A simple, rapid, reproducible assay for tissue polyamines using a standard unmodified amino-acid analyzer is described. This technique will allow accurate measurement of the polyamines from as little as 10 mg of liver in less than 1 h. We have used this method to establish the optimum conditions for the extraction of polyamines from liver and to study the effects of hypophysectomy on polyamine content of rat liver. Hypophysectomy caused a fall in RNA, protein, putresine, and spermidine content prevented the normal increase in spermine in rat liver seen with increasing age.
Rat liver undergoes a phase of rapid growth during weaning. We followed the changes in polyamine metabolism occurring during this period of natural growth, and compared them with changes in DNA and RNA accumulation. There was a 2.5-fold increase in the number of cells per liver between suckling (18--19 days old) and weaning (30--32 days old) rats. Ornithine decarboxylase activity increased from the low value in 18-day-old rat pups and remained significantly higher (approx. 5--10-fold) than that in adult rats from day 21 to day 34. Putrescine-dependent S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase activity was slightly but significantly increased during most of this period. Spermidine and RNA concentrations fluctuated in concert, whereas spermine content per cell doubled during the period from day 23 to day 30.
Seventy unselectcd patients with painful shoulders were examined by a systematic clinical method based on applied anatomy. In every patient except one, the tissue or tissues at fault were identified. Cases of tendinitis, sub-deltoid and sub-coracoid bursitis, ‘frozen shoulder', osteoarthrosis, and acromio-clavicular joint arthrosis were treated by appropriate local methods given to the affected part only. Nearly all of these patients were rapidly relieved of their symptoms to their satisfaction.
Chopra and colleagues (11 July, p. 77) suggests the use of peritoneal dialysis for the treatment of pulmonary oedema after acute myocardial infarction. I would like to make the following comments. The authors do not mention whether their patients were given salt-free diets. Myocardial infarction may be followed by intense sodium retention which results in rapid gain of body weight unless sodium intake is restricted. (Dr. Chopra and colleagues do not mention what happened to body weight.) If the patients were allowed to go into positive sodium balance it is hardly surprising that diuretics were ineffective. The maximum doses of frusemide given (80 mg. in one case, 120 mg. in another, and 200 mg. in the other two) were quite small. Why were not higher doses of frusemide given? The authors do not mention whether the patients were kept in the sitting position in a cardiac bed. It would be unfortunate to subject patients with pulmonary oedema after myocardial infarction to peritoneal dialysis when the simpler methods of gravity, salt restriction, and high dose frusemide have not been used first.-I am, etc., M. I. M. NOBLE.
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