Jiro Konno

The nature of antibody in swine naturally infected with japanese encephalitis virus.

Summary When serum specimens of pigs obtained weekly from a slaughterhouse throughout the summer of 1965 were tested for their HI activity against J.E. virus, an abrupt change was seen from 4% positive in the second week to 46% positive in the third week. By the fourth week, 90% were positive. When the 2-ME sensitivity HI activity of these sera was tested, almost 100% of the specimens obtained through these 3 weeks contained 2-ME-sensitive antibody. However, sensitivity to 2-ME was reduced to 70% in the first week of September, to 44% in the second week, and after the fourth week, none of the tested serum specimens was sensitive. Evidently, 2-ME-sensitive antibody appeared before the 2-ME-resistant antibody and the detection of 2-ME-sensitive antibody against J.E. virus in the early summer gave a reliable basis for prediction of the outbreak among human beings later in that year.

Comparison of the health effects between indoor and outdoor air pollution in Northeastern Japan

Abstract In January-February 1984, more than 30 000 inhabitants, aged 40 years or more of three regions in the Miyagi prefecture, Japan, responded (response rate: 87%) to questionnaires on subjective symptoms (sixteen questions, including six on the respiratory system and three on the eyes) caused by the type of space heaters used at their homes, smoking habits, and location of their homes in relation to heavy traffic roads. Nonsmokers (2389 men and 10 321 women, 12 710 total) were selected for analysis. The analysis on the relationship between the type of heaters and ophthalmo-respiratory subjective symptoms showed that one symptom in men and two symptoms in women were significantly more prevalent among those who use indoor air-polluting heaters (e.g., unvented kerosene/gas stoves) than those who use nonpulluting ones (e.g., vented heaters). When the relationship of home location and symptom prevalence was similarly examined, those in homes located at heavy traffic roads had more symptoms (three and seven symptoms among men and women, respectively) than those in homes which were not at heavy traffic roads. The comparison in the numbers of symptoms (with a significant increase in prevalence) between those associated with indoor pollution and that with outdoor suggests that the effects of indoor pollution caused by pollutant-emitting heaters are less intensive than the effects of outdoor pollution by traffic.

β-Inhibitor, Its Biological and Physicochemical Properties with Particular Emphasis on the Differences from α-Inhibitor, Immune Serum and Properdin

Biological and physicochemical properties of the β-inhibitor was studied in order to differentiate this inhibitor from the α-inhibitor, antiviral immune serum and properdin. The substance is fairly heat-labile and susceptible to trypsin action, indicating the protein nature. However these characteristics are quite different from that of specific immune serum. The fl-inhibitor is resistant to the action of both RDE and KIO4, thus distinguishing it from the α-inhibitor. Though the adsorption to zymosan has been proved with this agent as has been already proved with properdin, the participation of complement for the action of the β-inhibitor is not necessary at all. Further, biological activity of the β-inhibitor is limited just to the mouse nonadapted type A influenza viruses. The richest source of β-inhibiror was ox serum, but it was also detected in the serum of the rabbit and mouse. The purification of the β-inhibitor was performed from ox serum and after precipitation with ammonium sulfate, adsorption to and elution from zymosan was particularly effective to remove the other entities contained in ox serum. Though the 240 times purification was achieved in the sense of HAI activity per mg. of nitrogen, the heat lability increased when the purification advanced. From this reason, the purification study is still going on.