Joseph W. Jailer

6-beta-hydroxy-cortisol: high levels in human urine in pregnancy and toxemia.

Summary 6β-OH-cortisol has been found to be the most abundant unconjugated corticoid in human urine. Normal pregnancy is accompanied by elevated levels which are further increased in toxemia. The evidence to date suggests that in these conditions an altered metabolism of cortisol takes place in which 6β-hydroxylation becomes of greater quantitative significance. We acknowledge with thanks Dr. Seymour Bernsteins generous gift of the 6β-OH-F standard. Infrared spectroscopy was performed through the kindness of Dr. Samuel Solomon and Dr. Seymour Lieberman.

Inhibition by aminopyrine of adrenocortical activation caused by pyrogenic reaction.

Summary Intravenous administration of typhoid vaccine to human subjects produced adrenocortical activation, as measured by increases in levels of circulating 17-OH-corti-costeroids. Suppression of the pyrogenic effect of the vaccine by aminopyrine prevented adrenocortical response, without blocking certain other systemic reactions.

Anti-Gonadotropic Substances in Man Following Treatment with Pregnant Mare Serum.∗

Summary and Conclusions The injection of gonadotropic substances of equine origin elicits the production of anti-gonadotropic activity in man. It has been reported previously 3 that daily or biweekly administration of PMS caused anti-gonadotropic serum formation. The data reported here demonstrates that PMS treatment extending over a period of months will build up anti-gonadotropic activity despite the fact that hormone therapy involved only a few injections (4-5) at each mid-period of the menstrual cycle. Furthermore, this activity persists for as long as 4 months after the cessation of treatment. Definite anti-gonadotropic activity was evident in the serum of patients receiving shorter treatment. The time factor is of importance since anti-serum of the same potency resulted after 9 injections (200 r.u. each) given once a week and after 5 injections (200 r.u. each) administered in 3 weeks. The serum was tested 10 weeks after the first injection in each case. It is interesting to note that inhibitory substances to human pregnancy urine extracts have never been detected in man, 4-5 , 6 whereas they have been shown to occur after treatment with heterologous extracts. This fact supports the contention that the inhibitory substances are antibody in nature, elicited by an extract of a different species, rather than anti-hormone to the injected active material.

Mitotic Index of Hyperplastic Interstitial Cells of the Guinea Pig.

Conclusions The scarcity of cell divisions among the interstitial cells of the testes of PU-treated animals makes unlikely the conclusion that the increase in the number of these cells is due, except to a slight degree, to their mitosis. Observations were presented which support the opinions of Esaki, 1 and others that the interstitial cells have an extrinsic origin. Other data, to be presented elsewhere, indicate that certain intertubular connective tissue elements are differentiated into active secreting Leydig cells by the action of the gonadotropic hormones of pregnancy urine.

Interaction of Growth Hormone with ACTH, TSH, and FSH in the Hypophysectomized Rat.

Summary 1. The effect of administration to hypophysectomized rats of GH simultaneously with other pituitary hormones was investigated. 2. Growth hormone potentiates the effect of ACTH on adrenal weight but does not increase the steroidogenic response of the adrenal to ACTH. 3. GH did not enhance the effect of TSH on thyroidal weight or iodide uptake, nor did it augment the effect of PMS upon ovarian weight.