Studies on the Liver Injury in Lung Tuberculosis 2. Respiratory functional disturbance, and the contents of lactic acid and pyruvic acid excreted in urine, and acetilation rate

In order to find out what influence the respiratory functional abnormality would have on　urinary lactic acid, pyruvic acid and acetilation rate in lung tnberculosis, the author selected 52 cases of lung tuberculosis whose symptoms were relatively steady and without any complication, and with these cases as the subjects, pathological conditions of the lung, especially respiratory insufficiency as determined by percent vital capacity, and liver functional disorders were compared with lactic acid and pyruvic acid values in urine and acetilation rate. Lactic acid was measured by the hydroquinone method while pyruvic acid by the dinitrophenyl hydrazine method. Acetilation rate was determined by using paraaminobenzoic acid, which was done by Bratton-Marschall's method. Urinary lactic acid was found to be relatively increased only in those cases with lung cavitation, and among the other examinations, especially with the percent vital capacity, there could be recognized no significant relationship. Urinary pyruvic acid was increased in those cases with lung cavitation as well as a mutual relationship with the length of disease. Furthermore, there was observed an aggravating tendency in the lowering of percent vital capacity. As for the rate of acetilation, although there was no definite relationship between the severity of tuberculosis and the percent vital cadacity, all the cases showed a marked decrease in the percent vital capacity, especially so in the groups using PAS and SF, It was thus assumed that chemotherapy has a great influence aside from the pathological conditions of the lung.