cultured broth of Saccharopolyspora erythraea shows a strong red fluorescence. The main fluorescent component was identified as uroporphyrin I by FAB-MS and 1H-NMR. This was confirmed by a feeding experiment using [5-13C]aminolevulinic acid.

A 38-year-old man was admitted to our hospital complaining of 5 episodes of melena without abdominal pain or diarrhea. No abnormalities were noted through an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, but a proctoscopy revealed a large amount of coagulated blood within the rectum immediately before his admission. A colonoscopy revealed spotty redness with dark-red coagulation in the region from the splenic flexure down to the rectum except oral colon beyond the transverse colon. A presumptive diagnosis of campylobacter enterocolitis was made by a microscopy performed on the stool specimen, then an oral administration of erythromycin was started. A colonoscopy done on the 5th hospital day proved improvement on the mucosal changes. The final diagnosis of campylobacter enterocolitis was made by the stool culture. The patient took a satisfactory course of hospitalization and was discharged on the 10th day. Bacteriological examination of stool specimen together with endoscopy has been confirmed to be useful for the diagnosis of melena cases without manifestation of infectious enterocolitis.

Let p be a prime number and G be a compact, connected, simply connected and simple Lie group. Let ΩG be the loop space of G. Bott showed H∗(ΩG; Z/p) is a finitely generated bicommutative Hopf algebra concentrated in even degrees, and determined it for classical groups G ([1]). Here, let G be an exceptional Lie group, that is, G = G2, F4, E6, E7, E8. In [2], K.Kozima and A.Kono determined H∗(ΩG; Z/2) as a Hopf algebra over A2, where Ap is the mod p Steenrod Algebra and acts on it dually. Let Ad : G × G → G and ad : G × ΩG → ΩG be the adjoint actions of G on G and ΩG respectively. In [3], the cohomology maps of these adjoint actions are studied and it is shown that H∗(ad; Z/p) = H∗(p2; Z/p) where p2 is the second projection if and only if H ∗(G; Z) is p-torsion free. For p = 2, 3 and 5, some exceptional Lie groups have p-torsions on its homology.

We report a rare case of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) in which the patient had an acute type of ATL involving the central nervous system (CNS) after remission of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to human T lymphotropic virus type 1 associated bronchopneumopathy. A 62-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of ARDS. Pulse therapy with methylprednisolone improved ARDS, but she fell into a coma due to ATL and CNS invasion 5 months after recovery. Although chemotherapy decreased the fraction of abnormal lymphocytes, her consciousness level did not improve and she died.

An 83-year-old man suffering from pulmonary emphysema was admitted to our hospital because of jaundice. He was diagnosed as acute intrahepatic cholestasis but the etiology could not be determined during the treatment period. In spite of treatment, the jaundice worsened progressively without any elevation in serum transaminase, and he died of respiratory failure 58 days later. An autopsy revealed a generalized cytomegalic inclusion disease, predominantly in the biliary tracts, liver and lungs. This is a rare case of cytomegalic inclusion disease presenting acute intrahepatic cholestasis without any elevation of transaminase during the clinical course.(Internal Medicine 31 : 1376-1380, 1992)

A yearly ophthalmological examination was carried out in 2 VDT worker groups (A-1 and B-1 groups) and 2 control groups (A-2 and B-2 groups). The 4 groups were as follows; workers routinely engaged in both VDT work and key-punch work at a printing company (A-1 group), researchers or office workers handling VDT irregularly at a chemical company (B-1 group), typesetters at a printing company (A-2 group), and office workers at a chemical company (B-2 group). The examination was commenced in the same year in which the workers of A-1 or B-1 group were introduced to VDT work and was carried out for 3 years.Comparison between the first and the last examination on subjective refactive power showed that all the groups had lower refractive powers in the last examination than the first one. The workers of A-1 group showed the greatest decrease in refractive power among the 4 groups. The decrease in A-2 group was more severe than in the other 2 groups.Before VDT introduction, the workers of A-1 group had been engaged only in key-punch work. Information on naked visual acuities of A-1 group 3 years before VDT introduction was also obtained and compared with those in the first and the last examination. The ratio of workers with a severe reduction in visual acuity evidently increased after VDT introduction.In the first examination, accommodative powers of workers at the printing company were lower than those of workers at the chemical company irrespective of VDT work, and most ophthalmological subjective symptoms were observed in workers of A-1 group. However, no changes in accommodative power or in the number of the subjective symptoms were observed between the first and the last examination in the all groups.These results indicate that 1) VDT work may be associated with the decline in visual acuity among workers of A-1 group; 2) key-punch or typesetting work at the printing company involved more visual burden than irregular VDT work in the chemical company; and 3) engagement in work of visual nature other than VDT work is an important factor in the establishment of guidelines for VDT work.