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Background In Japan, Livestock Improvement Association of Japan started commercially producing sexed bovine semen 10 years ago, and sexed bovine semen is currently used for the artificial insemination (AI) in the farms. In this review, the authors introduce the technology for sperm sexing by flow cytometry, the efforts at commercializing sexed semen in Japan, and recent field data on artificial insemination of the cattle with sexed semen. Methods In the procedures of the flow cytometric method, X‐chromosome‐bearing sperm and Y‐chromosome‐bearing sperm were fluorescently stained, separated from each other by analyzing the difference in the DNA content, and cryopreserved. The authors surveyed the conception rates after AI with these sperm and sex ratios of the offspring with the cooperation from livestock associations, AI technicians, and farmers. Main findings (Results) Although AI with sexed semen was associated with lower conception rates in comparison with AI with conventional semen, the accuracy of sex selection using AI with sexed semen was beyond >90%. Conclusion Sexed semen produced by flow cytometry has the potential to produce offspring of the preferred sex with high accuracy and reliability. Thus, it is expected that sexed semen is used for AI more frequently in the farms.

A “Dry Air Injection System for main cables (DAIS)” was developed by the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway Co., Ltd. (HSBE), in order to keep in sound condition of the main cables over the long term. And the DAIS was installed to the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge as the first case in the world. In parallel with installation of the DAIS in new bridges, the HSBE also installed the DAIS in all the existing HSBE’s suspension bridges, in which progressive corrosion of the cable wires was observed. After approximately ten years of the DAIS installation, the monitoring data in the Seto- Ohashi Bridges showed that Relative Humidity (RH) of inside the cables still remained high in some portions. Through a trial and error process, we made improvements of the DAIS, which mainly composed of alteration of injection points, in order to keep RH of the entire length of the cables less than a target value (40%RH). This paper describes improvements of the DAIS and its results.

Our report concerns gastric carcinoid tumors in a man and his younger sister who had no endocrine symptoms. The tumors in both cases were multiple, located in the corpus, and showed no significant differences in light microscopic and immunohistochemical examination. In electron microscopic observation, the endocrine granules of tumor cells were roughly classified into four types: granules with fine granular content with low electron density, irregularly striped granules with medium electron density, concentrically laminated or regularly striped granules, or smaller and almost uniformly high electron-dense granules in which it was difficult to recognize the internal structure. From the sequential morphological changes of the granules, we have considered that each type of granule reflects various stages of granulogenesis, although the possibility that they are distinct and contain different hormones or chemical mediators is not absolutely ruled out.

A 33-year-old pregnant woman had constipation, abdominal pain and fullness since the 7th week of pregnancy, but she was diagnosed as hyperemesis gravidarum. After her delivery on the 34th week of pregnancy, she was seen at the hospital because of persisting symptoms. Abdominal swelling, hepatomegaly and ascites were noted. As a result of various examination, ileus due to a sigmoid colon-cancer was diagnosed, and sigmoidectomy was performed after 10 days of delivery. Opertive diagnosis was sigmoid colon cancer, which was circ, 3-type, 3.0×3.0cm size, SE, P0, H3, M(-), N2(+), Stage 4. Histological diagnosis was well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Postoperative chemotherapy was done to the metastasis of the liver with reservoir, but she died of liver failure 3 months after of the surgery. Colorectal cancer in pregnancy is rare. Only 28 cases have been reported in the Japanese literature, and generally their prognoses were poor. Even if the patient with suspected colorectal cancer is a pregnant woman, appropriate examination including occult blood and ultrasonography which have no effects on the fatus sould be aggressively tried.

Hepatic artery of dogs was embolized with cisplatin (CDDP) albumin microspheres containing chitin and chitosan to investigate the in vivo CDDP release kinetics from CDDP albumin microspheres, the CDDP cumulative characteristics in the liver, and the influence of microsphere administration on hepatic tissue. Results showed that changes in blood CDDP content were dependent on CDDP albumin microsphere type and that release kinetics were better sustained when chitin was added to the microspheres or when the microspheres were treated with chitosan. In particular, the administration of CDDP in the chitin-containing CDDP chitosan albumin microspheres showed a blood CDDP content of approximately 0.26 micrograms Pt/ml 14 d after administration. The administration of chitin-containing or chitosan treated CDDP microspheres showed a CDDP content in the hepatic tissue of 0.14 to 0.23 micrograms Pt/g 28 d after administration. They also showed better control of CDDP release than those without chitin or chitosan treatment. No CDDP influence on hepatic tissue was observed. We conclude that, even in vivo, chitin and chitosan are effective embolic materials.

Most of the blood group systems have now been applied to paternity investigations. In a complicated case, an alleged father not excluded with blood group testing, could be excluded with only chromosome heteromorphisms. Chromosome heteromorphisms are inherited from parents to offspring as simple Mendelian laws. The authors' paternity testing is presented with the help of chromosome heteromorphism analysis.

Japanese monkey has a common ampullary channel. By a continuous injection of sterile saline (1 mL/min) into the pancreatic main duct, the pancreatic main ductal pressure increased from 8.4 +/- 1.0 (mean +/- SD) to a plateau level (16-25 mmHg) in 5 Japanese monkeys. The frequency and amplitude of the slow wave in electromyography of the sphincter of Oddi (SO) were significantly decreased from 14 to 2/min and 0.06 to 0.04 mV (p less than 0.01), and the frequency of the spike component significantly decreased from 53 to 14/min (p less than 0.05). As soon as infusion of saline ceased, the electromyography recovered to the original level. The mean value of the minimum loading pressure affecting myoelectrical activities of the SO was 19.8 +/- 3.0 mmHg. When the pancreatic duct was obstructed at the head, there was no significant change in the SO myoelectrographic activities in spite of increased pancreatic ductal pressure by infusion. These findings suggest that a homeostatic mechanism of pancreatic ductal pressure exists when the activity of the SO is regulated by the distending pressure in the pancreatic ductal system. This reflex regulation seemed to be mediated by the distension of the ampullary duct itself.