Evaluation of various rapid chloride tests for assessing urinary NaCl excretion.

Background/aims: The evidence linking NaCl intake to high blood pressure and probably to other diseases has become stronger. Therefore, a population-wide reduction of NaCl intake is generally recommended. Measuring NaCl excretion in urine is the preferred method for estimating dietary NaCl intake.

[Definition of "salt sensitivity"].

To examine how the term "salt sensitivity" has heretofore been defined, two medical data bases, DIMDI and MEDLINE were searched. 32 clinical studies, published between 1978-1992 and using the terms salt-, sodium- or sodium chloride-sensitive or sensitivity were found and analysed. Salt sensitivity was experimentally determined and applied in quite varied ways to normotensive and hypertensive persons.

Effect of amino acid based dialysis solution on peritoneal permeability and prostanoid generation in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

The acute effect of amino acid based dialysis solution on peritoneal kinetics of amino acids and plasma proteins in comparison to conventional glucose-based dialysate was studied in 9 patients with end-stage renal failure on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Instillation of 2.6% amino acid solution resulted in raised plasma concentrations of all essential amino acids included in the dialysis fluid (p less than 0.

Obesity in Europe.

The high prevalence of obesity in Europe is similar to that in other industrialized areas. Obesity and its related diseases, such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and hyperuricemia, have become a major problem, particularly in terms of cost. Prospective studies in Scandinavia strongly suggest obesity and its related diseases lower life expectancy.

Studies on thromboxane B2 and prostaglandin E2 production in the course of murine autoimmune disease: inhibition by oral histidine and zinc supplementation.

Synthesis of both prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 in liver and kidney tissue of NZB/W F1 hybrid mice was found to increase with advancing age. The rise in prostanoid generation coincided with the appearance and progression of the spontaneous systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like disorders seen in these mice. Substitution of a diet supplemented with histidine (50 g kg-1 dry weight) and/or zinc (160 mg kg-1 dry weight) suppressed the autoimmune disease associated increase in prostanoid generation.

Effect of L-histidine in vivo on human platelet function and arachidonic acid metabolism.

The effect of the amino acid l-histidine on human platelet function and arachidonic acid metabolism was studied in 18 healthy subjects with increased spontaneous platelet aggregation. The participants received placebo or l-histidine 3g/day for 7 days. The intake of l-histidine reduced the degree of spontaneous platelet aggregation (p less than 0.

Kidney independent serine synthesis in the rat. Effect of dietary serine and glycine restriction.

The potential role of the kidney in renal serine synthesis was elucidated in rats following dietary serine as well as serine and glycine depletion for 6 weeks. Serine deficient diet caused a significant rise in blood serine and glycine values. In contrast, blood glycine concentration decreased significantly following serine and glycine depletion, whereas blood serine levels remained unchanged.

Synthetic amino-acid diet prolongs survival in autoimmune murine disease.

The effect of substituting a fully synthetic diet for standard laboratory pellet feed on the course of spontaneous autoimmune disease in New Zealand Black/White hybrid mice was examined. Delays in the development of anti-nuclear antibody, proteinuria and circulating immune complexes were seen; the survival was markedly prolonged. This type of dietary manipulation has a beneficial effect on the course of murine autoimmune disease.

[Potassium and sodium content of hospital general diets--comparison of calculated and analytical values].

Our knowledge on the composition of general hospital diets still relates virtually exclusively to calculated values derived from food tables. To find out how relevant these are for the estimation of potassium and sodium contents of the general diet data were chemically analysed and compared to table values. The chemical analysis of daily general diet portions resulted in a mean value of 1.

[Double blind study of the influence of aristolochic acid on granulocyte phagocytic activity].

In two double blind studies, separated by a time interval, the influence on phagocytic activity of peripheral granulocytes was investigated by aid of 3H-labelled staphylococci following administration of therapeutic doses of aristolochic acid, a nitrophenanthrene carboxylic acid derivative, to 12 healthy test subjects. Both double blind studies showed that aristolochic acid in a dosage of 0.9 mg/d produced a definite increase in phagocytic activity in healthy test persons after the third day of treatment; this increase reached a maximum within a 10-day treatment period between the seventh and tenth days; following discontinuation of treatment normal values were recorded again within a week.

Autoantibody specific for the glomerular mesangium and Bowman's capsule in man.

Investigation of serum from a nominally healthy subject revealed an unusual autoantibody with specificity for the glomerular mesangium and Bowman's capsule. Immunofluorescence studies on rodent kidney sections revealed typical mesangial fluorescence and intense linear staining of Bowman's capsule. The antibody was organ, but not species, specific and did not correspond to any previously described antibody with anti-mesangial activity (e.

Comparison of the handling of ferritin and ferritin-protein conjugates by the glomerular mesangium: kinetic studies in the rat.

Kinetic studies on the uptake and elimination of ferritin and ferritin-protein conjugates in the rat glomerular mesangium are reported. Ferritin was prepared from horse spleens and conjugates were prepared using either human IgG or albumin. The degree of mesangial uptake was dose dependent and a competitive effect with the reticuloendothelial system was observed.

Amino acid content of erythrocytes in uremia.

The amino acid content of plasma and erythrocytes in patients with severe renal failure (serum creatinine less than 8 mg/100 ml) treated with selective low-protein diets, in patients on regular hemodialysis, and in a control group of healthy subjects were studied. Most amino acids in erythrocytes of the patients showed the same changes as in plasma with the exception of histidine, serine, and alanine. In spite of low histidine plasma levels, the erythrocytes level is increased as compared with healthy controls.

Protein requirements in maintenance hemodialysis.

Protein requirements in maintenance hemodialysis patients are still unclear. Based on nitrogen balance studies and different analyses of protein and amino acid metabolism, the recommendations until recently were 1 g/kg of body weight, primarily of high biological value protein. According to the results of controlled long-term studies the 1 g recommendation now seems too low.

Studies on excretion of renal antigens in normal and pathological urine.

The report deals with attempts to identify and quantitate renal antigens excreted into the urine of normal subjects and patients with renal disease. Although no useful information was obtained on the possible excretion of glomerular basement membrane antigens, renal tubular epithelial antigen (RTE) proved to be interesting. Curiously, massive excretion of RTE occurred most prominently in cases of 'minimal change' disease.