B ioch em istry
III. The elimination of glucose injected intra
venously into dogs with experimental jaundice is subnormal and that of fructose above normal. The introduction of bile acids stimulates glycogen syn
thesis from glucose or fructose. Hence the inability of the liver in experimental obstructive jaundice to synthesise glycogen is due to a lowering of the pro
duction of bile acids by the liver. Ch. Ab s. Proteolytic leucocytic enzym e in leucaemia.
J . V. Cooke (Arch. Hit. Med., 1932, 49, 836—845).- The non-granular leucocytes have, as a rule, a high protease activity^ although the enzyme content de
creases in the terminal stages. The seat of the disturbance is the bone marrow. P- G. M.
Growth in height and w eight and retention of nitrogen, calcium , and phosphorus during re
covery from severe m alnutrition. G. Stearns
and D. L. R. Moore (Amer. J. Dis. Children, 1931, 42, 774).—The N retained per kg. became greater, and the Ca equiv. to that retained by rapidly growing
normal infants. Cm Ab s.
Porphyrins in clinical and experim ental por
phyrinuria. H. Fis c h e r and R. Du esberg (Arch.
B IO C H E M I S T R Y . 769
exp. Path. Pharm., 1932, 166, 95—100).—In two cases of porphyrinuria uroporphyrin I was isolated from the urine. In congenital porphyrinuria a small amount of a different porphyrin, probably copropor
phyrin III, was obtained from the urine. In experi
mental Pb poisoning in rabbits the urine appeared to contain ■eoproporphyrin III. In sulphonal poisoning uroporphyrin was formed. The faeces of Pb- or sulphonal-poisoned rabbits contained no copro
porphyrin, but an ester, perhaps impure deutero-III- porphyrin ester, was isolated. J. B. B.
Acid-base equilibrium in psychotic patients.
Affective psychoses. K. E. Ap p e l, C. B. Fa r r,
and P. J. Ho d e s (J. Nerv. Mental Dis., 1932, 75, 22—33).—The blood-Cl and plasma-total base are normal in maniac-depressive psychosis. There is an increased but insignificant “ acid-residue ” in involu
tional .depressions. Plasma-C02 was normal except in complicated cases. Ch. Ab s.
Causes and origin of “ incurable ” rickets and the serum -phosphorus of the rachitic anim al.
A. van Ha r r e v el d (Arch. Eeerl. Physiol., 1931, 16, 234—243; Cliem. Zentr., 1932, i, 3626).—Rats feci with diet deficient in vitamin -B and protein and free from P developed rickets which was incurable by administration of cod-liver oil, although this increased the serum-P. Vitamin-D administered with the diet has a partly prophylactic, effect. A. A. E.
Additional factors in the treatm ent of late rickets and osteom alacia. D. C. Wil so n (Lancet, 1932, 222, 1142—1143).—Waste distillery yeast after irradiation in direct sunlight is a source of vitamin-D in the treatment of late rickets. L. S. T.
Mineral m etabolism in late rickets. G.
Stearns, M. J . Oe l k e, and J . D. Bo yd (Amer. J . Dis. Children, 1931, 42, 88—101).—During recovery, children (12— 13 yr.) retain ample Ca and P. Excre
tion of Ca and P is similar to that during recovery from infantile rickets, except that the urinary Ca remains low. Serum-Ca is normal, whilst -inorg. P may remain low. The acid-base relationships and the total fixed base retained are normal. Ch. Ab s.
Phosphorus balance in the rat on a rachitic diet rich in calcium , strontium , or m agnesium . A. Roche (Bull. Soc. Chim.'bid., 1932,14, 634—644).
In rats fed with a rachitic diet rich in Ca and poor in P the occurrence of bone lesions coincides with a diminution or abolition of P absorption; after several weeks the balance becomes positive and spontaneous healing occurs before the P deficit is recovered.
Addition of SrC03 to the diet leads to a decrease in wt. of the animal and an increasing negative P balance terminating in death. CaC03 and MgC03 exhibit the same action but to a smaller degree. The bearing of these findings on P04 retention and on ossification is
discussed. F. 0. H.
Effect of feeding rachitic diets, containing different ratios of calcium to phosphorus, on the calcium and inorganic phosphorus of the blood- serum of chicks. 0. N. M a s s e n g a le (Poultry Sci., 1929, 8, 335—3 4 3 );—With a rachitic diet low in Ca hut high in P, leg weakness appeared earlier than with a rachitic diet low in P but higher in Ca. When
the Ca content was higher than the P content the blood-serum-Ca was higher than -P. The reverse held with diets high in P and low in Ca. Addition of cod- liver oil to rachitic diets increased the serum-Ca regardless of the food Ca :P ratio. Addition of cod- liver oil to rachitic diets in which the P content was approx. 3 times that of the Ca tended to lower the serum-inorg. P ; when the Ca was higher than the P the serum-inorg. P was increased. Ch. Ab s.
Effect of sodium and potassium on experi
m ental scurvy. A. Mic h a u x (Bull. Soc. Chim. biol., 1932, 14, 649—659).—The urinary excretion of Ha in the normal guinea-pig is far less than that of K.
Scurvy is accompanied by a fall in the vol. of urine and in the amounts of Ha and K excreted. The Ha is retained as EaCl in the muscle and blood, but with Iv there also occurs a decrease in the muscle and blood levels, indicating that elimination must take place in the fseces. During advanced experimental scurvy there is a marked fall in the K of the whole blood and a slight rise in the serum level.
F. 0. H.
m -Amino-p-hydroxyphenylarsine oxide as an antisyphilitic agent. A . L. Ta t u m and G. A.
Cooper (Science, 1932, 75, 541—542).—The thera
peutic index of m-amin o -p-hyd roxyphen y 1 a rs i ne oxide in rabbit syphilis is higher than that of any known antisyphilitic agent. Clinical treatment in human
beings is promising. L. S. T.
Interm ediate m etabolism of guinea-pigs in
fected w ith trypanosom es. G. Sc h e ff (Biochem.
Z., 1932, 2 4 8 ,168—180).—The metabolism of guinea- pigs infected with trypanosomes proceeds in general similarly to that of rats, but is of longer duration.
The essential changes are a hypoglycsemia, the lowest vals. being reached shortly before death, a hyper- glycsemia following the disappearance of the trypano
somes, a hyperlipsemia in the advanced stages of infection, considerable decrease of glycogen, and increase in neutral fat in the liver, also in the later
stages. P. W. C.
Behaviour of liver-lipins in experim ental in fections. G. Sc h e f f and E. Ho r n e r (Biochem. Z., 1932, 248, 1S1—188).—The changes of liver-fat in guinea-pigs due to trypanosome infection, poisoning with diphtheria toxin, infection with B . para.typhosv.s~
B , type Breslau, and poisoning with P are investigated.
With diphtheria toxin, no infiltration of fat occurs, liver-fat eventually completely disappearing, although the other fat reserves are retained intact. Para- typhosus infection does not appear to have any sp.
influence on the fat-earbohydrate metabolism. In trypanosome and P poisoning considerable increase in" liver neutral fat and disappearance of glycogen occur. The liver-phosphatide and -sterol contents remain practically unchanged in all cases. P. W. C.
U rinary acidity in tuberculosis. K. L. McCl u s- k e y (Amer. Rev. Tuberculosis, 1931, 24, 182—
192).—The p „ is high; in crit. illness the [H*] is lower owing to decrease in titratable acidity with increase in EH3. Creatine and creatinine decrease.
Variations in night and day excretion of H\ EH 3, and org. acids are recorded for various groups of
770 B R I T I S H C H E M IC A L A B S T R A C T S . A .
p a tie n ts. T h e m ild a cid o sis is a t first m e t b y c o n serv a tio n of b lood -alk ali, t h is b ein g la ter d ep leted b y in crease in u rin ary N H 3. Ch. Ab s.
Proportions of w ater and other inorganic con
stituents in the heart m u scles of tuberculous individuals. L. C. Scott (Amer. Rev. Tuber
culosis, 1931, 23, 429—434).—The H20 content is high, but other inorg. constituents are normal.
Ch. Ab s.
Distribution of diffusible and non-diffusible calcium in phthisis. F. B. Co o per (Amer. Rev.
Tuberculosis, 1931, 2 4 , 346—350).—The vals. and the total Ca are normal. Ch. Ab s.
Phosphorus in blood and plasm a of people suffering from phthisis. M. W. Ma b s m a n (Arch.
Nderl. Physiol., 1932, 17, 124—131).—In the blood or plasma of 30 tuberculous patients the inorg. P, acid-sol. P, and total P did not differ significantly from corresponding vals. for 10 normal individuals, but the lipoid P in both blood and plasma was signi
ficantly less in the tuberculous patients. W. 0. K.
Calcification follow ing m assive doses of vio- sterol in acute experim ental bovine tuberculosis of guinea-pigs. T. T. Wa l k e r and T. D. Sp ie s (Amer. Rev. Tuberculosis, 1931, 24, 65—71).—
Calcification within the caseous lesion is more marked than when viosterol is not used. Ca is deposited also in apparently normal tissue of the heart, liver, and kidneys of tuberculous animals treated with
viosterol. Ch. Ab s.
Effect of viosterol (irradiated ergosterol) on calcification in pulm onary tuberculosis. J.
K a m i n s k y and D . L. D a v i d s o n (Amer. Rev. Tubercu
losis, 1931, 2 4 , 483—489).—Small pral doses increased the serum-Ca but did not appreciably affect the degree of calcification in the lung lesions.
Ch. Ab s.
Com parison of the effects of viosterol in acute experim ental avian and bovine tuberculosis.
T. D. Sp ie sand T. T. Wa l k er (Amer. Rev. Tubercu
losis, 1931, 24, 723—728).—Administration of re
peated large doses to guinea-pigs with acute avian tuberculosis causes little or no increase in the calcific
ation of the lesions or within otherwise normal parenchyma of certain organs. The degree of Ca deposition is much less marked than in acute bovine
tuberculosis. Ch. Ab s.
Vitam in-D in bone tuberculosis in children.
H. G. Gr a y ze l, M. J. Sh e a r, and B. Kr a m e r (Amer.
Rev. Tuberculosis, 1931, 2 4 , 106—112).—Relatively large doses of irradiated ergosterol (equiv. to 0-6— 1 litre of cod-liver oil daily) did not increase the serum- Ca or -P and caused no toxic symptoms, pathological calcification, or acceleration of healing of bone tuberculosis in children. Ch. Ab s.
Lysozym e a n d tuberculosis. H. J. Co r pe r
(Amer. Rev. Tuberculosis, 1932, 2 5 , 59—66).—
Lysozyme, prepared from dog or guinea-pig liver or spleen, has no appreciable inhibitory effect on tubercle bacilli i n v itr o and probably plays no signi
ficant part in human susceptibility to tuberculosis.
Ch. Ab s.
Relationship between the w ater content and oxygen consum ption of the organism . W. R.
D u r y e e (Science, 1932, 7 5 , 520).—Experiments with
P la n a r ia doro to cep h a la and A m b ly s to m a p u n cta lu m
are summarised. H20 changes appear to be both inter- and intra-cellular, but no general conclusions
can be reached. L. S. T.
Therm oelectric determ ination of metabolism in tissu e cultures. E. T i e d e m a n n and A. F i s c h e r
(Biochem. Z., 1932, 2 4 7 , 68—84).—A method for the determination of the C02-production of tissue cultures employing the principle of the different thermal conductivities of gases is described. The apparatus detects 0-0004% C02, the accuracy being
±0-02% C02. Inserting a manometer, the 02- utilisation is also obtained in the same experiment.
The apparatus is readily adapted to self-registration.
P. W. C.
Cell m etabolism . C. S e l l e i , P. W e i n s t e i n , and J. J a n y (Biochem. Z., 1932, 2 4 7 , 146—150).—The metabolism of the retina and of the grey matter of the brain can be characterised by the heat quotients in virtue of their marked tendency to glycolysis.
For both tissues"the inhibition of the Pasteur reaction and the absence of the decreasing action of respiration on glycolysis are also characteristic. P. W. C.
M etabolism of sym pathetic nerves and ganglia.
H. R o s e n b a u m (Biochem. Z., 1932, 2 4 7 , 1S9—
215).—The mean utilisations of 02 by ox splenic nerve in blood and Ringer’s solution respectively are at room temp. 65-3 and 63-7 cu. mm. and at 37°
541-8 and 547-6 cu. mm. per g. per hr. Young animals give vals. about 27% higher. In nervous tissue a respiratory substance is present which diffuses into inorg. salt solutions; it is also present in serum and blood and is inactivated by heat. Addition of glucose to Ringer’s solution at 37° causes con
siderable increase of 0 2 consumption. Trustworthy figures could not be given for the 0 2 utilisation of
sympathetic ganglia. P. W. C.
Sugar m etabolism of stim ulated nerve. H.
W i n t e r s t e i n . and H. F r a n k e l - C o n r a t (Biochem.
Z., 1932, 2 4 7 , 178—18S).—Reflex stimulation of the isolated frog’s spinal cord and of the cord in mam
mals increases, by several hundred % of the resting vals., the rate of sugar disappearance from the
surrounding solution. P. W. C.
Glycogen form ation in the livers of rats fed on a pure fat diet. Sugar form ation from fat. R.
K a r e l l e r - A d l e r and M. R u b i n s t e i n (Biochem.
Z., 1932, 2 4 8 , 196—207).—On a pure fat diet (lard corresponding with 25—40 g.-cal. per day per 100 g.
body-wt.), the mean total carbohydrate content of rat’s liver is 2-5% (normal vals.). Small doses of adrenaline (0-05 mg. hydrochloride per day per 100 g.
body-wt.) and cocaine (0-2 c.c. of a 4% solution of the hydrochloride per day per 100 g. body-wt.) do not change the carbohydrate vals. With larger doses of adrenaline (0-1 mg. daily for 5 days) the liver-glycogen falls to about I and of cocaine (0-4 c.c. daily for 6 days) to about When the small doses of adrenaline and cocaine, which individually are inactive, are given together, the liver-carbohydrate is
B IO C H E M IS T R Y . 771
decreased to -J. Phloridzin with and without addition of adrenaline causes a decrease of liver-carbohydrate to With insulin, the carbohydrate vals. were subnormal, but were not uniform. The fat contents of the livers were very variable and could not be correlated with the carbohydrate vals. No support was obtained for the view that fat is converted into
carbohydrate. P . W. C.
Bile acids and carbohydrate m etabolism . XVI. Production of glycogen in m uscle by bile acids and horm ones. K . Et j z i w a r a (Biochem. Z., 1932, 248, 264—274; cf. this vol., 644).—Increased production of glycogen resulting from administration of cholic acid to rabbits occurs not only in the liver but also, to a much slighter degree, in the muscles.
The cholic acid administration also counteracts the hyperglycaemia produced by glucose, but is much less effective in this respect than is insulin. Both in liver and muscle the glycogen-producing power of cholic acid is much greater than that of insulin;
there is synergy, which is much more pronounced in liver than in muscle, between the actions of the two substances. Cholic acid and adrenaline act antag
onistically with regard to their effect on the produc
tion of glycogen, this antagonism being much more pronounced in liver than in muscle, but the decrease in the production of glycogen caused by adrenaline is much greater in muscle than in liver, whereas when phloridzin is the active agent the opposite is the ease. As regards production of glycogen in liver and muscle, cholic acid and phloridzin exhibit antag
onism equally pronounced in both organs and the latter substance has no effect on experimental hyper-
glycsemia. W. M.
Gluconeogenisis and the energy m aterial of muscle. J. J. R . Macleod (Austral. J. Exp. Biol., 1932, 9, 119—125).—Study of the chemistry of muscle and of the metabolism of diabetic animals shows that, whilst there is no evidence that fatty acid can be directly oxidised by the tissues, some form of carbo
hydrate intermediate between glycogen and the lactic acid is the immediate fuel of muscular activity. This intermediate form is closely related to muscle-glycogen and may be linked to H3P04 and even also to lecithin
compounds. W. M.
Effect of adm inistration of various amounts of carbohydrate on the bood-sugar and -phos
phorus during m uscular work. Z. Disc h e and H. Goldham m er (Biochem. Z., 1932, 247, 8—34).—
Periods of 1—2 hr. in the treadmill cause, in dogs, decrease of blood-sugar and -P and increase of acid- sol. P. Oral administration of glucose, maltose, dextrin, or fructose docs not affect this result, but bo—3 g. per kg. of sucrose or the equiv. amount of a mixture of glucose and fructose completely inhibits the fall in blood-sugar and often leads to a smaller drop in inorg. P and to a decrease of acid-sol. P.
Administration of sucrose with 0-05 g. NaH2P04 per kg. or with Ca glycerophosphate leads sometimes to an increase and sometimes to a decrease of inorg.
and acid-sol. P and to a considerable increase in
blood-sugar. P. W. C.
Contraction of frog's m uscle by am m onia. R.
Mit jr a (Biochem. Z., 1 9 3 2 , 248, 1 8 9 — 1 9 5 ) .— D u r i n g
the initial stages of the action of aq. NH3 on frog’s muscle, the amount of 0H-CHMe-C02H is only slightly increased and the phosphagen and pyro
phosphate fractions are unchanged. In the later phase of slow contraction and rigidity in the gastro
cnemius and of complete relaxation in the rectus, a stage in which complete loss of electric excitability occurs, a considerable formation of 0H-CHMe-C02H and decomp, of creatinephosphoric acid and pyro
phosphate occurs. These changes are therefore the result of progressive muscle injury and not due to the initial NH3 contraction. P. W. C.
Production of am m onia in h earts. I l l . Aden
ine nucleotide in surviving frog hearts. J. K.
P a r n a s and P. O s t e r n (Biochem. Z., 1932, 248, 398—402; cf. A., 1931,869).—The production of NH3 in surviving frog hearts is accompanied by a decrease in the amount of adenine nucleotide present, but added nucleotide is destroyed by the heating hearts. It is concluded that during the process of recovery the nucleotide which has been destroyed is re-synthesised from its deamination product, but that the eliminated NH3 does not take part in the re-synthesis. W. M.
Determ ination of adenosine derivatives in the surviving frog heart. P. 0s t e r n and J. K . P a r n a s
(Biochem. Z., 1932, 248, 389—397).—A biological method, involving the use of surviving frog hearts, for the determination of very small amounts of adenosine derivatives is described and its applications
are indicated. W. M.
Comparative efficiency of various proteins in poultry feeding. C. W. A c k e r s o n , M . J. B u s h ,
and F. E. M u s s e h l (Poultry Sci., 1930, 9, 112—132).
—Comparison of the oviducts of pullets with those of hens after a 5-weck period on a low N intake indicated that 95% of the N is lost from the oviduct by such treatment. A fixed procedure is recom
mended for the determination of biological vals. of proteins; vals. for proteins of maize, wheat, oats, rye, barley, and soya beans are tabulated.
Ch. Ab b.
Protein requirem ents of chickens. J. S. Car
v e r , J. L. S t . J o h n , T. E. A s f i n a l l , and I. H. E l o r
(Poultry Sci., 1932, 1 1 , 45—57).—During the first 12 weeks a protein level of < 15 % is required for max.
growth; from the 10th to the 26th week 12—15%
of skim-milk protein is more advantageous. The efficiency of utilisation decreases with age.
Ch. Abs. Effect of glutathione on autolysis and on pro
tein m etabolism . E. A b d e r h a l d e n , S. B u a j o z e ,
and W . G e i d e l (Fermentforsch., 1 9 3 2 , 1 3 , 147— 155).—Glutathione had no effect on protein fission
in v itro by liver, spleen, and kidney. Parenterally administered to a dog, glutathione sometimes caused an increase in the excretion of all the N- and S- containing products, in other cases no change.
J. H. B.
Behaviour of «-am ino-acids in the anim al body. W. Keil (Z. physiol. Chem., 1932, 207, 248—
252).—A fair proportion of 8-amino valeric acid administered to a dog is recovered unchanged. No degradation products of y-aminobutyric acid were
7 7 2 B R I T I S H C H E M IC A L A B S T R A C T S .— A .
isolated from dog’s urine after injection of this
substance. J. H. B.
Production of w ool fleece by m erino sheep.
H. R. M a r s t o n (Austral. J. Exp. Biol., 1 9 3 2 , 9 ,
235-—2 4 6 ).—Wool-keratin has a relatively very high content of cystine and almost the whole of the S present occurs in this form. Plant-proteins usually have low cystine contents, whilst the animal organism cannot synthesise the acid. The merino sheep is unique in its high demand for cystine (for the pro
duction of wool fleece), and hence the yield of wool clip was increased by more than 3 5 % when protein- deficient pasture was supplemented with blood-meal containing 2-7 % of cystine. About 4 0 % of the cystine administered was recovered in the increased fleece.
W. M.
N om ogram connecting standard m etabolism , w eight, and surface area of m erino sheep. E. W.
Li n e s (Austral. J. Exp. Biol., 1932, 9, 227—229).
M etabolism during rest and protein consum p
tion in Europeans living in the tropics. W.
R a d s m a and G . M . S t r e e t (Arch. Neerl. Physiol., 1932, 17, 97—123).—Young male Europeans living in the tropics have basal metabolic rates about 5—
10 % ,less than the standard rates in temperate zones.
This low rate cannot be attributed to a difference in the protein content of the diet. Increased protein consumption resulted in increases in basal metabolism and pulse rate, and in the residual N and urea of the
blood. W. 0. K.
Variation w ith age of the nucleo-cytoplasm ic ratio of the white m ouse. M. C. Da w b a r n (Aus
tral. J. Exp. Biol., 1932, 9, 213—226; cf. A., 1930, 369).—In male white mice the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio (determined by a modification of the method of Robertson and Dawbarn) falls to 60% of its yah at the age of 35 days by the 150th day and thereafter until the 350th day continues to fall slightly. After the 350th day an increase occurs such that the val.
at the 700th day equals that at the 150th. Eor calculation of the ratio the vals. nucleic acid-N and
coagulable N were used. W. M.
Influence of diet on the blood-uric acid and the excretion of uric acid after food rich in nucleins.
W. V.] M o r a c z e w s k i , S. G r z y c k i , H. J a n k o w s k i ,
and R. S l i w i n s k i (Arch. exp. Path. Pharm., 1932, 165, 482—493).—The blood-uric acid is higher on a diet rich in proteins than on a carbohydrate diet, whilst diet rich in fat lias an intermediate effect.
The excretion of uric acid in the urine is influenced by the nature of the diet, being depressed on a diet
The excretion of uric acid in the urine is influenced by the nature of the diet, being depressed on a diet