On the Mechanism of the Increase of Blood Non-Protein Nitrogen in Eclampsia, Convulsion etc

Abstract

1. Blood non-protein nitrogen (N. P. N.) increases after the convulsion in eclampsia, delivery and operation.
2. a) The rise of N.P.N. after delivery and operation is prevented by phenobarbital.
b) N.P.N. rises in rabbits remarkably after convulsion by cardiazol but only slightly after convulsion induced by strychnine. And in the latter case, no increase of N. P. N. is noticed at all when the rabbits are treated in advance with phenobarbital.
c) If rabbits are treated before the strychinine convulsion with chloratum hydratum instead of phenobarbital, N. P. N. -increase is not inhibited, but rather accelerated. To sum up, the behaviour of N. P. N. is mostly controlled by a cerebral center and this center is localized in the cerebral trunk.
3. Increase of N. P. N. hardly takes place when convulsion is caused by strychnine after previous treatment with phenobarbital or procainum hydrochloricum of hypothalamus, especially of nucleus hypothalamicus ventromedialis or lateralis, in other words, the center in question is most probably in hypothalamus.
4. When posterior pituitary hormone (Hinterin) or acetylcholine is dropped in nucleus hypothalamicus ventromedialis, no change in N. P. N. is observed. However, if nucleus hypothalamicus lateralis is stimulated in the same manner, N. P. N. increases though slight. Accordingly, the controlling center of N. P. N. must be sought in nucleus hypothalamicus lateralis and its neighbourhood.
5. The two facts that the controlling center of N. P. N. lies in hypothalamus and that N. P. N. increases after eclampsia convulsion give a support to the claim of Kushima that the center of eclampsia convulsion is situated in hypothalamus.
I am very grateful to both Profs. Shinoda and Kushima who were kind enough to give me instruction and guidance.