Impaired clearance of beta-lipotropin in uremia.

Immunoreactive ACTH and beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH) plasma concentrations are elevated in clinically stable chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis (LPH: patients, 271.8 +/- 35.7 fmol ml-1; normal subjects; 6.6 +/- 0.5; ACTH: patients, 56.4 +/- 15.3; normal subjects, 19.4 +/- 1.7). To begin to study the etiology of such elevated levels, the MCR, apparent volume of distribution, and fractional rate of disappearance of synthetic human ACTH and highly purified human beta-LPH were determined in two clinically stable chronic renal failure patients on hemodialysis, after bolus simultaneous injection of both peptides. Biphasic disappearance curves were obtained for beta-LPH; triphasic for ACTH. The MCR of ACTH was within the range seen in normal subjects, whereas the MCR of beta-LPH was less than one half the normal rate. The data indicate that a decrease in MCR (rather than an increase in pituitary secretory rate) may account for the higher plasma levels of beta-LPH in uremic patients.

H-Y antigen in a 46,XX female with dysgenetic ovaries.

Hypogonadism secondary to ovarian dysgenesis or resistant ovary syndrome was diagnosed in a 19-yr-old obese woman with primary amenorrhea, a 46,XX karyotype, and an H-Y+ cellular phenotype. Small ovoid gonads (1.5 X 0.6 cm) were found found bilaterally; these were encased in a dense venous network. The stroma was ovarian, and primordial follicles and some primary follicles were present, but there were no follicles at or beyond the antrum stage. There was no evidence of testicular tissue and no evidence of malignancy. Analysis of serological data indicated the possibility of residual H-Y antigen in the blood cells of the mother.