bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CHANGES IN THYROID ACTIVITY AT LOW ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES AND AT HIGH ALTITUDES, AS TESTED WITH 131I
Authors: VERZÁR F. , SAILER E. , VIDOVIC V.
Published: December 2008

The activity of the thyroid gland of rats was observed by measuring the uptake of 131I in the living animal over a period of several days. The method is described in detail, and the importance of iodine contained in the diet or applied to the skin, in affecting the results, is stressed.

Reduction of the atmospheric pressure to 250 and 380 mm Hg decreases the uptake of 131I. The lower the pressure, the less iodine is concentrated in the thyroid.

Under natural conditions a small decrease of thyroid activity at an altitude of 3450 m (490 mm Hg) can be noticed, but not at 2010 m altitude (592 mm Hg).

The depression of the thyroid is temporary; after some days 131I is taken up again with normal velocity.

At low atmospheric pressure (below 480 mm Hg) the body temperature decreases, but this, too, is restored to normal in 3–4 days.

The adaptation of thyroid activity to low atmospheric (oxygen) pressure may play an important part during acclimatization to high altitudes. The mechanism underlying the alteration in thyroid function and, in particular, the relation between the thyroid and adrenocortical activity is discussed. It is suggested that the increased adrenocortical activity and the decrease of thyroid activity observed at low oxygen or atmospheric pressure may be inter-connected.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ONSET OF PUBERTY IN ALBINO RATS
Authors: MANDL ANITA M. , ZUCKERMAN S.
Published: December 2008

The time of onset of puberty varies between different strains of rats and is presumably controlled by genetic factors. Exposure to cold accelerates the breakdown of the vaginal closure-membrane. Daily 'rough-handling' and a high protein diet have no effect.
STRESS AND EPIDERMAL MITOTIC ACTIVITY
Authors: BULLOUGH W. S.
Published: December 2008

An examination has been made of the actions and interactions of the androgenic, oestrogenic and glucocorticoid hormones on epidermal mitotic activity in the mouse. Testosterone, which has a moderate mitogenic action in the male, does not appear to stimulate adrenal secretion. Thus no antimitotic mechanism is brought into play, and the mitotic activity induced by testosterone continues indefinitely.

Oestrogenic hormones, on the other hand, cause active growth of the adrenal cortex, and this appears to be accompanied by active glucocorticoid hormone secretion. Thus the stimulation of epidermal mitotic activity caused by oestrogens is counteracted by the antimitotic action of the glucocorticoid hormones. This reaction occurs naturally on a limited scale at each oestrous period, and it is especially obvious after repeated injections of oestrone and after oestradiol implantation.

Cortisone, when given simultaneously with oestrone, largely prevents the initial rise in mitotic activity, and conversely, adrenalectomy prevents the development of the full mitotic inhibition after oestradiol implantation. A detailed consideration of these last results suggests that the glucocorticoid hormones, while playing a major role in the antimitotic mechanism, may not represent the whole of that mechanism. Evidence is reviewed to indicate that the oestrogenic stimulus to the adrenal cortex passes by way of the anterior pituitary gland, and it is possible that a pituitary hormone may itself exert an antimitotic action.
THE ACTION OF RELAXIN ON THE PUBIC SYMPHYSIS OF THE GUINEA-PIG, STUDIED ELECTROMETRICALLY
Authors: CATCHPOLE H. R. , JOSEPH N. R. , ENGEL M. B.
Published: December 2008

Liquid junction potentials were determined in the pubic symphyses of guinea-pigs. The electrolytes studied were isotonic NaCl and its 1/10 dilution, and isotonic KCl. A theoretical treatment relates values found at various stages of relaxation to the density of immobile, negatively charged colloid of the symphysial connective tissue matrix.

Spayed females were injected with small priming doses of oestradiol benzoate for 4 days, then treated with graded doses of relaxin, and potential readings made 8–10 hr. later. Linear relations were found between junction potentials and the logarithm of the relaxin dose.

An electrometric unit of relaxin is defined as that amount of hormone producing a 50% decrement in the density of immobile colloidal charge at the symphysis. This approximates the standard 'palpation unit'. Animals treated with priming doses of oestrogen alone gave no significant potential fall, while large doses of relaxin alone showed low normal values. Thus the necessity for both hormones in evoking the full electrometric relaxation response confirms findings of previous authors on palpable relaxation.
OBSERVATIONS ON FOETAL GROWTH IN MULTIPLE PREGNANCY IN MAN
Authors: McKEOWN THOMAS , RECORD R. G.
Published: December 2008

1. Observations on foetal growth in human pregnancy are recorded on 22,454 single, 325 twin, 249 triplet and 27 quadruplet maternities.

2. Mean birth weights of singletons, twins, triplets and quadruplets are respectively 7·43, 5·27, 4·00 and 3·07 lb.

3. For single, twin, triplet and quadruplet pregnancies, mean durations of gestation (in days) are 280·5, 261·6, 246·8 and 236·8.

4. Mean birth weight is greater for small than for large litters even when comparison is restricted to births delivered after the same period of gestation (see Table 4).

5. It is suggested that these observations, which are in accord with reports on experimental animals, raise two questions: (a) why is foetal growth retarded in multiple pregnancy during the last weeks of gestation? and (b) why is onset of labour earlier in multiple than in single pregnancy?

6. In consideration of 5 (a) it is shown that:

(i) Mean foetal weight appears to be independent of litter size until about the 27th week of gestation.

(ii) The rate of growth of multiple foetuses is slower than that of single foetuses from a stage of gestation which varies with size of litter as follows: quadruplets from about 26 weeks; triplets from 27 weeks; and twins from 30 weeks. In the case of singletons, foetal growth is linear between 30 and 36 weeks; after 36 weeks the rate of growth is reduced.

(iii) At the times from which the respective rates of foetal growth are retarded, mean litter weights of twins, triplets and quadruplets are approximately the same. These mean litter weights (in lb.) are: quadruplets at 26 weeks, 7·6; triplets at 27 weeks, 6·9; twins at 30 weeks, 6·9. The mean weight of single births at 36 weeks is 6·5 lb.

(iv) From the time that foetal growth is retarded, litter weight increment is approximately the same for every size of litter.

Support is provided for the view that (a) retardation of foetal growth in large litters is attributable, at least in part, to crowding in the uterus (see Table 6); and (b) the restriction on foetal growth in the crowded uterus may be imposed by the placenta (see Table 7).

7. In consideration of 5 (b) it is shown that mean litter weights of singletons, twins, triplets and quadruplets at birth are respectively 7·43, 10·53, 12·00 and 12·28 lb. It is suggested that these observations are not inconsistent with the view that the early onset of labour in multiple pregnancy is due to distension of the uterus, if we suppose that the amount of distension which the uterus will tolerate during the last weeks of gestation decreases as pregnancy advances.

8. Mean litter weights of multiple births increase with birth order.
THE UNILATERAL ENDOMETRIAL REACTION IN THE GIANT FRUIT-BAT (PTEROPUS GIGANTEUS BRÜNNICH)
Authors: MARSHALL A. J.
Published: December 2008

In the giant fruit-bat of India, Burma and Ceylon, both ovaries and uterine horns are functional, but only one ovum is released each year after copulation. As the corpus luteum becomes active (but while the fertilized ovum is still in the Fallopian tube), a progestational reaction occurs in the horn adjacent to the ovary which contains the ruptured follicle, whereas the opposite horn retains its oestrous appearance. The site of this asymmetric reaction (at which implantation subsequently takes place) is confined to the extreme distal end of the horn, where uterine and ovarian tissues lie in close proximity. Blood vessels, some of them of an apparently sinusoidal nature, traverse the short intervening isthmus, and the corpus luteum is often formed at a distance of less than 2 mm from the endometrium. In view of this unusual anatomical arrangement, it is suggested that progesterone may pass directly from the ovulatory pole of the ovary to the uterine horn, either through the vessels described, or by way of the lymphatics and tissue spaces.
THE EFFECT OF N-BUTYL-3:5-DIIODO-4-HYDROXYBENZOATE ON THE UPTAKE OF 131I BY THE MOUSE THYROID
Authors: BRAYNE MAUDETTA K. , MACLAGAN N. F.
Published: December 2008

A quantitative study has been made of the thyroid uptake of 131I in the mouse after treatment with sodium iodide, diiodotyrosine, thyroxine, and n-butyl-3:5-diiodo-4-hydroxybenzoate (BDHB). The findings have been correlated with the degree of breakdown of the last three compounds, as shown by tests for inorganic iodide in the urine. The results suggest that BDHB inhibits thyroid uptake of 131I by some mechanism other than that of breakdown to inorganic iodide.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DOSE-RESPONSE LINE IN ALLEN-DOISY TESTS OBTAINED BY THE INTRAVAGINAL ADMINISTRATION OF OESTRONE IN DISTILLED WATER AND IN 50 % AQUEOUS GLYCEROL
Authors: BIGGERS J. D.
Published: December 2008

1. No differences have been found between the intravaginal dose-response lines obtained when oestrone is administered in 50% aqueous glycerol or in distilled water.

2. The mean slope was found to be 2·08, s.e. (observed) 0·10; this is significantly smaller than the values obtained by the subcutaneous method.

3. Significant secular variations have been observed both in the slope and in the median effective dose.

4. The intravaginal method is approximately 200 times more sensitive than the subcutaneous method.

5. The χ2 test for goodness of fit shows that the regression between log dose and the probit of response is linear in intravaginal tests.
RELATIONSHIP OF THE DIABETOGENIC ACTIVITY OF OX PITUITARY EXTRACTS TO THEIR GROWTH HORMONE CONTENT
Authors: REID E.
Published: December 2008

Different batches of crude bovine pituitary extract were compared with respect to the 'D/G ratio', i.e. the ratio of diabetogenic activity in cats to growth-promoting activity in rats. The ratio was low for some extracts which had been incubated as in the experiments of Marks & Young [1940], but wide variations were found with 'normal' (non-incubated) extracts, for some of which the ratio was notably high.

Purified preparations of the diabetogenic factor isolated from crude extracts appeared to consist predominantly of growth hormone (GH), as shown particularly by examination in the ultracentrifuge (see Addendum).

The possibility that 'purified GH' might, in common with crude extracts, vary in D/G ratio, received little support from tests performed on semi-purified GH fractions isolated from crude extracts, or on purified GH preparations subjected to mildly destructive treatments such as incubation with carboxypeptidase, which did not impair either diabetogenic or growth-promoting activity. Tests with the GH preparation (pig) of Raben & Westermeyer [1952] did not confirm their claim that it lacks diabetogenic activity.

The growth-promoting activity of GH is reduced by ACTH or posterior-pituitary extract, and enhanced by thyrotrophin. The diabetogenic activity of GH is known to be enhanced by ACTH under certain conditions. Variations among crude extracts in D/G ratio may thus be attributable to variations in the content of certain hormones other than GH.

Data are presented for changes in body-weight in cats treated with crude pituitary extracts or purified GH.
THE MODE OF ACTION OF ANTITHYROID DRUGS: RESULTS WITH TWO IN VITRO TESTS
Authors: PITNEY W. R. , FRASER T. RUSSELL
Published: December 2008

1. Two in vitro tests are described for measuring the inhibitory potency of antithyroid drugs on enzymic and non-enzymic oxidative iodination of protein; one, a milk enzymic iodination test, and the other an enzyme-free peroxide iodination test.

2. Five recognized antithyroid drugs have been tested: 2-thiouracil, 2-carbethoxythio-methyl-glyoxaline, potassium thiocyanate, resorcinol and sulphathiazole. By means of the milk enzymic test they could be ranged in order of potency, as indicated by the molar concentrations required for 50 % inhibition. They could also be separated into different types by the speed with which they pass from minimal to maximal inhibition with rising molar concentration.

3. With the enzyme-free peroxide test, thiouracil, but not resorcinol, was found to be inert; with the enzymic test, both were nearly equivalent in potency.
SEROLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF THE ANTIGENICITY OF OX ANTERIOR PITUITARY GROWTH HORMONE IN SHEEP
Authors: FERGUSON K. A. , BOYDEN S. V.
Published: December 2008

Using the tannic acid haemagglutination test, antibodies reacting with a purified preparation of ox growth hormone were detected in the sera of sheep following injection with crude anterior pituitary extract or with purified ox growth hormone.

Prior absorption of the sera with various anterior pituitary preparations rich in ox growth hormone inhibited haemagglutination. Absorption of the sera with anterior pituitary preparations containing negligible amounts of growth hormone or with ox serum did not inhibit haemagglutination. It is concluded that ox growth hormone is antigenic in the sheep.
THE EFFECT OF PARATHYROID HORMONE ON PHOSPHATE EXCRETION IN THE RAT
Authors: DAVIES BERYL M. A. , GORDON A. H.
Published: December 2008

The magnitude of the decrease in serum inorganic phosphate and the increase in urine phosphate of parathyroidectomized rats caused by injected parathyroid hormone has been studied. About 3 u.s.p. units of this hormone have been found to cause maximum changes in both serum and urine phosphate. Both responses depend on the respective initial phosphate level. Urine phosphate levels too high for more than minimal changes in phosphate excretion have been reduced by diets containing aluminium sulphate.
THE EFFECT OF REPEATED INJECTIONS OF ADRENALINE ON THE HAEMOPOIETIC TISSUES OF THE RABBIT
Authors: GHADIALLY F. N.
Published: December 2008

The effect of repeated injections of adrenaline on the blood and haemopoietic tissues of the rabbit was studied. A 'panhyperplasia' of the marrow was produced. No change was detected in the lymph nodes. The peripheral blood showed no significant change in the total erythrocyte, total and differential leucocyte and Cook-Arneth counts.
THE EFFECT OF CORTISONE AND ACTH ON ADRENAL TRANSPLANTS IN THE RAT
Authors: WOODRUFF M. F. A. , BOSWELL THELMA
Published: December 2008

The effect of cortisone and ACTH on auto- and homotransplants of adrenal tissue has been studied in adrenalectomized rats. If the two hormones are administered simultaneously in appropriate dosage the regeneration of autotransplants is not inhibited, but neither ACTH alone nor cortisone and ACTH combined, in various dosages, have any decisive beneficial effect on the survival of homotransplants.

A positive Thorn test is of value as an index of the presence of a healthy transplant in the strain of rats employed, but a negative result does not necessarily exclude this.

The significance of these findings is discussed.
CHANGES IN THE SEBACEOUS GLANDS AND EPIDERMIS DURING THE OESTROUS CYCLE OF THE ALBINO RAT
Authors: EBLING F. J.
Published: December 2008

1. In the dorsal skin of female albino rats, the sebaceous glands reached their maximum size, and the stratum germinativum its greatest thickness during prooestrus. At oestrus, and on the day following it, both these tissues were significantly reduced in size.

2. During the oestrous cycle, there appeared to be no significant changes in the incidence of mitoses in either tissue, as measured 5 hr after injection of colchicine.

3. An analysis of correlation showed that in neither tissue was size correlated with incidence of mitoses. Sebaceous gland size was very significantly correlated with epidermal thickness, and the two incidences of mitoses were themselves correlated.

4. In immature female rats, which had been implanted with oestradiol benzoate 3–4 weeks before death, both sebaceous gland size and epidermal thickness were greatly reduced, although the incidences of mitoses were significantly raised.

5. These results are interpreted as indicating that oestrogens affect both holocrine secretion of the sebaceous glands and epidermal keratinization, and that these actions are independent of any possible influence on the incidence of mitoses in these tissues.
17-KETOSTEROID FRACTIONATION STUDIES BY A MICRO-CHROMATOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE IN ENDOCRINE DISORDERS
Authors: POND M. HELEN
Published: December 2008

Urinary 17-ketosteroids have been fractionated by adsorption chromatography on alumina into eight fractions, the main constituents of which are described. The patterns of 17-ketosteroid excretion in patients with various forms of endocrine disorder have been compared with those from normal subjects. The value of this investigation in clinical medicine is discussed. Although not of diagnostic importance, it is of use in the assessment of two aspects of adrenocortical activity, the excretion of the β-hydroxy-17-ketosteroids and the 11-oxy-17-ketosteroids.
THE CHANGES WHICH OCCUR WITH AGEING IN THE VASCULAR PATTERN OF THE INFUNDIBULAR PROCESS OF THE HUMAN HYPOPHYSIS CEREBRI
Authors: XUEREB G. P.
Published: December 2008

A study of the smaller blood vessels has been carried out on 170 human pituitary bodies by means of red cell staining methods. It was found that the vascular pattern of the neural lobe undergoes alteration with advancing years, the changes being common to both the sexes.

In infancy and in childhood, a simple pattern of branching vessels is seen throughout the neural lobe.

In the adolescent, a change from one type of vascular pattern to another becomes apparent: first, the individual vessels become tortuous and, subsequently, the tortuous vessels tend to become arranged in groups.

In the adult, the pattern becomes increasingly complex, and tortuous vessels of large calibre are seen grouped in lobular units.

In old age, the degree of vascularity of the tissue is much reduced and the pattern of the blood vessels tends to revert gradually to the simple arrangement seen in childhood.
SOME ASPECTS OF ZONATION AND FUNCTION OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX
Authors: JONES I. CHESTER , SPALDING MARGARET H.
Published: December 2008

Male adult rats whose adrenals were enucleated and allowed to regenerate showed in one group normal competence to handle administered water loads, and in another a slow diuresis after this functional test. In the latter case the predisposing factor is cortical insufficiency and not the absence of the medulla. Even those animals with regenerated enucleated adrenals, which gave a normal response to water loads, nevertheless still showed some differences from normal in regard to sodium and potassium metabolism. The histology of the adrenals in the different groups is described.
SOME ASPECTS OF ZONATION AND FUNCTION OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX
Authors: JONES I. CHESTER , WRIGHT A.
Published: December 2008

Male adult rats, with established drinking patterns, were given the choice of saline or tap water to drink, immediately after adrenal enucleation. Both saline and water were taken, but by the 6th day after operation the rats had returned to drinking predominantly tap water. The adrenals at this stage showed a small compact cortex, no distinguishable zona glomerulosa, and they appeared to be composed for the most part of cells in 'fascicles'. Adrenalectomized animals chose saline, drinking more and more pari passu with time. Other short-term enucleated animals were injected with ACTH, and the tendency for the regenerating cortex to form in 'fascicles' was very pronounced.
MEASUREMENTS OF ABSOLUTE RADIOIODINE UPTAKE IN THE ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN THYROID ACTIVITY
Authors: HAIGH C. P. , REISS M. , REISS JEAN M.
Published: December 2008

The uptake of radioiodine by the human thyroid 24 hr after a tracer dose of 25 μc. has been measured by means of a toroidal counter with a high sensitivity not critically dependent on the relative position of the source. The distribution of the 24 hr uptake values for males and females is given. Values of the sum of the 24 hr uptake and the 24 or 48 hr urinary excretion of radioiodine have been determined, and are shown to be distributed about a mean of 91% of the dose. With this information it has been possible to replace excretion measurements by uptake measurements in the computation of the thyroid index It described previously [Haigh & Reiss, 1950; Reiss, Haigh, Hemphill, Maggs, Reiss & Smith, 1952]. The new index I′t has the same dimensions as It, but the respective scales of thyroid activity, although similar, are not interchangeable. The I′t values appear less susceptible to accidental errors.

In some cases a discrepancy has been found between the rate of uptake of radioiodine during the 1st hr following the injection and the 24 hr uptake value, a low rate of uptake being accompanied by a 24 hr absolute uptake which was at least normal. This may be due to the mobilization of vaso-constrictor substances in the patient during the 1st hr. These anomalies occurred chiefly in patients suffering from some kind of anxiety neurosis.
FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON OOCYTE NUMBERS IN MATURE RHESUS MONKEYS (MACACA MULATTA)
Authors: GREEN S. H. , ZUCKERMAN S.
Published: December 2008

An analysis of oocyte numbers in forty-two rhesus monkeys whose ovaries were removed on different days of the menstrual cycle showed (1) that the right and left ovaries usually contain about the same number of oocytes; (2) that oocyte numbers vary inversely with body weight; (3) that there are no significant differences in the total number of oocytes in the early, middle and last thirds of the cycle; and (4) that no constant relation exists between the proportion of follicles in different stages of development.
PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING BRAIN GLYCOGEN OF THE MOUSE
Authors: CHANCE M. R. A. , WALKER A. P.
Published: December 2008

1. Following the demonstration [Chance & Yaxley, 1950] that the brain glycogen of the mouse rises during a convulsion, an attempt has been made to study the effect of various substances on the level of brain glycogen in the mouse both when resting and after a convulsion induced by metrazol. The substances used were glucose, adrenaline, insulin, deoxycorticosterone glucoside, cortisone acetate and the anti-insulin principle of the anterior pituitary. The effect of fasting on the brain glycogen of the resting mouse was also examined.

2. The level of glycogen in the brain rose in the presence of a raised blood sugar or following injection of the anti-insulin principle. Insulin antagonized the effect of the latter without altering the level of the blood sugar.

3. During convulsions induced by metrazol after the administration of insulin, the level of the blood-sugar was reduced, and the usual increment in brain glycogen was suppressed. It reappeared when sufficient glucose was injected to restore the blood-sugar level to normal. None of the other substances tested affected the rise in glycogen level of the brain induced by a convulsion.

4. During certain types of normal behaviour [Chance, 1953 a] the levels of the blood sugar and brain glycogen generally change independently of each other, but on occasion both rise simultaneously. It is concluded that they represent independent responses resulting from central nervous activity.
THE EFFECTS OF GLUCOSE AND INSULIN ON THE DIABETOGENIC ACTION OF ALLOXAN
Authors: ARTETA J. L. , KÖNIG C. , CARBALLIDO A.
Published: December 2008

The injection of 2–3 g/kg body weight of glucose inhibits the diabetogenic action of subsequently injected alloxan (65 mg/kg) and protects against the lethal effect of 100–120 mg alloxan/kg in the dog. Protection is less marked when glucose and alloxan are administered together.

Insulin injections in doses sufficient to induce severe hypoglycaemia sensitize the dogs in such a manner as to convert non-diabetogenic doses of alloxan (30 mg/kg body weight) into diabetogenic ones.

Female dogs are less sensitive to the action of insulin than males. Of a total of seven males and five females, all the males, but only one female, became diabetic.

It is suggested that the concentration of glucose within and surrounding the β-cells of the pancreas regulates the degree of sensitivity of these cells to alloxan.
THE EFFECT OF CORTISONE AND THYROTROPHIN ON THYROID TRANSPLANTS IN THE GUINEA-PIG
Authors: WOODRUFF M. F. A.
Published: December 2008

Administration of cortisone in large dosage (20 mg daily) decreases the chances of survival of thyroid autotransplants in guinea-pigs. Despite this, cortisone may facilitate the survival of thyroid homotransplants, apparently by inhibiting the development of resistance in the host. The effect is a slight one, however, and is not apparent when transplants are made from stock donors to members of a highly inbred strain.

Administration of thyrotrophin does not abolish the deleterious effect of cortisone on autotransplants, nor does it appear to facilitate the survival of homotransplants.
STUDIES ON THE PITUITARY MELANOPHORE-EXPANDING HORMONE WITH REFERENCE TO ITS IDENTITY WITH ACTH
Authors: KETTERER B. , REMILTON ELIZABETH
Published: December 2008

Three different melanophore-expanding extracts were subjected to two methods of heating in alkali and assayed, using intact Xenopus. The results for treated and untreated material were statistically analysed.

1. Heating a simple ox posterior pituitary extract (OxPLP) in alkali by either method increased its melanophore-expanding ('B') activity, but the slope of the dose-response curve did not differ significantly from that for the untreated extract.

2. The dose-response curve for an acetone precipitated extract (APP) of OxPLP differed significantly in slope from that of the OxPLP extract itself. The APP powder did not change its activity when boiled at pH 13·0 for 3 min.

3. Heating in alkali of a commercial ACTH preparation destroyed approximately 90% of its B activity.

4. The increase in activity of alkali heat-treated extracts can be reliably determined by Xenopus white adapted for long periods of time, provided they receive frequent injections of B-active material.
THE EFFECT OF INSULIN AND PHLORIDZIN ON THE INTRAVAGINAL ACTION OF OESTRONE
Authors: CLARINGBOLD P. J.
Published: December 2008

1. Insulin, administered by either the subcutaneous or intravaginal route, significantly increases the response of ovariectomized mice to oestrone.

2. Phloridzin, administered similarly, significantly decreases the vaginal response to oestrone.

3. None of the treatments adopted produced any significant change in variability of response.

4. The significance of these results is discussed in relation to the local action of oestrogens on the vaginal epithelium.
THE INFLUENCE OF SEX HORMONES ON THE BONY CHANGES OCCURRING IN PARALYSED LIMBS
Authors: GILLESPIE J. A.
Published: December 2008

1. Paralysis, produced in young male rats by avulsion of peripheral nerves, resulted in a highly significant reduction in the total weight, ash weight, ash percentage, X-ray density and bending moment at the breaking point, of the bones of the affected limb. The breaking stress was significantly reduced, but Young's modulus of elasticity was unaltered.

2. Certain of these changes were modified by treatment with sex hormones. Both oestradiol and testosterone significantly reduced the difference between the bones of the normal and paralysed limbs in respect of total weight, ash weight and bending moment at the breaking point.

3. Treatment with oestradiol significantly increased both the ash percentage and Young's modulus of elasticity, the increase affecting equally the bones of the normal and paralysed limbs. Testosterone treatment did not significantly affect either of these properties, and neither hormone affected the breaking stress.
INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL SIZE AND PARITY ON ONSET OF LABOUR IN MULTIPLE PREGNANCY IN MAN
Authors: McKEOWN T. , RECORD R. G.
Published: December 2008

The association between duration of gestation and (a) parental height, and (b) mother's parity is examined in 1028 single and 375 twin maternities. With increasing height of mother, duration of gestation increases in multiple pregnancy; the two variables are unrelated in single pregnancy. With increasing parity, duration of gestation increases in multiple pregnancy and decreases slightly in single pregnancy. It is suggested that these observations provide support for the view that the early onset of labour in multiple pregnancy may be due to the size of the foetuses.
THE INFLUENCE OF STRESS CONDITIONS ON THE UPTAKE OF 131I BY THE RAT THYROID
Authors: BADRICK F. E. , BRIMBLECOMBE R. W. , REISS JEAN M. , REISS M.
Published: December 2008

The uptake of 131I by the thyroid of the rat has been investigated under various conditions of stress.

The acute change always consists in a considerable reduction of the rate of uptake of 131I irrespective of the nature of the stress.

This acute inhibition in the uptake of 131I is independent of the anterior pituitary lobe, since it occurs in the normal and hypophysectomized animal alike. It is also independent of the presence of the adrenals. The inhibition of the uptake of 131I by the thyroids occurs in vivo only; their ability to take up 131I in vitro is not impaired.

All the acute changes seen under stress conditions can be readily reproduced by treatment with adrenaline, which shows the same inhibitory effect on normal and hypophysectomized animals, the action being equally transitory.

It is suggested that the acute changes in thyroid function seen under stress conditions are entirely independent of the anterior pituitary and are caused by increased release of vasoconstrictor substances.

An increased uptake rate of 131I by the thyroid was seen 24 hr after the acute stress. This was thought to be caused by a compensatory increase in the secretion of thyrotrophic hormone by the anterior pituitary.
CONCENTRATION OF PROGESTIN IN THE SERUM OF THE NON-PREGNANT, PREGNANT AND POST-PARTUM EWE
Authors: NEHER G. M. , ZARROW M. X.
Published: December 2008

The Hooker-Forbes assay was employed to determine the concentration of free progestin in the serum of ewes during various stages of the reproductive cycle.

During the oestrous cycle, the concentration varied from 0\m=.\3 to 2μg/ml. at oestrus to 6μg in the luteal phase. During pregnancy, the level of progestin rose from 1 to 2 μg/ml. at mating to a peak of 8–12 μg/ml. at parturition. The concentration of progestin showed a plateau at a level of 6–8 μg from the 40th to the 100th day of pregnancy. A second rise occurred at about the 120th day of pregnancy.

In all sheep parturition took place prior to the drop in serum progestin. By the 10th day post-partum, however, the concentration of the hormone declined to 1 or 2 μg/ml. and remained at this level throughout lactation. Removal of the ovaries between the 66th and 114th day of gestation had no effect on the level of progestin in the blood of five ewes. The pregnancies remained unaffected, and the concentration of progestin increased in a manner comparable to that seen in pregnant sheep with intact ovaries. It is suggested that the placenta is the major source of progestin during the last two trimesters of pregnancy in the sheep.
THE RESPONSE OF INBRED MICE TO OESTROGENS
Authors: CLARINGBOLD P. J. , BIGGERS J. D.
Published: December 2008

The vaginal response of two inbred lines of mice (C57 and CBA), and their reciprocal crosses, to oestrone and oestradiol-3:17β has been studied, with the subcutaneous and intravaginal routes of administration.

In all cases the variability of the response of F1 hybrids was approximately 25% of the variability of the inbred lines. In the intravaginal tests the median effective dose (m.e.d.) was the same for both inbred lines, while the m.e.d. for the F1 hybrids was less. In the subcutaneous tests the C57 line has a lower m.e.d. than the CBA line, while the m.e.d. of the F1 hybrids was lower than both the inbred lines.

This phenomenon is an example of heterosis, and the findings have been discussed in relation to bioassay and experimental study of oestrogens, and to mammary carcinoma in the mouse.
THE INDUCTION OF CYCLIC UTERINE BLEEDING IN NORMAL AND SPAYED RHESUS MONKEYS BY PROGESTERONE
Authors: KROHN P. L.
Published: December 2008

Short periods of treatment with progesterone precipitate uterine bleeding in a spayed monkey which is receiving constant daily doses of oestrogen. The amount of progesterone required is proportional to the dose of oestrogen given.

Treatment with progesterone (5 mg daily for 5 days) also precipitates uterine bleeding in untreated spayed monkeys at regular intervals of about 8 days. The first course of injections must be started immediately a menstrual bleeding has been induced, either by the surgical removal of the ovaries or by the withdrawal of an adequate oestrogenic stimulus. Treatment is usually ineffective if it is delayed for as little as 6 days.

The number of cycles obtained in spayed animals, pretreated with oestrogen, seems to be related to the size of the initial dose of oestrogen used to induce withdrawal bleeding.

Such cycles can be obtained not only after an oestrogen-withdrawal bleeding but also after a progesterone-withdrawal bleeding has occurred in monkeys which have neither received oestrogen nor menstruated for several months before treatment with progesterone was begun. Conditioning of the subsequent responses of the uterus for many months to come depends, therefore, on the occurrence of a single menstrual bleeding but not on the particular hormone used to obtain the bleeding.

These effects of progesterone in spayed monkeys cannot be simulated by injections of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DCA).

The intermenstrual bleeding that can be induced in normal female rhesus monkeys by injecting 5 mg progesterone daily for 5 days does not occur if the injections are continued at a constant lower threshold dose, which varies for different monkeys between 0·25 and 1·0 mg daily.
VARIATION IN PLACENTAL WEIGHT ACCORDING TO LITTER SIZE IN THE GUINEA-PIG
Authors: ECKSTEIN P. , McKEOWN THOMAS , RECORD R. G.
Published: December 2008

Observations are recorded on the placenta of the guinea-pig at the 65th day of pregnancy.

Placental weight is inversely related (a) to number of foetuses in the same horn of the uterus, and (b) to number of foetuses in the other horn. In litters with unequal numbers of foetuses in the two horns, placental weight is greater on the side with the smaller number. These observations are consistent with those previously recorded on foetal weight [Eckstein & McKeown, 1955]. Nevertheless, the variation in placental weight does not wholly account for the variation in foetal weight. Even when attention is restricted to foetuses with placentae of the same weight, foetal weight appears to reflect both a general effect, due to litter size and independent of distribution between the horns, and (less certainly, because of small numbers), a local effect, determined by contiguity of foetuses within the same horn. The possible significance of the last two observations is discussed.
A METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF URINARY PREGNANEDIOL
Authors: KLOPPER A. , MICHIE EILEEN A. , BROWN J. B.
Published: December 2008

A new chromatographic procedure for determining small amounts of pregnanediol in urine is described. The method involves (1) acid hydrolysis, (2) toluene extraction, (3) a new permanganate oxidation step, (4) chromatography on alumina columns, (5) acetylation, (6) further chromatography on alumina, and (7) colorimetry after developing a colour with sulphuric acid. The method is considered under the headings of specificity, sensitivity, accuracy and convenience. The significance of results obtained from male, proliferative phase female, and post-menopausal urine is discussed.
THE EFFECT OF TESTOSTERONE PROPIONATE ON ORGAN CULTURES OF THE MOUSE PROSTATE
Authors: LASNITZKI ILSE
Published: December 2008

Ventral prostate glands from C3H mice of 4–6 weeks and 6 months age were grown in vitro by the watch-glass technique in the presence of testosterone propionate (t.p.) for periods of 10 and 21 days.

Young glands grown in normal control medium show regression of the alveolar epithelium, but essentially retain their original histological structure if t.p. (50 μg/ml.) is added to the culture medium. Prolonged treatment is followed by hyperplasia of the alveolar epithelium.

In older glands differentiation is maintained in normal control medium. Administration of t.p. induces hyperplasia of the alveolar epithelium with cytological and mitotic abnormalities shortly after treatment has begun, while prolonged exposure leads to degeneration of the alveolar epithelium.

It is concluded that young glands need a higher level of androgens to preserve differentiation than older glands which may have acquired a greater degree of sensitivity to the hormones.

The direct effects of t.p. are compared with those produced by oestrone and 20-methylcholanthrene and similarities observed in the action of the carcinogen and testosterone are discussed briefly.
THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF PROGESTERONE AND OESTROGEN ON THE SYMPHYSIS PUBIS OF OVARIECTOMIZED MICE
Authors: HALL KATHLEEN
Published: December 2008

The effect of various combinations of oestrogen and progesterone, injected for periods of 23, 28 and 36 days, on the symphysis pubis of 127 ovariectomized, virgin mice is described. The work is an extension of earlier work in which other combinations of the same hormones were used. The results of both sets of experiments, present and past, show that, when injected into ovariectomized mice for periods at least as long as that of normal pregnancy, (1) 25, 100, 250, 1000 and 1500μg/day progesterone do not potentiate the action on the symphysis pubis of 1·5–25μg/day oestrogen, and that (2) these combinations of the two hormones do not produce changes in the pelvis similar to those which occur at the end of normal pregnancy, or (3) which can be produced in ovariectomized mice by injecting oestrogen and relaxin. The results confirm that there is apparently a species difference between the mouse and the guinea-pig in this respect.
THE EFFECT OF CERTAIN PLANT PREPARATIONS ON THE FERTILITY OF LABORATORY MAMMALS
Authors: EAST JUNE
Published: December 2008

Mice and guinea-pigs were fed diets containing 20 and 30% whole Sanguisorba officinalis, dried and ground.

In immature female mice, premature vaginal opening and constant dioestrus were produced. Adult animals showed oestrous cycles of abnormal length, owing to a prolongation of the dioestrous phase, but mated and became pregnant readily during treatment. Lactation appeared to be affected adversely.

Male fertility was not impaired.

The plant material showed no oestrogenic activity when fed to spayed mice, and did not produce vaginal opening in spayed guinea-pigs.
ENDOCRINE STUDIES ON DELAYED IMPLANTATION IN LACTATING MICE
Authors: WHITTEN W. K.
Published: December 2008

1. The ovaries and uteri of non-lactating mice on the 7th day after parturition are significantly heavier and histologically more active than those of lactating mice.

2. The response to serum gonadotrophin injected on the 2nd day after parturition is of the same order in both lactating and non-lactating mice. This indicates that the ovary is not refractory to gonadotrophin during early lactation.

3. Injection of 5 or 10 i.u. serum gonadotrophin on the 3rd or 5th day after parturition results in normal implantation in lactating mice; injection after 2 days inhibits implantation in both lactating and non-lactating animals, presumably by tubal locking of ova.

4. It has been confirmed that injection of 0·03 μg oestradiol results in implantation at the normal time in lactating mice. There is, however, no indication from the weights of the ovaries of ovarian stimulation, and it is presumed that oestradiol acts directly on the blastocyst, the uterus or on both.

5. It is concluded that the delay in implantation associated with lactation in the mouse is due, at least in part, to reduced secretion of gonadotrophin by the pituitary and the consequent decrease in oestrogen production.
INFLUENCE OF A HIGHLY PURIFIED THYMUS EXTRACT UPON THE ADRENALS OF GUINEA-PIGS
Authors: COMSA J. , LEROUX H.
Published: December 2008

1. An attempt has been made to demonstrate the influence of the thymus upon the adrenal in guinea-pigs by daily injection of unphysiological amounts of a highly purified thymus extract.

2. Such injections caused a marked but transient increase in both the vitamin C and cholesterol content of the adrenal.

3. Morphologically, there was a decrease in the weight of the adrenal cortex relative to that of the whole gland, while the relative weight of the medulla increased correspondingly. This change was not transient, but persisted up to 110 days of treatment.

4. It is concluded that the effect of injecting thymus extract is opposite to that of injecting ACTH and gives rise to a resting condition of the adrenal cortex.
A STUDY OF THE INDIVIDUAL MEDIAN EFFECTIVE DOSE OF OESTRONE IN THE OVARIECTOMIZED MOUSE
Authors: CLARINGBOLD P. J.
Published: December 2008

Two methods of estimating the individual median effective dose have been studied and found to yield equivalent estimates.

Within-animal variation (over a period of 5 weeks) is shown to be 29% (20–38%) of the between-animal variation. Allen-Doisy assay procedures designed to utilize the withinanimal information therefore require 29% of the observations of the standard method.

The individual median effective dose is a graded character and may be used in the standard procedures of genetical analysis and the analysis of variance.
RADIOAUTOGRAPHY OF INORGANIC IODIDE IN THE THYROID
Authors: DONIACH I. , LOGOTHETOPOULOS J. H.
Published: December 2008

Contact radioautographs were made from sections of freeze-dried thyroids of 131I injected rats, mice and guinea-pigs in which organic binding of iodine had been prevented with propylthiouracil. Some of the animals were previously untreated, others had received propylthiouracil in the drinking water for periods of 10 or 60 days. The radioautographs were made with dry thin stretched stripping film. The iodide was found to be distributed right through the follicles and appeared in higher concentration in the colloid than in the cells.
THE INFLUENCE OF METHYLANDROSTENEDIOL ON THE BODY WEIGHT AND CARCASS COMPOSITION OF THE RAT
Authors: KORNER A. , YOUNG F. G.
Published: December 2008

1. Male and female rats of 3½ months of age gained weight when treated with methylandrostenediol (MAD). The nature and extent of the response varied with the age of the animal.

2. Chemical analysis of the whole rat showed a gain of protein and water and a loss of fat as a result of MAD treatment. Such changes can be taken as indicative of tissue growth.

3. The water/protein ratio of the new tissue is similar to that of muscle.

4. Since similar results were obtained with hypophysectomized and with adrenalectomized rats, the anabolic action of MAD does not depend upon the presence of adrenal or pituitary hormones.
THE EFFECT OF GENISTEIN ON THE FERTILITY OF MICE
Authors: EAST JUNE
Published: December 2008

Synthetic genistein, 5:7:4′-trihydroxy-isoflavone, proved to be oestrogenic (that is to say produced vaginal cornification) when included in the normal diet of immature, spayed and intact female mice in amounts calculated to give daily intakes of 2, 10 and 15 mg respectively. Consumption of genistein also precipitated vaginal opening in immature mice.

The fertility of adult male mice fed 15 mg genistein daily for 22–25 days was more severely affected than that of adult females similarly treated for 31–55 days. Of ten males, five were rendered sterile and the fertility of three others was impaired. Two of ten females did not mate and abnormal numbers of still-born young were produced by the remaining animals. Four males and one female did not recover fertility when transferred to normal rations.
THE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF GONADOTROPHIN (GA) FROM THE URINE OF NON-PREGNANT WOMEN
Authors: BROWN P. S.
Published: December 2008

The gonadotrophic fraction, GA, from the urine of various human subjects, when tested biologically, showed a wide range of potency. Potency was high in cases when high gonadotrophin excretion was likely; it was depressed by oestrogens.

It is suggested that GA is a protein vehicle, loaded with variable amounts of gonadotrophic material and that its potency may reflect the concentration of gonadotrophin in the body.
SURVIVAL TIME OF OVARIAN HOMOGRAFTS IN TWO STRAINS OF RATS
Authors: PARKES A. S.
Published: December 2008

1. Autografts and intra- and inter-strain homografts of ovarian tissue were made among rats of the two strains, albino and hooded, maintained at the National Institute for Medical Research.

2. Young adult females were ovariectomized and ovarian tissue transplanted subcutaneously. Surviving animals were killed 12–13 months after operation and the grafts, where present, removed for histological examination.

3. The occurrence of vaginal cornification was taken to indicate functional activity on the part of the graft. The effectiveness of the type of graft was assessed by the proportion of 'takes' within a group, by the average latent interval before the appearance of vaginal cornification and by the functional survival time of the graft.

4. The proportion of 'takes' was maximal in the autografts and intra-strain homografts, and only slightly less (16/20) in the inter-strain homografts. The length of the latent interval was not significantly different with the six types of graft. After 12–13 months, when the animals were killed, all the autografts, 11/14 of the intra-strain homografts, and 7/18 of the inter-strain homografts were still functioning. Of the thirty-six homografts which became established sufficiently to cause vaginal cornification, nine failed during the 1st month and three only during the 2nd and 3rd months. There were no later failures.

5. Histologically, most of the grafts were characterized by large follicular or lutein cysts, but normal eggs, follicles and corpora lutea were found in grafts of each type. There was a close connexion between the occurrence of follicular cysts and of persistent vaginal cornification.

6. The comparative importance of immunological and endocrinological factors in the evolution of the ovarian homograft is discussed.
THE REACTIVITY OF THE X-IRRADIATED OVARY OF THE RAT
Authors: MANDL ANITA M. , ZUCKERMAN S.
Published: December 2008

1. The ovaries of adult rats were directly X-irradiated by means of a superficial irradiation apparatus, the rest of the body being screened with lead. A dose of 4400 r produced complete sterilization. None of the animals developed radiation sickness.

2. The sterilized ovary does not undergo compensatory hypertrophy after unilateral ovariectomy, nor does it increase in size in response to exogenous gonadotrophin.

3. After irradiation, short periods of vaginal cornification recur at increasingly irregular intervals; after a minimum of 5 days and usually within 40 days, the vaginal smear becomes continuously cornified. After the period of cornification, which lasts from 2 to 14 weeks, and during which the animals will not mate, the smears become similar to those seen in spayed animals.

4. In sterilized animals the uterus is smaller than normal, but as long as 26 weeks after treatment is still significantly larger than that of spayed controls.

5. These indications of oestrogenic effects continue after bilateral adrenalectomy. They cease after removal of the X-ray sterilized ovaries.

6. Changes in the weight of the body, thymus and spleen after X-irradiation are similar to, but less rapid than, those occurring after ovariectomy. The increase in the weight of the pituitary is greater than that after ovariectomy. The adrenal glands do not decrease in size, as they do after bilateral ovariectomy.

7. The pituitaries of X-ray sterilized animals contain more gonadotrophin than do those of control-operated litter-mates, and about the same amount as do those of spayed rats.