Folia Endocrinologica Japonica

The Adrenocortical Function of Brain Tumor Patients

Tohru UOZUMI

1963 Volume 38 Issue 12 Pages 1146-1163,1141
Published: March 20, 1963
Released on J-STAGE: September 24, 2012

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1507/endocrine1927.38.12_1146

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

In order to obtain the indicator endocrinologically for the improvement of pre-, per, and postoperative procedures against brain tumor in patients, 69 cases of these cases were examined concerning their pituitary-adrenocortical functions. In these series, ACTH-Z test was employed to measure the adrenocortical responses quantitatively through urinary 17-OHCS. For the estimation of preoperative status, “Adrenocortical response to Corticotropin, ” (Acr-C), and for the postoperative career, “Adrenocortical response to Operation, ” (Acr-O), and “Adrenocortical response-Index”, (Acr-I) were devised through the measurement of urinary 17-OHCS respectively.
1) In normal subjects, Acr-C range was 8.0-42.0 mg. In 69 brain tumor patients, 3 groups were classfied ; 14 cases showed hypo-reactive, 11 cases showed hyper-reactive and others were normo-reactive responses. The hyper-reactive responses are considered to be a specific phenomenon observed among the brain tumor cases.
2) The evidence by the measurement of Acr-O, and Acr-I showed a remarkable decrease of the adrenocortical response it those brain tumor cases who had undergone operations under artificial hibernation as compared with those patients under normothermic anesthesia.

View full abstract

Download PDF (1765K)
Experimental Studies on the Steroid Aromatization

Minoru AMATSU

1963 Volume 38 Issue 12 Pages 1164-1177,1141
Published: March 20, 1963
Released on J-STAGE: September 24, 2012

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1507/endocrine1927.38.12_1164

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

Estrogen has been well known for many years, but the entire route of its biosynthesis has not yet been sufficiently understood. It has been recently reported by Ryan that a conversion experiment was made to obtain Estrogens from some steroids in vitro by using placental aromatizing enzyme system.
The principal target was the possibility of conversion of 19-Norsteroids to Estrogen. These 19-Norsteroids are of great interest as a potent progestin.
Quantitative measurement of Estrogens was performed by a modified Engel's method. The ex-traction from the tissue was done by acetone. Additional washing with toluene proved more effective in cleaning out the substrate as well as in removing the impurities.
Stimmel's almina column chromatography method was perfomed for the purified fractionation of Estrogen
Hydroquinone Kober reaction also was used for colorimetric determinaton, according to Brown's mdthod.
It was learned empirically during the course of such experiments that the quality of sulfuric acid could bring about a diversity in results.
Identification of steroids was made by the use of paper chromatography and its hydroquin one-Kober chromogen spectrum.
The optimal pH of the reaction was about 7.0, and the optimal enzyme concentration was prepared by homogenizing the placental tissue with its 1/3 volume 0.25 Mol sucrose solution, containing 0.04 Mol nicotinamide and 0.05 Mol phosphate buffer ; the maximal amount of Estrogens was obtained after 2 hours incubation with 500/2g of substrate.
Calculation of the Estorogen amounts was made according to the following equation ;
CE- (S₂-B₂) - (So-Bo)
where abbreviations CE stand for Estrogen corrected, S with 500μg of substrate, B blank without substrate, 0 and 2 indicating 0 and 2 hours of incubation period, respectively.
The interconversion from Estradiol to Estrone was only demonstrable and no other interconversions were observed. Comparatively large amounts of conversion to Estrogen was observed from Androgens such as Testosterone, Δ⁴-Androstenedine, Dehydro-epiandrosterone, whereby the conversion ratio was almost identical in every sample. The conversion of 19-Norsteroid to Estrogen occured only from 19-Nortestosterone and not from its derivatives, including Ethinyl-nortestosterone and Methyl-nor-testosterone.
Conversion ratio in the case of 19-Nortestosterone was calculated to be about 20% of that of Testosterone. Further experiments were undertaken with Ethinyl-estradiol as the substrate, and we observed no appreciable conversion to Estrogen. Likewise, conversion of Testosterone derivatives to Estrogen was not demonstrable.
Of the tentative schema of conversion process from 19-Nortestosterone derivatives to Estrogen, many experiments were done, but only one route from 19-Nortestosterone to Estrone (or Estradiol) was observed and no other routes could be demonstrated.<BE> From these results, it was concluded, that the side chain of 17-position blocked the aromatization in some way. If conversion of 19-Nortestosterone derivatives to Estrogen occurs in vivo, some mechanisms other than that found in the case of Androgen in vitro seem to play a role in the conversion.

View full abstract

Download PDF (1705K)
Studies on the Metabolism of L-Diiodotyrosine

1. Normal metabolism of I¹³¹-labeled L-diiodotyrosine both in thyroid and in periphery

Tunesuke KUSAKABE

1963 Volume 38 Issue 12 Pages 1178-1193,1142
Published: March 20, 1963
Released on J-STAGE: September 24, 2012

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1507/endocrine1927.38.12_1178

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

I. In vitro deiodination of I¹³¹-labeled L-diiodotyrosine by slices of cow's thyroid.
In this study the thyroidal deiodination of I¹³¹-labeled L-diiodotyrosine and the effect of various agents on the deiodination were observed.
I¹³¹-labeled L-diiodotyrosine (L-DITI¹³¹) of high specific activity was incubated with slices prepared from cow's thyroids. Metabolic changes in the L-DITI¹³¹ were recorded by paperchromatography.
1. Labeled L-DIT was rapidly metabolized by thyroid tissues. The principal metabolic product was inorganic labeled iodide. There was no evidence of any deamination, and no other metabolic products were detected. The formation by tissue of labeled thyroxine or triiodothyronine seemed unlikely, but it may be that some of the labeled iodide released by the deiodination of L-DIT I¹³¹ is incorporated in thyroglobulin.
2. Deiodination was significant at 1/2 to 3 hours but further deiodination occurred between 4 and 6 hours.
3. Inorganic labeled iodide formed from L-DITI¹³¹ was roughly proportional to the wet weight of tissue.
4. Carrier L-DIT at 12.8×10-3μg. per mg. of tissue inhibits deiodination of L-DI¹³¹
5. A nitrogen atmosphere did not inhibit deiodination. This indicates that neither tissue respiration nor glycolysis need be intact for deiodination.
6. The addition of TSH to the medium had no effect on deiodination, indicating that TSH has no direct acute effect on tissue preparations.
II. Metabolism of T¹³¹-labeled L-diiodotyrosine administered to normal human subjects.
The metabolism of I¹³¹-labeled L-diiodotyrosine (L-DITI¹³¹) was studied in 7 normal subjects after intravenous injections of 50-120μc. of L-DITI¹³¹ in 10-25μg. of L-DIT. Serial fractionation procedures were performed on samples of blood and urine.
1. Labeled L-DIT disappeared rapidly from the blood and was replaced by labeled iodide.
2. The percentage of the labeled iodine present as L-DIT¹³¹ decreased with successive urine samples, and was negligibly small after 8 hours.
3. Most of the administered dose was excreted as iodide. All of the subjects excreted 1.26 to 2.91 per cent of the L-DITI¹³¹ in an unchanged form within 8 hours after injection.
4. The high rate of disposal of L-DITI¹³¹ estimated from the curves of serum concentration and urinary excretion was considered to be most consistent with a per peripheral deiodination process.
5. The concentration of labeled iodine in serum diminished with great rapidity during the first 24 hours, but increased slowly after 48 hours. This indicates that the iodide released by the deiodination of L-DIT is utilized by the thyroid to synthesize thyroid hormone.
6. The metabolism of L-DITI¹³¹ was restudied in one of the subjects after a period of thyroid therapy, and it was proved that the treatment appeared to make no difference in the results.

View full abstract

Download PDF (1869K)
Studies on the Diurnal Variation of Adrenal

Hormone in Hyperthyroid Patients

Hideharu MATSUKI

1963 Volume 38 Issue 12 Pages 1194-1201,1143
Published: March 20, 1963
Released on J-STAGE: September 24, 2012

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1507/endocrine1927.38.12_1194

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

For several years, we have studied clinically and experimentally the influence of thyroid hormone on secretory activity of adrenal cortex and cortisol metabolism. In this paper the diurnal rhythm of free and conjugated 17-OHCS in plasma and urine, their clearances and the cortisol half-life in hyperthyroid and normal subjects, will be presented.
In hyperthyroid patients there was a completely normal diurnal variation in plasma free and conjugated 17-OHCS concentration, the peak values being found early in the morning and the lowest at midnight (Table 3, Fig.3). Urine samples were collected every four hours during 24 hours. The urinary free 17-OHCS excretion in hyperthyroid patients was greater than in normal subjects for all times of the day, but the magnitude of the diurnal variation in hyperthyoid patents was within normal range (Fig.1 Table 1). The urinary conjugated 17-OHCS excretion in hyperthyroid patients was greater than in normal subjects for all times of the day, and was especially elevated in the morning Fig.2, Table 2). Therefore, the magnitude of diurnal variation in urinary conjugated 17-OHCS excretion hyperthyroid patients was greater than in normal subjects. In order to illustrate this phenomenon, we studied the diurnal variation of renal clearance of 17-OHCS and cortisol half-life after infusion of cortisol in hyperthyoroid patients.
Plasma sample were collected at 7.00 a.m. and 0.00 a.m., urine samples were collected during the hours from 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. and from 11.00 p.m. to 1.00 p.m. The renal clearance of free 17-OHCS was greater in hyperthyroid patients than in normal subjects at 0.00 a.m. and 7.00 a.m., while in both cases there was no diurnal variations in the renal clearance of free 17-OHCS (Fig. 5, Tabl 3).
The renal clearance of conjugated 17-OHCS was greater in hyperthyroid patients then in normal subjects in the morning as well as at midnigt, and was especially elevated in the morning (Fig. 5, Table 3).
These was no diurnal variation in the renal clearance of conjugated 17-OHCS in normal subjects, but in hyperthyroid patients the diurnal variation was observed (Fig. 5, Table 3.)
Increased metabolism of cortisol in hyperthyroid patients was observed in the half-life study of cortisol. The removal rate of infused cortisol (50mg) from the plasma of hyperthyroid patients and normal subjects was measured at 8.00 a.m. and 0.00 a.m. The half-lives of plasma cortisol in normal subjects at 8.00 a.m. and 0.00 a.m. were 117.3 minutes and 115.5 minutes. There was no significant difference between these values. The half-life of plasma cortisol in hyperthyroid patients at 8.00 a.m. was 72.5 minutes ; at 0.00 a.m., 90 minutes. There was a significant difference between these values. Therefore, the diurnal variation in the cortisol half-life was not observed in normal subjects, while it was observed in hyperthyroid patients (Fig.6. Table 4).
In summary, the increase of the renal clearance of conjugated 17-OHCS and the cortisol disappearance rate in hyperthyroid patients were greater in the morning than at midnight ; these phenomena were not observed in normal subjects.

View full abstract

Download PDF (947K)
Experimental Study on the Nature of Long-Acting Thyroid Stimulator which is Present in Hyperthyroid Serum

Akito NOGUCHI, Seiya SATO, Hideo KURIHARA, Yoichi OZEKI

1963 Volume 38 Issue 12 Pages 1202-1205,1144
Published: March 20, 1963
Released on J-STAGE: September 24, 2012

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1507/endocrine1927.38.12_1202

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Show abstractHide abstract

The studies to clarify the difference between thyrotropin and long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS), which is present in serum of thyrotoxic patients, were centered on the stability, the dose response relationship, and the mixing test of thyrotropin and serum containing LATS. The results are summerized as follows :
1) The dose response relationship for hyperthyroid serum containing LATS and for thyrotropin (USP, thyrotropin Reference Standard, 0.1mu.-0.8mu.) diluted with normal serum was studied. The dose response line of LATS differed from that of thyrotropin at high doses. With thyrotropin, the dose response line became horizontal when the responses reached 800-900. However, the LATS 12-hour response line was still rising steeply even when the response was between 1000-1500 (Fig.1).
2) Stability of serum containing LATS was examined for the storage (102 days, at 4°C), heat and pH under various conditions. However, there was no significant difference between LATS and thyrotropin in serum (Fig.2, Table 1).
3) When thyrotropin was mixed with hyperthyroid serum containing LATS, two types of response were encoutered : in the first type the response, reported by Adams and Munro, seemed to closely approximate the arithmetical sums of the responses to the serum which contained LATS and thyrotropin given separately (Fig.3).
In the second type, the 12-hour response of the mixed serum increased much more than that of hyperthyroid serum which was given independently (Fig.4).
These results suggest that the activity of thyrotropin in the mixture continued for 12 hours by the combination of thyrotropin with some factor in hyperthyroid serum.

View full abstract

Download PDF (507K)
[title in Japanese]

1963 Volume 38 Issue 12 Pages 1206-1245
Published: March 20, 1963
Released on J-STAGE: September 24, 2012

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1507/endocrine1927.38.12_1206

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

Download PDF (4935K)

Register with J-STAGE for free!