A 13 years old male complained of headache and convulsive seizures and short spells of loss of consciousness for last 2 months. Typical clinical features for pseudohypoparathyroidism such as short stature, round face, subcutaneous calcification, and lack of phosphaturic response to parathyroid extract, hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia, were noted. Benzoic acid extract of the urine revealed an increased parathyroid hormone-like calcium-mobilizing activity, which decreased after treatment with AT-10, and a normal phosphaturic activity. Parathyroid hyperfunction due to the target organ failure may be suggested although no other evidence of secondary hyperparathyroidism was demonstrated.

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In the present study, gel filtration was tested for radio-immunoassay of plasma insulin, as a mean for separating antibody-bound insulin from the residual free insulin.
Using Sephadex G 100 columns, the curves of the two fractions, bound and free were found to be dissociated within an error of 2.0 per cent for eluate collection. The results of the basic experiments showed that this procedure is suitable for immunoassay of insulin as well as for that of other peptide hormons of relatively low molecular weight.

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A method for the simultaneous determination of urinary pregnanediol and pregnanetriol by thin layer chromatography is described. The method, which involves enzymatic hydrolysis, toluene extraction, silica gel thin layer chromatography and spectrophotometry, has an advantage in simplicity and rapidity.

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The tree sparrow, Passer montanus saturatus, was exposed to prolonged daily photoperiods (20L 4D). The body weight decreased significantly on the 14th day of the treatment and thereafter began to increase gradually toward the initial weight up to the 37th day. Gonadal growth in both sexes was marked after exposure to long days. Neurosecretory material in the median eminence tended to decrease on the 14th and 24th days, but increased to the control level by the 37th day. Four neurosecretory cell groups, the medial supraoptic group (Sm), the intermediate supraoptic group (Si), the anterior paraventricular group (Pa) and the lateral paraventricular group (P1), were strongly stimulated by long days. The nuclear size of the cells of Si and Sm, reached its maximum on the 24th day and was maintained until the end of the experiment (37th day). The cell nuclei of Pa and Pl showed the maximal size on the 14th day. Thereafter, those of Pa maintained their maximal nuclear size up to the 37th day, while those of Pl showed a gradual decrease in size to those of control birds by the 37th day of the experiment. Two neurosecretory cell groups, the lateral supraoptic group (Sl) and the antero-medial paraventricular group (Pam), were stimulated significantly. The maximum nuclear size of the cells of Sl and Pam was reached on the 14th day. Thereafter, the cells showed a gradual decrease in size to those of controls by the 37th day.
Cells of the three groups, the postero-medial paraventricular group (Ppm), the entopeduncular group (E) and the occipito-mesencephalic tract group (Om), did not respond in nuclear size to long days. Functional differences among different neurosecretory cell groups and possible axonal links between the nine neurosecretory cell groups and two neurosecretory terminal components, the median eminence and the pars nervosa, are briefly discussed.

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The analysis of the specific activity of free, ester sterol and corticosterone in the subcellular components of rat adrenal gland after incubation with acetate-1-14C revealed that the mitochondrial free sterol seems to be the main source of the corticosterone biosynthesized in that tissue. However, the specific activity of corticosterone isolated from the incubated tissue was higher, irrespective of the incubation conditions used, than that of mitochondrial free sterol. This may suggest that a fraction of mitochondrial free sterol appeared to be drawn upon for corticosterone biosynthesis.

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Mechanism (s) of the hypocholesteremic action of an anabolic steroid, 2-hydroxymethylene-17α-methyldihydrotesterone (HMD) were investigated in contrast to those of the hypercholesteremic effect of a glucocorticoid, cortisone. HMD or cortisone increased the in vivo incorporation of acetate-1-¹⁴C into rat liver cholesterol 15 mins. after ¹⁴C injection (increased cholesterol biosynthesis) and decreased the incorporation 4 hrs. after ¹⁴C injection (increased cholesterol degradation and excretion by the liver). Almost the same results were observed in the intestine. HMD or cortisone also increased the biliary excretion of total ¹⁴C and bile acids-¹⁴C after intraperitoneal injection of cholesterol-4-¹⁴C. The fecal excretion of total ¹⁴C and bile acids-¹⁴C after cholesterol-4-¹⁴C injection was increased by HMD, on the contrary slightly decreased by cortisone. The gastrointestinal absorption of cholesterol-4-¹⁴C or cholic acid-4-¹⁴C was accelerated by cortisone, while almost no effect was observed by HMD.

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Neurohypophysial hormone activities of the median eminence and the pars nervosa of the bullfrog and turtle were detected by several pharmacological methods. The activities of the frog and turtle median eminence were about 2 and 10 percent of those of the pars nervosa of the respective animals. The oxytocic activities of the median eminence and the pars nervosa of both species were reduced by more than 95 percent by the treatment with sodium thioglycollate. By means of high voltage paper electrophoresis, two principles, arginine vasotocin and oxytocin or an oxytocin-like principle, were well separated using extracts of the median eminence as well as the pars nervosa of both species. Both pharmacological and electrophoretic methods demonstrated that the ratios of vasotocin to oxytocin (or an oxytocin-like peptide) were higher in the median eminence than in the pars nervosa. The predominant presence of arginine vasotocin in the composition of the hormones in the median eminence was also observed in the duck extract similarly electrophoresed.
Neurohypophysial hormone activities in the turtle pars nervosa decreased 1hr. after intraperitoneal injection of 10 percent NaCl and showed a slight recovery in the activities 4hrs. after the injection. The activities also decreased in the pars nervosa of the turtles which were not allowed access to water for 14 days. However, no such activity change was discernible in the median eminence by these treatments. In the pars nervosa of the turtle sacrificed 4 hrs. after salt injection or after 14 days of dehydration, a decrease in vasopressor activity was more remarkable than a decrease in oxytocic activity and it was suggested that selective release of arginine vasotocin occured in the turtle pars nervosa.

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