Effects of rapamycin on renal hemodynamics, water and sodium excretion, and plasma levels of angiotensin II, aldosterone, atrial natriuretic peptide, and vasopressin in pigs.

We have investigated the acute effects of rapamycin on renal hemodynamics, water, sodium and lithium excretion rates, and plasma levels of angiotensin II, aldosterone, atrial natriuretic peptide and vasopressin in 34 Lancaster/Yorkshire female pigs, a breed that has a renal structure/function resembling that of the human kidney. Three different dosages were given over a 1-hr period: dose A, 0.1 mg/kg (n = 8); dose B, 0.

Pressure-dependent, enhanced natriuretic response to low-dose, atrial natriuretic peptide infusion in essential hypertension.

Objective: To examine whether the effect of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on renal glomerular and tubular segmental handling of sodium in patients with essential hypertension is pressure dependent.

Design: Part 1. The renal effects of a low-dose continuous infusion (10 ng kg-1 min-1) with ANP for 1 h were compared in 10 untreated essential hypertensives (EH) and 13 normotensive control subjects (CS).

Early results of 132 aortic or aorto-iliac arterial reconstructions with the new Stretch ePTFE vascular prosthesis.

Objective: The purpose of the present study is to document the short term clinical results after implantation of the new Stretch ePTFE (Gore-Tex) arterial prostheses in patients with aortic or aorto-iliac occlusive atherosclerotic disease or aneurysm.

Study Design: A descriptive, prospective and non-randomized clinical series with clinical follow-up at three and 12 months.

Setting: The study was performed at an Academic Vascular Surgery Unit.

Parathyroid hormone in blood pressure and volume homeostasis in healthy subjects, hyperparathyroidism, liver cirrhosis and glomerulonephritis. A possible interaction with angiotensin II and atrial natriuretic peptide.

In order to elucidate a participation of intact parathyroid hormone (PTH(1-84)) in blood pressure (BP) and body fluid homeostasis, we studied fluctuations of PTH(1-84) during manipulations of BP in hyperparathyroid and healthy subjects, and during manipulations of blood volume in patients with glomerulonephritis or liver cirrhosis and in controls. Angiotensin II induced BP elevation was associated with increased values of PTH(1-84) both in healthy subjects (12-25 ng l-1, medians, p < 0.01), in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (94-125 ng l-1, p < 0.

Effects of indomethacin on renal function in normotensive patients with chronic glomerulonephritis with preserved renal function.

Thirteen normotensive patients with biopsy verified chronic glomerulonephritis (GN) with preserved renal function and 12 healthy control subjects (CS) were studied before and during prostaglandin synthesis inhibition by indomethacin. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal plasma flow (RPF), urinary output (V), sodium excretion (UNa V), fractional lithium excretion (FELi), plasma levels of angiotensin II (Ang II), aldosterone (Aldo), atrial natiuretic peptide (ANP), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and endothelin (ir-ET) and urinary excretion rates of PGE2, mean blood pressure (MBP) and heart rate (HB) were determined on two separate occasions at least 7 days apart. During basal conditions without indomethacin administration no significant differences were found between the two groups.

Short and long-term cardiovascular effects of growth hormone therapy in growth hormone deficient adults.

Objective: Since GH substitution therapy is now available for adult GH deficient patients, information on the cardiovascular effects of GH substitution has assumed major clinical interest. We have therefore assessed cardiovascular effects of short and long-term growth hormone substitution therapy in these patients.

Patients And Measurements: Doppler echocardiography was performed in 21 GH deficient patients after 4 months placebo and 4 months GH therapy, in a double blind cross-over study.

Endothelin in renovascular and essential hypertension.

Immunoreactive endothelin (ir-ET) was measured in peripheral venous plasma in 12 patients with renovascular hypertension (RVH) due to unilateral renal arterial stenosis, in 12 patients with essential hypertension (EH), and in 12 control subjects (C). In the patients with RVH, ir-ET was also measured in the aorta and in both renal veins before and 1 h after 25 mg of captopril was given orally. In peripheral venous plasma, ir-ET was the same in RVH (median 1.

Electric stimulation of the esophageal mucosa. Perception and brain-evoked potentials.

Background: Brain potentials have been used to assess somatosensory, visual, and auditory function, whereas few attempts have been made to evoke brain potentials from viscera.

Methods: The present study evaluated perception and brain potentials evoked by electric stimulation at four different intensities in the esophagus of healthy volunteers. Results were compared with somatosensory evoked potential variables.

Reduced production, absorption, and elimination of erythropoietin in uremia compared with healthy volunteers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the metabolism of erythropoietin (EPO) in uremia compared with healthy subjects. Twenty-one patients (nine men and 12 women) with end-stage renal failure and anemia and 12 healthy volunteers (3 women and nine men) were studied. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated after an i.

Identical effects of indomethacin on renal function in healthy uninephrectomized subjects and in healthy control subjects.

1. Animal studies have shown that prostaglandins are important for renal function after unilateral nephrectomy. In order to investigate the importance of prostaglandins for renal function in the fully adapted remnant kidney in healthy uninephrectomized subjects, the acute effects of indomethacin on renal haemodynamics, lithium clearance, urinary excretion rates of prostaglandin E2, sodium and water, and plasma levels of angiotensin II, aldosterone, atrial natriuretic peptide and arginine vasopressin were measured in 14 healthy uninephrectomized subjects (median time after nephrectomy 1.

Blood group ABO-related glycosylation of urothelial cell lines: immunocytological, enzymatic, and genetic characterization.

Three immortalized, human urothelial cell lines were characterized with respect to their ABO-related carbohydrate phenotypes using a panel of monoclonal antibodies directed to a series of carbohydrate epitopes (Lac, sialylated Lac, Le(a), sialylated Le(a), Le(x), sialylated Le(x), H types I and II, Ley, Leb, A monofucosylated types I and II, ALey, Aleb, and A type III). The glycosyltransferases forming some of these epitopes (beta 1-3/4 galactosyltransferase, alpha 1-2 fucosyltransferase, alpha 1-3 galactosyltransferase, and alpha 1-3-N-acetyl-galactosaminyltransferase) were determined by enzyme assays. The ABO gene complex was analyzed by Southern blotting, Northern blotting, and polymerase chain reaction across the O deletion and across base differences between the A and B alleles.

Thrombosis and intrinsic fibrinolysis in percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.

Coagulation and fibrinolysis were investigated in 14 claudicants undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for femoropopliteal artery lesions. Cross-linked fibrin degradation products (XL-FDP), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen, fibrinopeptide A (FPA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity were measured in peripheral blood. XL-FDP and t-PA increased, and FPA and PAI-1 decreased significantly after angioplasty.

Determination of high energy phosphates and glycogen in cardiac and skeletal muscle biopsies, with special reference to influence of biopsy technique and delayed freezing.

Objective: The aim was to clarify the influence of biopsy technique and the effects of temporal delay between sampling and freezing on tissue contents of labile metabolites.

Methods: Cardiac and skeletal muscle concentrations of adenine nucleotides, phosphocreatine, creatine, and glycogen in pigs were determined in endomyocardial and transmural myocardial biopsies and in skeletal muscle biopsies obtained with either endomyocardial bioptome or Tru-cut needle. The influence of the temporal delay between biopsy sampling and freezing was evaluated by keeping the biopsies at room temperature for varying intervals up to 300 s before freezing.

Effects of captopril on renal function in healthy uninephrectomized subjects and in healthy control subjects.

Objectives: To study the importance of the renin-angiotensin-II system for renal haemodynamics and sodium and water handling in the adapted remnant kidney in healthy uninephrectomized subjects.

Design: Case-control study.

Setting: All subjects were investigated at laboratory C, Department of Medicine and Nephrology, Skejby Hospital.

Systemic and renal effect of intravenous infusion of endothelin-1 in healthy human volunteers.

The effect of intravenous infusion of endothelin-1 (ET-1) at a rate of 1 pmol.min-1.kg-1 for 60 min (n = 9) or placebo (n = 9) was investigated in 18 healthy human volunteers with a mean age of 30 yr.

29-week doxazosin treatment in patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. A double-blind placebo-controlled study.

In a placebo-controlled study, the safety and efficacy of the selective alpha 1-adrenoceptor-blocking agent doxazosin 4 mg once daily in the symptomatic treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were evaluated. One hundred patients were primarily included in a 9-weeks study, and after this 75 patients accepted to continue in the present 20 weeks extension. Of the patients in the doxazosin-group (DG) 61% reported overall improvement against 53% in the placebo-group (PG)--(p = 0.

Cardiac function in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection and with no other active infections.

Objective: to investigate cardiac function and prognostic significance of echocardiographic findings in patients with uncomplicated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infection.

Patients And Methods: Doppler echocardiography was performed in 60 male patients with HIV-infection and no signs of other active infections, and in 36 age and sex matched normal control subjects. The survival time of the patients was assessed 36 months after the echocardiographic examination.

Analytical evaluation of high energy phosphate determination by high performance liquid chromatography in myocardial tissue.

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is an established method for the determination of myocardial high energy phosphates (HEP). Quantification of HEP compounds in small tissue specimens obtained by endomyocardial biopsy technique requires maximal sensitivity without impairment of precision. Employing isocratic ion-pair reversed-phase HPLC, high sensitivity and precision were obtained by running analyses for adenonucleotides and creatine compounds separately at detection wavelengths of 254 and 210 nm, respectively.

Enhanced plasma endothelin in healthy uninephrectomized subjects during basal conditions and after indomethacin.

Plasma levels of immunoreactive endothelin (ir-ET) at basal resting conditions and the effects of indomethacin (150 mg orally) on the plasma level of ir-ET and renal haemodynamics were evaluated in 14 healthy uninephrectomized subjects (Unx) and in 14 sex- and age-matched healthy controls subjects (Cs). Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) were measured by the constant infusion clearance technique using 125iothalamate and 131I-hippuran as references substances. Immunoreactive endothelin was measured by radioimmunoassay after prior extraction.

The pharmacokinetics of recombinant human erythropoietin after subcutaneous injection at different sites.

The pharmacokinetics of recombinant human erythropoietin (RhEPO) were investigated after subcutaneous (s.c.) injection in the thigh and in the abdominal wall.

Increased serum erythropoietin level during azathioprine treatment in renal transplant recipients.

One hundred and six renal transplant patients were studied. During the first 12 months after renal transplantation all patients were treated with cyclosporine (Cy) and prednisone. At 12 months after transplantation the patients were randomly allocated to either conventional treatment with azathioprine (Az) and prednisone (group Az) or to continued treatment with Cy and prednisone (group Cy).

Comparison of non-collagen protein and total creatine as reference for determination of energy stores in endomyocardial biopsies.

Objective: The aim was to establish a reliable reference system for biochemical measurements in endomyocardial biopsies.

Methods: Myocardial tissue samples were obtained from pigs before and after cardioplegic arrest and reperfusion. Non-collagen protein content was evaluated as a non-specific reference system and compared with total creatine content representing a specific myocardial reference system.

Effect of captopril on the renal veno-arterial gradient of erythropoietin and oxygen in unilateral renal artery disease.

Twenty-nine patients with unilateral renal artery stenosis or occlusion were investigated. The veno-arterial gradient (VA-gradient) of erythropoietin (EPO), haemoglobin oxygen saturation and plasma renin activity (PRA) was determined separately in each kidney before and 1 h after angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition (ACE-inhibition). The VA-gradient of EPO and of hemoglobin oxygen saturation were the same in the affected and unaffected kidney during basal conditions.