ABSTRACTThe urine of pigs contains a substance with an anorexigenic effect when injected into pigs or rats. When injected into rats or pigs on ad libitum feeding a urine extract caused a reduction in food intake only when the extract had been obtained from the urine of satiated pigs, and not from hungry pigs. The pig urinary anorexigen there-fore appears to be similar in nature to the anorexigen extracted from rat urine. Like rat urinary anorexigen, its anorexigenic effect is largely dose dependent and it is soluble in distilled water. Rats injected with plasma from satiated pigs showed an anorexigenic reaction but injection of plasma from hungry pigs had no effect on food intake. The possible role of these anorexigenic substances in the control of voluntary food intake in the pig is discussed.

ABSTRACT The activity of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) in the mouse uterus assay is augmented by the daily injection of corticotrophin (ACTH). This phenomenon has been further investigated in the rat. Synthetic ACTH (75μg) and dehydroepiandrosterone (1.0 mg) augmented responses to 0.1 IU, 0.2 IU and 0.4 IU HCG in the rat uterus assay. The basal uterine weight was also elevated by the treatment. This effect could not be demonstrated in castrated or hypophysectomised animals, and in the latter the response to HCG was not augmented. Cortisone and corticosterone did not affect HCG assay. Cortisone administration did not suppress the augmenting effect of either carbon tetrachloride or urine extract administration on HCG activity. Mean uterine weights from bilaterally adrenalectomised rats were significantly higher than those from intact or sham operated animals. The results are discussed with reference to the augmentation of HCG activity produced by non-specific stressful procedures.

Abstract Phenothiazines interfere with the Porter-Silber reaction for urinary 17, 21-dihydroxy, 20-ketosteroids. The present study suggests that the interference is a depression or inhibition of the formation of the corticosteroid bisphenylhydrazone. Slight-to-marked aberration in the color of the acidified urine extract from dark yellow to orange or pink is the clue indicating that interference is present.

ABSTRACT An extract of human urine, which was previously shown to stimulate aldosterone production by rat adrenal sections, was further purified. Evidence was obtained that its aldosterone-stimulating effect was due to the presence of ammonium ions. Addition of ammonium chloride and of urine extract to the incubation medium caused identical increases in aldosterone production in vitro. In addition to ammonium ions, rubidium and caesium ions also stimulated aldosterone production up to 250% that of control values without a significant effect on corticosterone production. Similar dose-response curves were obtained when increasing concentrations of potassium, ammonium, rubidium and caesium ions were tested. Aldosterone production was maximal at concentrations of 7 mval/1 and was significantly lower at higher concentrations. When ammonium chloride and ACTH were simultaneously added to the incubation medium, the production of aldosterone and of corticosterone was lower than with ACTH alone. On the other hand, the stimulating activity on aldosterone and corticosterone production by »TPN« (NADP) and glucose-6-phosphate was enhanced by the simultaneous addition of ammonium chloride.

ABSTRACT A commercial preparation of HCG has been shown to contain 5 nonspecific antigenic substances which can give rise to antibodies in rabbits. A method for blocking the non-specific antibodies with male urine extract is described. The purified antiserum has been used for the assay of the immunological HCG-activity in 920 specimens of human urine with the haemagglutination inhibition technique. One doubtful negative reaction was found in 570 cases of pregnant women. No »false postive« reaction was found in 133 urines from healthy non pregnant women and 5 »false postive« reactions in urines from 115 women with gynaecological diseases. 100 urines from males were negative. The level of immunological activity in urine obtained with this method was lower throughout pregnancy when compared to Wide's results (1962). In cases of threatened or complete abortion and toxaemia of pregnancy, immunological activity of the urine seemed to correspond to the viability of the foetus.

SUMMARY Conditions are described for the measurement of cortisol, cortisone, prednisolone and prednisone* by gas chromatography. A procedure is outlined for measuring them and some of their unconjugated metabolites in urine. The procedure involves the separation of the urine extract into four paper chromatographic fractions, oxidation of each fraction with sodium bismuthate and gas chromatography of the oxidation products. This procedure is considered to be preferable in several respects to the methods currently used for the same purpose.