Frederic J. Agate

Antigenicity of Steroid-Protein Conjugates

Testosterone, cortisone, deoxycorticosterone, estrone, and progesterone act as haptens when they are conjugated with bovine serum albumin. Antibodies with steroid specificity are formed in rabbits immunized with each of the five steroid hormone-protein conjugates.

Scanning Electron Microscopy of the Human Fallopian Tube

Fallopian tubes from women of reproductive and postmenopausal ages were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The surface topography of these Fallopian tubes is described and illustrated.

THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX IN FLUID SHIFTS IN THE HAMSTER FOLLOWING RENAL DAMAGE

Investigators in the field of shock, and those who concern themselves with the interrelations between the hypophysis and the adrenal cortex have an area of common interest. The adrenalectomized animal succumbs more readily than the intact animal subsequent to traumatic stimuli. With certain qualifications, this is also true of the hypophysectomized animal. It does not seem surprising, however, that the adrenalectomized animal whose electrolyte balance is already altered, and whose blood volume is already reduced, should succumb following a traumatic stimulus which, in itself, is capable of effecting a drastic reduction in blood volume. It is also not surprising that administration of adrenal extracts or of pure cortical steroids to the adrenalectomized animal will restore its resistance to trauma to approximately the level found in the intact animal. In the intact animal most of those adverse stimuli which give rise to shock also give rise to morphological and chemical changes in the adrenal cortex (the adrenal medulla is also involved but space prevents discussion of this phase of the problem). Most noxious stimuli such as burns, muscle crush, exposure to cold, pain, starvation, anoxia, etc., as well as injection of a wide variety of toxic substances give rise, in most laboratory animals, to an enlargement of the adrenal cortex and a sharp depletion of the sudanophilic lipoid normally present. There is also a rapid decline in adrenal cholesterol and ascorbic acid. Most investigators believe these changes to be associated with an increased secretory activity on the part of the cortical cells. It should be emphasized here that, although these changes occur subsequent to shock-producing stimuli, they also occur under other circumstances. Many stimuli which evoke these responses on the part of the adrenal do not produce a state of shock within the generally accepted meaning of the term. The typical response of the adrenal cortex to noxious stimuli does not take place in the absence of the pituitary. It seems evident that the stimuli, to which the adrenal cortex responds, through some mechanism stimulate the hypophysis to produce an adrenocorticotrophic substance or substances. This substance in turn stimulates the adrenal cortex to secrete some steroid or steroids. In recent years, Selye“ and his co-workers have placed considerable emphasis on the part played by the adrenal cortex in what they refer to as the “general adaptation syndrome” which represents the sum total of all of the responses of the organism to continued adverse stimuli or environmental alterations. This syndrome is characterized initially by signs of “shock” or damage to the organism such as hemoconcentration, hypotension, hypothermia,

Concentration of Ascorbic Acid in Human Adrenal Cortex Before and After ACTH Administration.

Summary 1. The mean ascorbic acid content of the adrenal cortex of human cancer patients prior to ACTH treatment was found to be 131 ± 8 mg per 100 g tissue in the male and 139 ± 5 mg % in the female. 2. A 32% depletion in cortical ascorbic acid was found at 2 to 3 hours after intravenous injection of 25 U.S.P. units of ACTH. 3. The dosage of ACTH required to produce this depletion appears to be about 7 to 8 times that required per kg of body weight for the male hypophysectomized rat and the time elapsed between ACTH injection and maximal ascorbic depletion appears to be greater than 3 hours in the human.