Nagoya Journal of Medical Science

The mastoid cavity after ''debridement" becomes one of the main causes of failure in the follow-up of tympanoplasty when left unobliterated. Various trials have been made to seek an effective method of filling up the cavity.
We conducted a study on mastoidplasty using autogenous bonemarrow and free skingraft and found the results were satisfactory. 15 patients were observed clinically, histologically and radiographically. We observed survival of cancellous bones and free skingraft taking in the cavity, and perfect obliteration was obtained.
Successful mastoid operation in patients with perfect obliteration leads to a conclusion that the most reliable and safe treatment consists of complete excision and obliteration of excavated portions.
Audiometric observation could not clarify to what extent the mastoid operation would affect hearing of high pitched sounds.
It is evident, therefore, that this obliteration method is of more value in obtaining better results on the processes after mastoid operation than in improving hearing acuity to high pitched sounds.

In a study of 333 patients with genitourinary tuberculosis, the disease in those who showed only a single isolated positive urine culture, as the basis for their original diagnosis, was very easily arrested usually (92 per centJ only a single course of treatment was required. On the other hand, among those whose original diagnosis was based on a finding of multiple positive urine cultures, the relapse rate was much higher, and the proportion who relapsed again showing multiple positive urine cultures was much higher.
Isolated positive urine cultures for tuberculosis are not always dependable as an indication of the disease. Multiple positive urine cultures were an even more serious indicator of susceptibility to relapse, than was the presence of large cavitary lesions. All relapses were eventually arrested by a second, a third, or (rarely) a fourth course of chemotherapy. There have been no failures to date.

Nowadays large doses of glucocorticoids are administered to prevent cerebral edema during and after craniotomy for brain tumor. The influence of this glucocorticoids therapy on the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical response was studied clinically. Urinary total 17-hydroxycorticoids excretion (17-OH-CH) was estimated. Preoperative basal level of 17-OH-CS in brain tumor cases was lower than normal basal level except in some cases in which rapid increase in intracranial hypertension was the main sign. Adrenocortical response was more intense in brain tumor craniotomy than in other operations such as lumbar sympathectomy for Buerger's disease or craniotomy for various diseases of the brain and skull other than brain tumor.
Large doses of dexamethasone administered prophylactically to prevent cerebral edema, suppressed significantly this intense response to brain tumor craniotomy. It was reduced to a degree equal to adrenocortical response to operations of control cases. In most cases suppression with dexamethasone in craniotomy was correlated to preoperative suppression test with dexamethasone, suggesting that the same mechanism might play in both resting and stressful conditions.
More than four weeks after the operation, influence of this prophylactic dexamethasone therapy was tested; the suppression test was made and found to be within normal limit.
Glucocorticoids therapy to prevent cerebral edema is supported from this point of view, for the adrenocortical reserve may be maintained even during and after craniotomy.

In order to investigate host-tumor relationship, the effects of pretreatment with nitrogen mustrad N-oxide and strain-specific tumor tissue on spontaneous mammary tumor development were studied.
In neither group was the pretreatment effective in preventing tumor development of virgin female C3H/He mice. There were no reduction in spontaneous tumor incidence, no retardation in age at which tumor appeared, nor prolongation in survival time following onset of tumor and in total survival time.
On the contrary, the development of the consecutive tumor of tumorous mice increased significantly in the group immuntzed with isologous tumor homogenate.
Further, tumor-unspecific antibody was estimated by hemagglutination test.
The data are discussed on the point of host-tumor relationship.

Electron microscopic findings on the senile hepatic cells of rats were compared with those of young adult rats in the resting and regenerating stages 6 and 24 hours after partial hepatectomy.
In the resting senile hepatic cells, there were found some bizarre mitochondria, and mitochondria were significantly larger in size, and also slightly decreased in number than in the young adult.
In the regenerating stage, especially 6 hours after removal, mitochondria of the hepatic cells became irregular in shape more markedly in the senile cases, and in some of the cases, degenerative pictures of mitochondria were occasionally observed in this period.
In the regenerating hepatic cells, mitochondria do not increase in size, but are rather reduced. The decrease in size of mitochondria was more marked in the liver of senile cases 24 hours after partial hepatectomy. The decrease in number of mitochondria was observed 24 hours after removal, and the decrease was somewhat marked in the senile cases.
In this experiment, the pictures of so-called transverse division of mitochondria were found without any significant difference due to age and the stage of regeneration of hepatic cells.
The small osmiophilic bodies considered to be the precursor of fat droplets appeared in the space of Disse, and in the cytoplasm. Their appearances were more markedly noted in the aged than in the young adult at 6 hours of regeneration.

Effects of ouabain and catecholamines_ and their modifications_ by propranolol were investigated on the functional refractory period (FRP), contractile force and heart rate in isolated atria of guinea-pigs and rats. Catecholamines produced a transient decrease in the FRP of guinea-pig atria, while ouabain caused a continual increase after a latent period of 5 to 10 minutes. The FRP in rat atria was_ increased by either ouabain or catecholamines. Pretreament with propranolol, which by itself produced a moderate increase in the FRP, completely blocked the effects of catecholamines, but did not prevent those of ouabain in both atria. It seems from these data on the FRP changes_ that no evidence was_ obtained for a ouabain-catecholamine relationship. However, from the observation on the spontaneously beating atria that the toxic effects of ouabain on contractility and rhythmicity were markedly reduced by propranolol it would be suggested that catecholamines might be related to the action of ouabain in its toxic stage.