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The levels of the three ATPases found in the erythrocyte membrane of diabetic patients were significantly lower than normal subjects. The distribution of the enzymes was also different. Na^+,K^+-ATPase and Mg^2+-ATPase reflected the status of blood glucose more than Ca^2+-ATPase. The ratio between two of the ATPases was sensitive to glycémie response. When dikanut, a viscous preparation, was fed to diabetics for 4 weeks, blood glucose became normal and the activities of the three ATPases increased significantly. The ratio among the enzymes also approached that of normal subjects. A relationship was found between the blood glucose level and erythrocyte membrane ATPases which, if linked to insulin binding or level, may provide a rapid inexpensive assay in diabetes research.

The pharmacokinetic disposition of propylthiouracil (PTU) after a single oral dose was studied in 6 severely hypothyroid patients. Severity of disease, as indicated by thyroid-stimulating hormone concentration, was inversely related to plasma clearance of PTU. There were trends to increased apparent volume of distribution and plasma half-life for PTU as a function of age. The large apparent volume of distribution for PTU in these patients compared to euthyroid and hyperthyroid subjects, after a single drug dose, suggests that hypothyroidism as well as chronic drug ingestion must be considered as possible factors mediating this change.

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