Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research

About: Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Estrone & Estrogen. The organization has 2195 authors who have published 2646 publications receiving 115809 citations. The organization is also known as: Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology.

A study of the diurnal variations in circulating lymphocytes in normal and psychotic subjects.

Abstract: REPORT has been made of a diurnal variation in the urinary 17-ketosteroids of men,indicating (on an hourly basis) a minimal excretion at night and during the day a rise toa maximum, ordinarily occurring shortly after waking, and a decline thereafter (4, 6). The 17-ketosteroid output is taken as an index of adrenal secretion. Recently, Dougherty and White (2) have demonstrated that the administration of certain active adrenal cortical steroids will result in a notable decline of circulation blood lymphocytes in animals. We have data (unpublished) indicating a similar adrenal steroid effect in men. Investigation was therefore undertaken of the variations in circulating lymphocyte numbers as possible indices of adrenal cortical function in normal and in psychotic subjects. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Six normal men and six normal women, working at the Worcester State Hospital, served as volunteer subjects, and blood counts were taken at intervals during a 24-hour period as indicated in Table 1.

Antifertility Activity of 3-Chloro-1, 2-Propanediol (U-5897) on Male Rats

Abstract: The present study found evidence to support the view that compound U-5897 alpha-chlorohydrin (3-chloro-1 2-propanediol) inhibits fertility in male rats through metabolic failure in spermatozoa caused by a disturbance of the vascular system of testis and epididymis. U-5897 was injected daily subcutaneously. In the first experiment corpora lutea and implantation sites were counted on Day 9 of "pregnancy" which was judged from spermatozoa on vaginal smear. Complete antifertility action was achieved with 6 consecutive doses of 15 mg/kg (10 matings) or 3 consecutive doses of 40 mg/kg (10). With the lower dose recovery of fertility was seen by 18 days after cessation of the 30-day treatment. With the higher dose males were still sterile 140 days after cessation of the 20-day treatment; but libido and production of vaginal plugs were unimpaired. In the second experiment matings were with males who had received either 15 mg/kg for 8 days or 40 mg/kg for 3 days. In the first group (3 matings) though all ova recovered from the controls (3) were at the stage of 2 cells ova recovered from the oviducts were all uncleaved. In the second group (9) although the controls (10) had well-developed blastocysts no blastocysts were observed. In Experiment 3 after treatment at 40 mg/kg for 10 or 15 days rats (20) were sacrificed. At 10 days mean duration of sperm motility was significantly (p less than .001) less than in the controls (20) and at 15 days mean number of sperm was significantly (p less than .001) lower. In Experiment 4 following treatment at 40 mg/kg for 7-20 days morphological changes were observed in testis its blood vessels and in caput and cauda epididymis. Treatment for 20 days affected mainly the germinal epithelium; spermatogenesis was totally inhibited. In a final experiment after a single injection of 40 mg/rat (400 gm) mean respiration capacity was significantly (p less than .001) less than control level.

Production of Steroids by in Vitro Superfusion of Endocrine Tissue. III. Corticosterone Output from Rat Adrenals Stimulated by Adrenocorticotropin or Cyclic 3′,5′-Adenosine Monophosphate and the Inhibitory Effect of Cycloheximide

Abstract: Decapsulated rat adrenals were continuously superfused and corticosterone outputs assayed by competitive protein binding or soda fluorescence. During 5 hr superfusions, corticosterone output rate of adrenals (H) from acutely hypophysectomized rats remained almost constant (0.3–0.5 μg/rat/hr), whereas that of adrenals (I) from intact rats declined rapidly from high initial values (7 μgxylrat/hr) and approached that of adrenals (H). Release of preformed steroid could not explain this decline, which is ascribed to the decaying in vivo ACTH stimulus. Continuous ACTH infusion (64 mU/ ml) to adrenals (H) increased corticosterone output rate 13-fold within 1 hr almost to that of adrenals (I) similarly infused. After 2 hr the output rates of adrenals (H and I) each continuously infused with ACTH showed similar substantial declines, which were not attributable to irreversible changes in the tissue during superfusion. Dose response curves for adrenals (H) showed that higher concentrations of continuously infused AC...