The role of gastrin in congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.

A study was designed and carried out to determine if the canine model of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis is applicable to other species and to demonstrate the transplacental passage of gastrin. Results of the study show that (1) pentagastrin does not induce hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in the rabbit; (2) human gastrin does not cross the canine placenta, and (3) gastrin has no documented and little inferred role in the etiology of CHPS.

Serum gastrin levels in infants and children.

Fasting serum gastrin concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay for 124 infants and children free of gastrointestinal disease. Values for the entire group ranged from 1.1 to 167.9 pg/ml (mean, 32.3 pg/ml). Mean serum gastrin levels for children who fasted eight or more hours were 22.5+/-23.9 pg/ml while the mean serum gastrin levels for children who fasted four to eight hours ranged from 42.4+/-33.9 pg/ml to 59.2+/-49.6 pg/ml. The mean serum gastrin levels varied inversely with body surface area among children who fasted the same length of time.

The clinical utility of a heterologous radioimmunoassay for human prolactin.

A specific and sensitive double antibody radioimmunoassay for human prolactin has been developed utilizing anti-human prolactin and purified ovine prolactin for radioiodination. Employing this radioimmunoassay, as little as 1.5 ng of prolactin can be quantified in a ml of human serum. The prolactin in serum detected by the radioimmunoassay behaved in a similar manner to purified human 125-I-labled prolactin on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Exogenous prolactin could be completely recovered when varying amounts were added to a constant volume of serum. In normal control and primary hypothyroid subjects, intravenous administration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone elicited a peak prolactin response 30 min post-injection. Hyperthyroid and hypopituitary subjects did not manifest a significant increase in serum prolactin concentration after the injection. Subjects with functional galactorrhea had high resting prolactin levels and exhibited peak increase in serum prolactin concentration at 60 min following the administration of thyrotropin-releasing hormone.

Levels of lutenizing hormone, estradiol and progesterone in serum during the estrous cycle and pregnancy in the beagle bitch (38491).

Levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol-17 beta and progesterone were determined by specific radioimmunoassays in sera obtained from Beagle bitches during proestrus, estrus and diestrus. Concentrations of LH (expressed as NIH-LH-SI equivalents) were 2.8 plus or minus 0.1 ng/ml in proestrus, 35.5 plus or minus 10.0 ng/ml during early estrus and 2.2 plus or minus 0.1 ng/ml in early diestrus. Peak levels of estradiol-17beta (68.9 plus or minus 11.0 ng/ml) were detected 24 hr prior to the LH peak, declined rapidly and reached basal levels (17.8 plus or minus 6.3 ng/ml) by five days following the LH peak. Levels of progesterone were 1.7 plus or minus 0.3 ng/ml during proestrus, 3.5 plus or minus 0.3 ng/ml during early estrus and 23.3 plus or minus 2.8 ng/ml on day 5 after the LH peak . Progesterone levels remained elevated through day 28 of diestrus and pregnancy. A significant decrease (p smaller than 0.05) in levels of prosgesterone occurred between day 28 of pregnancy and one day prior to shelping (3.3 plus or minus 1.2 ng/ml, with a further decrease on the day of whelping (1.1 plus or minus 0.2 ng/ml). Levels of estradiol-17beta and LH did not change significantly (p smaller than 0.0k) during diestrus or pregnancy.