Acta Medica Okayama volume16 issue6

The method of identifying human blood is studied from the standpoint of the fibrinolytic enzyme system by means of the "fibrin plate method" and the following results are obtained: 1) "Fibrin plate method" is, in the point of its sensitivity and speciesspecificity, one of the most excellent methods for the identification of human blood. 2) A small amount of the blood stains left standing as long as for 5 to 30 years can serve in the determination of the human blood. 3) Putrefied fluid blood does not demonstrate fibrinolysis. 4) Blood stains absorbed in various objects can also he identified whether they are of the human origin or not. 5) The pieces of cloth stained with human blood give positive fibrinolysis even after four washings with soap or after heating at 100°C for one hour. On the other hand, positive results are obtained with the pieces of cloths after three washings by benzidine test and with the physiological saline-extracted solution obtained after two washings of pieces of cloth, by precipitation test. 6) Proactivator has been found to contain globulin fraction in human serum protein. 7) The blood type can be determined with the same materials previously examined by the "fibrin plate method".

By far the majority of studies and speculations on metabolism in man and animals have been concerned with the fate of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Even when interest was awakened in enzymes and vitamins, the transformation of the organic substances was still studied. Gradually, however, various methods of the analysis and measuring instruments used have been so perfected that other problems can now be included in the field of biological and medical researches, namely, the significance of inorganic substances for the living organism.

Histochemical studies of several oxidative enzymes of the muscle spindles in mouse limbs were carried out. Observations elucidated the existence of the three types of intrafusal fibers which can be distinguished from each other by the difference in the activity of oxidative enzymes as in the muscle fibers, i. e., the first one is the "red intrafusal fibers" and has the most intense activity of oxidative enzyme, the second one the "white intrafusal fibers" with a minimal activity, and the third, "medium intrafusal fibers" being distinguished by their oderate activity of oxidative enzymes from the others.

For the purpose to reveal the mechanism of the biological indirect action of X-rays the author has conducted the analysis of the compound lipids of the organs of the rabbits irradiated with X-rays. Silicic acid column chromatography was applied for the fractionation of the compound lipids. Component of each fraction was analyzed by silicic acid-impregnated paper chromatography and infra-red spectrophotometory. The result proved that the compound lipids showed some qualitative and 10+-+ quantitative changes. The changes occurred mainly in glycerophosphatides showing the formation of high level lyso-phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine. The fatty acid compositions of the compound lipids were determined by means of gas-liquid chromatography. Further, polyunsaturated fatty acids were analyzed as fatty acid bromide. Major differences found in fatty acid patterns included: in the irradiated group the amount of C18-monoenoic, C18-dienoic, C18-trienoic, C20-tetraenoic and C22-acids were decreased and of C18- and C18-monoenoic acids were increased. It has been elucidated that lysophosphatides not only posesses a strong hemolytic power but also it has an action to induce swelling of the rat liver mitochondria. And it has been suggested that the lysophosphatides and ethanolamine will be responsible, at least partially, for the cell damage induced by X-rays.

The effect of various fatty acids on the swelling-contraction and oxidative phosphorylation of mitochondria from rat liver and Ehrlich ascites tumor cell have been studied and the results are as follows: 1. The swelling of rat liver mitochondria is induced by fatty acid. The extent of this uncoupling action is in the descending order of myristate, laurate, parlmitate, stearate and behenate in saturated fatty acid and linoleate, linoleneate, richinoleate and oleate in the unsaturated fatty acid. This swelling action is stronger with unsaturated fatty acids than that of saturated ones and cis form is stronger than trans form. 2. The uncoupling oxidative phosphorylation of rat liver mitochondria is also observed with these fatty acids and the activities are proportional to the degree of the swelling action. 3. The degree of swelling of rat liver mitochondria is proportional to the concentration of oleate and is inhibited by anaerobiosis and respiratory inhibitor except amytal. 4. The mitochondria swollen by fatty acid can be recontracted reversibly by ATP, Mg++ and bovine serum albumin. 5. The swelling action of sodium oleate is the strongest on mitochondria from rat liver, followed by those from the liver of Ehrlich ascites tumor bearing mouse, Ehrlich ascites tumor cells and solid Ehrlich tumor cells. 6. Sodium oleate inhibits the incorporation of 32p into ATP, ADP, GTP and UDPG in mitochondria.