Nagoya Journal of Medical Science

One hundred and twenty four cases of plasma cell dyscrasia (PCD) were investigated in terms of monoclonal protein and its related abnonnalities. Seventy nine cases of myeloma were compared with 45 cases of PCD without osteolytic myeloma.
Low levels of background immunoglobulins and high proportions of marrow plasma cells were seen in myeloma cases. Among myeloma cases, G-myeloma or A-myeloma had high levels of total serum proteins and monoclonal proteins, in contrast to data of D-myeloma or myeloma with Bence Jones protein only.

An improved radiochemical method to measure the δ-aminoJevulinic acid (ALA) synthetase activity in human bone marrow erythroblasts by incubating bone marrow cell homogenate with ¹⁴C-succinate and succinyl CoA generating system has been reported. Studies were made to obtain the optimal conditions for the enzyme assay and to confirm the reliability of the assay procedures.
ALA-synthetase in erythroblasts was found to be decreased in all 3 cases of iron deficiency anemia and 3 cases of β-thalassemia minor. In 5 cases of idiopathic sideroblastic anemia, the enzyme activity was markedly decreased. A case of sideroblastic anemia, who restored normal erythropoiesis following the administration of pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) showed low PLP level in serum & blood as well as in vivo evidence of PLP deficiency and an in vitro stimulation of ALAsynthetase activity by PLP. Erythroblasts of 4 patients with erythroleukemia showed diminished bone marrow ALA-synthetase activity.

This is the autopsy case of a 42-year-old male with whiplash injury who died sudderily and unexpectedly. The pathological diagnosis was chronic myelocytic leukaemia with involvement of the heart, spleen, lymph nodes, liver, kidneys and bone marrow. The immediate cause of death is considered to be heart failure resulting from leukaemic cell infiltration. In this case, the underlying leukaemia was masked by the persisting symptoms following whiplash injury, and left undiagnosed clinically.

The pharmacologic response of bladder muscle strip of albino rabbits was studied in vitro. The effect of cholinergic and adrenergic agents and their antagonists were demonstrated with a log dose-response curve. Cholinergic receptors were abundant in detrusor muscle. While the excitory alpha adrenergic receptors existed in bladder neck, the inhibitory beta adrenergic receptors were predominant in detrusor muscle. The role of cholinergic and adrenergic receptors in detrusor muscle and bladder neck was discussed.