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The concentration of some immunoreactive peptide hormones in breast cyst fluid and serum from a series of patients with cystic breast disease were compared. The concentrations of the two pituitary gonadotropins, LH and FSH, were consistently higher in serum than in cyst fluid, confirming earlier more limited observations. The mean PRL concentration, on the other hand, was elevated in cyst fluid though the variability was great. The cyst fluid serum ratio of hCG was elevated in the patient group as a whole. However, the results suggested the presence of two subpopulations; group I, in which the cyst fluid and serum hCG levels were essentially indistinguishable and in the range found in normal serum, and group II, in which the cyst fluid hCG concentration was consistently greater than the normal serum range. Analysis of hormone concentrations in multiple cysts aspirated at the same time showed a remarkable degree of agreement in the cyst hormone levels in most of the patients. The greatest variability in the levels was seen with hCG, were a small numer of subjects showed a very large spread in the values.

Integrated serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone have been compared among 30-minute collections from 10 boys (6–18 years old) and 5 girls (5–11 years old). This study suggests that prepubertal as well as pubertal boys have greater mean integrated concentrations of LH during sleep than during waking. One of two pubertal girls had greater concentrations of LH during sleep, while three prepubertal girls did not.

Ovarian function was successfully induced in 2 successive cycles in 2 amenorrheic women using urinary gonadotrophins. When 5 mg of norethindrone acetate was administered along with the gonadotrophin ovarian function persisted. It was concluded that this is further evidence that this dosage of norethindrone acetate inhibits ovulation by suppression of the midcycle surge of LH.

Human pituitary gonadotropin (HPG) was prepared by the kaolin-acetone method from large quantities of urine of normal men, postmenopausal women and eunuchs. These 3 preparations of HPG were studied by a general gonadotropin assay, by assays for FSH and LH, and by the fingerprint system for identification of gonadotropins. The ratio of gonadotropic potency of the HPG preparations from men and postmenopausal women was the same regardless of the methods of assay used, indicating that the proportions of FSH and LH in the HPG from these two sources were the same. However, the HPG from the urine of eunuchs contained more FSH than LH as compared with HPG from the urine of men or postmenopausal women. The FSH/LH ratio in HPG from eunuchs was about twice that of HPG from men or postmenopausal women.

A case of a feminizing tumor of the adrenal gland is reported. This case is of interest in that, to our knowledge, it is only the second case in the literature of such a tumor with a positive “chorionic-like” gonadotropin test. The other case with a positive “chorionic-like” gonadotropin test is reviewed, as well as 5 cases with an elevation of pituitary gonadotropin. Prognostic and therapeutic implications of these tests are discussed.

INTRODUCTION ALTHOUGH a large and respectable body of literature has arisen on the relationship between the activities of progesterone and pituitary gonadotropin1 in experimental animals, the available information on this relationship in human subjects is comparatively scanty. Funke (1) (cited by Smith and Albert (2)) and Buttner and Trappmann (3) found no significant effect of progesterone on the levels of excreted gonadotropin. The doses used by the latter authors were 10–20 mg. per day, with a total dose of 60 mg. in one case, and 120 mg. in another. Laroche, Simonnet and Bompard (4), using doses ranging from 6 to 65 mg. per day injected over periods ranging from five to twenty-three days, claimed to show a slight reduction of gonadotropins in the urine of castrated or menopausal women. Recently Smith and Albert (2) reported that progesterone in a dose of 50 mg. per day orally for eight days in one case, and Pranone® in a dose of up to 100 mg. per day for one week in another case failed to suppress the...

Two new preparations of human pituitary gonadotropin (HPG) from postmenopausal urine obtained by carbunite adsorption and by kaolin-zeolite adsorption, respectively, were tested in the assay system employing the simultaneous response of the ovary and uterus in the immature rat. The parameters of these assays then were compared with similar parameters obtained from HPG made by the kaolin-acetone method. The constants of the assays for HPG from postmenopausal urine prepared by these 3 different methods did not differ. OUR previous studies of human gonadotropins have shown a close similarity of human pituitary gonadotropin (HPG) from the urine of postmenopausal or castrated women when prepared by different extraction methods (1). Specifically, HPG prepared by the kaolin-acetone method or by the ultranltration method gave the same constants in a biologic assay system utilizing the simultaneous response of the ovary and uterus of intact rats. Furthermore, the same constants were obtained when HPG was ...

The ability of polysiloxane vaginal rings containing 17β -Estradiol (E2) to deliver E2 into the systemic circulation at a steady rate over long periods of time was evaluated in castrate and postmenopausal volunteers. Standard laminar designs, used to release contraceptive gestagens, deliver low levels of E2 (about 50 pg/ml) and only for 1 month. With a modified design, E2 levels of 109 to 159 pg/ml were maintained for at least 3 months, and circulating gonadotropins were suppressed to values approaching the premenopausal range. This homogeneous design provides for physiologic replacement of E2 as well as a practical research tool for studying chronic effects of E2 in human subjects.

A dose of 25 μg of synthetic LH-RH was given to nine normal prepuberal boys by rapid intravenous injection. In all subjects a highly significant increase of plasma LH and FSH concentrations was observed. These data suggest that the pituitary already has a reserve of both gonadotropins at prepuberal age.