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Using laser fluctuation spectroscopy, a technique that measures particle size change in solution, the kinetics of fibrin clot formation from fibrinogen can be studied. With this technique the effect of calcium on the three distinguishable phases of clot formation, (1) proteolysis of fibrinogen, (2) fibrinogen-fibrin monomer complex formation, and (3) fibrin monomer polymerization, were investigated. Only a small change in the length of the induction period that results from the fibrinogen-fibrin monomer interactions was observed. However, there was a marked increase in the rate of fibrin monomer polymerization in the presence of calcium ions. These data show that calcium decreases the time required for fibrin formation from fibrinogen by markedly accelerating the phase of fibrin monomer polymerization.

Chlorpromazine exerts a progressive inhibitory activity (at 0.3–0.6 mM) on the respiration of brain cortex in presence of either glucose, fructose, pyruvate, or L-glutamate. A similar progressive inhibition occurs with other phenothiazine derivatives such as methylene blue and phenergan. However, chlorpromazine does not inhibit oxygen uptake in the presence of succinate. Potassium-stimulated respiration is highly sensitive to chlorpromazine, as it is markedly diminished by 0.2 mMconcentration of the drug, a concentration which does not affect the unstimulated respiration. The increased inhibition of potassium-stimulated respiration is only clearly seen during the early part of the experiment.Chlorpromazine is bound by tissue constituents. At a constant concentration of chlorpromazine (0.6 mM), its inhibitory effect on cortical respiration may be abolished by markedly increasing the amount of tissue present. The inhibitory effect of chlorpromazine may be diminished by addition of plasma proteins (αβ-globulin) or by addition of heated homogenized brain, liver, or kidney. No binding occurs with polyglutamic acid, ribonucleic, and deoxyribonucleic acids, but binding does occur with certain acid dyes such as trypan red. Trypan red may be used to immobilize free chlorpromazine. When the latter drug is absorbed, however, by the nervous tissue, the addition of trypan red has no effect on the metabolic inhibitions brought about by the absorbed chlorpromazine.It is concluded that chlorpromazine resembles a large variety of narcotics and anaesthetics in its marked inhibitory effects on potassium-stimulated respiration of the brain. Its action, in vitro, however, differs from that of the narcotics in bringing about progressive, apparently irreversible, inhibitions and in its high binding power with tissue proteins. Such apparently irreversible inhibition is consistent with the conclusion that the drug, after combination with the tissue, gradually diffuses into the cell bringing about metabolic inhibitions.

Glycine is decomposed in rat brain cortex to yield carbon dioxide. This process, in which C14O2is formed from glycine-1-C14, is markedly stimulated by the presence of 10 mMglucose, the rate of production of C14O2being increased at least threefold. The presence of succinate exercises a much smaller stimulation of C14O2formation. The addition of KCl (0.1 M) or of 2,4-dmitrophenol (0.025 mM), whilst stimulating the rate of oxygen uptake, does not increase the rate of C14O2formation from glycine-1-C14. The addition of K+tends to diminish the rate. The process of glycine-1-C14breakdown to C14O2is almost insensitive to chlorpromazine, under the given experimental conditions, until relatively high concentrations (e.g. 0.6 mM) are used. The presence of chlorpromazine, however, brings about an inhibition of the rate of glycine-1-C14incorporation into rat brain cortex proteins, an inhibition of 20% being recorded at a concentration of the drug (0.2 mM) that has little or no effect on the respiration of the brain or on the rate of breakdown of glycine-1-C14into C14O2. Glycine incorporation into brain cortex proteins is a process relatively sensitive to chlorpromazine, the magnitude of inhibition being of the same order as that brought about by amytal at similar concentrations. It is suggested that chlorpromazine brings about its effects by an uncoupling of phosphorylation from oxidation in brain cortex slices.

An engineering system analysis of “the input-output relationships” has been adapted to the study of metabolic fluctuations in man, on an hourly basis.

Reports on the fertility rate and the outcome of pregnancy in alloxan diabetic rats are conflicting. In part this is due to the differing conditions of the experiments, some authors having induced diabetes before pregnancy [Davis, Fugo & Lawrence, 1947], others after conception [Miller, 1947]. In general, observations have been limited to animals which had only recently been made diabetic, and, as such, are open to the objection that alloxan diabetes in its early stages may fluctuate markedly in severity. It therefore seemed of importance to study female rats with long-standing diabetes, particularly in respect to fertility rate and outcome of pregnancy. Human diabetic pregnancy results in delivery of large babies and a high late foetal and neonatal mortality. The outcome of pregnancy in the alloxan diabetic animal has therefore been studied particularly from these two aspects. The problem of high foetal loss has already been the subject of discussion

Twenty-four hallucinated patients who had been hospitalized for schizophrenia for over 5 years were treated with Frenquel for 1 to 2 months; none of these showed any distinct improvement neither with regard to hallucinations nor any other symptoms.Our results are compared and contrasted with those reported in 3 other publications on Frenquel.