BRITISH CHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS

321A., III.—XVI, OTHER ORGANS, TISSUES, AND BODY FLUIDS.322ulcer. Histology o£ the kidney showed coagulative necrosis of thecortex with engorged, widely dilated capillary loops. C. A. K.Unilateral renal atrophy associated with hypertension. A. H.Baggcnstoss and N. W . B arker (Arch. Path., 1941, 32. 960— 982).—The incidence of hypertension was determined in 84 cases of unilateralrenal atrophy (48 of pyelonephritis, 28 of hydronephrosis,8 of pyonephrosis). D eath was usually due to neoplastic diseaseor infection; hypertension caused death in only 5 cases. Inpyelonephritis (40%) and pyonephrosis (37%) the incidence ofhypertension was greater th an in the control group (29% ); hypertensionoccurred in 42% of cases of pyelonephritis in which theatrophied kidney weighed more than 75 g. (9 photomicrographs.)Phosphorus retention in children with chronic renal insufficiency.Effect ol diet and ingestion oi aluminium hydroxide. S. Freemanand W. M. C. Freem an (Amer. J . Dis. Child., 1941, 61, 981— 1002).—A low intake or absorption of P resulted in a decrease in seruminorg.P and an increase in [Ca] in 3 children w ith renal insufficiency.Al(OH), reduced the concn. of inorg. P in serum and urine ofchildren with u rem ia and in a normal child. There was a correlationbetween the vals. of serum-inorg. P and -Ca and the clinical condition.(6 photomicrographs.) C. J. C. B.Myoheemoglobinuria. Renal clearance ol myohssmoglobin indogs. C. L. Yuile and W. F. Clark (J. E xp. Med., 1941, 74, 187—196).—Intravenous injection of 0-75— 1-5 g. of myohemoglobin indogs was followed by elim ination of 65% from the plasma in 1J—2} hr. M yohemoglobin has a threshold plasm a concn. of 20 m g.-% ;when this is exceeded excretion is proportional to the plasma concn.Max. m yohem oglobin/creatinine clearance ratio averages 0-58,contrasting w ith th e blood haemoglobin/creatinine val. of 0-023.The excretory mechanism for both myo- and blood-haemoglobin issimilar, b u t the difference in rate is due to the respective mol. sizes.A. C. F.Tabular factor in renal haemoglobin excretion. C. L. Yuile, J. F.Steinman, P. F. H ahn, and W. F. Clark (/. Exp. Med., 1941, 74,197—202).— Renal threshold for hem oglobin in dogs falls by over60% following repeated injection, and thereafter hem oglobin excretioncurves run parallel. Retention after 24 hr. is measured withhaemoglobin labelled w ith radioactive Fe. Normal kidneys- retainslightly less Fc th an those w ith lowered threshold. A. C. F.Significance of xanthoproteic reaction [in blood] in renal in ­sufficiency and other clinical conditions. O. B. Ragins, I. Kraus,and G. C. Coe (J. Lab. clin. Med., 1941, 27, 201— 205).—The onlysp. condition w ith increased xanthoprotein vals. in blood is u rem ia(iysol poisoning is also a possibility). The xanthoproteic reactionis as accurate an indicator of impending u rem ia as blood-N retention.U rem ia w ith xanthoproteic reactions over 100 is usuallyfatal, b u t low xanthoprotein vals do not preclude a fatal term ination.The reaction helps in differentiating cerebral conditions sim ulatinguram ia from tru e ura:mia. C. J . C. B.Treatment of albuminuria of pregnancy by water-balance method.J. St. G. W ilson (J. Obstet. Gyncec., 1941, 48, 161— 187).—905patients w ith album inuria in pregnancy were treated by lim itingthe fluid intake; details arc given. Among 859 women who weredelivered there were 8 m aternal deaths, 113 stillbirths, and 45neonatal deaths. There were 63 cases of eclampsia w ith 2 m aternaldeaths. Induction was practised in 92 patients and C esareansection in 8 cases. P. C. W.Colour reaction of urine during labour. Y. Asitaka and H. H udii(Japan. J . Obstet. Gynec., 1941, 24, 28).— If a drop of rice oil is addedto urine obtained during labour followed by '* bromic-acetic solution ”a blue coloration develops on the surface on warming. The reactionis only obtained for a few days preceding labour and is not presenton the day after delivery. I t is occasionally given by urine beforeabortion and again disappears after the expulsion of th e uterinecontents. P. C. W.Glycosuria in recruits. A. A. F. Peel and M. W . Peel (GlasgowMed. J .r 1941, 135. 141— 152).—Glycosuria is a very frequentfinding on exam ination of recruits. Methods of differential diagnosisare reviewed. G. H. B.Indoluria in rheumatoid arthritis. E. Neuwirtli (J. Lab. clin.Med., 1941, 26, 1939— 1941).—Free indole (0-2— 1-94 mg. per 1.)was present in fresh urine from 88 patients w ith rheum atoidarthritis. C. J. C. B.Urological complications of carcinoma of cervix uteri. T. F.Todd (J. Obstet. Gyncec., 1941, 48, 334— 353). P. C. W.Effect of small intestinal distension on bile and urine flow.—SeeA., 1942, III, 242.Effect of anoxaemia and oxygen therapy on flow of bile and urinein nembutalised dog.— See A., 1942, III, 206.Water metabolism and diuresis in Bujo arenarum.— See A., 1942,III, 258.Determination of thiamin in urine. E . E gana and A. P. Meiklejohn(J. Biol. Chem., 1941, 141, 859— 870).— A modified thiochrom em ethod is described.R. L. EPolarographic determination of cystine in urine. G. Reed (J.Biol. Chetn., 1942,142, 61— 64).— Separate determ inations of u rinaryproteins and cystine plus cysteine can be carried out by the polarograjihicm ethod (cf. Rosenthal, A., 1937, III, 410) in presence ofCo" ’ and Co" a t dilutions a t which th e effect of protein becom esnegligible, respectively. The average excretion of cystine in healthypersons is 40—80 mg. in 24 hr. An unidentified cystine complex,which diffuses through Cellophane membranes, is present in urine,the same am ount of cystine being liberated by acid hydrolysis or bymeans of an ammoniacal Co buffer. ' H. G. R.Effect of added salts on recovery of hippuric acid from urine.T. U. Marron (J. Lab. clin. Med., 1941, 27, 108— 110).— (N H 4),S 0 4is more suitable th an N a,S 0 4, NaCI, or M gS04. The loss was reducedto 0-1% of urine under the conditions of the Quick liver function test,using gravim etric procedures. C. J. C. B.Determination of sex hormones in urine of pregnancy after castration.Pregnancy diagnosis by urinary histidine.— See A., 1942,III, 236.Colorimetric determination of urinary androgens.—See A., 1942»III, 240.XVI.— OTHER ORGANS, TISSUES, AND BODYFLUIDS.Mathematical theory of population movement. L. F. R ichardson(Mature, 1941,148, 784).—ds/di = YPs + [(5"l8x') + (S'/8y')](s. dp ¡dp)in which p is the no. of persons per s