Uracil metabolism in golden hamster after irradiation.

The catabolism of uracil and the total balance of excreted radioactivity were studied in golden hamsters after a peroral application of 14C-uracil. Twenty-four hours after administration most of the radioactivity taken up appeared in expired carbon dioxide. The percent proportion of radioactivity in carbon dioxide was independent of the amount of uracil administered.

Deoxypyrimidineuria in the course of chemotherapy in M. Hodgkin.

In patients with Hodgkin's disease the excretion of pyrimidine deoxyribonucleosides in urine was followed up within the course of 92 chemotherapeutical series with cytostatics of COOP group. In 14-day chemotherapy series, the excretion of deoxycytidine, deoxyuridine, thymidine, and their sum was significantly increased. In this paper the results are analyzed and a possibility of utilization of this finding for the judgment in the clinical course of the disease is considered.

Excretion of Dische positive compounds in rats after irradiation and after administration of some cytostatic drugs.

In order to verify some pathophysiological aspects in radio- and chemotherapy of tumors the excretion of Dische positive compounds in rats was followed. During fractionated whole-body irradiation of animals it was found that up to the exposure with 50 R/day the organism is able to repair the disturbances provoked by irradiation for a certain time and that within the course of irradiation a permanently higher excretion of Dische positive compounds occurs. On the contrary, following the exposure of 100 R/day after a short increase continual decrease occurs lasting until the death of the animal.

Urine excretion of nucleosides in Hodgkin's disease treated by combined chemotherapy.

The authors have followed the excretion of pyrimidine doexyribonucleosides in the urine of patients with generalized stages of Hodgkin's disease. They proved an increased excretion of deoxyuridine and thymidine in these patients compared to healthy persons. In the course of 14-days of combined chemotherapy a statistically significant increase in the excretion of DNA catabolites followed was found.