Harry S. Lipscomb

ACTH releasing activity in vivo of a CRF preparation and lysine vasopressin.

Summary The CRF preparation fraction D stimulates release of ACTH in animals with hypothalamic lesion or pharmacological blockade, at doses where pressor equivalents as pure lysine vasopressin are inactive. Hypophysiotropic activity of fraction D observed in vitro is therefore confirmed in vivo and should be attributed to a substance different from vasopressin.

Adrenal Cortical Control of Adrenal Medullary Function

Summary Hypophysectomy in the rat leads to a decrease in adrenal medullary concentrations of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT), the enzyme which catalyzes the conversion, in situ, of norepinephrine to epinephrine. Unlike the immediate decrease of glucocorticoids, this decrement takes several days (weeks) to occur. When ACTH is now given to such animals, not only is steroid synthesis resumed, but there is an immediate activation of PNMT and epinephrine synthesis.

Socioeconomic status and diabetes mellitus.

Abstract The diabetic patient attending a charity clinic presents a multitude of social, economic, and medical factors that tend to make him a much different problem from the diabetic under private care. These charity patients are faced with extremely limited financial resources, are on the average in a lower intelligence group, and are often given rather superficial medical care. All too often, there is more interest in the urine or blood sugar than in the patient. Some of the measures employed to correct the more serious problems arediscussed briefly.