Endoscopic Observation of Tissue by Narrowband Illumination

We propose a new illumination method for a medical endoscope: narrow band imaging (NBI), in which the spectral bandwidth of the filtered light is narrowed. To confirm how the spectral specifications of the filtered light influence a reproduced image, an experiment was conducted observing the endoscopic images of the back mucosa of a human tongue. In addition, the effect of NBI on endoscopic images was investigated through preliminary clinical tests in colonoscopy and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. It has been shown that NBI can enhance the capillary pattern and the crypt pattern on the mucosa. These patterns are useful features for diagnosing an early cancer.     

Analytical approach to the discoloration of edible laver "nori" in the Ariake Sea.

To understand the cause of discoloration of the sea laver "nori," which is found in the Ariake Sea, the concentrations of pigments and elements in the normal and discolored laver samples were determined. In the discolored samples, a decrease in all of the pigments, chlorophyll a and carotenoids, and proteinous pigments, phycobiliproteins, was clearly observed. This was accompanied by a decrease in the content of Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and P. Good correlations between these elements and chlorophyll a, as well as between these elements and phycobiliproteins, were confirmed, indicating that, in addition to the deficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus, the deficiency of trace elements (Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu), which are specifically required for photosynthesis, could be a reason for the discoloration of nori. The cause of elemental deficiency is also discussed.     

Prospective study to assess the clinical efficacy of bone scintigraphy--some analyses of clinical data

The value of preoperative bone scans in patients with primary breast and prostate cancer was evaluated prospectively. Of 414 patients with breast cancer, clinical stage I is 14, II is 219, IIIA is 59, IIIB is 39 and IV is 14. Of 88 patients with prostate cancer, clinical stage I is 14, II is 15, III is 18 and IV is 41. 11 percent of patients with breast cancer and 54 percent of patients with prostate cancer had bone metastases. Clavicle, ribs, thoracic spine, lumbar spine and pelvis metastasized most frequently. The incidences of bone metastases were 18.4% with Scirrhous carcinoma, 15.4% with Medullary tubular carcinoma and 3.8% with Papillotubular carcinoma. The methodology and results of ROC analysis were described in our other papers. Some results of data analysis were described in this paper.     

Effect of interpolymer complex formation on bioadhesive property and drug release phenomenon of compressed tablet consisting of chitosan and sodium hyaluronate

The bioadhesion property of tablets consisting of chitosan (CS) and sodium hyaluronate (HA) was investigated using a lyophilized porcine dermis as a model of mucous membrane. Release phenomena of brilliant blue FCF (BBL) from the CS-HA tablets were also studied. BBL was employed as a model compound of water-soluble drugs. Strong adhesion forces were observed when the tablets were prepared from HA alone or a physical mixture of CS and HA. The adhesion of CS tablets was also obtained but it was rather weak. No effect of pH values in the media was observed on the adhesion force in these tablets. On the other hand, the release rate of BBL from CS-HA tablets was greatly affected by the change of the polymer mixing ratio, suggesting a possible interaction between CS and HA in the tablet following water penetration into the tablet.