[Mitral and Aortic Valve Replacement and Tricuspid Valve Repair in a Patient with Metal Allergy].

We report a 63-year-old woman came to our hospital with exertional dyspnea, palpitations, and abdominal distention. Echocardiography showed mitral, aortic, and tricuspid valve insufficiency, for which surgery was indicated. Twenty-six years ago, during dental therapy, she was diagnosed with metal allergy.

[Evaluation of the conjunctiva of leprosy patients using impression cytology].

Objective: To evaluate ocular surface disorders (OSD) similar to cicatricial pemphigoid in leprosy patients.

Subject And Method: Sixteen leprosy patients were examined. They were under treatment as inpatients at the Tama Zenshoen National Sanatorium, an institution for the treatment of leprosy.

Auditory brainstem response and temporal bone and brainstem pathology in brainstem death, with special reference to autolysis of red blood cells.

We studied the pathological changes in the temporal bone and brainstem, with particular attention to the autolysis of red blood cells in and around the blood vessels, in six cases of brainstem death determined by auditory brainstem responses (ABRs). Our findings showed that the cochlea, the visceral organs and the spinal cord below a certain level of the cervical segments continued to live after brainstem death. Red blood cells in the vessels of the brainstem and cerebellum exhibited severe autolysis, whereas most red blood cells in the cochlea were preserved.

Fractionation of jelly substance of the sea urchin egg and biological activities to induce acrosome reaction and agglutination of spermatozoa.

Jelly coat substance surrounding the egg of the sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, was fractionated by gel filtration and three fractions designated A, B, and C were obtained which mainly consisted of fucose sulfate, sialic acid, and protein, respectively. The biological activities of the fractions were examined for induction of acrosome reaction (AR) and agglutination of spermatozoa. Only fraction A, a fucose-rich glycoprotein fraction, had activities for both AR and agglutination.