Abstract
IT has been reported previously1 that cortisone, prednisone and prednisolone are strong depressants of the reticulo-endothelial system. The mechanism by which cortisone lowers the body defences has been shown by Nicol et al. 2 to be due to depression of the phagocytic activity of the reticulo-endothelial system, the total and differential white cell counts in the blood, and the gamma globulin-level in the serum. It has also been shown that after cortisone treatment is stopped, the depressant action of the cortisone can be reversed3 and converted into one of moderate stimulation by diethylstilbœstrol. However, if cortisone and diethylstilbœtrol are administered separately, but at the same time, the depressant action of cortisone is prevented and considerable stimulation of phagocytic activity occurs.
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References
Nicol, T., and Bilbey, D. L. J., Nature, 182, 606 (1958).
Nicol, T., Snell, R. S., and Bilbey, D. L. J., Brit. Med. J., ii, 800 (1956).
Nicol, T., and Bilbey, D. L. J., Nature, 179, 1137 (1957).
Biozzi, G., Benacerraf, B., and Halpern, B. N., Brit. J. Exp. Path., 34, 441 (1953).
Nicol, T., and Bilbey, D. L. J., Nature, 177, 524 (1956).
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NICOL, T., DRUCE, C. Effect of Dexamethasone on the Phagocytic Activity of the Reticulo-Endothelial System. Nature 190, 91–92 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/190091a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/190091a0
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