Infections with gastrointestinal parasitic helminths indigenous to Japan and their treatment historically studied in an attempt to control the diseases in countries where they are still rampant: (1) the Jomon to Edo periods.

Infections with gastrointestinal parasitic helminthes were historically surveyed from the Jomon period to the end of the Edo period in Japan. The parasitic helminthes whose eggs or symptoms were shown in the remains and bibliographies are the roundworm, whipworm, liver fluke, Yokogawa's fluke and the cestode, Diphyllobothrium sp. The first two are soil-transmitted nematodes and the other three parasitic helminths are those with which people are infected following eating raw fish.

A chronological research on parasitic endemic disease, "Katayama-disease" (Schistosomiasis japonica) in Hiroshima Prefecture in the 20th century (the 3rd communication on the historical research on Schistosomiasis japonica in Hiroshima Prefecture).

A chronological research on the parasitic endemic disease, "Katayama Disease" in Hiroshima Prefecture was carried out. The present study was concerned mainly with the documents in the 20th century. It was confirmed that the development of excellent chemotherapeutic agents were not pivotal as a result.

Construction of the curriculum and lectures for the subject, "History of pharmacy" in Matsuyama University School of Pharmacy.

Matsuyama University School of Clinical Pharmacy started in the academic year of 2006. After an obligatory subject, "The Outline of Pharmacy" in the spring semester, the elective course on pharmaceutical history is held with a 90-minute lecture a week for 15 weeks in the autumn semester of the first year for the students. The course consists of 4 parts as follows.

Study of neonatal exposure to androgenic endocrine disruptors, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone by normal-phase HPLC.

Neonatal exposure to androgen induces developmental abnormalities in the male reproductive system. To investigate whether neonatal exposure affects spermatogenesis in juvenile and pubertal testis, Sprague-Dawley rat pups were given androgen or various androgenic endocrine disruptors by a single injection on the day of birth at concentrations ranging between 4 mm to 200 mm, and sacrificed on day 21 (juvenile) or 50 (puberty). The testes were weighed and examined histologically at each stage.

Rescue from dwarfism by thyroid function compensation in rdw rats.

The rdw rat was initially reported as having hereditary dwarfism caused by pituitary dysfunction. Subsequent studies on the rdw rat, however, have demonstrated that the primary cause of rdw dwarfism is present in the thyroid gland but not in the pituitary gland. The primary cause of rdw rat disorders is a missense mutation of the thyroglobulin (Tg) gene by a one-point mutation.

Delayed persistent estrus induced by continuous lighting after inadequate acclimation in rats.

While the normal estrous cycle of adequately acclimated female rats was replaced by a persistent estrus (PE) under continuous lighting, the onset of PE was delayed following several irregular cycles without acclimation or after acclimation for one week, suggesting that transportation induces a significant critical stress.

Kinetic study on conformational change in a single molecular species, beta3, of beta-conglycinin in an acidic ethanol solution.

The conformational change in a single molecular species, beta3, of beta-conglycinin in an acidic ethanol solution was kinetically studied by the stopped-flow technique, utilizing the intrinsic fluorescence of proteins and the fluorescence of 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid (ANS) bound to the proteins. The time-course of the intrinsic fluorescence changes clearly showed the rate of conformational change below and above 25% ethanol to be quite different from each other. ANS could bind well to the protein in an ethanol concentration range of 15-25%.

One-step analysis of testis steroidogenesis from neonatal exposure to synthetic estrogen by normal-phase HPLC.

Neonatal exposure to synthetic estrogen endocrine disruptors or estrogen-receptor inhibitors induces developmental abnormalities in the male reproductive system. To investigate whether neonatal exposure affects spermatogenesis in juvenile and pubertal testis, Sprague-Dawley rat pups were given synthetic estrogen endocrine disruptors or estrogen-receptor inhibitors by a single injection on the day of birth at concentrations ranging between 2 to 40 mm, and sacrificed on day 21 (juvenile), 35 (prepuberty) or 50 (puberty). The testes were weighed and examined histologically at each stage.

Neonatal exposure to endocrine disruptors suppresses juvenile testis weight and steroidogenesis but spermatogenesis is considerably restored during puberty.

Neonatal exposure to endocrine disruptors induces developmental abnormalities in the male reproductive system. As to investigate whether neonatal exposure affects spermatogenesis in juvenile and pubertal testes, Sprague-Dawley rat pups were given various endocrine disruptors by a single injection on the day of birth at concentrations ranging between 4 microM and 40 mM and sacrificed on day 21 (juvenile) or 50 (puberty). The testes were weighed and examined histologically at each stage.