Susan Gower Smith

A Diabetes Insipidus-like Condition Produced in Dogs by a Potassium Deficient Diet

Conclusion Dogs depleted of potassium show a marked increase in fluid exchange. The increase begins usually within 24 hours after being placed on the potassium deficient diet provided the dog is healthy at the start of the experiment, a condition we have assured in our dogs by placing them on a yeast control diet for 3 weeks preexperimental period. A peak in the curve is reached after 3-7 weeks and then there is a gradual decline back to nearly normal values. Factors responsible for this phenomenon are still undetermined.

Gheilosis Successfully Treated with Synthetic Vitamin B6

Aykroyd and Krishnam 1 observed that the incidence of angular stomatitis (sores in the corners of the mouth, perleche, cheilosis) coincided with a deficiency of some factor or factors of the vitamin B2 complex. More recently Sebrell and Butler 2 produced these lesions in 10 out of 18 women subsisting on a riboflavin-deficient diet. The lesions developed in a period of 94 to 130 days. They failed to respond to nicotinic acid but responded to riboflavin, the complete healing requiring from 5 to 58 days. Sebrell and Butler 3 added more evidence to their previous findings and these have been confirmed by others. 4 , 5 , 6 In view of these facts, it seems important to report our observations on 4 consecutive cases of cheilosis occurring spontaneously in association with other deficiency syndromes in patients admitted to this hospital and treated with synthetic vitamin B6 [2 methyl, 3 hydroxy, 4.5 di(hydroxymethyl) pyridine].∗ The first patient treated was a 7-year-old colored girl admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of pellagra. Pellagrous lesions were present on the hands and feet. A dietary history revealed a marked deficiency of the vitamin B-complex. There were typical cheilosis lesions of the lips, characterized by maceration and fissuring at the angles. (Fig. 1a.) There was an associated severe anemia. The patient was placed on the basic diet of Smith and Ruffin which is known to be low in the B-complex and especially so in riboflavin. 7 Treatment with synthetic vitamin B6 hydrochloride† was started with 20 mg intravenously 24 hours after admission. Within 5 hours slight but definite objective improvement could be observed in the mouth lesion.

Murine sarcoma virus defectiveness. Viral polymerase expression in murine and nonmurine host cells transformed by S + L - type murine sarcoma virus.

Sarcoma virus-positive, leukemia virus-negative (S + L -) mouse cells transformed by defective but rescuable murine sarcoma virus (MSV) release noninfectious type C virions with a quantitative deficiency of viral-type RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (RDDP). Human S + L - cells containing the same genome fail to express any detectable viral-type reverse transcriptase. To study this difference in MSV expression, second-generation MSV from the S + L - human cells is recloned in dog, mink, and back into mouse cells. Heterologous host dog and mink S + L - cell clones, like human S + L - cell clones, fail to release viral-type reverse transcriptase into culture supernatant fractions. All second-generation homologous mouse S + L - cell clones again release viral reverse transcriptase in supernatant fractions, indicating that the MSV genome has not been altered in this function. Using (dT)(12-18)-cellulose and phosphocellulose chromatography of cellular polymerase preparations, no intracellular buildup of unreleased murine reverse transcriptase is detected in the S + L - clones. The data presented here suggest that the MSV genome is defective in the information for the viral core protein RDDP. The implications of these findings for the genetic study of MSV are discussed.

Red Staining of Paws and Whiskers as in Vitamin B2-Complex Deficient Rats after Dehydration

The accumulation of red material on the paws, nose, whiskers and periorbital regions of rats has been attributed to a deficiency of the vitamin G (B2) complex in these animals. 1 Although originally described as blood staining, recent investigations have shown that this dried red stained material consists primarily of porphyrin compounds, 2 3 although a small amount of blood may be present. The lesions have been described in rats on both riboflavin-deficient diets 3 5 and more recently on pantothenic acid-deficient diets. 4 6 McElroy 2 observed that the red material arose from the Harderian (lacrimal) glands and failed to develop in rats deprived of pantothenic acid if the Harderian glands had been previously removed. Smith and Sprunt 5 related this phenomenon to dehydration and this observation has been confirmed recently by Figge and Atkinson. 6 The present investigation was designed to determine whether the B-vitamins fed singly or together could alter the course of the development of these lesions resulting from dehydration. One hundred and three rats were used and grouped as shown in Table I. In order to impose the same strain on both groups, Purina Dog Chow was available at all times for the rats receiving no water, and water was available constantly for the rats receiving no food. Individuals in both groups began to die at approximately the same time, although the average longevity was slightly greater in the food starved rats. The synthetic vitamins were given in water solution but the daily dose per rat including those containing the 7 vitamins was always contained in one drop of solution. In the water-deprived rats food consumption fell off in a short while. This includes, of course, the consumption of brewers yeast in Group G, which naturally obscures the full effect of this source of natural B-complex vitamins.

Effect of autoclaving on vitamin potency of nicotinic acid.

Smith and Hendrick 1 and Goldberger, Wheeler, Lillie, and Rogers 2 of the U. S. Public Health Service showed that the vitamin B value of yeast, as then understood, was due, in part, to the antineuritic substance which was destroyed by autoclaving, and, in part, to a more heat-stable factor which was able to withstand autoclaving. The term “autoclaving” is used advisedly, since evidence submitted by Kennan, Kline and Elvehjem 3 indicates that the antineuritic factor is more stable to dry heat than is the factor which withstands autoclaving. Goldberger and his associates demonstrated to the satisfaction of most investigators that pellagra is a vitamin deficiency disease, apparently due to a lack of the factor in yeast which is uninjured by autoclaving. Since canine blacktongue develops on the same type of deficiency which produces pellagra, is characterized by similar symptoms and is cured by the same food factors, it is reasonable to conclude that it is an analog of pellagra. Consequently many tests for curative factors have been carried out on dogs suffering from artificially produced blacktongue. The observation by Elvehjem, Madden, Strong, and Woolley 4 that nicotinic acid (the simple pyridine carboxylic acid) would cure blacktongue in dogs has been corroborated by Dann, 5 Street and Cowgill, 6 It was soon demonstrated that it had a similar curative value in human pellagra by Fouts, Helmer, Lepkovsky and Juke, 7 Smith, Ruffin and Smith, 8 and Spies. 9 The question naturally arises as to whether or not the curative properties of nicotinic acid are decreased or destroyed by autociaving. The following experiments were designed to answer this question: Ten dogs were allowed to develop blacktongue on a modification of Goldbergers diet No. 123, as used in this laboratory, the details of which were published recently by Smith, Persons and Harvey.”