Growth hormone: metabolic clearance rates, integrated concentrations, and production rates in normal adults and the effect of prednisone

A constant withdrawal pump was used to determine the integrated concentration of growth hormone (ICGH) which was used in conjunction with the metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of growth hormone (GH) to calculate the GH production rates (GHPR) in normal adults, acromegalics, and normal controls receiving prednisone. The mean ICGH for 22 premenopausal females on no medication was 3.0+/-1.6 ng/ml (sd) which is significantly lower (P < 0.005) than the mean of 6.6+/-2.9 for 10 women receiving oral contraceptives and significantly higher than the means of 1.5+/-0.75 for 5 postmenopausal females (P < 0.05) and 1.8+/-1.0 for 16 adult males (P < 0.01) which are comparable. The mean GHPR's in mg/24 hr per m(2) for the four groups are: normal females = 0.52+/-0.24 (sd), females receiving contraceptive pills = 1.65+/-0.58 (P < 0.005), postmenopausal females = 0.26+/-0.12 (P < 0.025), and adult males 0.35+/-0.23 (P < 0.025).Three untreated acromegalic patients had ICGH's of 59, 82, and 93 ng/ml and GHPR's ranging from 14.5 to 17.9 mg/24 hr. Prednisone in a dose of 20 mg t.i.d. for 8 days significantly decreased both the ICGH and GHPR. Alternate day prednisone (60 mg in a single q.o.d. dose) resulted in less consistent inhibition of GH release which may play a role in the more normal growth seen in children receiving q.o.d. prednisone.

Survey of intestinal pathogens from immigrant children

Four thousand immigrant schoolchildren were screened by using a concentration method on a single faecal specimen for intestinal helminths; 1,468 (37%) were positive. Carriage rates were highest (51%) in children from the West Indies, in whom trichuris (75% of carriers) and ascaris (40% of carriers) predominated; carriage of two or more species was common (36% of carriers). Carriage of worms was low in children from Kenya (16%) and Uganda (7%). Children from South-east Asia, predominantly from India and Pakistan, had carriage rates between 30 and 40%; girls and boys from Pakistan differed significantly in their carriage patterns of hook-worm (commoner in boys) and hymenolepis and ascaris (commoner in girls).Five salmonellas were found, two of which were Salmonella typhi, and five Shigella sonnei were isolated. No isolates were made of Vibrio cholerae (classical or El Tor biotypes) from 590 South-east Asian children.

Wide distribution of Pasteurella haemolytica type 1 over the nasal mucosa of cattle

Studies on the site of proliferation of Pasteurella haemolytica in the bovine nasal cavity have been carried out.P.haemolytica were isolated from 15 selected major anatomical areas of the nasal cavity in calves with high numbers of P.haemolytica following shipment from Western Canada. When the organisms were present in the nasal cavity of live animals in low numbers, they were isolated from many, but not all, areas. P.haemolytica was isolated post mortem from one or more selected areas of several nasal cavities in spite of negative antemortem cultures. By the direct fluorescent antibody technique, P.haemolytica was demonstrated at the surface of nasal epithelial cells. Organisms were not seen in or between epithelial cells nor in the ducts nor alveoli of glands. The findings were similar when high and low numbers of P.haemolytica were present in the nasal cavity.

Emaciation in calves fed artificial diets

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