[Prevention of progression in nephropathies].

Intermittent dialysis is excessively expensive and pretentious psychologically and socially. As a result the research is concentrated on the prevention of kidney disease progression. Preventive measures: a) Protein restriction forms the basis of nonpharmacologic measures.

[The primary importance of the kidneys in the development of essential hypertension].

The participation of the kidneys in the development of renovascular and renoprivic hypertension has been known for a long time. The kidneys are, however, important also in the development of essential hypertension: these views are based on transplantation studies on various types of hypertensive and normotensive rats and their hybrids and transplantation studies in patients. In the genesis of hypertension participates the dual regulation of blood pressure by the kidneys: a) the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in the renal cortex which is manifested by two mechanisms (high- and low-renin hypertension resp.

[Diuretics in the treatment of hypertension].

Diuretics are one of the basic groups of antihypertensive drugs. They have also certain limitations and undesirable effects which are better defined than in other more recently developed antihypertensives. Undesirable effects can be prevented by early combination of saluretics with K+ sparing diuretics or other antihypertensive drugs and by prevention of metabolic disorders (in particular insulin resistance and dyslipoproteinaemia) and by prescription of small doses.

[Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases].

The authors describe in a review the use of inhibitors of the angiotensin converting enzyme, in particular enalapril, in the treatment of nephrogenic hypertension, glomerulopathies without hypertension, renovascular hypertension with unilateral or bilateral stenosis of the renal artery and diabetic nephropathy. They draw attention to specific traits in the treatment of different disorders, risk of treatment and the ensuing tactics of indication, dosage and monitoring.

[Pharmacokinetic modeling in clinical practice: pefloxacin].

Pharmacokinetic modelling allows to set up a therapeutic plan for administering a drug. The advances of this procedure are particularly remarkable in drugs discharged by the liver. The principles of this approach are presented and illustrated on the treatment with pefloxacin.