Augmentation of uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase activity in rat liver by adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate

The role of cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) in the regulation of rat liver bilirubin uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase (UDP-GT) was studied. Augmentation of UDP-GT activity was obtained by cAMP, but not by 3′-AMP. A single administration of glucagon initiated a rapid but limited increase in enzyme activity, which reached a maximum after 2 hr. Similar augmentation of the hepatic enzyme was produced by injection of N6,O2-dibutyryl cAMP. The nucleotide is the mediator for UDP-GT augmentation by glucagon. The injection of glucagon led within 20 min to a 40-fold increase in the concentration of cAMP. The augmentation of UDP-GT activity by glucagon or dibutyryl cAMP was fully inhibited by actinomycin D. A second stimulation of liver by glucagon or dibutyryl cAMP 4 hr after the first injection, produced a new increase of UDP-GT activity. © 1978

Difficulty in swallowing, with aspiration pneumonia in infancy

Of 27 infants with difficulty in swallowing resulting in aspiration pneumonia, 18 were suffering from cerebral palsy with athetosis, 3 were thought to have pharyngeal muscle incoordination, and 1 had familial dysautonomia. Five infants are described in whom the aetiology of difficulty in swallowing could not be attributed to any of the known causes. Generalized muscular hypotonia was present in 3 Table Presented patients. The mothers of all 5 had hydramnios, and 2 reported weak foetal movements. The hypothesis that the difficulty in swallowing was due to hypotonia of the pharyngeal muscle is discussed