Abstract
Summary
Male rats in 3–4 age groups to a maximum of 2 years old were given five subcutaneous injections of 0.2 ml/100 g of 1% prednisone on alternate days and then fasted overnight and bled by decapitation. Seven patients with muscular dystrophy from 8–20 years old were given oral prednisone, 10–20 mg/day, for 1–4 1/2 months and then fasted overnight before taking venous blood samples. Values of free and total diffusible serum hydroxyproline were reduced by about 50% from control values in all groups of 100-600-g rats. They were similarly reduced in all of the patients from values during control periods. Serum protein hydroxyproline was unchanged in both the rats and patients. Failure to obtain differences between old and young animals and patients in diffusible hydroxyproline is discussed.
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