Effects of a tropical cyclone on the distribution of hatchery-reared black-spot tuskfish Choerodon schoenleinii determined by acoustic telemetry.

The effects of a tropical cyclone on the distribution of hatchery-reared black-spot tuskfish Choerodon schoenleinii were examined using acoustic telemetry. Nine fish were released in Urasoko Bay, Ishigaki Island, Japan, in September 2006, and another nine were released in June to July 2007, before a cyclone's passing through the area in September 2007. Data for the fish released in 2006 were used as the cyclone-inexperienced group to compare their distribution pattern to that of the 2007 cyclone-experienced group. Both groups of fish were monitored for up to 150 days. Of the nine fish in each group, four (44%) and two (22%) were monitored for over 150 days in the cyclone-inexperienced and the cyclone-experienced groups, respectively. Three of the five fish that had settled in the monitoring area left the area within a few days of the cyclone event. To estimate the time of disappearance of the fish, maximum wind speed during a period of 7 days (indicating the occurrence and intensity of the tropical cyclone), fish size and release year were evaluated as explanatory variables using a Cox proportional hazards model with Akaike's information criterion. The best predictive model included the effect of maximum wind speed. One fish that left the monitoring area displayed movement patterns related to strong winds, suggesting that wind-associated strong currents swept the fish away. No relationships were found between the movement patterns of the other two fish and any physical environmental data. The daily detection periods of one of the two fish gradually decreased after the cyclone hit, and this fish eventually left the monitoring area within 3 days, suggesting that it shifted to a habitat outside the monitoring area. These results indicate that tropical cyclones have both direct and indirect effects on the distribution of hatchery-reared C. schoenleinii.

Development and evaluation of regional health database systems.

We have developed information systems for regional public health in some areas. These systems have the following functions: (1) to register results of examinations, life style, follow-up data, diseases, (2) to output some reports and statistics for daily jobs, (3) to make a personal health database, (4) to display stored data by character, trend graph, radar chart or bar chart, (5) to analyze regional health problems, (6) to extract dada about persons with some conditions, (7) to compare data among some examinations, (8) to analyze risk factors. Each database can be transferred to mini-notebook type personal computers. So, they can be used anywhere and any time. Some access controls are performed for security. The systems are used in routine works, health consultation for persons and health education for groups. We have evaluated the systems and got some useful results. Using the systems, daily jobs can be performed with good accuracy and less labor, each subject can understand one's health status easily and clearly, grasps of health problems can be made quantitatively and health projects can be planned by scientific methods.

[Primary malignant T-cell-rich B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system: a case report].

An autopsy case of primary intracranial T-cell-rich B-cell lymphoma in a 69-year-old female is presented. The patient was admitted with a diagnosis of a brain tumor in July 1993 and a month long history of mental deterioration, motor weakness of the right arm and leg, and a tendency toward somnolence. Neurological examination revealed disturbance of consciousness, right hemiparesis, and papilloedema. However, her general physical examination was unremarkable. A CT scan and MR imaging revealed an irregular enhanced mass lesion at the paraventricular deep white matter in the bilateral parieto-occipital lobe. The patient was treated with surgical biopsy of the tumor followed by combined radiotherapy (a total of 50 Gy) and chemotherapy. Following repetitive episodes of remission and exacerbation, the patient expired about seven months after the onset of symptoms. Histopathological diagnosis of the tumor was malignant lymphoma (diffuse medium-sized cell type). In the immunohistochemical study, most of the lymphoma cells had T-cell markers, such as UCHL1. Some of the lymphoma cells were L26-positive. Neither glial fibrillary acidic protein nor neuron specific enolase were reactive with the lymphoma cells. At post-mortem examination, the specimens disclosed diffuse infiltration of medium-sized lymphoma cells. By contrast, most of the lymphoma cells were shown to be positive by the analysis of L26. None of the lymphoma cells exhibited the presence of UCHL1. These immunohistochemical evaluations conform to the criteria of T-cell-rich B-cell lymphoma.