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Ultrasonic histogramme was studied in 35 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 20 donors, taken in the area of the head and body of the pancreas, as were levels of immunoreactive trypsin--fasting and after standard food load,--and C-peptide in blood serum on an empty stomach. To increase informative value and specificity of ultrasonic and radioimmunologic investigations an index has been suggested, based on the findings from histogramme and radioimmunity analysis.

As many as 12 patients with pseudotumorous chronic pancreatitis have been examined. While studying the functional state of the pancreas a conclusion was reached about a decrease in the organ's exocrine activity, with the hormone output remaining unaffected. Particular features of the immunity status in the patients are outlined. It is recommended that dynamic ultrasonic investigation and computerized tomography to the abdominal cavity and retroperitoneal space, transcutaneous puncture biopsy of the pancreas, should be used for the differential diagnosis with carcinoma of the organ to be made possible.

Gonadotropic function of hypophysis was studied in 109 patients with gout. Raised level of luteinizing hormone (LH) was found in men while women had decreased content of LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Severe lesions of joins and kidneys were associated with suppressed FSH secretion. The authors consider correction of hormonal dysfunction in gout to be advisable. Certain correlative relations were established to exist between levels of gonadotropins, sex hormones and indices of purine metabolism.

The authors theoretically explain the elevation of blood plasma levels of soluble fibrin monomer complexes occurring in elevated trypsin concentrations in the blood. Examinations of 50 patients with chronic relapsing pancreatitis and of 20 donors demonstrated a marked correlation between the levels of immunoreactive trypsin and soluble fibrin-monomer complexes in the blood. The authors recommend measurements of blood soluble fibrin-monomer complexes for the diagnosis of exacerbations of chronic relapsing pancreatitis.

The examination of 241 gout patients (207 males and 34 females) revealed a marked sexual dimorphism of the disease related to the articular and renal syndromes. Male gout is characterized by higher blood levels of uric acid and oxypurinole in reduced clearance of the latter, while in female gout there were hyperxanthinoxidasemia and hypo-cAMPemia. Unbalance of sex and gonadotropic hormones, which appeared multidirectional and dependent on the sex, was observed in males in the form of lower concentrations of blood testosterone and estradiol against elevated levels of progesterone and lutropin, in females manifested with hypoprogesteronemia and reduced gonadotropin.

Male patients with gout exhibit a decrease in the blood content of testosterone and estradiol and an increase in the content of progesterone. The amount of androgen and estrogen changed insignificantly but the level of gestagen abruptly dropped in female patients. Irrespective of the sex the concentration of lutropine and follitropine appeared to be decreased. Whereas the level of uric acid in men was in inverse relation to the production of estradiol, in the group of women--to the indices of progesteron. Changes in sex hormones depended on the form of arthritis and the type of nephropathy.

The authors studied the content of beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-MG) in the blood serum and its excretion with the urine in 85 patients with chronic and 35 with lupoid glomerulonephritis (CGN and LGN) depending on the activity of the disease and state of the renal function. In active CGN and LGN one could observe a distinct increase of the content of beta 2-MG in the blood serum and an increase of its excretion with the urine that may be related to presence of marked dystrophic changes of the canalicular apparatus of the kidneys leading to disorders of reabsorption and beta 2-MG catabolism as well as disorders of the immune homeostasis revealed in these diseases. Results indicate that the beta 2-MG levels in the blood serum and urine may be considered as criteria of CGN and LGN activity.