Cold Patients Research Articles

The cold-pressor reaction in normal subjects and in patients with primary (essential) and secondary (renal) hypertension

The blood pressure responses to a standard cold stimulus, using a recording sphygmomanometer, in a group of 89 persons, comprising normal subjects, hyperreactor normal subjects, patients with nephritis with and without hypertension, and patients with essential hypertension, are reported and studied statistically. Thirty-nine per cent of the normal subjects and 76 per cent of the patients with essential hypertension gave a hyperreactor response to cold. The influence on the cold-pressor reaction of such factors as arteriosclerosis, albuminuria, duration of hypertension, and age of the patients with essential hypertension is discussed. The blood pressure response to cold in patients with chronic nephritis is similar to that of normal subjects who are not hyperreactors. A hyperreactor response, therefore, in a patient with increased arterial pressure would exclude the possibility of hypertension due to chronic renal disease, but the converse is not true.

Use of Sulphanilamide (Para Amino Benzene Sulphonamide) in Experimental Poliomyelitis.

The effectiveness of sulphanilamide (para amino benzene sulphonamide) in the treatment of certain bacterial infections suggested its trial in the treatment of a virus infection, experimental poliomyelitis. Though no reports of the use of sulphanilamide in any virus diseases have appeared, Long has observed no improvement of concurrent common colds in patients receiving the drug for various streptococcal infections. Marshall and his associates have shown that sulphanilamide diffuses readily through the tissues of the body, and into the cerebrospinal fluid, where it reaches a level slightly lower than that of the blood stream. Two bacterial infections of the meninges, Beta hemolytic streptococcal meningitis and menin-gococcal meningitis have responded well to sulphanilamide therapy. Two series of Macacus rhesus monkeys were used in these experiments. The first 4 monkeys were inoculated by the intranasal route with 0.5 cc. of 20% fresh virus cord suspension in each nostril on 2 successive days; two of these monkeys received subcutaneous injections of 50 cc. of a 1% saline solution of sulphanilamide (an amount equal proportionately to twice the maximal therapeutic human dose) twice daily, begun 3-4 hours prior to the first inoculation of the virus suspension; two were used as controls. In the second group, 6 monkeys received one cc. each of 15% virus cord suspension in each nostril on 2 successive days; 4 were given sulphanilamide as above, while 2 control animals received 50 cc. of normal saline subcutaneously twice daily. Tables I and II show the course of these monkeys. It is seen that in the 2 series of experiments 2 monkeys survived, one treated animal, after transient paralysis, and a control animal showing marked, but very gradually diminishing, paralysis. Such survivals are not uncommon in untreated animals following inoculation by the intranasal route.