A Rare Case Diagnosed by Videothoracoscopic Lung Biopsy: Diffuse Pulmonary Meningotheliomatosis.

Diffuse pulmonary meningotheliomatosis (DPM) is reported as a diffuse parenchymal lung disease characterized by disseminating small asymptomatic nodules. These lesions are often detected incidentally as microscopic findings in lung specimens or autopsies examined by a pathologist. We report a case of a 60-year-old male asymptomatic patient presenting with multiple bilateral pulmonary nodules on high-resolution computed tomography and diagnosed by videothoracoscopic surgery.

[Hypertension in patients with polycystic kidneys--the effect of volume expansion].

Arterial hypertension is found in as many as 75% patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidneys with normal renal function, its pathogenesis is however not quite clear so far. The authors examined 16 patients with polycystic kidneys with normal or only slightly reduced renal function (plasma creatinine lower than 140 umol/l), 8 of these patients were normotonic (N) and 8 hypertonic (H). In all examined subjects right-sided cardiac catheterization was performed with assessment of the minute cardiac volume by thermodilution.

Humoral and renal response to acute volume loading in patients with essential hypertension.

The effect of acute volume expansion (2 liters of saline solution in 2 h) on plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF), plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC), plasma renin activity (PRA) and their relationship to the renal excretion of urine, sodium and potassium were studied in 6 control subjects and 7 patients with essential hypertension (EH) WHO stage I. Saline infusion provoked comparable rise in plasma ANF in both groups (from 2.98 +/- 0.

[Mutual interaction of the renin-angiotensin system and the atrial natriuretic factor in the renal response to acute volume loading].

The authors investigated dynamic changes and the interaction of the plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone (PAC), i.e. the main representatives of sodium retaining systems, and of the atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) the decisive natriuretic substance in acute expansion of the extracellular volume (ECV) by infusion of two litres of saline in six controls, seven patients with essential hypertension and liver cirrhosis without ascites (6 patients) and with ascites (6 patients).

[Is it possible to predict the development of Nelson's syndrome in Cushing's disease after bilateral adrenalectomy?].

A detailed analysis of clinical and laboratory findings in a group of 66 patients with Cushing's disease treated with bilateral adrenalectomy, out of whom 15 developed Nelson's syndrome, gave evidence that Nelson's syndrome mostly affects children and young patients compared to older persons. Bilateral adrenalectomy performed in patients aged over 40 years was never accompanied by Nelson's syndrome. Basal plasma ACTH values prior to adrenalectomy (30.

[The effect of dopamine on hemodynamic and hormonal parameters in liver cirrhosis].

To 11 patients with liver cirrhosis (5 with ascites) and 6 controls a one-hour dopamine infusion, 1.5 micrograms/kg/min., was administered.

[The effect of clonidine on humoral factors in patients with arterial hypertension].

Clonidine, an agonist of central alpha-2-adrenergic receptors, reduced the peripheral sympathetic activity. With regard to the mutual pathophysiological relationship of blood pressure regulating mechanisms, the authors wanted to find out whether after clonidine administration, in addition to the known suppression of catecholamine levels (CA), also changes in the concentration of other pressor and depressor humoral substances will occur. They investigated therefore in 15 patients with essential hypertension (EH) and in three patients with pheochromocytoma the urinary excretion of free noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (A) and dopamine (DA), the plasma renin activity (PRA), the aldosterone concentration (PAC) and atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) in plasma, using radioimmunoanalysis, always before and 24 hours after clonidine administration (Haemiton retardR) by the oral route.

[Atrial natriuretic factor in liver cirrhosis. Relation to hemodynamic parameters].

In 12 patients with cirrhosis of the liver (six with ascites) and six controls the authors made catheterizations of the hepatic veins and portal circulation, assessing concurrently the in cardiac output by thermodilution. The patients with ascitic cirrhosis had, as compared with controls, a significantly higher portohepatic gradient, central venous pressure, mean pressure in the pulmonary artery and also pulmonary capillary wedged pressure and a significantly lower mean arterial pressure and systemic vascular resistance. These patients had also, as compared with controls, a significantly higher concentration of ANF (atrial natriuretic factor) in the pulmonary artery (15.

Atrial natriuretic factor in liver cirrhosis--the influence of volume expansion.

Plasma levels of atrial natriuretic factor (ANP) were examined in 12 patients with liver cirrhosis (6 with ascites) and 6 controls before and after the administration of the infusion of 2000 ml of saline solution per 70 kg of body weight during 2 hours. Basal concentration of ANF tended to be slightly, but nonsignificantly higher in patients with ascitic liver cirrhosis (5.5 +/- 1.

[Relation between atrial natriuretic factor and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in the renal reaction to acute volume loading in patients with essential hypertension].

Investigation of changes of the atrial natriuretic factor plasma concentration (ANF), plasma renin activity (PRA) and the plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and their correlation with the renal excretion of urine, sodium and potassium before and after infusion of 2 1 saline in the course of 2 hours in 6 controls and 7 patients with essential hypertension (EH) revealed the same rise of ANF in plasma of both groups (from 2.98 +/- 0.45 to 12.

Long-term results of surgical and conservative treatment of patients with primary aldosteronism.

The long-term results of surgical and specific drug therapy were compared in a group of 57 patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) (46 with aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA), 11 with idiopathic hyperaldosteronism (IHA) and bilateral adrenal hyperplasia). Unilateral adrenalectomy completely normalized blood pressure (BP) in 77.1% of surgically treated APA, evidently improving hypertension in remaining 22.

Reflections on what makes the heart grow.

Under conditions of experimental cardiac overload and hypertrophy in rats, a digoxinlike immunoreactivity appears in their serum which is correlated with cardiac growth. It is hypothesized that this is caused by the presence of an endogenous cardiotropic factor displaying cross immunoreactivity with digoxin. Additional evidence of the existence of the putative cardiotropic factor is provided by the finding that the sera of rats with cardiac overload displaying digoxinlike immunoreactivity stimulate the multiplication of rat cardiac myocytes in the tissue culture.