Abstract
THE observation that the usual appearance of the Marchi stage of Wallerian, nerve fibre degeneration in experimental material is strikingly altered by cortisone acetate (Pfizer, Ltd.) led us to try to discover whether cortisone would also alter in any way the effects of triorthocresyl phosphate poisoning, which are usually most apparent in the myelin sheaths of nerve fibres. Our results so far seem encouraging. A single application of triorthocresyl phosphate painted on the combs of hens (the dose being 0.1 c.c. per kgm. body-weight) invariably causes general symptoms of intoxication and paralysis in the legs after 8–25 days1. The administration of 25 mgm. of cortisone by mouth three days before the application of triorthocresyl phosphate and further doses of 25 mgm. every third day thereafter in all cases prevented the onset of paralysis and reduced the other general symptoms. Even if the administration of cortisone was delayed until the hens were severely stricken by the poison, its beneficial effects were still apparent, for the general condition of the birds rapidly improved, they began to feed avidly, and the paralysis was reduced to a mild state of postural imbalance. Similar results were obtained if the dose of triorthocresyl phosphate was increased to 0.15 c.c./kgm.
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Glees, P., and White, W. G., J. Physiol., 152 (1960).
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GLEES, P. Effect of Cortisone on Degenerating Nerve Fibres in Birds. Nature 187, 327 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1038/187327a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/187327a0
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