[An investigation of the environment in a certain vanadium refinery (author's transl)]

An investigation of the environment of the working place was made as part of the investigation of damages to health that had broken out in a certain vanadium refinery; and the following conclusions were obtained: When the atmospheric dust volume and V2O5 concentration by unit working step were measured with a high volume air sampler, V2O5 exceeded the threshold limit value given by ACGIH in the P.O. flake production step, while the measurement of V2O5 concentration during one-shift working hours with a low volume air sampler gave 64.3 micrograms/m3 even in the grinding step where the maximum concentration was found, and values under 10 micrograms/m3 in all the other steps. Such concentrations may be considered to have been derived from the fact that P.O. casting in accomplished in a short time, and that the fume and dust that are transiently produced at high concentrations are dispersed outdoors by spontaneous ventilation. Damages to health such as a high prevalence of green tongue appeared to have resulted from failure in exercising elementary sanitary care such as imperfect facilities for safety and sanitation, and failure to thoroughly enforce wearing of masks.

On the body composition of obese children and in particular, sexual, age, and regional differences of skinfold thickness

Recently in Japan, it has been observed that the physical dimensions of schoolboys and schoolgirls, specifically stature and body weight, are increasing year by year, and that spurts in increase in dimensions tend to happen earlier. The phenomena of accelerated growth are resulting in more obesity and leanness in childhood. Skinfold thickness, body density, body fat and lean body mass estimated from body density, creatinine excretion in the 24-hour urine, and muscular volume calculated from creatinine excretion were studied in obese children and normal children of 10 and 11 years of age, and the difference in the skinfold thickness by sec, age, and district in school children in five districts in southern Kyushu (1,002 boys and 931 girls) were examined. Reference was then made to the skinfold thickness of some of experienced and new sumo wrestlers of the Japan Professional Sumo Association whose nutrition intake is high and who show high ratios of diabetes mellitus and cardiac diseases. The results of the present study were also compared with the results of skinfold thickness measurements of children in Ghana and Kenya and those of the skinfold thickness and body composition measurements of Czechoslovakian children.

Treatment of mycosis fungoides with OK-432

Up to the present no other therapeutic means besides local X-ray or beta-ray irradiation and anticancer drugs for the treatment of patients with mycosis fungoides, especially when the condition has progressed to secondary involvement of the lymph nodes, has been found. A recent clinical trial of OK-432 injected locally into cutaneous tumors of a patient with this disease resulted in a conspicuous contraction not only of the tumors injected but of other tumors as well along with significant regression of lymphadenomas. No serious adverse reaction was observed other than low-grade fever and heavy-headedness. These results suggest host-mediated and direct antitumor effects of OK-432 as the possible underlying mechanisms. The efficacy of OK-432 in reducing the size of the tumors without causing any serious adverse effects indicate the potential usefulness of this drug for the treatment of mycosis fungoides.

Biochemical properties of a penicillinase from Escherichia coli carrying Rms 298

We obtained two R plasmids, i.e., Rms195 and Rms298, from a clinical isolate, E. coli GN5503. Penicillin beta-lactamase (PCase) was extracted from ML1410 Rms195+ and Rms298+, and was purified by chromatography. Rms195 PCase was identical to the type I PCase mediated by R-TEM, RI and Rms212. The isoelectric point of Rms298 PCase was 5.9 and its molecular weight was 21,000 +/- 1,000. The substrate profile and physiochemical properties indicate that Rms298 PCase belongs to the type IV PCase mediated by Rms139 isolated from Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Glycinothricin, a new streptothricin-class antibiotic from Streptomyces griseus

Glycinothricin is a streptothricin-class antibiotic obtained for the first time from the culture broth of a strain of Streptomyces griseus. Glycinothricin, the deformimino derivative of antibiotic LL-AB664, gives N-methylstreptolidine, N-methyl-D-glucosamine and glycine on acid hydrolysis. In comparison with LL-AB664, glycinothricin is less active against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and less toxic to mice.