A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF INTRAVENOUS INJECTIONS OF SOLUTIONS OF PANCREATIC TISSUE; WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE CAUSE OF COLLAPSE IN ACUTE PANCREATITIS

From these results it is permissible to draw the following conclusions which may be used to explain certain phenomena associated especially with the onset of acute pancreatitis. 1. The sudden marked collapse of acute pancreatitis has as its most important cause a toxin or toxins derived from broken down pancreatic tissue. This toxin or toxins seem to be most powerful in the stage of degradation just after the disappearance of the biuret reaction and are probably of the nature of aromatic and amino-compounds. 2. There are various contributing factors of toxic action as peptone and trypsin, but these are to be regarded as of secondary importance. 3. Mechanical irritation as stretching of the peritoneum and irritation of the caeliac plexus is a secondary cause. 4. The glycerine produced through the action of steapsin cannot be regarded as an important cause of collapse.     

Effects of β-hydroxybutyrate,glycerol, and free fatty acid infusions on glucagon and epinephrine secretion in dogs during acute hypoglycemia

The importance of glucagon in the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism is clearly established. However, the role played by this hormone in the regulation of the overall fuel economy is less certain, particularly with respect to such nonglucose fuels as free fatty acids, glycerol, and ketoacids. In order to elucidate glucagon's role with respect to the latter substrates, dogs were infused with solutions of these three fuels, and their A-cell responses to concomitant insulin-induced hypoglycemia were studied. In addition, epinephrine levels were also monitored. It was found that while these infusions failed to suppress glucagon release, the ketoacid infusion did significantly reduce epinephrine secretion during the insulin-induced hypoglycemic period. It was therefore concluded that glucagon secretion under these experimental conditions is not responsive to prevailing nonglucose fuel levels. Indeed, these data suggest that the sympathetic nervous system may play an important role in the regulation of the over-all fuel economy.     

The effects of surgery on the circadian rhythms of cortisol

The circadian rhythms of plasma cortisol levels are studied extensively. Frequent sampling techniques are used to examine the effects of surgical trauma on the circadian pattern of plasma cortisol in man. Five patients were studied, 48 hours before and 48 hours after major surgery. The normal preoperative cortisol rhythms of these patients did not disappear after surgical trauma but they were significantly phase-shifted. In addition, the mean cortisol concentrations were significantly elevated and the intracircadian cycles suffered complex changes in the postoperative period.