The erythropoietin response to the anemia of thermal injury

Erythropoietin excretion was persistently increased following major thermal injury in 4 of 5 patients. A good correlation was found between erythropoietin excretion and red cell mass but not between erythropoietin excretion and hematocrit. In spite of the increased erythropoietin, erythropoiesis in these thermally injured patients was inadequate to compensate for erythrocyte deficits as judged by bone marrow morphology, reticulocyte counts, and transfusion requirements.     

The temporal interaction of corticosterone and prolactin in affecting liver lipid metabolism of the chick

Experiments were conducted to determine if Brown Leghorn chickens (Gallus domesticus) showed a daily differential responsiveness to the phased injections of corticosterone and prolactin. In experiment 1, 28 day old chicks, maintained on continuous lighting and a standard diet, were treated daily for 6 days with corticosterone (300 mug. in 0.2 cc. saline) and with prolactin (150 mug. in 0.2 cc. saline) for 4 days. The prolactin injections began 2 days after the first corticosterone injection. The interval between daily corticosterone injections at 1800 hours followed by prolactin injections 6, 12 or 18 hours later resulted in a significant increase in the liver lipidcontent in the chicks. However, when corticosterone and prolactin were given at the same time (1800 hours), no increase in liver lipid content was observed. Corticosterone admininstered at 6oo hours and followed by prolactin injections had no effect on liver lipid content regardless of the time of prolactin prolactin injections. Experiment 2 was designed to test the effect of the administration of corticosterone or prolactin alone at either 600 hours or 1800 hours on liver lipid metabolism. Two groups of Brown Leghorn chicks received prolactin alone (for 2 days) at either 600 hours or 1800 hours. None of these treatment groups were significantly different from the uninjected controls. It is concluded that the chick has a diurnal sensitivity to the effects of coritcosterone and that once the liver is affected by corticosterone, a temporal interaction between this steroid and prolactin can affect the liver lipid content of the Brown Leghorn chick.     

The posterior aortic wall echocardiogram. Its relationship to left atrial volume change

The normal posterior aortic wall echocardiogram shows anterior motion during left ventricular systole and predominantly posterior motion in three phases during left ventricular diastole. In six patients undergoing simultaneous left atrial angiograms and posterior aortic wall echocardiograms, there was excellent correlation between the posterior aortic wall motion and the change in the left atrial angiographic area showing the value of the posterior aortic wall echocardiogram in describing the left atrial volume curve. Left atrial and left ventricular pressures were measured with manometer tip catheters and correlated with simultaneous posterior aortic wall and mitral valve echocardiograms in four patients with atrial septal defects. These echocardiographic, angiographic, and hemodynamic correlations, as well as other evidence reported in this paper suggest that a major portion of posterior aortic wall motion is related to left atrial events and describes the left atrial volume curve.     

Endocrine studies during the refeeding of young women with nutritional amenorrhea and infertility

Serial endocrine studies were performed during the refeeding of a group of nine young women who presented with amenorrhea associated with injudicious dieting. No significant psychopathology was disclosed by the Lanyon Psychological Screening Inventory in any of the patients, six of whom were single and three married and infertile. The mean weight before refeeding was 81.6% of the normal for height. The mean initial serum follicle-stimulating hormone concentration was within the limits of normal for young women of reproductive age, but the serum luteinizing hormone (LH) concentration and the vaginal maturation score were low. As weight was regained, the serum LH concentration increased (the pooled r for LH versus percent normal weight = 0.85) and the vaginal maturation score rose (the pooled r for vaginal maturation score versus percent normal weight = 0.93). When a mean weight of 96.6% of normal was reached after a mean of 5.3 (range, 2 to 11) months of refeeding, spontaneous menses occurred. The initial cycle was ovulatory in two instances and anovulatory in five, as determined by basal body temperature patterns, plasma progesterone concentrations, and endometrial biopsies. With continued weight gain, menstruation became regular and the three married patients conceived.     

A reappraisal of the stereoselective metabolism of nicotine to nicotine-1'-N-oxide

1. The cis and trans 1'-N-oxide metabolites of (2'R)-(+)-nicotine have the absolute configuration (1'S; 2'R) and (1'R; 2'R), respectively, and not the reverse as previously published. 2. Reinterpretation of metabolic data in the light of this reassignment reveals that N-oxidation of nicotine leads preferentially to the (1'R)-N-oxide, with little dependence on the configuration of the 2'-centre. 3. It is proposed that (2'S)-(-)-nicotine and (2'R)-(+)-nicotine bind to the same enzymic site by two distinct modes of binding; each of these modes involves the more basic centre (in this case the pyrrolidine ring) as the governing binding moiety.