Freeze-etching observations of herpes simplex virus

Herpes simplex virus isolated from the cheek lesions of a patient was propagated on FL cells. Pellets of infected cells were cryoprotected with glycerol, and processed for freeze-etching. Viral nucleocapsids were observed in the nucleus of FL cells. The cores were observed in three forms. Capsomeres were clearly shown. Release of virus particles from the nucleus and the plasmalemma was more clearly observed. Myeloid figures and lipid droplets were also found. The significance of these findings is discussed.

[Studies of the relationship between renin secretion and the sympathetic nervous system responsiveness in man (author's transl)]

In recent years many investigators have reported the role of the sympathetic nervous system and the catecholamines in the regulation of renin secretion. It has been recently reported that plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) excreted through the mechanism of the exocytosis with noradrenaline from the sympathetic postganglionic nervous endings is a mirror of the function of the sympathetic nervous system. In this investigation, blood pressure, urinary catecholamine excretion, plasma DBH activity and plasmsa renin activity (RPA) have been determined in normal individuals during the mecholyl test and insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. In the mecholyl test, plasma DBH activity and PRA markedly increased in five males who showed prominent responses of systolic blood pressure to mecholyl (S type) and changed slightly in eight males who showed minimal responses of systolic blood pressure to mecholyl (N type). It showed that there was a significant relationship between the maximal percent increases from their respective control values of plasma DBH activity and those of PRA following mecholyl. In insulin-induced hypoglycaemia, plasma DBH activity, blood pressure and PRA remarkably increased following a large dose of insulin administration (0.15 u/kg). In a dose of 0.1 u/kg, there was no significant increase of plasma DBH activity and blood pressure. PRA singificantly increased but was lower than a large dose of insulin. Also, it showed that their was a significant relationship between maximal percent increases from their respective control values of plasma DBH activity and those of PRA following insulin administration. These data indicate a close correlation between changes in plasma DBH activity and those of PRA during mecholyl and insulin-induced hypoglycaemia and lend additional support to the concept of sympathetic nervous system mechanism of renin secretion.

The Protection of Dogs Against Rabies by Umeno's Method of Preventive Inoculation

The results are presented of 104,629 preventive inoculations of dogs against rabies in Tokio and Yokohama and their environs during the period since the adoption of Umeno's prophylactic method. It is shown that only 41 of the inoculated dogs developed rabies, while 1699 of the uninoculated group contracted the disease, notwithstanding the latter group represented only one-third of the total number of dogs in the two prefectures.