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Summary This paper examines measures to reduce the number of blowholes formed through vaporised zinc gas bubbles infiltrating into the molten pool through the weld gap in pulsed arc welding of galvanised carbon steel sheet with consumable electrodes by the hot metal being induced to flow along the molten pool base. Longitudinal vibration of the base metal by 1 mm during the welding process in such a way as to produce back and forth flow of the hot metal along the molten pool base leads to a significant reduction in the number of blowholes. The optimum vibration frequency giving the minimum number of blowholes is 30 Hz. This frequency is assumed to correspond to the natural vibration frequency depending on the size and physical properties of the molten pool, etc. To exert the same effect as described above by welding current control, the paper also describes an investigation of the molten pool being vibrated longitudinally by a repetitive current waveform sequence of a high peak/short time pulsed waveform ...

Luminescence and related characteristics have been investigated for Er3+‐doped silica glass fibers and for fibers and bulk material of calcium metaphosphate glass. Special interest has been directed toward elucidating relaxation processes leading to 1.5‐μm light emission. Several emissions from higher excited states were investigated and excited‐state lifetimes were also measured. Approximate radiative and nonradiative transition probabilities have been obtained for the excited levels. These results have confirmed that dominant transitions populating the lowest excited level are step‐by‐step nonradiative relaxations and that only a limited amount of energy is supplied via intermediate radiative transitions. It has also been shown that the 1.5‐μm emission decay time constant elongates with increasing fiber length.

Calmodulin has been identified in parathyroid cells and is thought to play an important role in the production or secretion of parathyroid hormone. However, a detailed investigation of calmodulinbinding proteins in parathyroid glands has not been conducted. In this study, we attempted to determine the presence of calmodulin-binding protein in human parathyroid adenoma by affinity chromatography. The eluted protein from a calmodulin-coupled Sepharose 4B column with EGTA was analysed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis which revealed a major protein band of Mr 50 000. A Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity was detected at the protein peak using dephosphorylated casein as a substrate. The 50 kDa band was identified as calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II) by immunoblotting. The substrate specificity, pH dependency and affinity for calmodulin of this enzyme were identical to those of CaM-kinase II from rat brain. Also, the kinase activity was sensitive to KN-62, a specific inhibitor of CaM-kinase II. In total, 0·48 mg of this kinase was purified from 3 g human parathyroid adenoma. Journal of Endocrinology (1991) 131, 155–162

Effects of acute portal hypertension on systemic hemodynamics after hepatectomy were evaluated by portal venous stenosis (PVS) model in dogs. In protocol 1, portal hypertension of about twice portal venous pressure (PVP) decreased cardiac output (CO) and left atrial pressure (LAP) by 24.5% (p less than 0.01) and 1.0 mm Hg (p less than 0.01), respectively. In protocol 2, stepwise PVS demonstrated that CO change (%) and LAP change (mm Hg) were inversely proportional to PVP change (r = -0.937 and -0.883, respectively). The ratio of CO change to LAP change with stepwise PVS was comparable to that obtained by repeated hemorrhage in protocol 3. The present study shows that low CO with portal hypertension is caused by a reduction of venous return to the heart.

The paper proposes a method for rapidly verifying and evaluating overall performance on real-time workloads of system LSIs integrated with SPXK5SC DSP cores. The SPXK5SC have been developed as a DSP core well-suited to system LSIs. Despite the fact that it is very important to evaluate the overall performance of target LSIs on real workloads before actual LSI fabrication, software simulators are too slow to deal with real workloads and full hardware prototyping is unable to respond well to design improvements. Therefore, we have developed a hardware emulation approach to be used on system LSIs integrated with an SPXK5SC DSP core in order to evaluate the overall performance of an audio/video codec on a target system. Our emulation system using a DSP core TEG (test element group), which has a bus interface, and an FPGA should be suitable for overall system evaluation on real-time workloads as well as architectural investigation. We discuss the use of the emulation system in evaluating performance during AV codec execution. An architecture design based on our emulation system is also described.

Telomerase activation is important for carcinogenesis. However, the timing and magnitude of the activation during cancer development are unknown. In this study, a new PCR-based method for measuring telomerase activity was developed and shown to be very useful for quantitative analysis of human telomerase. Using this assay, blood or bone marrow cells from healthy donors, and patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) were examined as to their relative activity. Telomerase activity present in normal peripheral blood cells was generally very low. However, significant activity was detected occasionally in samples derived from younger healthy donors. Striking telomerase activation was observed at the time of the blastic crisis in CML: no samples from chronic phase cases showed significant activity, while all cases with a well established crisis showed strong activity. Most AML cases were telomerase-positive. Quantitative analyses revealed that the relative titer varied among the AML patients, from as low as found in normal cells to as high as found in cell lines. However, a tendency that the activity was higher in relapsed cases than in fresh ones was suggested. In summary, telomerase was activated during the progression of the clinical stages in leukemias. This observation suggests that shortened telomeres and increased telomerase activity might be necessary for cancer cells to undergo clonal evolution towards more malignant phenotypes in advanced stages.

Obstructive jaundice is a factor which effects hepatic blood flow and the relative contribution of the hepatic arterial flow and portal venous flow. In this study, and were measured in conscious dogs and the influence of biliary obstruction and drainage was investigated.Hepatic arterial flow (HAF) and portal venous flow (PVF) after biliary obstruction and subsequent drainage were continuously measured in conscious dogs using implantable transit time ultrasonic flow-meters.After biliary obstruction hepatic arterial flow rapidly increased compared to the pre-obstructed values(p0.01), while portal venous flow was significantly decreased (p0.01). Total hepatic blood flow was initially increased (p0.01) until 2 hours after obstruction. It then decreased gradually. After 2 weeks, it was less than the pre-obstructed values, but this was not significant. Biliary drainage was performed after 2 weeks. Hepatic arterial flow subsequently decreased (p0.01) and portal venous flow increased (p0.05). Blood flow did not change.Biliary obstruction resulted in significant changes in liver circulation. Biliary drainage facilitated recovery from these changes.

We studied the effects of lipid emulsions for total parenteral nutrition (TPN) on hepatic regeneration after partial hepatectomy in rats. Daily energy intake was maintained at 1172 kJ.kg-1.day-1 while the percentage of nonprotein energy sources was changed. Animals were divided into four groups: lipid-free, 10%-lipid, 20%-lipid, and 40%-lipid. TPN was continued for up to 1 wk. The content of proteins, the ratio of proteins to triglycerides, and the yield of mitochondrial protein in the remnant liver 7 days after partial hepatectomy were larger in animals receiving TPN with lipids than in those receiving lipid-free TPN, whereas the amounts of triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver of the latter animals were larger. The degree of fatty infiltration of the hepatic lobule was most distinct in the lipid-free group. Furthermore, activities of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase in the serum tended to be higher in the lipid-free group. Phosphorylating ability of mitochondria in the regenerating liver 7 days after partial hepatectomy was not different among the four groups; however, the highest value for the respiratory control index was obtained in the 40%-lipid group. The application of a lipid emulsion to TPN is useful for hepatic regeneration after partial hepatectomy; however, the ideal concentration of lipids in TPN awaits further investigation.

After many changes, Buerger’s disease has become an independent clinical entity; the condition is no longer a disease of misconceptions. Specificity of the disease is characterized by peripheral ischemia of an inflammatory nature and with a self-limiting course. The clinical name of the disease, “Buerger’s disease”, is preferred to its pathological name, “Thromboangitis obliterans”, which tends to be associated with imprecise histopathological criteria (11).

A 53-year-old woman presented with abdominal discomfort and was diagnosed using ultrasonography to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Aortography revealed a saccular aneurysm 4 cm in diameter of the infrarenal aorta with a 'string of beads' appearance. The renal and other visceral arteries appeared to be normal. Resection and graft replacement was performed because of the possibility of rupture. Histological examination of the specimen revealed the most common type of fibromuscular dysplasia, namely medial fibroplasia. Fibromuscular dysplasia should be considered as a potential cause of abdominal aortic aneurysm in female patients with no atherosclerosis risk factors.

Tumorigenesis has been shown to proceed through a series of genetic alterations involving protooncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. Investigation of genomic instability of microsatellites has indicated a new mechanism for human carcinogenesis in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and sporadic cancer and this instability has been shown to be related to inherited predisposition to cancer. This study was conducted to determine whether such microsatellite instability is associated with the evolution of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) to the blast crisis. Nineteen CML patients clinically progressing from the chronic phase to accelerated phase or blast crisis and 20 other patients in the CML chronic phase were studied. By polymerase chain reaction assay, DNAs for genomic instability in five separate microsatellites in chromosome arms 5q (Mfd27), 17p (Mfd41), 18q (DCC), 3p (CI3-9), and 8p (LPL) were examined. Differences in unrelated microsatellites of chronic and blastic phase DNAs in 14 of 19 patients (73.7%) were demonstrated. Somatic instability in five microsatellites, Mfd27, Mfd41, DCC, CI3-9, and LPL, was detected in 2 of 19 (10.5%), 8 of 19 (42.1%), 11 of 19 (57.9%), 4 of 17 (23.5%), and 4 of 17 (23.5%) cases. In 10 of 19 cases (52.6%), genetic instability in at least two of five microsatellites was observed and was categorized as replication error (RER+) phenotype. CML evolution cases with myeloid, lymphoid, and mixed phenotypes and the blast crisis and accelerated phase showed somatic instability in a number of microsatellites. No alterations in leukemic cells at the chronic phase could be detected in any microsatellites. These data indicate instability of microsatellites (RER+) but not familial predisposition to possibly be a late genetic event in the evolution of CML to blast crisis. In the microsatellite of the DCC gene, complicated alterations in band patterns caused by instability as well as loss of heterozygosity (LOH) were observed in 13 of 19 cases (68.4%): instability in 9 cases, instability plus LOH in 2 cases, and only LOH in 2 cases. These highly frequent alterations in microsatellites, including instability and LOH, suggesting that secondary events due possibly to loss of fidelity in replication and repair machinery may be significantly associated with CML evolution.

An interportal communicating branch was found at the hepatic bifurcation in two (2.4%) out of 83 hepatectomized cases of carcinoma of the biliary tract. The first case was a 54-year-old male with intrahepatic bile duct cancer, and the second was a 64-year-old female with gallbladder cancer. No other anatomical anomalies were found in the portal vein, hepatic artery, or biliary tract.

A 42-year-old man, born in Chiba prefecture, was admitted to our hospital because of multiple nodular shadows on chest X-ray film and an elevated titer of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) antibody. The pulmonary lesion was diagnosed as T-cell lymphoma by open lung biopsy. There has been only one previous report of T-cell lymphoma showing multiple nodular shadows on chest X-ray. The elevated titer of HTLV-I antibody strongly suggested that the present case was one of adult T-cell lymphoma.

A case of cholangiocellular carcinoma in the caudate lobe with intraluminal growth in the extrahepatic bile duct is reported. The main tumor in the caudate lobe was detected by computed tomography and angiography, and two intraluminal tumors at the hepatic hilus and at the root of the right posterior segmental duct were well demonstrated by cholangiography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy. Independent total caudate lobectomy with bile duct resection was performed. Cholangiocellular carcinoma of the liver with intraluminal growth in the extrahepatic bile duct is very rare and has not been reported in the literature. Independent caudate lobe resection requires a rather complicated technique. However, this method has the advantage of reducing to a minimum the hepatic volume to be resected, and is useful for poor-risk patients or for cases with localized carcinoma at the hepatic hilus.

We report an unusual case of a large inferior mesenteric-caval shunt in a 25-year-old man without cirrhosis with hypoproteinemia and hypochromic anemia. In this large shunt the direct communication was between the inferior mesenteric vein and the internal iliac vein. Hemodynamic change as a result of the shunt was thought to cause his present clinical problems and future portosystemic encephalopathy. Percutaneous transcatheter embolization of the shunt with fibrin glue was performed through the internal iliac vein, and this offered amelioration of hypoproteinemia and reduction of serum ammonia levels without any complications. An interventional radiologic approach instead of surgical ligation should be attempted for portosystemic shunts, and fibrin glue, as well as coils or a detachable balloon, is also valuable as an embolizing material.

A 61-year-old male patient with intrahepatic cholesterol stone is reported. Stones were detected in the anterior superior lateral subsegment (S8ab) of the right lobe with bile duct stenosis, the lateral anterior segment (S3) of the left lobe, and the left caudate lobe (S11). Partial hepatectomy including S8ab, S3 and S11 was performed to remove all stones. Atrophy of S8ab was diagnosed by CT, and PTP clarified the patency of the subsegmental portal vein (P8ab). This is a rare case with cholesterol intrahepatic stone with regional bile duct stenosis and subsegmental atrophy of S8ab of the liver.

The case of a mucin-producing intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma in a 73 year-old-man is presented. A tumor originating in the right posterior inferior segment of the liver was found to be invading the right posterior and anterior bile ducts, and the hepatic hilus. Extensive superficial spread was observed in the entire posterior segmental bile duct extending to the hepatic hilus. Mucin produced and excreted by the tumor was retained in the common hepatic and common bile duct. The diagnosis in this case was suggested by percutaneous transhepatic aspiration of mucinous bile, and was confirmed by utilizing the techniques of ultrasonography, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, computed tomography and angiography. Curative surgery, which included right hepatic lobectomy with total caudate lobectomy and bile duct resection, was performed. Biliary continuity was maintained by left hepaticojejunostomy using a Roux-en-Y jejunal loop. The histological diagnosis was mucin-producing papillary adenocarcinoma originating in the right posterior inferior segment of the liver. Postoperative recovery was very good and the patient has now been enjoying a good active social life for the last 20 months with no signs of tumor recurrence. This case report discusses the unusual growth pattern of a mucin-producing intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma involving the hepatic hilus, and suggests rational surgical treatment.

A 44 year-old woman with a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) underwent resection of an AAA. Histological examination revealed a lack of elastic fibers of the media and a diminished content of smooth muscle cells. A congenital hypoplasia of the aortic media was postulated as the etiology of this AAA. This condition may represent an aortic variety of medial defect observed in intracranial berry aneurysms, and be associated with a hereditary predisposition to AAAs.

We describe a 54-year-old asymptomatic male with carcinoma of the hepatic hilus. Elevated serum transaminases were detected during the annual medical examination. The diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Curative surgery, which included right hepatic lobectomy with total caudate lobectomy, was performed. The resected specimen revealed a localized tumor in the right anterosuperior dorsal intrahepatic bile duct branch. The histological diagnosis was moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma. The patient's postoperative recovery was smooth and he has remained in good health for 15 months after surgery without any signs of recurrence. This case report discusses the early diagnosis and rational surgical treatment for carcinoma of the hepatic hilus.

Diagnostic value of the cholangiography was studied for carcinoma of the biliary tract involving the hepatic hilus, and special attention was paid on the cholangiogram of the bile duct branches (B1) of the caudate lobe. Cholangiograms of B1 were compared with pathologic findings in 42 (27 bile duct carcinomas, 15 gallbladder carcinomas) of 43 cases of biliary tract carcinomas. Sixty-four of B1 in the 42 cases could be studied radiologically and histopathologically. The findings of the root of B1 were classified into 4 groups: group A, not stenotic; group B, short segmental stenosis; group C, long segmental stenosis and group D, poorly imaged. Carcinoma invasion was found in 6 of 18 of group B, and in 9 of 16 of group C. Carcinoma was confirmed near the root of B1 in the remaining 7 of the 16 group C. Carcinoma invasion was found in 20 of 21 of group D, and invasion was suspected in the remaining one. Carcinomas were found in the root of B1 in all cases of poorly imaged or long segmental stenosis of B1, and in 33% of short segmental stenosis of B1. Therefore caudate lobe resection should be performed for carcinoma of the biliary tract involving the hepatic hilus.

Twenty-four patients with advanced carcinoma of the gallbladder and/or the bile duct underwent hepatopancreatoduodenectomy, that is, en bloc hepatic resection with pancreatoduodenectomy. They included 14 cases of gallbladder carcinoma, nine cases of bile duct carcinoma, and one case of double cancer of the gallbladder and the bile duct. Eleven kinds of hepatic lobectomy or segmentectomy with pancreatoduodenectomy were carried out, and the caudate lobe was also removed en bloc from 17 patients with carcinoma involving the hepatic hilus. Combined resection of the portal vein was performed in 11 patients, of the inferior vena cava in 2, and of the colon in 5, patients. Forty-four postoperative complications occurred in 22 patients (91.7%). The operative mortality rate was 12.5% (3/24). The median survival and the 2-year survival rate were 7.0 months and 17.9% for all 24 patients, including 3 operative deaths, or 11.0 months and 20.4% for 21 patients surviving hepatopancreatoduodenectomy, and 12.4 months and 20.8% for all 14 patients with gallbladder carcinoma, and 5.2 months and 14.8% for all 9 patients with bile duct carcinoma. The longest survivor died of recurrent tumors at 5 years and 7 months. Hepatopancreatoduodenectomy offered not only an unexpectedly long survival period, but also unexpected morbidity in some cases.

We reviewed 60 cases of biliary carcinoma with hilar bile duct stenosis which had received percutaneous transhepatic cholangio-drainage (PTCD). Of the 60 cases, nine were complicated with acute cholangitis (AC) and three with segmental acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis (S-AOSC). The incidence of cholangitis was 20%. Six patients with AC and three with S-AOSC underwent hepatic resection for carcinoma. As to preoperative management for cholangitis in these 9 cases, conservative chemotherapy was effective in only 2 cases, and additional PTCD or segmental introduction of the drainage catheter under PTCS were useful in 5 cases. The remaining 2 cases with S-AOSC needed urgent hepatic resection including suppurative hepatic segments after various interventional treatments. No significant difference was found in resectability, morbidity and mortality between the cholangitis group and non-cholangitis group. In conclusion, it is emphasized that postoperative outcome of biliary carcinoma with cholangitis will be improved by adequate PTCD and/or urgent hepatic resection.

From January 1976 through December 1988 we encountered ninety nine cases of intrahepatic stones. Eight of them were complicated with postoperative bile duct strictures which were formed on cholangiojejunostomy in 5 cases, cholangioduodenostomy, hepatic hilum and common hepatic duct in 1 case, respectively. Six cases of them are anastomotic strictures. The stones were mainly composed of bilirubin calcium. We guessed that the bile duct stricture resulted from cholangiojejunostomy without Roux-en-Y in 1 case and anastomotic insufficiency in 5 cases. Intrahepatic stones were removed by percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS), and the treatment for the stricture was cholangiojejunostomy in 1 case and the dilatation by PTCS in 5 cases, including 3 endoprostheses by pig-tail silicone catheter and 2 internal-external biliary drainage. Two patients who did not undergo cholangioscopic dilatation died of sepsis due to cholangitis. Three of 5 patients who underwent endoscopic dilatation by PTCS could return to social life without recurrence of gallstones. In other two cases an endoprosthetic catheter was removed by PTCS because of dislodgement or obstruction of the catheter after confirming anastomotic strictures had improved. Authors recommended that PTCS should be applied for postoperative bile duct stricture complicated with intrahepatic stone.

A case of resected intrahepatic bile duct cancer with hilar bile duct and portal vein invasion is presented. Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage was performed to alleviate jaundice and evaluate the biliary system. Intraductal tumor extension was determined, and an accurate histological diagnosis was made in biopsy material obtained under percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy. Preoperative surgical planning was carried out on the basis of an evaluation of the findings of ultrasonography, computed tomography, arteriography, portography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy. Curative surgery, which included right hepatic lobectomy with total caudate lobectomy and combined resection and reconstruction of the portal vein, was performed. Bilioenteric continuity was re-established by a Roux-en-Y jejunal loop. The histological diagnosis was moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma originated in the right posterior branch of the intrahepatic bile duct. Postoperative recovery was very good, and the patient has now been enjoying a good active social life for the past three years with no signs of tumor recurrence. This case report discusses the accurate diagnosis and rational surgical treatment for intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma with hilar invasion.

Bile duct carcinoma, which produces clinically recognizable mucus, was defined as "mucus producing bile duct carcinoma", and clinicopathological study was carried out in 7 cases of bile duct carcinoma suitable for the definition. All the tumors arose from the intrahepatic bile duct. There were no tumors arising from the extrahepatic bile duct. Superficially spreading mucosal infiltration of carcinoma was recognized in 6 cases out of 7, and accordingly distinct cholangiography after draining mucus through percutaneous transhepatic cholangio-drainage (PTCD) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) were indispensable for accurate diagnosis of the extent of carcinoma. The prognosis of patients with mucus producing bile duct carcinoma were almost satisfactory if rational operation had been performed according to accurate diagnosis. On the other hand, since mucus producing bile duct carcinoma frequently has a cystic lesion, the relation to biliary cystadenocarcinoma may become a subject of question. We advocate that biliary cystadenocarcinoma should be included in mucus producing bile duct carcinoma since biliary cystadenocarcinoma originally arises from the intrahepatic bile duct and very rarely from the extrahepatic bile duct. But now the concept of biliary cystadenocarcinoma is equivocal and further investigations will be requested.

Seven cases of hepato-biliary and pancreatic malignancies that underwent partial resection of the inferior vena cava) were reviewed. Histological findings of inferior venca cava involvement were direct invasion in 5 cases, tumor thrombus in 1 case, and adhesion in 1 case. Correct preoperative diagnosis of inferior vena cava involvement was made in only 2 cases. A retrospective study on enhanced CT revealed that irregular deformity of the inferior vena cava had suggested inferior vena cava involvement. Total occlusion of the inferior vena cava was employed temporarily for inferior vena cava resection in 3 cases. A saphenous vein graft was used for reconstruction in 2 cases. Complications due to inferior vena cava resection are, as yet, unknown. One patient is alive, without recurrence, 24 months after the operation. One case underwent re-resection of liver metastasis, and is alive 17 months after the operation. Although advanced hepato-biliary and pancreatic malignancies involving inferior vena cava have been regarded as having a poor prognosis, an aggressive surgical approach may be applicable in some cases.

Paraaortic lymph nodes dissection was performed routinely in 28 patients with advanced gallbladder cancer who underwent curative or relative non-curative resection. In 10 patients out of 28 (36%), metastasis was found in the dissected paraaortic nodes. The incidence of paraaortic lymph nodes metastasis was 50% when the gallbladder serosa or adjacent organs were involved by cancer. If routine paraaortic lymph nodes dissection had not been carried out, the operation would be regarded as curative in 4 patients out of 10 with paraaortic lymph nodes metastasis. The incidence of paraaortic lymph nodes metastasis was twice higher than that of the mesenteric root and the metastatic route was possibly derived directly from the retroportal and/or retropancreactic nodes. Therefore, we emphasize that the paraaortic nodes should be regarded as the nodes between the 2nd group such as the retroportal or retropancreatic nodes and the 3rd group including the nodes of mesenteric root. In spite of positive paraaortic nodes, mean survival time of the patients without other non-curative factors was 26 months and the longest survival was 42 months. It seems that paraaortic nodes dissection has palliative effects to prolong the survival period of those patients. Paraaortic lymph nodes dissection should be employed in radical operative procedures for advanced gallbladder cancer.

Left gastric arterial blood flow was measured with an electromagnetic flowmeter in conscious dogs. Immediately after the ingestion of 300 g of meat or milk, gastric blood flow increased to 250-270% of the control but declined to preprandial levels in 10 min despite the presence of milk in the stomach. Gastric distension with a 300-ml balloon evoked a response of approximately 50% of that of milk, but continuous distension failed to maintain gastric hyperemia. The initial peak response to milk and distension was reduced by hexamethonium (-58 and -62%, respectively) and oxethazaine (-43 and -29%, respectively) but not by phenoxybenzamine, propranolol, or atropine. Thus the initial response was induced by both the contact of food with the mucosa and the distension of the stomach partly via the activation of neural reflexes. Gastric blood flow after the peak was dependent on the type of food and its route of administration; it was elevated by 30% after a meat meal, remained close to fasting levels after oral administration of milk, and fell below fasting levels (-17%) after intragastric administration of milk. An intraduodenal infusion of milk, but not water, reduced gastric blood flow below the control (-26%). Pentagastrin, which caused approximately 50% of the maximal acid secretion, increased gastric blood flow by only 10%.

Exciton reflection spectra under high-intensity excitation by a nitrogen laser are studied in CdS and CdSe at 4.2 K. With increasing excitation density, the reflection peak intensity decreases, simultaneously the spectral width becoming broader, and finally the reflection structure becomes very obscure. Shapes of observed spectra are analyzed in terms of the classical oscillator model using a phenomenological damping term. From the comparison of the results of the analysis with luminescence spectra simultaneously measured, it is concluded that the obscurity of the reflection structure is caused by the shortening of the transverse relaxation time of excitons due to the inelastic collision of excitons. Es werden Exzitonenreflexionsspektren unter hoher Anregungsintensitat mittels eines Stickstofflasers am CdS und CdSe bei 4,2 K untersucht. Mit zunehmender Anregungsintensitat nimmt die Hohe der Reflexionsmaxima ab, wobei gleichzeitig die spektrale Breite groser wird; schlieslich wird die Reflexionsstruktur sehr undeutlich. Die Form der beobachteten Spektren wird mit dem klassischen Oszillatormodell analysiert, wobei ein phanomenologischer Dampfungsterm eingefuhrt wird. Aus dem Vergleich der Ergebnisse der Analyse mit gleichzeitig gemessenen Lumineszenzspektren wird geschlossen, das das Verschwinden der Reflexionsstruktur durch die Verringerung der transversalen Relaxationszeit der Exzitonen infolge inelastischer Stose der Exzitonen verursacht wird.

In the present study, we investigated the technique and reliability of measuring digital blood pressure by means of a rigid, airtight container (a bladder-free cuff) and a photocell placed on the digit. As cuff pressure increased, the position of digits in the cuff was maintained in the hand by fixing one or two fingers inside the cuff and, in the foot, by using a supporting stick to keep the distance from the cuff to the bed constant. An airtight seal inside the cuff was achieved using a thin rubber sleeve and adhesive tape. Blood pressures determined by the bladder-free cuff correlated well with those obtained by the conventional cuff with bladder. By using the bladder-free cuff, blood pressure could be measured at the distal phalanx of the fingers and in all toes.

Celiac and superior mesenteric arterial blood flows were measured simultaneously in conscious beagle dogs. The responses to food were completely different between the two arteries. Celiac flow increased quickly to 180-200% of the control 2 min after food but started to decline rapidly to preprandial levels, though greater than 90% of food was still in the stomach. It remained at preprandial levels over the next 1-6 h. Superior mesenteric flow increased gradually in 20-50 min (peak: 230%) and remained above the control levels for 3-6 h. The celiac response was inhibited by vagal block, hexamethonium, and gastric mucosal anesthesia by oxethazaine but not by atropine, phenoxybenzamine, or propranolol. Postprandial superior mesenteric hyperemia was blocked by mucosal anesthesia and was reduced by atropine by 80%. Ganglionic or adrenergic blockades were without effect. It is concluded that the celiac peak response to food is mediated by a nonadrenergic, noncholinergic vagal reflex in conscious dogs. Extrinsic nerves probably play little part in the postprandial increase of superior mesenteric flow.

Cholangiographic investigations in 16 patients with primary intrahepatic cholesterol stones yielded some characteristic findings as follows. 1. Several numbers of stones were filled within locally dilated portion of the subsegmental or more peripheral intrahepatic bile duct branches, with no or minimal dilatation of the more peripheral portion and no stenosis-like lesions of the more hilar portion. 2. The lesion was single or multiple scattered in the liver and intrahepatic cholangiogram excluding involved segments was almost normal. 3. Although extrahepatic bile duct and/or gallbladder stones were often associated, the normal gallbladder, cystic duct and papillary portion and slightly dilated common bile duct were demonstrated. These cholangiographic findings were compatible with the endoscopic findings that inflammatory changes of the bile duct were rarely observed. According to above mentioned findings, it is suggested that the etiology of this disease differs from intrahepatic stones of calcium bilirubinate and dissolution therapy with bile acid may be available.

Reconstructive surgery was carried out in 93 patients of ASO and TAO. Factors influenced on prognosis were studied being compared with ASO and TAO. Cumulative 5-year patency was 60% in ASO and 25% in TAO. Distal patency was shown by total score given in each site of arteriogram. Patency rate was well correlated with combinated factors such as total score of arteriogram and back flow at site of surgery. Period from onset of symptom to surgery and site of operation also correlated with patency statistically, though total serum cholesterol, ischemic time at reconstructive surgery, and amount of bleeding at operation did not relate to prognosis. Causes of early failure and special problems of late failure in TAO were studied.

In order to evaluate the degree of arterial insufficiency, measurement of blood pressure, blood flow, flow velocity and waveform has been the focus of noninvasive diagnostic techniques. Noninvasive estimation of the degree of venous reflux has been an important problem, in place of invasive measurement of venous pressure. Although vascular imaging provides excellent informations about occlusive and aneurysmal lesions, a problem awaiting solution is a hemodynamic visualization of blood flow and physiological phenomenon.

The purpose of this study is to obtain the informations about the fate of the limbs and lives of claudicants due to arteriosclerosis obliterans. Two hundred and seven lower limbs of 165 patients suffering from intermittent claudication were observed for an average period of about six years. Eighty-seven limbs of 69 patients were managed nonsurgically (Group A). Ninety-eight percent of limbs in Group A remained unchanged or improved, and no limb was amputated. One hundred and twenty limbs of 96 patients had arterial reconstructions (Group B). Although 75 percent of limbs in Group B had benefits by successful operations, 26 percent of them experienced graft failures, and 2.7 percent of them were amputated. Five year graft patency rates in the limbs with supra- and infra-inguinal reconstructions were 82.1 percent and 65.7 percent, respectively. Operative mortality rate was 2.1 percent, and mortality rate due to late complications was 3.3 percent. The prognosis of intermittent claudication with regular follow-up was relatively good, therefore, it is important to recognize that arterial reconstruction is not the only way to treat limbs with mild intermittent claudication. About 30 percent of claudicants died within 5 years, and 60 percent of them died from cardiac or cerebrovascular disease. The results suggested that much attention should be paid to the lives as well as the limbs of claudicants.

Selective middle hepatic venography was performed in 86 patients who had been scheduled to undergo liver resection because of hepatobiliary diseases. Special catheters were used of which tips were bended counterclockwise at an angle of 45 degrees. Successful middle hepatic venograms were obtained in 65 cases (76%). Abnormal findings were observed in 27 cases (42%), and it was difficult to diagnose them by ultrasonography or computed tomography. Selective middle hepatic venogram is very useful to understand surgical anatomy of the liver in each case preoperatively. In 5 cases of giant tumor, middle hepatic venography is necessary to identify the exact site of the tumor. Selective middle hepatic venography is considered to be one of the indispensable, examinations for liver resection.

We have developed a method for measuring prostaglandins (PGs) in rat gastric mucosa by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The levels of PGD2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, a degradation product of PGI2, were five times higher than those of PGE2 and PGF2 alpha. Oral administration of indomethacin (6 mg/kg body weight) completely abolished the synthesis of all detectable PGs uniformly. These results suggest that endogenous PGs, especially PGD2 and I2, play some roles in the function of the gastric mucosa.

Human acute myeloid leukemia (ML-1 and HL-60) cells grew continuously in the serum-free liquid medium supplemented with human transferrin and bovine insulin. Both ML-1 and HL-60 cells formed clusters and colonies in the serum-free agar medium supplemented with bovine serum albumin, human transferrin, cholesterol, and L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine. Medium conditioned by phytohemagglutinin-stimulated leukocytes prepared in the absence of serum had three types of colony-stimulating factors on normal human bone marrow cells. When fetal calf serum was present, medium conditioned by phytohemagglutinin-stimulated leukocytes stimulated the clonal growth of HL-60 cells at the lower concentration. However, it inhibited that of ML-1 cells. In contrast, under serum-free conditions, medium conditioned by phytohemagglutinin-stimulated leukocytes promoted the clonal growth of both ML-1 and HL-60 cells at the lower concentrations. The study using a Sephadex G-200 column revealed that, in the serum-supplemented cultures, HL-60 cells responded to one of the three colony-stimulating factors and an activity with molecular weight of around 12,000, while ML-1 cells responded only to an activity with molecular weight of around 12,000. In the serum-free cultures, both ML-1 and HL-60 cells were stimulated by activities with molecular weights of 62,000 and 54,000, respectively. These studies demonstrate that the determination of growth factors for cell lines is dependent on culture conditions, particularly on serum component; that there is a heterogeneity of ML-1 and HL-60 cells in response to the growth factors; and that there is potential importance of demonstration of heterogeneity among different cell lines in establishing requirements for different stages of differentiation.

When K562 cells were made resistant to cisplatin their neutral amino acid transport systems changed. K562 cells cloned in cisplatin developed a 6.7-fold resistance to the drug. The generation times for K562 cells sensitive (S) and resistant (DDP) to cisplatin were similar. The initial uptake and rapid efflux of cisplatin were similar in both cell lines. However, they differed in their sodium dependent neutral amino acid transport properties. In K562S cells the sodium-dependent uptake for methylaminoisobutyric acid was significantly inhibited by threonine (Ki = 10.3 mM), but in K562DDP the uptake of neutral amino acids was significantly lower, and methylaminoisobutyric acid uptake was minimally inhibited by threonine. When K562DDP cells were grown in the absence of cisplatin for 8 weeks, their amino acid transport properties reverted to those of K562S cells. In K562 cells, changes in plasma membrane essential amino acid transport systems were concomitant to both the development of resistance and the redevelopment of sensitivity to cisplatin. Therefore, human malignant cell sensitivity and resistance to cisplatin may be related to membrane nutrient transport systems.

The effects of bone marrow-conditioned medium obtained from colony-stimulating factor-producing tumor-bearing nude mice (G-BM-CM) on mouse and human granulocyte-macrophage colony formation and mouse erythroid colony and burst formation were studied. Addition of G-BM-CM into the mouse granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming system containing colony-stimulating activity more strongly inhibited granulocyte colony formation than did mixed granulocyte-macrophage and macrophage colony formation, while it did not change the number of granulocyte colonies formed by human bone marrow cells stimulated by human granulocyte colony-stimulating activity. Addition of G-BM-CM slightly increased mouse erythroid colony and burst numbers when it was added into an erythroid colony-forming system stimulated by erythropoietin (1 unit/ml), and into the erythroid burst-forming system stimulated by erythropoietin (1 unit/ml) and 7% spleen cell-conditioned medium. These results might indicate that G-BM-CM mainly blocked commitment of mouse granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells to granulocytic progeny.