It was reported that starvation and alloxan treatment influenced the acetate metabolism in mammary gland slices of sheep, and relationships between the acetate metabolism and glycolisis changed following starvation and alloxan treatment. Further study was designed to elucidate the relationships between the acetate metabolism and TCA cycle, and how the relationships were influenced by starvation and alloxan treatment. The following results were obtained in a study of the influence of citrate or succinate on the ¹⁴C-acetate metabolism and those of acetate on the metabolism of ¹⁴C-citrate or-succinate in mammary gland slices of normally fed, starved and alloxan diabetic sheep.
In normal and starved condition, the ¹⁴C-acetate consumption and the ¹⁴C transfer from ¹⁴C-acetate into CO₂ and lipid increased by the addition of citrate and succinate. The ¹⁴C-citrate consumption and the ¹⁴C transfer into CO₂ and lipid decreased by the acetate addition, and the ¹⁴C-succinate consumption and the ¹⁴C tranfer from ¹⁴C-succinate into CO₂ and lipid increased by the acetate addition in normal and starved sheep. Effects of citrate and succinate on the acetate metabolism and those of acetate on the metabolism of citrate or succinate in starved condition were larger than the case of normal condition. Effect of citrate on the acetate metabolism and those of acetate on the citrate metabolism disappeared following treatment. But effects of succinate on the acetate metabolism and those of acetate on the succinate metabolism were observed in alloxan diabetes.
As mentioned above, there were some relationships between the acetate metabolism and the metabolism of citrate and succinate, and this relationships changed due to starvation and alloxan treatment.

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The Serum carboxypeptidase A activity (CPase) was measured in patients with various diseases using Okuda's colorimetric method. The relationships between CPase and case history, the results of the liver function test and the exocrine function test of the pancreas were studied. The following results were obtained.
(1) The mean CPase in 21 normal subjects was 289.2±3.8 units (U.)(Mean±SE), and no correlation was found between CPase and age of the patients.
(2) CPase in 13 cases of pancreatic cancer verified by laparatomy, and that in 16 cases of chronic pancreatitis, diagnosed by clinical history, physical and laboratory findings, were 168.7±7.5 and 231.6±9.6 U. respectively.
(3) CPase of 14 cases of growth-onset type and 26 cases of adult onset type diabetes were 248.0±22.8 U. and 257.6±6.5 U. respectively. Among these diabetics, relatively lower CPase levels were observed in patients of long duration whose control had been poor.
(4) CPase level in patients with cirrhosis of the liver was 197.3±9.9 U, especially low in heavy drinkers.
(5) In cases of cirrhosis of the liver, significant correlation was observed between CPase and serum albumin concentration (P<0.05) or serum pseudocholinesterase activity (p<0.05).
(6) Relatively low level of CPase was often observed in patients with normal pancreatic exocrine function judged by pancreozymin secretin test.
(7) Low levels of CPase were observed in patients whose pancreatic scanning showed abnormality. The determination of CPase seems to be one of the useful screening methods for pancreatic disorders.

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From the dilution of a specific activity of cholesterol synthesized from ¹⁴C-acetate by addition of exogenous cholesterol, both the rate of cholesterol synthesis in vitro and the amount of cholesterol derived from the tissue can be calculated simultaneously. According to this method, experimental results are independent of the recovery of cholesterol during extraction and purification of cholesterol for determination.

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