Evidence for a noradrenergic mechanism causing hypertension and abnormal glucose metabolism in rats with relative deficiency of gamma-melanocyte-stimulating hormone.

A close association between salt-sensitive hypertension and insulin resistance has been recognized for more than two decades, although the mechanism(s) underlying this relationship have not been elucidated. Recent data in mice with genetic disruption of the gamma-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (gamma-MSH) system suggest that this system plays a role in the pathophysiological relationship between hypertension and altered glucose metabolism during ingestion of a high-sodium diet (8% NaCl, HSD). We tested the hypothesis that these two consequences of interrupted gamma-MSH signalling were the result of sympathetic activation by studying rats treated with the dopaminergic agonist bromocriptine (5 mg kg(-1) i.

Patient characteristics associated with defects of the peritoneal cavity boundary.

Background: Conflicting literature exist regarding the patient characteristics that may confer an increased risk for anatomic complications of the peritoneal cavity boundaries.

Methods: We collected data from 75 randomly selected units in the United States and Canada, representing a total of 1864 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.

Results: 200 of these patients experienced a total of 217 anatomic complications between July 2000 and June 2001; 16 patients had more than 1 complication.