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We optimized the launch trajectory of an laser-sustained-plasma-type (LSP) laser propulsion rocket at an altitude of 500 km by considering transmission efficiency. The launch cost was calculated based on the results of trajectory calculations. The transmission loss was considered to be the effect of atmospheric turbulence and focusing the performance of the lens. In the optimization problem, the Legendre–Gauss–Lobatto (LGL) method was used for discretization, and the sequential quadratic programming method was used to solve the optimization problem. The payload ratio was 18.0% with a laser power of 200 kW. In the launch calculation, the costs of the laser, electricity, propellant, and airframe were considered for the experience curve effect. The calculation indicated the cost of 267,000 launches was 29.1% of the cost of chemical propulsion.

2022, 【要旨】

プロポフォール(PF)を用いた全静脈麻酔での,手術終了時のレミフェンタニル(RF)の持続投与量が精神運動機能(PMF)の回復に及ぼす影響について調べた.【方法】対象は副鼻腔手術が予定されたASAリスクI の患者55 人であった.麻酔維持は,PF を効果部位濃度3 m g/ml に固定し,RF をbisptectral index 値が50～60 になるよう用量調節,持続投与した.そして,手術終了から30 分毎にTrieger dot test を用いてPMFを評価し,結んだ線から逸脱した点の数(NDM),逸脱した点から線までの最大距離(MDDM)を記録した.【結果】手術終了時のRF の持続投与量は0.22±0.10 m g/kg/分であった.NDM とMDDM の値は,それぞれ手術終了後120 分間,90 分間にわたって麻酔前値に比較して有意に増加していた.しかし,何れの時間においても,手術終了時のRF の持続投与量とNDM とMDDM の値に相関関係は認めなかった.【結語】手術終了時のRF の持続投与量がPMF の回復に及ぼす影響は少なく,PF とRF を用いた全静脈麻酔では手術終了までRF による十分な鎮痛が可能であることが示唆された., The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between recovery of psychomotor function and dose of remifentanil at the end of anesthesia in total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with propofol. Fifty five patients, who were scheduled for the sinus surgery under general anesthesia, were enrolled into this study. Anesthesia was induced and maintained with continuous infusion of propofol and remifentanil. Infusion of propofol was controlled using target control infusion pump (3 m g/mL at the effect site concentration). Infusion of remifentanil was adjusted by bispectral index (from 50 to 60). Psychomotor function, as measured by the Trieger dot test, was evaluated before anesthesia and 30 to 180 min after the end of TIVA. The number of dots missed (NDM) was significantly increased until 120 min after the end of TIVA, compared to the baseline vale. There was no significant correlation between value of NDM and dose of remifentanil at the end of TIVA during the study. The maximum distance of dots missed (MDDM) was significantly increased until 60 min after the end of TIVA, compared to the baseline value. There was no significant correlation between value of MDDM and dose of remifentanil at the end of TIVA during the study. Our results suggest that adequate dose of remifentanil can be administered until the end of surgery without delay of recovery of psychomotor functionin in TIVA with propofol and remifentanil.

雑種成犬の腕神経叢ブロック(BPB)モデルを作製し,ブロック後の上肢血流量の変化について調べた.【方法】雑種雄性成犬を対象とし,全身麻酔下にBPB モデルを作製し,生理食塩水1 mL(生理食塩水群:8 例)と1%メピバカイン1 mL(局所麻酔薬群:8 例)投与後の正中動脈血流量(MABF)の変化を記録,比較検討した.BPB は,超音波下に21 ゲージ針を腕神経叢内に進め,電気刺激装置にて刺激を確認しながら薬液を注入し,測定終了時に頚部を開創してインジゴカルミン含有の薬液の神経叢内に限局した広がり確認した.BPB による上肢血流量の変化は超音波血流計を用いてMABF を測定することにより評価した.【結果】局所麻酔薬群では,薬液注入30 分後よりブロック側のMABF が有意に増加し,その増加は60 分後に最大値(136.7±35.3%)に達し,有意な血流増加は140 分後まで持続した.局所麻酔薬群のブロック反対側のMABF の変動は認められなかった.一方,生理食塩水群では,薬液注入後のMABF の変動は,ブロック側,反対側ともに認められなかった.【結語】雑種成犬のBPB を作製し,交感神経遮断によると考えられる上肢の動脈血流増加作用を確認した., The purpose of this study is to establish a model of brachial plexus block( BPB) in anesthetized dogs and evaluate changes in the arterial blood flow after BPB. Sixteen anesthetized dogs were enrolled into this study and divided into two groups as follows;M group( 1% mepivacaine 1 mL:n=8) and C group (physiological saline solution (PSS)1 mL:n=8). For BPB, a block needle was inserted into the left brachial plexus under ultrasonic imaging, the brachial plexus was identified using a nerve stimulator and the spread of drug solutions was confirmed by indigo carmine under dissection after the study. Changes in the arterial blood flow were evaluated by the median arterial blood flow (MABF) using the ultrasonic blood flowmeter. In group M,left MABF was significantly increased from 30 min to 120 min after BPB, and maximum increase in MABF was 136.7±35 % at 60 min after BPB. In group C, changes in left MABF were not observed during the study. In both groups, right MABF was not changed after BPB. Our results suggest that BPB may have a vasodilating effect induced by sympathetic block.

Total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) with propofol combined with remifentanil or fentanyl has commonly been used to achieve general anesthesia. The purpose of this study was to examine recovery of psychomotor function, by use of the Trieger dot test, after TIVA with remifentanil–propofol or with fentanyl–propofol. Forty patients were randomly divided into two groups of 20, to receive TIVA with either remifentanil–propofol (group R) or fentanyl–propofol (group F). Anesthesia was induced by intravenous injection of propofol. In group R, remifentanil at 0.3 μg/kg/min was infused continuously during surgery. In group F, 3 μg/kg fentanyl was injected as an initial dose and 1 μg/kg fentanyl was administered intravenously every 30 min during surgery. Psychomotor function, as measured by the Trieger dot test, was evaluated before anesthesia and 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 min after the end of TIVA. From assessment of the Trieger dot test, the number of dots missed in group R from 30 to 120 min after the end of TIVA was significantly lower than in group F. The maximum distance of dots missed in group R from 30 to 120 min after the end of TIVA was significantly shorter than in group F. The average distance of dots missed in group R from 30 to 120 min after the end of TIVA was significantly shorter than in group F. Recovery of psychomotor function in TIVA with remifentanil–propofol is faster than that in TIVA with fentanyl–propofol.

The situation that a present industrial world surrounds has changed intensely. However, (1) grounding that is a necessary nature for the engineer of the enterprise, (2) problem discovery ability, a problemsolving ability, (3) communications skills, young man engineer’s skills, and (4)member of society basic skills, etc. are fragile. Then, we began the project to work on the reform of the undergraduate education to teach the student the nature requested by the engineer of the enterprise in the H20 fiscal year in cooperation with the enterprise in the machine of Mechanical System Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering at Utsunomiya University. In this text, the project is introduced.

Growing garden products involves a lot of work, such as harvesting, which is difficult to mechanize. Garden product crops require longer working hour compared with rice. We are developing a robot performing soil sterilization aimed at preventing repeated cultivation disorder. This robot is a medicinal solution injection robot injecting chloropicrin to use for soil sterilization automatically. The developed robot is driven by oil pressure actuators, runs on crawlers, with an chemical injector mounted in front of the robot. The robot is equipped with a triangular surveying sensor. The robot covers entire working soil area with a combination of straight lines and arcs along which the position and orientation of the robot is compensated by the output from the sensor. Experiments were conducted to demonstrate that the robot can navigate on the uneven and soft terrain within required position errors.

Growing garden products involves a lot of work, such as harvesting, which is difficult to mechanize. Garden product crops require longer working hour compared with rice. We are developing a robot performing soil sterilization aimed at preventing repeated cultivation disorder. This robot is a medicinal solution injection robot injecting chloropicrin to use for soil sterilization automatically. The developed robot is driven by oil pressure actuators, runs on crawlers, with an chemical injector mounted in front of the robot. The robot is equipped with a gyroscopic sensor and a triangular surveying sensor. The robot covers entire working soil area with a combination of straight lines along which the position and orientation of the robot is compensated by the output from the sensors. Experiments were conducted to demonstrate that the robot can navigate on the uneven and soft terrain within required position errors.

Study Objective To examine the effects of landiolol on the QT interval, rate-corrected QT (QTc) interval, QT dispersion (QTD), and rate-corrected QTD (QTcD) during tracheal intubation using computerized measurement. Design Randomized, double-blinded study. Setting Dokkyo Medical University Hospital operating room. Patients 30 ASA physical status I patients scheduled for elective surgery. Inventions Patients were randomized to receive either normal saline (saline group) or landiolol (landiolol group; one-min loading infusion of 0.125 mg/kg followed by 0.04 mg/kg/min infusion). Immediately after the start of administration of saline or landiolol, anesthesia was induced with intravenous (IV) fentanyl two μg/kg, propofol 1.5 mg/kg, and vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg. Six minutes after administration of saline or landiolol, tracheal intubation was performed within 20 seconds. Measurements Mean arterial pressure (MAP), RR interval, QT interval, QTc interval, QTD, and QTcD were consecutively recorded during the induction. Main Results There was no significant difference in MAP between groups during the study. RR interval in the landiolol group was significantly longer than in the saline group from two minutes after the start of the landiolol infusion to the end of the study. The QT interval in the landiolol group was significantly shorter than in the saline group from start of the infusion to 4 minutes after tracheal intubation. The QTc interval, QTD, and QTcD in the landiolol group were significantly shorter than those in the saline group from immediately after tracheal intubation to the end of study. Conclusion A bolus of landiolol 0.125 mg/kg followed by an infusion of landiolol 0.04 mg/kg/min may reduce the risk of cardiac arrhythmias during induction of anesthesia.

We have developed an autonomous robot carrying a heavy medicine container, to be used in the medicine factory. In this environment, its workspace is narrow and the robot has to negotiate between existing machines and instruments. It is also necessary for the robot to comply with strict GMP standards defined by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan for medicine production. The robot tows an empty container to the throw-in platform according to the instruction given by the process controller system via infrared communication. Once loaded, the container is again towed by the robot and stored at a designated position in the stowage area. The robot runs on magnetic rails autonomously and is able to tow a container weighing 200[kg], or heavier, and precisely position the container at the specified location with less than 10[mm] of error. The container is rigidly held by a specifically designed gripper on the robot during transportation to maintain precise motion and positioning of the container. Three robots have worked in a medicine factory for more than two years without causing a single interruption in the manufacturing process, achieving improved production efficiency, lowered production costs, with fewer workers attending the production line than before.

We have developed an autonomous robot carrying heavy product containers, to be used in the medicine factory. In this environment, its workspace is narrow and the robot has to negotiate between existing machines and instruments. It is also necessary for the robot to comply with strict GMP standards defined by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan for medicine production. The paper proposes a new navigation method using both vision and magnetic tags, rather than conventional magnetic rails on the floor. The robot tows product containers on a cart, and transfers them between a packer and a palettizer for wrapping, according to the instruction given by the process controller system via infrared communication. The robot runs on defined paths by detecting either a tape on the ceiling by vision, or magnetic field generated by small magnetic tags buried on the floor. The proposed method can achieve precision equivalent to the conventional method with magnetic tapes, and requires less initial installation costs. Three robots have worked in a medicine factory for more than a year without causing a single interruption in the manufacturing process, achieving improved production efficiency, lowered production costs, with fewer workers attending the production line than before.

This paper describes the design and development of a new robotic system in which the autonomous floor cleaning robot cooperates with the elevator to clean multiple floors in the high-rise office building without human intervention. The autonomous floor cleaning robot, which was reported in our previous paper, was modified and equipped with an optical transmitter to communicate with the elevator. The elevator accepts requests from the robot, opens the door and moves to the designated floor carrying the robot. The robot cleans specified area of the floor automatically and calls the elevator to move to the next floor when finished the cleaning task. We successfully introduced this system to a site of three office buildings. With only one human operator and seven robots, approximately 153, 600 [m2] in 80 floors can be cleaned in about 5 [h] and 30 [min] .

Randomly selected 50 asymptomatic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier residents who had been followed annually were enrolled in this study. The subject group comprised 25 males and 25 females with a mean age at the start of follow-up of 44.1+/-10.4 years. The mean follow-up period was 15.5+/-2.7 years. Genotyping revealed 27 (54%) of genotype B and 23 (46%) of genotype C. The prevalence of genotype B was clearly higher in asymptomatic HBV carrier redidents, which was contrary to the previous reports on chronic liver disease. At the start of follow-up, the ratio of carriers positive for anti-HBe was significantly higher in genotype B than genotype C (P0.001). Furthermore, the ratio of carriers with reduced HBV-DNA levels was significantly higher in genotype B than genotype C (P0.01), suggesting that most genotype B carriers had already undergone seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe and were clinically stable at the start of follow-up. The subsequent follow-up observations demonstrated that levels of HBV-DNA and ALT were lower in genotype B than genotype C. Seroconversion from HBeAg to anti-HBe was less likely to occur in genotype C carriers, especially on 40-year-old generation, and these subjects were more likely to develop chronic liver disease.

For a routine cleaning and a primary decontamination of tritiated contaminants in the case of decommissioning, a decontamination robot based on dry method utilizing ozone gas treatment was developed. The robot sized of 720(W)x850(D)x1,050(H) mm with a remote and automatic system consists mainly of 5 different part, a flat decontamination port of about 1,000 cm 2 for ozone gas exposure with a heater and surrounding rubber curtain to isolate the inside circumstance, an ozone gas generator utilizing creeping discharge method, a gas cooler for the hot air containing tritiated vapor to be trapped, an adsorption vessel packing molecular-sieves for tritium trap, and a circulation pump. The amount of suction air is larger than that of the exposure air, therefore, non of the contaminants are scattered out from the adsorption port, and this is one of the main characteristic of the robot.

Clinical and molecular virological differences were evaluated in 50 Japanese patients chronically infected with HBV of genotype B and C who were matched for age and sex as well as the severity of liver disease in a case-control study. Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) was significantly less frequent (16% vs. 42%, P or = 35 years (OR, 5.5; CI, 1.5-20.5), and more advanced liver disease (OR, 4.1; CI, 1.6-10.2), but it was not associated with sex, HBeAg, HBV DNA, or the precore mutation (A1896). These results suggest a role of the double mutation in the basic core promoter in association with genotype C and a longer duration of infection in the aggravation of chronic hepatitis B.

A controlled trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of interferon (IFN) between two groups of patients with type C liver. Thirty-five patients were randomly assigned to group A (17 patients) or group B (18 patients). The former received 3 megaunits (MU) of human lymphoblastoid IFN six days per week for two weeks, followed by three days per week for 50 weeks; the latter group received 6 MU six days per week for two weeks followed by three days per week for 24 weeks. The percentages of biological sustained responders (B-SR) and virological sustained responders (V-SR) were 29.4 and 23.5%, respectively, in group B, and 17.6% for both in group A. The therapeutic effects were not different between two groups. HCV genotype 2 accounted for significantly higher percentage of B-SR and V-SR (both 57.1%, respectively). These findings indicate that IFN is effective in type C cirrhosis with genotype 2.

BACKGROUND The effectiveness of interferon against hepatitis C has been found to be greatly affected by viral factors. However, few controlled interferon trials have involved seemingly intractable cases of chronic hepatitis C. METHODS In 44 patients with high hepatitis C virus RNA levels (> or = 10(5) copies/mL), we carried out a prospective, controlled study of two natural interferon-alpha regimens, seeking predictors of therapeutic efficacy. Total natural interferon-alpha doses over 6 months in two groups were 780 and 840 million units, respectively. RESULTS High therapeutic efficacy was achieved with no significant outcome difference between the regimens. The virus eradication rate was 35% and the rate of sustained biochemical response was 45% for both regimens. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified viral genotype as the only significant predictor of success in viral eradication. CONCLUSIONS Hepatitis C virus genotype 2 showed high sensitivity to interferon-alpha and this therapy can be recommended even for patients with a high viral load of this genotype. In contrast, with genotype 1b, cure was extremely difficult in cases with 10(7) or more copies/mL with a single 6-month course of interferon-alpha.

Hepatitis E is endemic in developing countries and may occur as imported hepatitis in industrialized countries. A 46-year-old Japanese man developed immunoserologically diagnosed acute hepatitis E in Japan 4 months after he had made a trip to China. He had bought a Chinese herbal medicine there, taking it occasionally until approximately 6 weeks prior to the onset of acute hepatitis. Nucleotide sequencing of the 3' terminal region of the viral cDNA amplified from the patient's serum by polymerase chain reaction revealed a high degree of homology (99.8% of 752 nucleotides) with the Chinese strain. Thus, the results of sequencing suggest that his hepatitis E was caused by infection with the Chinese strain, via the Chinese herbal medicine.

To the Editor: Greater occipital nerve block is indicated for cervicogenic or cluster headache. Identifying the location of the nerve is important for differential diagnosis of cervicogenic headache, because it is necessary to block this nerve and not neighboring structures [1]. The blocking point is where the greater occipital nerve crosses the superior nuchal line approximately halfway between the external occipital protuberance and the mastoid process [2, 3]. The nerve emerges on this line in association with the occipital artery, and thus this artery is the most reliable anatomical landmark [2, 3]. However, it may be difficult to detect pulsation of the occipital artery, because the artery is thin, its course is variable, and hair may make palpation of the scalp difficult. Although the use of sonography has been suggested for detection of the nerve [4], it is likely to be difficult because of interference from the hair of the head. In such a case, textbooks generally describe that the blocking point should be 2.5–3.0 cm from the external occipital protuberance [2, 3]. In our daily clinical practice, we thought that this distance may be too short in men. Therefore, we formally studied this by pulsation, and by a Doppler flowmeter, which we previously reported to be useful [5]. The institutional review board approved the study, and written informed consent was obtained from 330 healthy volunteers (200 men and 130 women). Each volunteer was placed in the prone position and attempts were made to palpate the bilateral occipital arteries. If neither side could be palpated, it was judged a failure. The Doppler flowmeter probe (Nihon Kohden ES-1000 SP, Tokyo, Japan) was then placed and moved along the superior nuchal line until artery flow became audible. When the artery was detected, we measured the distance between the artery and the external protuberance. The artery could not be palpated on either the right or the left side in 15 of 200 (7.5 %) male subjects and 12 of 130 (9.2 %) female subjects. With the Doppler flowmeter, the artery could not be detected in 5 (2.5 %) men and 3 (2.3 %) women, and in all of whom the artery also could not be detected by palpation. The mean distance from the external occipital protuberance to the occipital artery in females (Table 1) was within the textbook range (2.5–3.0 cm), but the distance in males was significantly longer than that in females (P ≤ 0.05, Student’s t test) (Table 1), and the distance was between 2.5 and 3.0 cm in only 27 of 195 (13.8 %) volunteers (in whom the distance could be measured). Table 1 Volunteer characteristics and distance between the occipital artery and the external occipital protuberance (mean (standard deviation), [range]) We have confirmed that the occipital artery sometimes cannot be detected by palpation, or even by Doppler flowmeter. The volunteers we studied were all young, and it is possible that the failure rate of detection may be higher in senior people with headache, who may have neuralgia-induced vasoconstriction. We suggest that, when the occipital artery could not be detected, the blocking point should be about 2.5 cm from the external occipital protuberance in women and about 4.0 cm (and not 2.5–3.0 cm) in men.

The Mine Detection Robot supports the mine removal work in countries where mines are buried, such as Afghanistan. The development started from September, 2003. Considering running on rough terrains, the robot has four crawlers, and hydraulic motors in front and rear were serially connected by piping so that they could rotate synchronously. Two work arms were mounted on the robot, one was a horizontal multi-joint SCARA type with motorized 2-link arm, while the other was a vertical multi-joint manipulator with 6 degrees of freedom. Also, domestic evaluation tests were carried out from February to March, 2005, followed by overseas validation tests in Croatia from February to March, 2006. These tests were conducted with a mine detecting senor mounted on the Robot, and the detection performance was evaluated by its mine detection rate.

Background and Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of viral load on disease severity and analyze the possible relationship of the load of hepatitis A virus (HAV) with disease severity and laboratory findings. Methods: Fifty-eight patients diagnosed with acute hepatitis A were used in the current study, of whom 12 patients progressed to severe acute hepatitis (s-AH) defined on the basis of a prothrombin time (PT) of

One hundred and forty-one patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection treated with 6 MIU of interferon (IFN)-alpha2b for 24 weeks were studied to compare pretreatment viral dynamics during 1 month before the initiation of treatment (DeltaHCV) with other predictive factors. The patients were classified into three groups according to DeltaHCV: the Increase group (DeltaHCV0.20log copies/ml/month), the Stable group (-0.20/=DeltaHCV/=0.20log copies/ml/month) and the Decrease group (DeltaHCV-0.20log copies/ml/month). The sustained response (SR) rates were 0/40 (0%) in the Increase group, 6/54 (11.1%) in the Stable group and 25/47 (53.2%) in the Decrease group (P0.0001). Based on the HCV RNA level at baseline, the SR rates were lower in the Increase group than that in the Decrease group in less than 5.0log copies/ml (0% vs. 100.0%, P=0.0132) and at 5.00-5.49log copies/ml (0% vs. 81.8%, P=0.0270), respectively. The pretreatment HCV RNA decrease was determined as independent predictors of SR by multivariable logistic regression analysis (P0.0001). For serial assays of HCV RNA during treatment, there was not significant difference in mean HCV RNA level at baseline but was significantly different on day 14 between the Decrease and the Nondecrease groups (1.15 vs. 2.21log copies/ml, P=0.0417). These results suggest that DeltaHCV is independently associated with the IFN response and is useful for determining the indication of IFN treatment.

We developed a highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay (EIA), the p-AP/HHTIO method, that detects serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by measuring stabilized nitroxide radicals using a novel electron spin resonance technique [Matsuo et al. (1998) Free Radic Biol Med 25:929-935]. To demonstrate the clinical significance of this method and to reveal occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in patients, we used the method to analyze serum samples of 30 patients with acute or fulminant hepatitis who were negative for HBsAg by standard EIA, and those of seven chronic HBV carriers who became negative for HBsAg during a follow-up period by standard EIA. We also examined serum HBV DNA by amplification of the HBV S gene, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The p-AP/HHTIO method showed that 9 of 20 (45%) patients with acute hepatitis and 2 of 10 (20%) with fulminant hepatitis were positive for HBsAg; PCR detected HBV DNA in these HBsAg-positive patients. Antibody against hepatitis B core antigen was detected in one patient with fulminant hepatitis. The p-AP/HHTIO method demonstrated prolonged seropositivity of HBsAg even after standard EIA showed a loss of HBsAg in all seven HBV carriers. Our p-AP/HHTIO method is useful for screening and diagnosing HBV infection in patients with liver diseases who are negative for conventional HBV-related serological markers.

We evaluated the immunoreactivity to monoclonal antibody for hepatocyte (Hep Par 1) and determined the cellular distribution of the antigen in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), based on the histopathological grade and histological pattern. The pathological material included 100 areas selected at random in 61 tissue sections from 12 autopsy livers with HCC. Immunoreactivity was classified into four categories; strongly positive (90% of the area showed positive staining), moderately positive (5-90% of the area), weakly positive (5% of the area), and negative (completely negative). All 19 (100%) well-differentiated, trabecular type HCC areas were strongly positive for Hep Par 1. Among 11 well-differentiated, pseudoglandular type HCC areas, 2 (18%) were strongly positive, 5 (46%) were moderately positive, 2 (18%) were weakly positive, and 2 (18%) were negative. Among 36 moderately differentiated, trabecular type HCC areas, 6 (17%) were strongly positive, 17 (47%) were moderately positive, 9 (25%) were weakly positive, and 4 (11%) were negative. None of the four moderately differentiated, pseudoglandular type HCC areas were strongly positive, 3 (75%) were moderately positive, 0 was weakly positive, and 1 (25%) was negative. Among 25 poorly differentiated, compact or trabecular type HCC areas, 15 (60%) were weakly positive and 10 (40%) were negative. All 5 (100%) undifferentiated HCC areas were negative for Hep Par 1. Our results indicate that immunoreactivity to Hep Par 1 in HCC decreases with reduced differentiation of the tumor, suggesting that Hep Par 1 monoclonal antibody is useful as a marker for the diagnosis and differentiation of HCCs.

In an annual survey for liver function tests in persons aged > 35 years in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, a town was identified where high levels of alanine aminotransferase abounded. Of 5152 inhabitants aged > 35 years in this town, antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV) determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with HCV core peptides were detected in 798 (15.5%) people, hepatitis B surface antigen was detected in 47 (0.9%) people and antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen and/or hepatitis B core antigen unaccompanied by surface antigenaemia were detected in 1748 (33.9%) people. Antibodies to HCV core peptides correlated closely with the antibodies detected by passive haemagglutination with recombinant HCV proteins of the second generation. Antibodies to HCV core peptides were particularly common in one of the nine districts of the town (district 8), where 276 (45.3%) of 609 inhabitants tested positive; there were no differences in the frequency of serological markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among residents in the nine districts. Of the 798 individuals with antibodies to HCV core peptides, 257 (32.2%) were found to have elevated transaminase levels. A history of transfusion was associated with a high frequency of antibodies to HCV core peptides, except in district 8 where such antibodies were equally frequent in residents irrespective of transfusions. These results indicate an epidemiology of HCV distinct from that of HBV in this town and a very local spread of HCV, as well as a high frequency of hepatic injuries in individuals with antibodies to HCV.

The nucleotide sequence of hepatitis G virus (HGV) genome was determined by analysis of cDNA clones obtained by long reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (long RT PCR) and 5′- and 3′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) from a Japanese patient (Iw) with non A-E hepatitis. The HGV-Iw genome, consisting of 9375 nucleotides, contains a long open reading frame encoding 2873 amino acid residues. Comparison of HGV-Iw with two American isolates of HGV and one African isolate of GB virus C (GBV-C) indicates that although the nucleotide sequences of these isolates were considerably divergent (86.2% to 93.3%), the deduced amino acid sequences shared an extremely high degree of identity (96.1% to 100%). It was also found that HGV-Iw was more closely related to the HGV isolates from USA than to the GBV-C isolate from Africa.