Carroll A. Pfeiffer

Skeletal Changes in Mice Receiving Estrogens.

Summary Endosteal bone nearly or completely replaces the marrow cavities of the femurs of mice which have received estrogen (250 I.U. or more weekly) for long periods. Direct examination of the bones and X-ray photographs show that similar changes occurthroughout the skeleton except in the immediate vicinity of the pubic symphysis.

Inhibition of Estrogenic Effects on the Skeleton by Testosterone Injections.

Conclusion Testosterone propionate inhibits the skeletal changes (pubic resorption and hypercalcification of the skeleton) which occur when estrogens are injected over extended periods.

Demonstration of increased gonadotrophic hormone production in castrated mice with intrasplenic ovarian grafts.

Summary Evidence of an increased rate of production of gonadotrophins in castrated mice with intrasplenic ovarian grafts has been obtained by means of parabiotic experiments. The ovaries of normal mice placed in parabiosis with female littermates that had been castrated and had an ovary grafted into the spleen from 30 to 50 days previously averaged 37% heavier than the corresponding ovaries when parabolic was performed simultaneously with the other operations. The duration of parabolic ranged from 9 to 13 and from 11 to 35 days, in the 2 groups, averaging 11 days in the former and 17 days in the latter.

Effects of progesterone upon ovulation in the rhesus monkey.

Summary Ovulation occurred in 4 of 11 adult female monkeys which had received 0.5 mg of progesterone daily for 3 to 6 days beginning on the 10th to the 14th day of the menstrual cycle during the anovulatory summer period. Menstruation began from 3 to 8 days after the cessation of the progesterone treatment whether ovulation occurred or not.

Plasma Progesterone Levels and the Menstrual Cycle of the Monkey.

Summary Bioassay of the free and bound plasma progesterone at various intervals through a menstrual cycle in each of 2 monkeys indicate the level of free progesterone to be low during and following menstruation, high near the middle of the cycle, lower following this peak, and high in the latter half of the cycle. A low level was present at or preceding menstruation. The levels of the bound fraction were low at all times.

Intrasplenic Transplantation of Testes in Castrated Mice

Summary Thirty-two successful testicular homo transplants were recovered from 40 castrated male and female mice of the A strain bearing the intrasplenic transplants for a period ranging from 23 to 275 days. The testicular transplants showed the general histological features of cryptorchid testes, although spermatids and sperm heads were noted in one case after 243 days of transplantation. The present material gave no indication of tumor development in the intrasplenic testicular transplants. The experimental data suggested that the endogenous androgen produced by the intrasplenic testicular transplant was inactivated when passing through the hepatic portal system.

Failure of the liver of the monkey to inactivate estrogens in vivo.

Summary Intrasplenic implantation of pellets of estrone and estradiol in 4 ovari-ectomized monkeys was followed by reddening of the sex skin and alteration of the vaginal smear as promptly and with the same intensity as in a control animal given estradiol benzoate intramuscularly. Endometrial changes in the animals were alike, and removal of the intrasplenic pellet was followed by typical estrogen-deprivation menstruation. Liver function tests revealed no hepatic damage and administration of B vitamins did not reduce the activity of the intrasplenic estrogens.

Deposition of Melanin in Sparrow Bill Following Local Action of Testosterone Propionate in Alcoholic Solution.

Conclusion Androgenic hormone can act locally to induce deposition of melanin in those cells of the sparrow bill which are capable of producing this pigment.

Effects of bone extracts injected into the mouse testis.

Summary An acid alcoholic extract of bone did not cause the development of bone when it was injected into the testes of 33 male mice of the Strong A strain. It caused extreme damage to about 2/3 of the testis, producing a subtotal infarction of the area. Since fragments of bone marrow produce bone when transplanted to the testis, whereas extracts from much larger amounts of marrow and bone do not cause the development of bone, it is concluded that the marrow reticulum cells survive grafting and produce the bone.

DEVELOPMENT OF LEIOMYOMAS IN FEMALE RATS WITH AN ENDOCRINE IMBALANCE

Summary Of 185 endocrine imbalance female rats, 16 survived over 3 years. Leiomyomas were present in 4 of these 16 animals. One animal had multiple tumors; 2 were located in the middle and lower third of the right cornu, and a third was near the cervical end of the left cornu. The other 3 animals had single tumors. In one of these the tumor was located in the right cornu. In the other 2 it was in the left cornu. It is believed that the chronic estrogen stimulation resulting from the endocrine imbalance increases the chance of smooth muscle tumor formation.