Acta Medica Okayama volume29 issue1

In order to make the mechanism concerned with the sound-susceptibility in the organ of Corti clear, we observed the organ of Corti with the phase-contrast microscope, after the microdissection of the cochleae in human, dogs, guinea pigs and hamsters by Engstroöm's surface preparation technique. As a result, we have formulated a hypothesis for the mechanism of the sound-susceptibility in the organ of Corti. Further, we have inferred the contrary recruitment phenomenon (hypothesis), by explaining theoretically such a clinical fact as the recruitment phenomenon or the cochlear hearing loss by applying our first formula of hypothesis. Finally, we described the application of the contrary recruitment phenomenon (hypothesis) to the early discovery or diagnosis of the false normal ear or cochlea, in other words, latent hearing loss.

For the purpose to study the citrate metabolism in liver diseases, blood citrate, blood glucose and serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in fasting state were measured in the subjects with chronic hepatitis and with liver cirrhosis. Citrate and glucose were measured by the enzymatic methods. NEFA was measured colorimetrically. Fasting blood citrate level was investigated in relation to the type and extent of these liver diseases.Results revealed the following: 1. Fasting blood citrate level rose with the severity of liver diseases, especially in decompensated liver cirrhosis. 2. No significant difference in fasting blood citrate level was found between the subjects with and without glucose intolerance. 3. Fasting blood citrate level had a closer correlation with serum NEFA level than with blood glucose level. From these results, it has been concluded that the increase in blood citrate level in liver diseases is due to the impaired uptake of citrate by the liver and the increased release of citrate from peripheral tissues.

A purified and homogeneous preparation of rat alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was separated into two components, AFPa and AFPb, by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These two components had a definite difference in electrostatic net charge and gave only a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-electrophoresis. Neuraminidase-treated AFP gave clearly separable, slower moving four to six and finally two components depending on the time of incubation with neuraminidase. The time-dependent conversion of each AFPa and AFPb into slower migrating components upon neuraminidase treatment was confirmed by re-electrophoresis of separated and similarly treated AFPa and AFPb.

The establishment of permanent cell line that can produce an alpha-fetoprotein has made tissue culture a powerful tool for the study of alpha-fetoprotein. For this reason, the hepatoma cells of rat ascites hepatoma AH70B were cultured in vitro and some biological characters of the isolated six clones examined. The cultured cells were morphologically epithelial and the mode of chromosome number in hypotetraploid range, and possessed tumorigenicity. The cells secreted alpha-fetoprotein at the high level and a few components of serum proteins in the culture medium for more than one year. Alpha-Fetoprotein was also detected in cytoplasm by fluorescent antibody technique. The examined character was little different among the six colonial clones. From the present cloning procedure, it was suggested that the cultured cells derived from a single cell were secreting alpha-fetoprotein and several components of serum proteins together.

The effect of glucose load on the levels of blood glucose, serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and liver citrate was investigated in carbontetrachloride-intoxicated (injured) rats and compared with non-intoxicated controls. The citrate level in the liver from injured animals showed 15-fold of the value of the control. Glucose load on these animals caused gradual decrease in the citrate level, whereas similar administration to the control caused inverse results. The serum NEFA levels were lowered by glucose load in both of injured and control animals. The pattern of changes in the citrate level after glucose load in the liver from injured animals was similar to that in the muscle from the control, suggesting a similarity on citrate metabolism between the injured liver and the muscle.The possible mechanisms for these results were discussed in relation to the difference in citrate metabolism between the liver and the muscle.

The mechanism of action of the drug was investigated from various points of view. The findings may be summarized as follows: 1. In the experiments of the degranulation of mesenteric mast cells of rats, menaquinone proved to significantly inhibit the degranulation either in active or passive sensitization with the reagin-like antibody. 2. Menaquinone did not inhibit the formation of the reagin-like antibody. 3. In the experiements of the degranulation of basophilic granulocytes from patients of bronchial asthma, the rate of appearance of A form basophilic cells upon addition of the antihuman IgE goat serum was not markedly but significantly inhibited in the patients treated with menaquinone for long periods, as compared with that in the control, whereas the in vitro addition of menaquinone did not exert a significant inhibitory action.