Comparison of urinary excretion of UV-absorbing constituents in healthy subjects and patients with rheumatoid arthritis using analytical isotachophoresis

Analytical isotachophoresis has been applied to the separation of urinary constituents in healthy controls and patients with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. Various methods of comparing isotachograms have been investigated. Significant differences have been demonstrated between the pattern of UV-absorbing components in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy subjects.     

Placental proteins and steroid hormones in the soluble fraction of human syncytiotrophoblast plasma membrane

Placental protein 5 (PP5), pregnancy-specific glycoprotein (SP1), pregnancy-associated alpha 2-glycoprotein (SP3) and chorionic gonadotrophin could not be demonstrated in appreciable molar quantities in the soluble fraction from microvillous plasma membrane preparations isolated from the syncytiotrophoblast of full-term human placentae. However, progesterone, total oestriol and placental lactogen may have some association with this membrane.     

Further studies on the effect of aldosterone on electrical resistance of toad bladder

The fall in transepithelial electrical resistance which accompanies aldosterone stimulation of short-circuit current (Isc) in toad urinary bladder has been studied further to evaluate the possible causal role of this response in hormonal stimulation of Na+ transport. A steady-state change in tissue conductance was found to depend upon both the simultaneous stimulation of transport by the steroid and the metabolic state of the tissue. Changes in metabolic state alone did not alter resistance. A sustained increase in Na+ transport, dependent on pretreatment with aldosterone and elicited by addition of glucose, could be obtained without a sustained decrease in resistance. Amiloride, an inhibitor of Na+ uptake, produced changes in Isc that were linearly correlated with its effects on tissue conductance. On the basis of the conductance-Isc relationship with amiloride, the Isc response to aldosterone was about two-fold higher than would be predicted from its effects on conductance alone. Despite the apparent lack of a simple quantitative dependence of the change in Isc on the change in conductance when the response is fully developed, the results suggest that conductance changes may mediate the initial or early stage of the response.