Identification of genetic loci associated with Helicobacter pylori serologic status.

Importance: Helicobacter pylori is a major cause of gastritis and gastroduodenal ulcer disease and can cause cancer. H. pylori prevalence is as high as 90% in some developing countries but 10% of a given population is never colonized, regardless of exposure.

Intracellular calcium and sodium-lithium countertransport in type 2 diabetic patients with and without albuminuria.

Increased intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca(2+)](i)) and enhanced sodium-lithium countertransport (Na/Li CT) activities may play a role in the development of diabetic complications such as diabetic nephropathy. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes is associated with increased [Ca(2+)](i) in response to stimulation with platelet-activating factor (PAF) or with enhanced Na/Li CT activities. The study population comprised 203 type 2 diabetic patients.

Analysis of arterial pressure regulating systems in renal post-transplantation hypertension.

Objective: To investigate if blood volume expansion, increased sodium retention, changes in neurohumoral arterial pressure control, or altered extrarenal resistance vessel function contribute to the development of renal post-transplantation hypertension.

Methods: F1-hybrids (F1H) obtained from crossing spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats received either an SHR or an F1H kidney graft. Groups consisted of 8-12 animals and were investigated between days 1 and 14 after renal transplantation in three sets of experiments including arterial pressure recordings, plasma volume measurements, metabolic studies, and small vessel myography.

Sodium/lithium countertransport and intracellular calcium concentration in patients with essential hypertension and coronary heart disease.

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that enhanced intracellular calcium signalling and increased sodium/lithium countertransport (Na(+)/Li(+) CT) activity may be associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in non-diabetic patients with essential hypertension. Platelet-activating factor (PAF)-evoked rises in the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) were measured in Epstein-Barr-virus-immortalized lymphoblasts from 62 hypertensive patients with CHD and 34 patients without CHD. Na(+)/Li(+) CT activity was assessed in erythrocytes from 80 hypertensive patients with CHD and 46 patients without CHD.