The effects of 5 different drugs (amphetamine, caffeine, serotonin, sod. salicylate and pentazocine) on the duration of action of two barbiturates (thiopental and pentobarbital) and an intravenous anesthetic (propanidid) were determined in rats. Duration of action was determined by the time elapsing between loss and return of the righting reflexes. All drugs were injected intraperitoneally except propanidid which was administered by the intravenous route. Preliminary experiments indicated that at a dose of 40 mg/kg either of the two barbiturates or propanidid produced loss of the righting reflexes without death. At this dose, however, the duration of action of propanidid was extremely short. However, this dose was selected for subsequent studies. 1. At the dose employed amphetamine shortened the sleeping time of three compounds. 2. Caffeine and theophylline shortened the sleeping time of thiopental and prolonged the duration of action of pentobarbital. 3. Serotonin had no effect on duration of action of the barbiturates but prolonged the sleeping time produced by propanidid. 4. Sod. salicylate significantly prolonged the sleeping time of the barbiturates whereas pentazocine exhibited this effect only in relation to thiopental.

The effect of Capricornidis Cornu (C.C) on the amount of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipid in serum from rabbit were observed. The preparations were extracted by methanol, and extracted samples were oraly adminstrated to the rabbits fasted for three days. After three days starvation, the amounts of total cholesterol and triglycerides in serum of the rabbit were markedly increased, while phospholipid was slightly decreased. The amount of total cholesterol and triglycerides were gradually decreased by adminstration of the extracted samples and were returned to the control leveles after 15 days. However, the amount of phospholipid was increased to higher than the control levels by adminstraion of the drug. According to the above results, it would be concluded that the extract of C.C. and crude drug preparation containing C.C. influences for the recovery of the increased amounts of total cholesterol and triglycerides by abnormal metabolism to the normal on rabbit.

It has been demonstrated repeatedly that the administration of ethionine, a methionine analogue, will produce destruction of pancreatic tissue and liver cells. Destruction of acinar cells of pancreas by the administration of excess methionine similar to that seen after feeding diets supplemented with ethionine was also reported, but the liver was not involved by this amino acid. In an attempt to reproduce the results of these investigators the tissue damages were found to be slight and seen only irregulary in rats receiving ethionine on a complete diet and the result of tissue damages by excess methionine were also controversial. The present studies describe the toxicity of dietary supplemented ethionine and methionine to liver and pancreas in rats fed a low protein diet. Hundred five albino rats weighing around 120 gm were divided into three groups as follows; 1) Control group: A low protein diet containing 8% casein was fed throughout the experimental period. 2) Methionine group: A low protein diet (7% casein) supplemented with 1% methionine was used. 3) Ethionine group: A similar diet as methionine group except the supplementation of 1% ethionine instead of methionine was used. Five animals per wee from each group were killed for 6 weeks. The liver and pancreas were fixed in 10% formalin and histologic sections were prepared and stained with hematoxylin eosin. Serum amylase was expressed as much of glucose liberated from a starch substrate. The glucose was determined by the method of Nelson (1944). Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) were determined by the technique described in Sigma Bulletin.

It is well known that diabetes mellitus is associated with metabolic derangements, such as hyper-glycemia, ketosis, glycosuria, and also widespread alterations in the blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, peripheral nerves and heart. It is also recognized that healing of skin wound is delayed in diabetics. In bone, according to Aegerter, osteopenia develops in diabetes mellitus and it is chiefly ascribed to overutilization of protein. Shim claims that total blood flow to the entire skeletal system is approximately 4 to 8 percent of resting cardiac output and blood supply to the skeletal system would be decreased on account of secondary arteriosclerotic changes in the diabetics. An adequate blood supply is an essential factor in the healing process of fracture, and disturbed blood flow, either local or systemic, will invariably delay union of the fragments or the fragments from being fused. As the author has encountered several cases of diabetics in whom healing of fracture was delayed or incomplete, this experimental study was undertaken to elucidate the effects of hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus on the healing process of fracture. In this experiment adult albino rabbits, weighing about 2 kg. were used and divided into 6 groups. The femur of each animal was fractured surgically, and then the healing process of fracture was periodically checked by radiography at an interval of one week for a period of 6 weeks. Thereafter, all the rabbits were killed to obtain tissue preparation of the femur. The experimental groups were as follows; 1) Control group: Six rabbits sustained a surgical fracture to the femur, without being given any other treatment or drug. 2) Alloxan-treated group: For inducing diabetes, alloxan was given intravenously to 17 rabbits in various dose as follows; to 7 of them 40 mg/kg, to 6 rabbits 80 mg/kg and to 4 rabbits 120 mg/kg of body weight, respectively. 3) Insulin-treated group: Protamine-zinc insulin was injected subcutaneously to each of 6 rabbits in a daily dose of 1 unit per kilogram of body weight. 4) Group treated with insulin after alloxan: Four rabbits were given 80 mg of alloxan once and than 1 unit of insulin per kilogram of body weight daily. Another 5 rabbits were injected 1 unit of insulin per kg of body weight daily following administration of alloxan in a dose of 120 mg/kg. 5) Homotransplantation group: Following intravenous injection of alloxan in a dose of 120 mg/kg, 10 rabbits underwent homotransplantation of a short bone segment to the femur. Five of them were subsequently given 1 unit/kg of insulin daily. 6) Sugar-treated group: six rabbits were fed $15{\sim}20$ gm of sugar daily throughout the period of experiment. The results obtained are summarized as follows; 1. Blood sugar level and damage to the pancreatic islet increased proportionately when alloxan was given to the rabbits in various doses. No appreciable change could be observed in the islets when the blood sugar level was altered by either oral administration of sugar or subcutaneous injection of insulin. 2. Comparing with the control group, healing of fracture was delayed in the alloxan-treated group, while callus formation and periosteal reaction were shown to be more prominent in this group and subsequently, the ultimate osseous tissue formed at the fracture site was significantly smaller in amount and less compact. These findings were more marked as the amount of alloxan increased. 3. Administration of insulin prevented the delay in healing process of fracture in the rabbits with alloxan-induced hyperglycemia. In this case, the course and progression of fracture healing were almost similar to those of control group. 4. Union between the host bone and the fragment transplanted from other rabbit of the same species was more delayed in the group treated with alloxan alone than in the group to which insulin was administered after development of alloxan-induced diabetes. In both groups periosteal new bone developed from the ends of the host bone, above and below the transplanted fragment, and directly fused with failure of periosteal callus to bridge the adjacent ends of the host bone and the transplanted fragment. 5. The healing process of fracture was not inhibited by alteration in blood sugar level when the blood sugar was abnormally increased by excessive sugar intake or lowered by administration of insulin alone. The healing of fracture in these groups progressed similarly as in the control group. In brief summary, it appears that the healing process of fracture would be definitely disturbed in diabetic state brought about by damage to the pancreatic islet. As such an inhibition could be overcome with insulin, it seems that insulin plays an important role in healing of fracture, but alteration in blood sugar level alone does not modify healing process of fracture to significant degree.

The excretion of uric acid in man has been of great interest because of its importance as an end product in purine metabolism as well as of its role in causing gout. There are many differences in the modes of renal handling of urate among various species of animals. Uric acid actively secreted by the renal tubules of most vertebrate including amphibians, reptiles, and birds. On the other hand, in most mammals net tubular reabsorption of urate appears to be occurred with some exception, such, as Dalmatian dog. In the rabbits, however, the mechanism of renal excretion of uric acid has long been a subject of controversial results. Within a given group it was possible to find individuals with either net secretion or net reabsorption of urate depend on the experimental conditions. Excretion of urate can be depressed or enhanced by a variety of drugs belonging mainly to the aromatic acid group. Diodrast, probenecid, cinchophen and salicylates have been reported as uricosuric agents, on the other hand, lactate, benzoate, pyrazinoic acid, acetazolamide and chlorothiazide are known to be contraindicated to use for the patient with gout since these agents depress the excretion of uric acid from the kidney. However, complex and sometimes the paradoxical effects on the urate excretion by those above mentioned drugs are not uncommon. The experiments were designed to investigate the mechanisms of renal handling of urate as well as the effects of variety of drugs on the tubular transport of uric acid in the rabbits. Male or female white rabbits, from 1.5 to 2.5 kg in weight, were used. The experimental methods used in these studies were clearance, stop-flow, and retrograde injection techniques. The effects of saline, salicylate, chlorothiazide and probenecid were investigated in each experimental conditions. Results of the experiments were summarized as follows; 1. In the rabbits, the rate of urate clearance was always lower than the rate of inulin clearance. The filtration fraction of the urate was one third on an average, therefore, it is estimated that approximately two thirds of filtered urate was reabsorbed. 2. In the kidneys of rabbits, the urate clearance was increased significantly by administration of chlorothiazide and decreased by probenecid. The administration of salicylate had no effect on the rate of urate clearance. The filtration fraction of urate was increased by chlorothiazide and decreased by probenecid. 3. In the stop-flow studies, the U/P ratio of urate was higher than the U/P ratio of inulin in the proximal region, indicating the secretion of uric acid in the proximal tubules. The proximal peak was increased by chlorothiazide and inhibited by probenecid.4. In the retrograde injection studies, the reabsorption of urate in the proximal region was observed, and these reabsorptive transport of urate was depressed by either probenecid or by chlorothiazide. 5. No distal tubular activity was observed under any of these experimental conditions concerning urate transport. The results of these experiments show that probenecid inhibits both secretory and reabsorptive transport of uric acid in the kidney of the rabbits. The enhancement of secretory transport of urate by chlorothiazide in the clearance study was due to the secondary action of chlorothiazide which inhibits the reabsorptive transport of urate in the proximal tubules. It is evident that the urate transport in the kidneys of rabbits is bidirectional nondiffusive flux both secretory and reabsorptive directions in the proximal tubules.