Hemofiltration in myoglobinuric acute renal failure.

The frequency of myoglobinuric renal failure is estimated between 8 and 20%. Despite early onset of therapy often the use of renal substitution by hemodialysis or hemofiltration is required. This study of the clinical course of nine patients with myoglobinuric acute renal failure reveals continuous arterio-venous hemofiltration (CAVH) to have an effective clearance for myoglobin.

[Rare variants and unusual course of Cushing's syndrome].

Cushing's syndrome is a rarely observed disease with a poor prognosis when not treated appropriately. Knowledge of clinical features of the different forms of the disease together with a specific and subtle method of cortisol detection is indispensable for an early out-patient diagnostic program. In this study the characteristic features of the rare benign and malignant forms of Cushing's syndrome are presented in typical case-reports.

Clinical aspects of selenium metabolism.

Whereas defined selenium deficiency diseases are well characterized in animals, analogous syndromes in humans are unknown or occur only rarely under conditions of extreme selenium depletion. However, selenium deficiency has since been recognized to play important secondary roles in a variety of human diseases, and several of these can be prevented or treated by means of selenium supplementation. In clinical practice, the selenium status of patients should be monitored routinely, and corrective measures should be instituted to replete the Se body stores of patients where necessary.

Differences in plasma and tissue aluminum concentrations due to different aluminum-containing drugs in patients with renal insufficiency and with normal renal function.

The gastrointestinal absorption of aluminum from orally administered aluminum-containing drugs is well documented. Retention of the absorbed aluminum leads to elevated levels of this metal in the tissue of patients with renal failure. We studied two groups of dialysis patients who had received equal amounts of the different aluminum-containing phosphate-binders Aludrox and Antiphosphat.

Effects of drugs on magnesium requirements.

A number of drugs can influence Mg metabolism and produce changes in serum Mg concentrations. These alterations must always be considered in the differential diagnosis of cases with Mg disturbances. Hypermagnesemia is seen, particularly after administration of Mg-containing drugs in renal insufficiency.

Cadmium and hypertension.

Cadmium, an environmental trace metal, has been implicated as a possible factor in human hypertension. Although the epidemiological studies on humans exposed to cadmium are biased by certain additional factors, more detailed information is available from animal studies and in vitro experiments. The results demonstrate that cadmium influences the vasopressor-induced reactivity and the stress strain characteristics of the blood vessel wall.

Taste sensitivity for sodium chloride in hypotensive, normotensive and hypertensive subjects.

The taste sensitivity for sodium chloride was examined in 103 normotensive, 55 hypertensive and 36 hypotensive subjects. The examination was performed on five areas of the tongue using four different concentrated NaCl solutions (2.5, 5.

Elemental and trace element distribution in medical samples: analysis by proton-induced X-ray emission.

The analysis of trace elements is performed by proton-induced X-ray emission. The process is most effective if the velocity of the exciting particles--protons--is similar to the velocity of the electron on its orbit in the simple atomic model of Bohr. For K-shell electrons of the elements with 15 less than or equal to z less than or equal to 40 this requires proton energies of a few MeV, available from electrostatic van de Graaf accelerator machines.

Zinc metabolism during captopril treatment.

In 14 hypertensives the effect of captopril (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) treatment on red blood cell Na+, K+, Mg2+ and Zn2+ concentrations and on plasma Zn2+ concentrations were studied. Intraerythrocytic Zn2+ concentrations increased slightly, whereas plasma zinc concentrations decreased. The concurrence of hypozincemia with side effects resembling the symptoms of zinc deficiency such as loss of smell and taste suggests a role of alterations in zinc metabolism for the pharmacodynamics of captopril.

Influence of low and high cadmium diet in normotensive and hypertensive SH-rats.

Normotensive and SH-rats (Münster strain) were fed a cadmium-rich, normal or cadmium-poor diet. The blood pressure was slightly increased in normotensive rats after feeding a cadmium-rich diet and decreased after a cadmium-poor diet. In contrast, in SH-rats blood pressure was decreased after a cadmium-rich and increased after a cadmium-poor diet.

New aspects concerning the 22sodium influx into red cells in essential hypertension.

The different components of the total 22Na influx into red cells (RC) of 21 normotensive subjects and 38 patients with essential hypertension were measured and correlated together. We found that the acceleration of total net 22Na influx in essential hypertension is predominantly caused by an increase of the Na leak and only in a small part effected by an elevated phloretin-sensitive Na countertransport. The 22Na influx mediated by the anion exchange system and the furosemide inhibitable Na-K cotransport were not significantly altered.

Magnesium, potassium and hormonal regulation.

Clinical and experimental data demonstrate that hormonal factors are involved in magnesium regulation. It is possible that the parathyroid hormone could play an important role in the maintenance of normal calcium and magnesium concentrations. The action of other hormones in magnesium metabolism appears to be an indirect response to factors such as calcium concentration or changes in volume.