bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
TIMING OF THE STAGES OF THE MATURATION DIVISIONS, OVULATION, FERTILIZATION AND THE FIRST CLEAVAGE OF EGGS OF ADULT MICE TREATED WITH GONADOTROPHINS
Authors: EDWARDS R. G. , GATES A. H.
Published: December 2008

The stages of the maturation divisions, ovulation, fertilization and the first cleavage in the eggs of two strains of adult mice have been timed following superovulation treatment. Superovulation was induced by a priming injection of pregnant mares' serum followed after a 40 hr interval by human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG).

The oocytes were in the dictyate (germinal vesicle) stage until 2 hr after the injection of HCG. They then completed the prophase of the first maturation division, and the first metaphase plates were found 30 min later. From approx. 4½ to 8 hr all oocytes were in metaphase. The first maturation division and extrusion of the first polar body were then rapidly completed just before ovulation.

Ovulation began, as judged by the presence of eggs with adherent cumulus in the uterine tubes, 11 hr after the injection of HCG and was virtually complete by 14 hr. One strain of mice ovulated slightly later than another strain. The time at which ovulation occurred was very similar in mated and unmated females.

Fertilization and the first cleavage were studied in females which mated before ovulation began, and the mean intervals between various stages were as follows. Spermatozoa penetrated through the cumulus and zona pellucida in approx. 1 hr, and remained in the perivitelline space for 50 min. Pronuclei were formed 4¼ hr later, and the first cleavage division occurred at approx. 25 hr after penetration of spermatozoa into the eggs. These estimates are similar to those reported by other workers.

The formation of oocytes in the adult mammalian ovary, the timing of early stages in the prophase of the first maturation division, and the relation between natural and induced ovulation are discussed.
THE EFFECT OF GROWTH HORMONE AND OF CORTISOL ON THE RESPONSE OF ISOLATED RAT DIAPHRAGM TO THE STIMULATING EFFECT OF INSULIN ON GLUCOSE UPTAKE AND ON INCORPORATION OF AMINO ACIDS INTO PROTEIN
Authors: MANCHESTER K. L. , RANDLE P. J. , YOUNG F. G.
Published: December 2008

1. The effect of hypophysectomy, or of adrenalectomy, and injection of pituitary growth hormone (GH) or of cortisol, on the uptake of glucose and the incorporation of glycine into protein by isolated rat diaphragm, and the effect of the addition of insulin in vitro on these processes, has been studied.

2. Both hypophysectomy and adrenalectomy raised the uptake of glucose by isolated diaphragm, while treatment of the intact or of the hypophysectomized rat with GH, or of the intact or of the adrenalectomized rat with cortisol, depressed it. Although hypophysectomy and adrenalectomy did not influence the additional glucose uptake induced by 200 mu./ml. of insulin in vitro, both these operations enhanced the effect of 0·1–1·0 mu./ml. of insulin on glucose uptake by diaphragm in vitro. Treatment of the rat with GH or cortisol diminished the rise in glucose uptake of diaphragm induced by 0·1–1·0 mu./ml. insulin.

3. Hypophysectomy depressed, and administration of GH to the intact or hypophysectomized rat raised, the incorporation of glycine into protein of the isolated diaphragm, but neither of these operations altered the magnitude of the stimulation of incorporation induced by 1·0 mu./ml. insulin.

4. Adrenalectomy raised, and administration of cortisol to the intact or adrenalectomized rat depressed, the incorporation of glycine into protein of the isolated diaphragm; adrenalectomy enhanced, the injection of cortisol diminished, the effect of 1·0 mu./ml. insulin on these processes.

5. The possibility that GH directs insulin towards the stimulation of protein synthesis, in part by restraining the action of insulin on carbohydrate metabolism, is discussed.
PROGESTERONE IN BLOOD
Authors: SHORT R. V. , ETON B.
Published: December 2008

The content of progesterone was determined in the peripheral venous blood of pregnant women from the 11th week after the last menstrual period up to the day of birth. There was a steady increase in the blood level from the 11th to the 35th week, but thereafter the level rose more rapidly, and remained high during labour itself. The significance of this rise after the 35th week is not fully understood. It may reflect a decrease in the rate of progesterone metabolism which occurs at this time. The blood level in three cases of twin pregnancy tended to be higher than the corresponding levels for single pregnancies.

After removal of the placenta during elective caesarean sections, it was found that the blood progesterone level rapidly fell below the limits of sensitivity of the method. It has been estimated that the half-life of progesterone in the circulating blood must be 5 min or less.
MATING BEHAVIOUR OF THE ADULT RAT AFTER X-RAY STERILIZATION
Authors: MANDL ANITA M.
Published: December 2008

So long as oestrous cycles persist, X-ray sterilized females will frequently accept the male. If insemination occurs during the first 2 days after treatment, it is frequently followed by a period of pseudopregnancy. Matings occur very rarely once the period of continuous vaginal cornification has set in.
SOME ASPECTS OF ADRENAL HISTOLOGY AND HISTOCHEMISTRY IN THE SOFT-SHELLED TURTLE OF SOUTH CHINA (CHELONIA AMYDA)
Authors: LIU HIN-CHING , MANEELY R. B.
Published: December 2008

The adrenal histology of Chelonia amyda is described and emphasis placed upon the interpenetration of the interrenal and chromaffin tissues and on their structural relationships with the vascular endothelium. Diastase-resistant polysaccharide complexes are present within the chromaffin-reactive cells. Alkaline glycerophosphatase is absent from the interrenal tissues but present in the chromaffin tissues, especially in the intercellular material.
THE OCCURRENCE OF CORPORA LUTEA ATRETICA IN THE OVARIES OF PREGNANT DOMESTIC RABBITS
Authors: HALLIDAY R.
Published: December 2008

Corpora lutea atretica were present in 40% of pregnant domestic rabbits and accounted for 7·6% of all corpora lutea. They occurred relatively more frequently during that part of the year when the rabbit breeds most freely, and were probably all formed at the beginning of pregnancy from unruptured mature follicles. It is suggested that their formation may be associated with a state of definite endocrinological imbalance since their distribution is not uniform throughout the population and is significantly related to an increased loss of ova before implantation.
THE POST-NUPTIAL OCCURRENCE OF PROGESTINS IN THE SEMINIFEROUS TUBULES OF BIRDS
Authors: LOFTS B. , MARSHALL A. J.
Published: December 2008

It has been previously suggested that the cholesterol which appears during the post-nuptial metamorphosis of the seminiferous tubules of submammalian vertebrates may be of endocrine significance. It is now shown by means of paper chromatography that the tubular lipids of pigeons probably contain progesterone and its metabolites. The testes of control ('pre-nuptial') birds contain androgens but no progestins.

Again, the Hooker-Forbes bioassay test indicates the presence of plasma progestins in seven out of eight birds with metamorphosed lipoidal tubules. Of seven control birds in full spermatogenesis six were negative for progestin. The possibility that the regular, post-nuptial accumulation and expenditure of tubular cholesterol is functionally homologous with the formation and regression of the corpus luteum is discussed.
ALTERATION OF RADIO-SENSITIVITY OF THE TESTIS BY EXTREME HYPOTHERMIA
Authors: WEISS L.
Published: December 2008

1. Mice were irradiated at normal body temperatures, at 1–2° C, at 13–15° C, and after cysteamine injections.

2. Damage to the testis by irradiation was assessed after 28 days by testicular weight and histology.

3. Cooling to 1–2° C during irradiation afforded considerable protection to testes. Cysteamine gave slight protection, and cooling to 13–15° C offered none.

4. It seems probable that the protective effect of hypothermia is due, in part at least, to the associated hypoxia produced when animals are cooled by the method described.
THE EFFECT OF X-IRRADIATION ON THE SECRETORY CAPACITY OF THE TESTIS
Authors: ABBOTT C. R.
Published: December 2008

The production of androgenic hormone (as judged by the weight of the accessory sex organs) was not diminished in the course of 25 weeks following exposure of the testes of rats to 5000 and 10,000 r of X-rays. The characteristic changes in the weights of the pituitary and adrenal glands which usually follow castration were not observed in the X-ray sterilized animals. The seminiferous epithelium was completely destroyed and did not regenerate during the postoperative period of observation of 25 weeks. Most of the intertubular cells remained histologically normal after irradiation. The proportion of intertubular to tubular tissue was considerably higher in the irradiated than in the non-irradiated animals.

X-ray sterilized animals, like their non-sterilized litter-mates, responded to the administration of gonadotrophin by an increased production of androgen.

Copulatory activity was not influenced by X-ray sterilization. All matings except one were sterile. Females inseminated by irradiated males became pseudopregnant (as judged by vaginal smears).
THE PROGESTERONE CONTENT OF THE GUINEA-PIG CORPUS LUTEUM DURING THE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE AND AFTER HYSTERECTOMY
Authors: ROWLANDS I. W. , SHORT R. V.
Published: December 2008

Progesterone in the corpora lutea of unmated, pregnant and hysterectomized guinea-pigs was assayed chromatographically using a modification of the procedure described by Short [1958b]. Its concentration on the 6th day after ovulation was similar in unmated and pregnant animals. By the 11th to 13th day the concentration in non-pregnant animals had decreased by one-half, but in the pregnant animals the amount was unchanged. A two- to threefold increase occurred between the 11th to 13th and the 21st to 23rd day which, it is suggested, coincides with the production of a luteotrophin. Throughout the remainder of pregnancy the concentration of progesterone in the corpus luteum was maintained at a high level. The results are compared with those that have been obtained in other species.

A very high concentration of progesterone was found in the corpora lutea of hysterectomized guinea-pigs. The use of this experimental animal is suggested for further work on the hormonal control of the life-span of the corpus luteum.
MYOMETRIAL RESPONSES TO THE MENSTRUAL PLAIN-MUSCLE STIMULANT
Authors: PICKLES V. R.
Published: December 2008

The guinea-pig uterus and strips of human myometrium are stimulated in vitro by ether extracts of menstrual fluid; the guinea-pig uterus is also stimulated in vivo by intravenous or intracardiac injections of the same extracts. The amount of the active material recovered from menstrual fluid probably varies from subject to subject, and in one instance was shown to decrease steadily from the beginning to the end of the menstrual period. The uterine responses in vitro take several forms, all excitatory; they are compared with the contractions of the human uterus in vivo during normal menstruation and dysmenorrhoea.
FUNCTIONAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE RAT PITUITARY GRAFTED INTO THE ANTERIOR CHAMBER OF THE EYE
Authors: MARTINI L. , DE POLI A. , PECILE A. , SAITO S. , TANI F.
Published: December 2008

It is shown that anterior pituitary tissue grafted into hypophysectomized rats and lacking any connexion with the median eminence does not retain any somatotrophic or gonadotrophic activities, but has some adrenocorticotrophic (ACTH) and thyrotrophic (TSH) activities. This conclusion is based on: (1) the partial maintenance of thyroid and adrenal weight; (2) the results of studies on 131I uptake and on TSH concentration in the grafted pituitaries; (3) the persistence of significant adrenocorticotrophic responses to Pitressin, lysine-vasopressin and Guillemin's fraction D; (4) the presence of histological and histochemical signs of activity in the grafted gland.

The subnormal levels of secretion observed in the pituitary grafted into sites far removed from the sella turcica, seem to depend on the lack of some neurohumoral stimulus which normally activates the intact pituitary via the hypophysio-portal vessels.

Evidence is given that vasopressin may be the hypothalamic neurohumor involved in ACTH secretion, and that the ACTH-releasing activity of Guillemin's fraction D may be accounted for by its vasopressin content.
CIRCULATING INSULIN ANTAGONISTS IN DIABETES MELLITUS: UNTREATED DIABETICS, DIABETICS DURING INFECTIONS AND ACROMEGALICS WITH DIABETES
Authors: FIELD J. B. , RIGBY BARBARA
Published: December 2008

Using the effect of insulin on isolated rat hemidiaphragm as an assay system, it has been possible to demonstrate a circulating insulin antagonist in some new cases of diabetes of the growth-onset type as well as during the exacerbation of diabetes secondary to infections. Three out of four acromegalics with diabetes also showed evidence of insulin antagonist, while one diabetic patient with thyrotoxicosis requiring 155 u. insulin/day had no antagonist. The antagonist present in the new diabetics and during infection exhibited some characteristics similar to the antagonist previously described during diabetic acidosis [Field & Stetten, 1956a], but different from the insulin inhibitor present during chronic insulin resistance.
THE FATE OF INJECTED OXYTOCIN IN THE RABBIT
Authors: CHAUDHURY R. R. , WALKER J. M.
Published: December 2008

Oxytocin injected intravenously into anaesthetized rabbits disappears rapidly from the blood stream, and its disappearance is retarded in animals whose liver or kidneys have been excluded from the circulation. The rate of disappearance of injected vasopressin is similar to that of oxytocin in intact rabbits. Homogenates of rabbit liver and kidney inactivate oxytocin rapidly in vitro; the site of inactivation by the kidney is in the tubules and not in the glomeruli.
THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF SPERMATOZOA TO TEMPERATURE SHOCK
Authors: WALES R. G. , WHITE I. G.
Published: December 2008

The susceptibility of bull, ram, rabbit, dog, human and fowl spermatozoa to cold shock and high temperatures has been assessed. Motility and differential staining were used as criteria.

Ram and bull spermatozoa were increasingly affected by cold shock at temperatures below 15° C; other spermatozoa were, however, little affected. Epididymal ram spermatozoa, particularly those with an attached kinoplasmic droplet, were more resistant than ejaculated ones; the addition of seminal plasma had little effect.

Second ejaculates from bulls were slightly more resistant than first ejaculates. Washing bull or fowl spermatozoa free of seminal plasma did not influence their susceptibility to cold shock.

Five min at 50° C severely depressed the motility of all spermatozoa except those of the fowl which were, however, completely immobilized at 55° C. Most spermatozoa took up stain more readily when mixed with it at high temperatures than when brought back to room temperature and then mixed; this is due to an increase in the toxicity of the stain at high temperatures.
THE EFFECT OF LOW ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE ON THE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE OF FEMALE MICE
Authors: BARNETT S. A. , COLEMAN ELIZABETH M.
Published: December 2008

Breeding stocks of mice of strain A2G have been studied at environmental temperatures of −3° and 21° C. The mean age of opening of the vagina was 33 days at −3° C, 26 days at 21° C. The mean body weight at opening was 13 g in both temperatures. The vaginal smear of typical oestrus appeared at a mean age of 61 days at −3° C, 38 days at 21° C; it was preceded by variable numbers of anomalous smears containing squamous cells. The mean length of the oestrous cycle was 8·5 days at −3° C, 4·8 days at 21° C. Females transferred from 21° to −3° C had longer cycles at first, but tended to return to normal after some months. The interval between parturitions had two modes, at about 3 and 6 weeks respectively: most intervals were around 6 weeks at −3° C, 3 weeks at 21° C. There was evidence of a negative correlation between the numbers weaned in successive parturitions, when the interval between parturitions was near the minimum. The slowing of the reproductive cycle at −3° C may be attributed to the prior demands of catabolism; but this does not account for the recovery of the mice transferred from warm to cold.
SOME EFFECTS OF OVARIECTOMY AND INJECTION OF OVARIAN HORMONES IN THE ARMADILLO
Authors: ENDERS A. C. , BUCHANAN G. D.
Published: December 2008

The uteri of armadillos, spayed before they had ovulated, declined in weight. Administration of oestradiol to such animals results in a gain in uterine weight due primarily to an increase in thickness of the myometrium.

In animals bilaterally ovariectomized subsequent to ovulation, implantation occurred regularly 22–24 days postoperatively, with little loss of blastocysts.

The administration of progesterone to animals from which the ovary containing the corpus luteum has been removed is compatible with maintenance of the blastocyst. In one instance an unimplanted blastocyst was recovered on day 31 after operation.

The enigma of implantation following bilateral ovariectomy in this species remains unexplained.
SERUM MUCOPROTEIN, PLASMA FIBRIN AND FIBRINOLYTIC ACTIVITY DURING THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE IN BABOONS
Authors: GILLMAN T. , PILLAY R. A. , NAIDOO S. S.
Published: December 2008

Variations in serum mucoprotein (s.m.p.), plasma fibrin and fibrinolytic activity during the menstrual cycle of two female baboons were compared with the relatively stable levels in a normal male baboon.

It was found that s.m.p. and plasma fibrin levels rose progressively during turgescence of the perineum and fell with deturgescence. Plasma fibrinolytic activity in the female with regular menstrual cycles increased with the onset of deturgescence, remained elevated until the onset of menstruation, whereafter it dropped precipitously.

The modification by sex hormones of s.m.p., plasma fibrin and fibrinolytic activity is discussed in relation to the effects of other hormones on these plasma moieties and on connective tissue generally during growth. An explanation is suggested for the s.m.p. and other changes in the plasma during the baboon's cycle on the basis of hormonally mediated varying rates of urinary excretion and perineal and extraperineal synthesis of mucoproteins. Some implications of our data are outlined for investigating the effects of hormones on enzymes involved in the synthesis and degradation of connective tissue components.
STUDIES ON PRENATAL MORTALITY IN THE RABBIT, ORYCTOLAGUS CUNICULUS: THE AMOUNT AND DISTRIBUTION OF LOSS BEFORE AND AFTER IMPLANTATION
Authors: ADAMS C. E.
Published: December 2008

The amount and distribution of prenatal mortality were studied in 126 first and second pregnancies in seventy-three rabbits, weighing 3·5–4 kg. The does were mated naturally, artificially inseminated to ensure against the failure of natural mating, and injected with 25 i.u. luteinizing hormone. The numbers of corpora lutea and implantation sites were counted at laparotomy 7–13 days post coitum (p.c.) and the number of live foetuses was recorded at autopsy 28 days p.c., or after parturition. The diameter of the uterine swellings was measured at laparotomy. In a further eight pregnancies only the litter size was recorded.

Ovulation occurred in every case, but in six (4·8%) of the 126 pregnancies all the ova (109, or 8·1%) were lost before implantation. In the remaining 120 pregnancies there was a total loss of 132 ova (or 154 if corrected for polyovuly), representing 9·7% of ovulations. In 64 out of the 120 pregnancies (53·3%) there was some loss of ova before implantation. The proportion of litters showing loss and the proportion of ova lost before implantation were significantly related to the number of ovulations.

After implantation, total resorption occurred in four pregnancies (3·3%) and in a further eighty-five pregnancies (70·8%) there was some loss of embryos, which altogether amounted to 18·3% of the ovulations. The proportion of litters suffering loss after implantation was significantly related to the number of implantations. It was concluded that 7% of the embryos died shortly after implantation, 66% died between days 8 and 17, and 27% were lost between days 17 and 23.

Data relating to the diameter of 1728 uterine swellings measured between days 7 and 20 p.c., counts of corpora lutea, the occurrence of corpora lutea atretica and polyovuly, the position of foetuses in utero, weights of placentae associated with resorbed embryos, foetal weights, birth weights, and the incidence of stillbirths are also presented.
DETECTION AND ESTIMATION OF PITUITARY GONADOTROPHINS IN HUMAN PLASMA
Authors: APOSTOLAKIS M.
Published: December 2008

1. A method for the detection and estimation of gonadotrophins in the plasma of nonpregnant human subjects is described.

2. The end-point of the bioassay is the mouse uterus test, and results can be expressed in terms of a reference standard (HMG-20A) prepared from the urine of menopausal and postmenopausal women.

3. The method has been found satisfactory for estimations in postmenopausal women and in other conditions in which the concentration of gonadotrophins in plasma is relatively high.

4. The reliability criteria for the method are discussed under the headings of accuracy, precision, sensitivity and specificity.

5. Interstitial cell stimulating hormone activity, as determined by the hypophysectomized rat prostate test, and follicle stimulating hormone activity, as determined by the ' HCG augmentation' test, were both detected in human plasma.

6. A preliminary series of results in individual subjects is reported.
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE EXCRETION OF 17-KETOSTEROIDS AND 17-KETOGENIC STEROIDS BY GUINEA-PIGS
Authors: BROOKS R. V. , CLAYTON BARBARA E. , HAMMANT JOYCE E.
Published: December 2008

1. 17-Ketosteroids (KS) and 17-ketogenic steroids (KG) may be determined in guinea-pig urine by the method of Norymberski, Stubbs & West [1953]. Studies on the fractionation of urinary steroids showed the method was applicable to the urine of pregnant guinea-pigs.

2. So little material in the faeces of guinea-pigs behaved as KS that excretion by this route may be ignored.

3. Daily vaginal lavages shortened the oestrous cycle in the guinea-pig and abolished the peak of KS excretion seen at oestrus in normal cycles. No consistent trend in the excretion of KG was seen during normal oestrous cycles. No cyclical change in KS excretion was seen after ovariectomy.

4. During pregnancy in the guinea-pig, there was a rise in the excretion of KG and KS. The increase was not abolished by ovariectomy. The rise did not occur in one adrenalectomized animal which went to term, though it continued to excrete significant amounts of KS. The contribution of the foetal adrenals to the excretion of steroids by the pregnant mother was probably small.

5. Non-specific adrenal stimulation caused a rise in the urinary excretion of KS and KG.

6. Fractionation of the KS released from the urine of an intact non-pregnant guinea-pig by a mild hydrolytic procedure gave five major compounds, one in the 11-deoxy and four in the 11-oxy fraction. All five compounds were excreted in increased amounts by a pregnant intact and by a pregnant adrenalectomized guinea-pig.
ORTHOTOPIC OVARIAN TRANSPLANTATION IN MICE
Authors: JONES ESTHER C. , KROHN P. L.
Published: December 2008

1. A surgical technique for the orthotopic transplantation of the ovaries in mice is described and its immediate and long-term difficulties are discussed.

2. The shortened reproductive lifespan of mice which have received such grafts is due primarily to the loss of oocytes during the immediate postoperative period before a new blood supply has developed. Figures are given for the loss, which may extend to between a half and three-quarters of the total complement of oocytes.
THE MITOGENIC ACTION OF OESTROGENS IN THE VAGINAL EPITHELIUM OF THE OVARIECTOMIZED MOUSE
Authors: MARTIN L. , CLARINGBOLD P. J.
Published: December 2008

Following a single intravaginal injection of oestrogen, the number of mitoses and thickness of the vaginal epithelium of the mouse are increased. An assay utilizing such responses is of very short duration and is ten times as sensitive and four times as precise as the standard intravaginal assay under optimum conditions. Three natural and three synthetic oestrogens are of approximately equal potency when assayed by this method. Testosterone, progesterone, cortisol, cortisone and vitamin A were found to be without action on the response to oestrogens, except that the first three produced mitotic activity at very high doses.
THE INFLUENCE OF ORAL HYPOGLYCAEMIC AGENTS (CARBUTAMIDE AND TOLBUTAMIDE) ON THE SERUM PROTEINS OF NORMAL RATS
Authors: FIŠTER V. , BENAŠ A.
Published: December 2008

The effect of prolonged administration of carbutamide and tolbutamide on serum proteins of normal rats has been investigated. Carbutamide, already known to produce an increase of thyroid weight and of serum cholesterol, caused disproteinaemia characterized by increase of total proteins and α1-globulin. Tolbutamide exerted no thyrostatic action and caused no changes in serum proteins. It is of interest that prolonged administration of water alone also induced an increase in α1-globulin but, unlike carbutamide, a decrease in γ-globulin. The changes of the serum proteins are discussed in relation to possible endocrine factors involved.
THE BIOLOGY OF THE LEYDIG CELL: HISTOCHEMICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES FOLLOWING HIGH EPIDIDYMAL OBSTRUCTION
Authors: BAILLIE A. H.
Published: December 2008

Fourteen albino male mice were subjected to bilateral section and ligation of the epididymis at a point just distal to the proximal lobules of the head, and were killed 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks after operation. One testis was studied using the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) technique, the other by frozen sections. The weight of the seminal vesicle was taken as an indicator of androgen output.

Testicular histology remained unchanged during the 6 months after operation, and there was no alteration in the weight or cytology of the seminal vesicles. An attempt is made to relate the findings to current views on Leydig cell biology.

The postoperative occurrence of abnormal Leydig cells is described: these cells contain abundant PAS-positive cytoplasmic material (? glycoprotein) and have not previously been noted. Their anatomical and physiological significance is not clear.
MODIFICATION BY RELAXIN OF THE RESPONSE OF THE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT OF MICE TO OESTRADIOL AND PROGESTERONE
Authors: HALL KATHLEEN
Published: December 2008

A histological and histochemical study has been made of the effect of relaxin in modifying the action of oestradiol and progesterone on the reproductive tract of female mice. Special attention was paid to the cytoplasmic nucleic acids in relation to growth changes, and to alterations in glycogen and other polysaccharides, and in alkaline phosphatase activity.

In the uterine horn, relaxin augmented the action of oestradiol on myometrial glycogen and alkaline phosphatase activity and on oedematous transformation of the endometrial stroma. The histochemical reactions of the mucopolysaccharide deposited in the altered stroma are discussed. Progesterone partly or completely inhibited the synergistic action of the other two hormones on myometrial glycogenesis and on oedematous changes in the endometrium, but not on alkaline phosphatase activity in myometrium and endometrium. Relaxin + oestradiol (but not oestradiol alone) partly prevented the depressing effect of progesterone on alkaline phosphatase activity in the myometrium and luminal epithelium.

In the vagina, oestradiol and relaxin had a synergistic action on cellular hypertrophy and keratinization of the epithelium, and relaxin partly overcame the mucifying action of progesterone. Relaxin appeared to increase alkaline phosphatase activity in the lamina propria.

No hormonally controlled mucopolysaccharides were detected in the cervical tissues, and the techniques have not provided a satisfactory explanation of the relaxin-induced softening of the cervix.
THE CATABOLISM OF 131I-LABELLED HOMOLOGOUS γ-GLOBULIN IN NORMAL, HYPERTHYROID AND HYPOTHYROID RATS
Authors: FARTHING C. P. , GERWING JULIA , SHEWELL JENNIFER
Published: December 2008

The biological half-life of injected homologous 131I-γ-globulin was found to be 4·8 days in euthyroid, 5·8 days in thyroidectomized, and 3·8 days in thyroxine-treated rats.

The catabolic rate of homologous γ-globulin, expressed as a percentage of the intravascular protein broken down per day, was decreased from 25·5% in normal rats to 22·5% in thyroidectomized animals, and increased to 39·2% by thyroxine treatment.

Total serum protein levels were not affected by thyroxine treatment (0·02 mg/kg) in the rat, but increased after thyroidectomy. This increase was chiefly due to an increased γ-globulin level, and it is postulated that catabolism of γ-globulin in the thyroidectomized rat is decreased to a greater extent than is γ-globulin synthesis.
THE EFFECT OF ACTH INJECTIONS ON PLASMA CORTICOSTEROID LEVELS AND MILK YIELD IN THE COW
Authors: BRUSH M. G.
Published: December 2008

In the cow, a single injection of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) was found to produce a rapid rise in plasma 17:21-dihydroxy-20-keto-corticosteroids, and then an equally rapid fall. This was followed by a more gradual fall to pre-injection levels which were reached within 24–48 hr of the start of the experiment. The presence of cortisol in the blood samples was confirmed by chromatographic examination. Detectable amounts of other corticosteroids were not found.

The ACTH injections produced a very definite fall in milk yield. Return to generally steady levels took 3 days in one case and more than 7 days in another.
THE EFFECTS OF VASOPRESSIN ON THE SHORTCIRCUIT CURRENT ACROSS THE WALL OF THE ISOLATED BLADDER OF THE TOAD, BUFO MARINUS
Authors: BENTLEY P. J.
Published: December 2008

1. The effects of metabolic inhibitors and ionic changes on the short-circuit current across the toad's bladder have been studied both in the presence and absence of vasopressin.

2. The effects of metabolic inhibitors indicate that the energy for short-circuit current is derived from both glycolysis and oxidative metabolism.

3. Divalent ions play an important part in the maintenance of the resting short-circuit current and of its response to vasopressin. Ca++ or Sr++ are necessary for the former and Ca++ for the latter.

4. Increased concentration of Ca++, Sr++, Mg++ or Ba++ did not inhibit the increment in short-circuit current produced by vasopressin, in contrast to the effect of these ions on water transport.

5. Increase and decrease in potassium concentration inhibited the short-circuit current whether vasopressin was present or not.

6. The correct concentration of sodium on the serosal side of the bladder was necessary to maintain the short-circuit current, but the increment seen when vasopressin was added was not affected by 50% substitution of choline for sodium.
THE VALVE-LIKE ACTION OF THE UTERO-TUBAL JUNCTION OF THE EWE
Authors: EDGAR D. G. , ASDELL S. A.
Published: December 2008

At and for about 3 days after oestrus the utero-tubal junction of the ewe has a valve-like action which prevents fluid under pressure in the uterine (Fallopian) tube from entering the uterus.

This action appears to be the result of oestrogen-induced oedema and flexure of the wall of the utero-tubal junction.
SPERMATOZOA IN THE FEMALE GENITAL TRACT
Authors: EDGAR D. G. , ASDELL S. A.
Published: December 2008

Ram spermatozoa were found at the ovarian end of the uterine (Fallopian) tubes of ewes at about 3 hr after mating. No radiopaque medium passed from the vagina to the uterine horns of rabbits following vulval stimulation and copulation. Ram spermatozoa entered the tubes of ewes through a valve-like utero-tubal junction which prevented fluid from passing in the opposite direction. Almost all ram spermatozoa became immotile within 8 hr of their introduction into the tubes of ewes. The method of sperm transport in the female genital tract is discussed.
EVALUATION OF ANDROGENIC AND GONADOTROPHIC ACTIVITY IN MALE TWIN CALVES BY ANALYSIS OF SEMINAL VESICLES AND SEMEN
Authors: MANN T. , ROWSON L. E. A. , HAY MARY F.
Published: December 2008

A series of experiments is reported on the evaluation of the androgenic activity in the male by analysis of semen and accessory glands of reproduction.

In pubescent male twin calves the onset of the secretory function of seminal vesicles, as reflected in the appearance of fructose and citric acid in ejaculates, was advanced by injections of chorionic gonadotrophin. However, in much younger bull calves, gonadotrophin was incapable of evoking a similar response. On the other hand, testosterone injected into immature animals readily induced high secretory activity in the seminal vesicles.

When androstenedione was injected into castrated bull calves, its androgenic effect on the fructose and citric-acid formation in the seminal vesicles was negligible by comparison with the powerful stimulating influence of testosterone. This probably explains why in young bull calves fructose and citric acid are not secreted by the seminal vesicles until the testicular content of testosterone markedly exceeds that of androstenedione.

Underfeeding of young maturing bull calves not only delays the onset of secretory activity in the seminal vesicles as a result of decreased androgenic activity of the testes but also diminishes the responsiveness of the seminal vesicles to testosterone.
THE EFFECT OF PROGRESSIVE SODIUM DEPLETION ON CORTICOSTEROID SECRETION BY THE AUTOTRANSPLANTED ADRENAL GLAND OF CONSCIOUS SHEEP
Authors: REICH MAGDA , McDONALD I. R.
Published: December 2008

1. The characteristic response of the autotransplanted adrenal gland of the sheep to sodium depletion was an increase in aldosterone secretion rate, which reached the minimum detectable level of 1 μg/hr 6–12 hr after the Na balance became negative, when the Na deficit was approx. 200 m-equiv.

2. After its initial detection, aldosterone secretion altered in an irregular manner to maximum secretion rates of 5–9 μg/hr.

3. The initial detection of aldosterone secretion was not accompanied by any consistent changes in cortisol and corticosterone secretion.

4. Changes in cortisol and corticosterone secretion rates were usually in the same direction and of similar relative magnitude, and did not show any consistent correlation with the aldosterone secretion rates. The rates of cortisol and corticosterone secretion were extremely variable, but there was inconclusive evidence that there may have been a natural periodic variation of secretion rate, characteristic for individual sheep, which was modified by the experimental procedure.

5. The relationship between adrenal corticosteroid secretion and changes in blood plasma and urine electrolytes as well as haematocrit, plasma protein concentration and adrenal blood flow was examined.

6. Attention is drawn to the possible complexity of the relationship between adrenal corticosteroid secretion and the salivary Na/K ratio.
CHANGES IN THE PITUITARY GLAND OF THE FERRET FOLLOWING STALK SECTION
Authors: HOLMES R. L.
Published: December 2008

1. The pituitary stalk was divided transpalatally in a series of female ferrets.

2. The lesion was followed by infarction of a variable amount of tissue in the antero-superior region of the pars distalis, up to a maximum of 30% of its volume. Later fibrosis and incomplete regeneration of glandular tissue occurred.

3. There was no significant hypertrophy of the pars intermedia, but its cells showed an increase in cytoplasmic ribonucleic acid after division of the stalk.

4. The neural process appeared normal for several days after operation, but after the 4th day atrophied rapidly.
CHANGES IN THYROID ACTIVITY DURING GROWTH IN THE SHEEP
Authors: FALCONER I. R. , ROBERTSON H. A.
Published: December 2008

The rate constants for thyroid uptake (K1) and release (K4) of 131I, the serum protein-bound iodine (PBI) level and the rate of secretion of thyroid hormone have been determined for sheep from 5 weeks to 7 years old.

The secretion rate of thyroid hormone has been shown to increase rapidly up to the age of 6–8 months, and then decline slightly with increasing age. The rate constant for 131I release from the thyroid (K4), showed an increase up to 1 year of age, and considerably lower values at 5 and 7 years old.

When the thyroid hormone secretion rate is expressed per unit body weight, the highest rate was observed at approx. 6 months of age or 20–40 kg. body weight. The significance of this initial increase in thyroid hormone secretion rate per unit body weight is discussed in conjunction with the results of other workers on the energy metabolism of immature animals.

Serum PBI levels decreased sharply during the 1st year of life and then remained relatively constant.
THE DETERMINATION OF SMALL QUANTITIES OF URINARY OESTRONE, OESTRADIOL-17β AND OESTRIOL USING ITTRICH'S EXTRACTION METHOD
Authors: SALOKANGAS R. A. A. , BULBROOK R. D.
Published: December 2008

1. The purification step described by Ittrich (1958) has been incorporated in the method of Brown, Bulbrook & Greenwood (1957b) for estimating urinary oestrogens.

2. When the Kober colours given by urinary oestrone, oestradiol-17β and oestriol are extracted with tetrachloroethane containing p-nitrophenol, the decrease in the absorption due to impurities is such that the Kober reaction can be scaled down and micro-cells used in the measurement of the final colours.

3. Amounts of urinary oestrogens as low as 0·5 μg./24 hr. specimen can be measured with a reasonable degree of accuracy and precision.

4. The results with the new method show that the method of Brown et al. (1957b) gives over-estimates of approx. 1 μg. oestrone and 1 μg. oestriol/24 hr. urine specimen when used for the estimation of urinary oestrogens of low titre.
CHROMAFFIN CELLS, MAST CELLS AND MELANIN
Authors: COUPLAND R. E. , HEATH I. D.
Published: December 2008

Sections of human skin obtained from a variety of sites and from subjects of different ages have been examined. Mast cells, melanocytes and melanophores have been identified by the use of various staining procedures, but the 'chromaffin cells' reported by Adams-Ray & Nordenstam (1956) and Burch & Phillips (1958) have not been observed. The staining reactions of pressor amine-containing chromaffin cells are reviewed and contrasted with those of the granular cells of the skin.
DIRECTIONAL DIFFERENCES IN THE PERMEABILITY TO WATER OF THE ISOLATED URINARY BLADDER OF THE TOAD, BUFO MARINUS
Authors: BENTLEY P. J.
Published: December 2008

1. If the osmotic gradient is favourable vasopressin increases the rate of water movement across the bladder of the toad from the serosal to the epithelial side, which is the opposite direction to that seen physiologically.

2. Water transfer down an osmotic gradient is 1·8 times more rapid towards the serosal than towards the epithelial side. Vasopressin increases this difference so that water is moving 4·9 times as rapidly to the serosal side. Iodoacetate reduces this effect of vasopressin.

3. If water is moving down an osmotic gradient towards the anode, a higher electric current increases the water movement in the presence, but not in the absence, of vasopressin. If water movement is taking place towards the cathode an increased current has no effect.

4. With vasopressin present, absence of sodium on the epithelial side of the bladder reduces water transfer down an osmotic gradient towards the serosal side, but has no effect on water movement down an osmotic gradient in the opposite direction.
INCREASE OF PLASMA 17-HYDROXYCORTICOSTEROIDS BY CEREBRAL CORTICAL AND AMYGDALOID STIMULATION IN THE CAT
Authors: SETEKLEIV J. , SKAUG O. E. , KAADA B. R.
Published: December 2008

Behavioural arousal and fear may be induced by electrical stimulation of the cingulate and the temporo-occipital cortex and the amygdala in the cat. The influence of these regions on the plasma level of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OHCS) has been studied. To eliminate the possibility that any increase observed was not secondary to arousal or fear caused by environmental factors or the blood sampling, the experiments were carried out under anaesthesia. Increase of the plasma level of the 17-OHCS was produced by stimulation of twenty-five points in the following three regions: (a) the anterior cingulate cortex; (b) the lower portion of the posterior ecto- and suprasylvian gyri of the temporo-occipital cortex, and (c) the amygdala. The increase amounted up to 560% of the control values. The response was obtained during light anaesthesia only. Stimulation of thirty-seven points in other cortical regions and in the internal capsule caused no significant change in the plasma steroid level.
THE RATE OF UPTAKE OF LOCALLY APPLIED OESTRONE BY THE VAGINAL EPITHELIUM OF THE MOUSE
Authors: MARTIN L. , COX R. I. , EMMENS C. W.
Published: December 2008

Using the tetrazolium reduction test in the mouse vagina, it was found that dimethylstilboestrol (DMS) is only effective as an inhibitor of oestrone when applied locally, and almost simultaneously with the hormone. It is suggested that this is due to a rapid loss of DMS from the vagina, and the rapidity with which oestrone reaches its site of action. These results indicate that it may be necessary to examine vaginal changes in the first minutes after the local application of oestrogens in order to elucidate their primary action.
REPRODUCTION AND THYROID ACTIVITY
Authors: ROBERTSON H. A. , FALCONER I. R.
Published: December 2008

The thyroid activity of 3- to 4-year-old Cheviot and Clun ewes has been investigated during the oestrous cycle, conception, pregnancy and lactation.

An initial study of the changes in serum protein bound iodine during the oestrous cycle indicated a cyclic increase in its level during oestrus. Subsequent investigations using 131I suggest that an increase in thyroid activity occurs during oestrus.

No marked alterations in thyroid activity were observed during pregnancy, except for an apparent increase in avidity of the thyroid for iodine during the last month.

During lactation between 40 and 50% of the injected 131I was secreted into the milk. The mammary gland is thus capable of successfully competing with the thyroid for the available iodine.
A COMPARISON OF VARIOUS EXTRACTION METHODS FOR URINARY GONADOTROPHINS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO YIELDS
Authors: LORAINE J. A. , MACKAY MARIE A.
Published: December 2008

Pooled urine from normal men, normally menstruating women and hospitalized postmenopausal subjects was extracted by six published methods and assayed for human pituitary gonadotrophic (HPG) activity by the mouse uterus test in terms of HMG-20A.

In the three types of urine studied comparable yields of HPG were obtained by all six extraction methods, and an analysis of variance showed the absence of significant differences between the methods.

No evidence could be obtained to support previous claims that the kaolinacetone method of Loraine & Brown (1959) gave less satisfactory yields of urinary HPG than certain of the other procedures.
SOME EFFECTS OF MAMMALIAN THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE, ELASMOBRANCH PITUITARY GLAND EXTRACTS AND TEMPERATURE ON THYROIDAL ACTIVITY IN NEWLY HATCHED DOGFISH (SCYLIORHINUS CANICULUS)
Authors: DENT J. N. , DODD J. M.
Published: December 2008

1. Groups of recently hatched dogfish (Scyliorhinus caniculus) were given a series of injections of mammalian thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) at three dose levels, or of aqueous extracts of each of the three lobes of the adult elasmobranch pituitary gland. Control animals received injections of distilled water or extract of adult brain. The uptake of 131I by the thyroid was measured subsequent to the injections and the histology of the thyroid was studied. The experiments were conducted over a range of temperatures, thus producing data on the effect of temperature variation on thyroidal activity.

2. The uptake of 131I by the thyroid gland is very markedly enhanced by a high dose of mammalian TSH (1·00 i.u.) and is significantly increased by an intermediate dose (0·10 i.u. TSH). Enhancement by a very low dose (0·01 i.u. TSH) is doubtful, the observed increase in uptake of 131I being significant only at the 10% level. The highest dose also accelerated folliculogenesis and induced hyperplastic changes in the thyroid.

3. There were indications that the extract of the ventral lobe of the adult elasmobranch pituitary contains a thyroid-stimulating principle.

4. The rate of iodine metabolism increases directly with the temperature over the range 8·6–13·6° C.
ON THE SURVIVAL AND METABOLISM OF NORMAL AND HYPOTHERMIC PRE-VIABLE HUMAN FOETUSES
Authors: KULLANDER S. , SUNDÉN B.
Published: December 2008

A total of twenty-three human pre-viable foetuses (7–400 g.) were removed by abdominal hysterotomy (legal abortions) and studied during survival in an anoxic state at different temperatures.

The duration of survival, as judged by ECG waves, at 37° c was about 3 hr.; it was longer for female foetuses than for males, and longer for large foetuses than for small ones. General reduction of the body-temperature to 4° c during periods varying between 30 min. and 6 hr. with subsequent rewarming to and maintenance at 37° c increased the survival time by a further 1–2 hr.

The blood sugar did not decrease either during the period of survival or during hypothermia, but the non-protein nitrogen increased, while acidosis and hyperkalaemia developed.

The glycogen content of the liver decreased during the anoxic period of survival and diminished further during hypothermia.

The adrenal glands produced adrenaline in addition to noradrenaline during the anoxic phase, and this may occur in a very early stage of intrauterine life.
HISTOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS IN THE RAT PITUITARY TRANSPLANTED TO THE EYE
Authors: KOVÁCS K.
Published: December 2008

Homotransplantation of the anterior pituitary gland of rats was made into the anterior chamber of the eye. The centre of the grafts developed ischaemic necrosis, but the peripheral zone remained alive to a depth of about 100 μ. During the next 6 weeks there was no evidence of significant regeneration or atrophy of this live peripheral zone, and mitoses were not observed there. The gradual resorption and scarring of the central necrotic area led to a diminution of the overall size of the graft.

In the surviving tissue nearly all the chromophil cells became completely degranulated during the first week or two. After 6 weeks only very rare shrunken basophil cells remained, although a few acidophil cells could still be identified.

From previous work it is known that such intraocular grafts have very little functional activity. This may possibly be because of the absence of any direct connexion between the graft and the hypothalamus, but the reduction of the total amount of parenchyma may also be an important factor.