McGuckin, Warren F.

Abstract 1. The concentration of hyaluronic acid in synovial fluid was determined by a modification of the Dische carbazole method for the determination of uronic acids. 2. The results of this determination in 80 specimens of normal and abnormal synovial fluid confirmed values reported by other methods. 3. An inverse relationship between the hyaluronic acid in the synovial fluid and the degree of synovitis was suggested.

Abstract Our experiences with the automatic titration method of quantitating serum calcium and magnesium are presented. In addition, modifications of the original procedure to allow determination of intraerythrocyte concentrations of magnesium are described. It appears that adoption of a separate magnesium standard in addition to the calcium standard, plus certain other minor modifications designed to minimize the variables inherent in the procedure, provides a significant increase in accuracy and reproducibility of results. Values for intraerythrocyte magnesium concentration in 9 normal dogs were found to range from 4.69 to 5.77 mg./100 ml. Values for 4 dogs that received long-term administration of chlorothiazide also fell within this normal range.

Abstract A semiautomatic procedure for the direct estimation of both serum calcium and magnesium is described. The indicator used, Eriochrome blue SE (EBSE), has the advantage of stability and freedom from interference by naturally occurring substances. The procedure requires 3-5 min. per sample and is very reproducible. The values obtained agree with those obtained by back-titration of excess chelator and are consistently 0.3 mg./100 ml. less than those obtained by a standard oxalate precipitation method.

Abstract Modification of the Köiw and Grönwall procedure for the staining of glycoproteins separated by paper electrophoresis has adapted this method to papers of the Whatman 3MM class, with achievement of results comparable to those reported by direct chemical determination of hexose in the individual protein fractions. Preliminary concentration of specimen fluids was achieved by ultrafiltration through collodion sacks. A preliminary wash of the oven-dried paper strips with 95 per cent ethanol was found essential to clear the paper of buffer salts and insure that the pH in the oxidation procedure remained in the 3.0-3.5 range. Close control of the reagent composition and timing of each step were found necessary. Inclusion of 40 per cent ethanol in the oxidation bath and immersion of dry strips were required to insure rapid penetration of the periodic acid. Control of the oxidation procedure at 20 ± 0.5° for 12 minutes was of prime necessity to maintain a low background color. Also, the concentrations of hydrochloric acid in the dye bath and in the wash solutions were found to affect the quality of the final stain. The ethanol wash served to remove residual sulfite and hydrochloric acid and stabilize the color. The new method has been applied to the analysis of several body fluids of normal persons and patients with certain disease entities, and satisfactory glycoprotein distribution patterns have been obtained.

Abstract The glycoprotein hexose in the sera of patients having an electrophoretically homogeneous globulin fraction was studied by paper electrophoresis. The largest diagnostic category was multiple myeloma, but also included were cases of macroglobulinemia, primary systemic amyloidosis, lymphoma, collagen vascular disease, liver disease, and other conditions. The hexose contents of the pathologic globulin fractions were compared; only in the macroglobulins was this value of diagnostic significance, consistently averaging more than 3 times that in normal gamma globulin. In myeloma globulins there was a relationship between the hexose content and the electrophoretic mobility, with only an occasional value approaching the macroglobulin range in the faster electrophoretic mobilities. It is shown that paper electrophoresis and the PAS staining technic, in conjunction with protein staining on a duplicate sample of serum, constitute a useful screening test for detection of increased concentration of macroglobulin in serum in a large percentage of cases of "hypergammaglobulinemia." Gel electrophoresis, immunologic typing, and ultracentrifugation studies then can be used for further elucidation of the type of abnormality present.

Exercise studies were performed on six intact and seven pancreatectomized, unanesthetized dogs to examine the conditions under which exercise decreases the concentration of glucose in blood. No major change in blood glucose concentration was demonstrated during exercise experiments on normoglycemic intact dogs. In the pancreatectomized dogs, the blood glucose concentration curves during exercise followed either one of two patterns: Some rose with exercise and some fell. In dogs with baseline blood glucose concentrations less than 400 mg. per 100 ml., a sustained decline in blood glucose occurred with exercise, while in those dogs with an initial level greater than 400, a rise occurred. No effect of exercise was evident in a pancreatectomized dog with blood glucose concentration near the normal range during continuous infusion of insulin. Exercise produced a decrease in blood glucose concentration in an intact dog with hyperglycemia induced by glucose infusion, but this dog's blood glucose level increased during rest periods following exercise.

Triamterene (2,4,7-triamino-6-phenylpteridine) was employed alone and in combination with hydrochlorothiazide in the treatment of patients with group 1 and 2 hypertension. In 21 patients, triamterene alone had an inconsistent antihypertensive effect on the systolic blood pressure, which was minimal in most patients. In 16 patients the combination of triamterene and hydrochlorothiazide (2:1 by weight) reduced the systolic blood pressure slightly more than did hydrochlorothiazide alone. Triamterene alone or in combination with hydrochlorothiazide produced an increase in the concentration of potassium in serum. Side effects due to triamterene were similar to those noted with thiazide diuretics. In addition, five patients had a decrease in blood hemoglobin concentration, and two patients had reversible alterations in liver function during triamterene therapy. Triamterene may be a useful adjunct for thiazidetreated hypertensive patients by decreasing the likelihood of complicating hypokalemia.