bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lung Function in Provoked Asthma: Responses to Inhaled Urea, Methacholine and Isoprenaline
Authors: Cade J. F. , Pain M. C. F.
Published: August 2015

1. Lung function was studied in fifty-six symptom-free asthmatic subjects after the inhalation of urea, an agent not previously used for asthma provocation. The effects of urea were compared with those produced by the inhalation of methacholine and of isoprenaline.

2. After urea ventilatory capacity was impaired in 68% of subjects and improved in 16%. This response was a relatively constant phenomenon in the same subject. Urea appears to possess the unusual property of being able to produce both bronchoconstriction and bronchodilatation. The response could not be related to any of the clinical or other physiological variables examined.

3. Mild hypoxaemia, ventilation-blood-flow inequality and impairment of gas transfer also occurred after urea administration.

4. Methacholine produced considerable impairment of ventilatory capacity with consistent hyperinflation but with variable changes in ventilatory pattern and distribution of ventilation.

5. Isoprenaline rapidly and completely reversed the changes which occurred after urea and methacholine administration.
Pressor Response to Angiotensin I and Angiotensin II: The Site of Conversion of Angiotensin I
Authors: Osborn E. C. , Tildesley G. , Pickens P. T.
Published: August 2015

1. The pressor responses to angiotensin I were compared with those to angiotensin II after injections into the left ventricle and jugular vein in the sheep, dog and pig.

2. The ability of angiotensin I to raise the blood pressure was less than that of angiotensin II with both routes of injection, a difference which was more marked after ventricular injection.

3. When equipressor doses of the hormones were given there was a delay of 1–3 s in the onset of the pressor response to angiotensin I compared with angiotensin II after left-ventricular injections; the difference in the delay in onset was less apparent with intravenous injections.

4. The development of the pressor responses was similar with both hormones when equipressor doses were used but the rises in blood pressure were more prolonged with angiotensin I, especially when given by the left-ventricular route.

5. The in vitro rate of activation of angiotensin I by blood was much slower than the apparent in vivo formation of angiotensin II.
The Effects of Intravenous Infusion of Graded Doses of Prostaglandins F2α and E2 on Lung Resistance in Patients Undergoing Termination of Pregnancy
Authors: Smith A. P.
Published: August 2015

1. Lung resistance was measured by the interrupter method in fifteen patients during infusion of prostaglandin E2 or F2α, for termination of pregnancy.

2. Small but significant reversible elevation in lung resistance occurred in patients receiving both prostaglandins; this was an unexpected finding in the case of prostaglandin E2.

3. The changes described were not harmful in normal subjects, but the possible dangers of intravenous administration of prostaglandins to patients with asthma or other bronchial diseases are discussed.
Lack of Histological Evidence of Vitamin D Abnormality in the Bones of Anephric Patients
Authors: Bordier PH. J. , Chot S. Tun , Eastwood J. B. , Fournier A. , De Wardener H. E.
Published: August 2015

1. Iliac bone biopsies were obtained from nine patients 3 months to 6 years after bilateral nephrectomy.

2. In eight of the nine patients no histological evidence of vitamin D abnormality was seen in the bones after bilateral nephrectomy.

3. One patient showed histological evidence of osteomalacia before bilateral nephrectomy which improved but did not disappear after bilateral nephrectomy.

4. The biospies of all nine patients showed evidence of hyperparathyroidism.

5. It is concluded that normal bone mineralization can take place in the absence of the kidneys.
The Use of Human Skeletal Muscle in Vitro for Biochemical and Pharmacological Studies of Glucose Uptake
Authors: Frayn K. N. , Adnitt P. I. , Turner P.
Published: August 2015

1. A method is described for measuring glucose uptake by pieces of human skeletal muscle removed at surgery.

2. Glucose uptake by this preparation was stimulated by insulin (0.1–10 munits/ml) and inhibited by 2.27 mM-sodium n-butyrate in the presence of insulin (0.1 munit/ml).

3. The antidiabetic drug metformin (60.4 μM) had no effect on glucose uptake in the absence or presence of insulin (0.1 munit/ml), but stimulated uptake in the presence of 2.27 mM-sodium n-butyrate together with insulin (0.1 munit/ml).

4. It is concluded that the metabolic control of glucose uptake in human skeletal muscle is similar to that in rat heart and diaphragm, and that the preparation provides a useful model for biochemical and pharmacological investigations of glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle.
A Direct Enzymic Assay for 7α-Hydroxy Bile Acids and Their Conjugates
Authors: Haslewood G. A. D. , Murphy G. M. , Richardson Judith M.
Published: August 2015

1. A 7α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase preparation isolated from a strain of Escherichia coli provides a specific and rapid means for the determination of 7α-hydroxy bile acids and their conjugates.

2. When used in conjunction with 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase the method enables the concentrations of primary and secondary bile acids and salts in biological fluids to be determined directly without the use of thin-layer chromatography.

3. When used with thin-layer chromatography the method allows the specific quantitative determination of chenodeoxycholic acid or its conjugates in the presence of deoxycholic acid and its derivatives.
Isotopic Studies of the Erythropoietic and Hepatic Components of Congenital Porphyria and ‘Erythropoietic’ Protoporphyria
Authors: Nicholson D. C. , Cowger M. L. , Kalivas J. , Thompson R. P. H. , Gray C. H.
Published: August 2015

1. Labelled glycine and/or δ-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) were administered to a child with congenital erythropoietic porphyria (Günther's disease), to three normal children and to three patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria.

2. The utilization of [15N]ALA for the synthesis of faecal ‘urobilin’ in the congenital erythropoietic patient was normal.

3. This suggests there is no significant increase of hepatic bile-pigment formation in congenital erythropoietic porphyria.

4. The utilization of glycine for synthesis of faecal ‘urobilin’ and protoporphyrin in all three patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria was increased. There was a similarly high utilization of [4-14C]ALA administered either orally or intravenously to one of the patients.

5. The utilization of [4-14C]ALA was not affected by phlebotomy.

6. Utilizations of both ALA and glycine for free erythrocyte and plasma protoporphyrins were low.

7. This study provides further evidence that in erythropoietic protoporphyria there is a greatly increased hepatic contribution to the early labelled fraction of bile pigment and that in this disease the excessive protoporphyrin is formed mainly in the liver.
Sympathetic Responsiveness to Head-Up Tilt in Essential Hypertension
Authors: Esler M. D. , Nestel P. J.
Published: August 2015

1. The effect of 25° head-up tilt on blood pressure, urinary catecholamines, and creatinine clearance has been studied in untreated essential hypertensive patients and normotensive subjects.

2. The mean rise in diastolic pressure for all subjects with hypertension was 4.9 mmHg which did not differ significantly from the mean rise of 5.4 mmHg in the normal subjects. Ten of forty-one hypertensives had a diastolic pressure response greater than the response in any of eleven normal subjects, with a rise of greater than 10 mmHg.

3. The increase in urinary noradrenaline excretion with tilt was greater in these orthostatic hypertensive patients (1.74 μg/h) than in either the remaining hypertensive (0.34 μg/h) or the normotensive subjects (0.56 μg/h). Overall there was a significant correlation between changes in diastolic blood pressure and urinary noradrenaline.

4. Creatinine clearance was reduced by tilting. The mean reduction was similar for normally reacting hypertensive and normotensive subjects (6.0% and 7.2% respectively). The ten orthostatic hypertensive patients, however, had a greater reduction in creatinine clearance (23.4%), and in the hypertensive group as a whole changes in diastolic blood pressure and creatinine clearance were negatively correlated.

5. Those patients with excessive response to tilt tended to be young, not obese, and with recent onset of hypertension when documentation of this was adequate.
The Identification of the Enzymes That Catalyse the Oxidation of Glyoxylate to Oxalate in the 100 000 g Supernatant Fraction of Human Hyperoxaluric and Control Liver and Heart Tissue
Authors: Gibbs Dorothy A. , Watts R. W. E.
Published: August 2015

1. The enzymic oxidation of glyoxylate to oxalate in the soluble (100 000 g supernatant) fraction of liver and heart tissue from a patient with primary hyperoxaluria and from a non-hyperoxaluric subject have been studied.

2. An oxidized nicotinamide—adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent and a non-NAD+-dependent oxidation of glyoxylate to oxalate were observed in the liver tissue from both sources.

3. Evidence is presented that lactate dehydrogenase has a major role in catalysing the reaction in both of the tissues studied. The non-NAD+-dependent oxidations which are catalysed by xanthine oxidase and glycollate oxidase in the liver are relatively unimportant, and they were not detected in the heart.

4. An enzyme that catalyses the oxidation of glycollate was also demonstrated in liver tissue. This had a different electrophoretic mobility from the lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes.

5. These findings are discussed with particular reference to human primary hyperoxaluria in which excessive oxalate synthesis occurs.
The Effect in Man of (+)-Propranolol and Racemic Propranolol on Renin Secretion Stimulated by Orthostatic Stress
Authors: Tobert J. A. , Slater J. D. H. , Fogelman F. , Lightman S. L. , Kurtz A. B. , Payne N. N.
Published: August 2015

1. The time-course of the rise in plasma renin activity (PRA) in response to an acute postural stimulus was demonstrated in four normal subjects over 90 min.

2. The ability of racemic propranolol to inhibit this rise was confirmed.

3. This inhibition is shown to be due to antagonism of beta-adrenergic receptors rather than to the membrane-stabilizing properties of racemic propranolol.
Alternative Measurements of the Metabolic Component of the Acid-Base Status in Acute Clinical Situations
Authors: Lewis D. G. , Stoddart J. C.
Published: August 2015

1. The non-respiratory pH, which is based upon in vivo carbon dioxide titration curves, was compared with empirical corrections to the base excess values derived from in vitro carbon dioxide titration curves.

2. These two indices were highly correlated in thirty-two measurements made at between-sample intervals of less than 12 h in four patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and in two patients with ketoacidosis.

3. These observations confirm that the acute whole body CO2 titration curves established in anaesthetized man by others can be applied to acute clinical situations, so that either index can adequately describe these disturbances.
Indirect Inhibition of the Biosynthesis of 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol in Rats Treated with a Diphosphonate
Authors: Hill L. F. , Lumb G. A. , Mawer E. B. , Stanbury S. W.
Published: August 2015

1. Rats treated with disodium ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate for 14 days developed rickets and impaired intestinal calcium transport, even when receiving large amounts of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3).

2. Vitamin d-deficient rats treated with the diphosphonate, and irrespective of the duration of such treatment, responded initially to a single intravenous dose of cholecalciferol with a normal production of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol.

3. This normal response was followed within 2 days by an apparent inhibition of the renal biosynthesis of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. It is inferred that the impaired intestinal transport of calcium, in diphosphonate-treated rats receiving vitamin D, is due to a deficiency of this renal metabolite.

4. Inhibition of the synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol could not be attributed to a direct action of the drug on the renal 1-hydroxylase, but appeared to be determined by the initial normal response to vitamin D.

5. The mechanisms possibly involved in producing this effect are discussed.
The Response of the Human Leucocyte to Alterations in Extracellular Osmolality
Authors: Patrick J. , Hilton P. J.
Published: August 2015

1. The effect of variations in extracellular osmolality from 249 to 345 mosmol/kg upon the sodium, potassium and water content of human leucocytes has been studied.

2. Similar studies were performed using human erythrocytes.

3. Changes in the leucocyte water content were not explicable in terms of passive movement of water across an ‘ideal’ semi-permeable membrane.

4. Hypo-osmolal swelling was associated with a rise in intracellular sodium content and hyperosmolal shrinkage was associated with a fall in intracellular sodium content.

5. There were no significant changes in sodium and potassium content of the erythrocyte with altered external osmolality.
Incorporation of [4-14C]δ-Aminolaevulinate into Urinary Porphyrins in Porphyria Cutanea Tarda: Effect of Chloroquine Therapy
Authors: Taljaard J. J. F. , Shanley B. C. , Joubert S. M. , Deppe W. M.
Published: August 2015

1. [4-14C]δ-Aminolaevulinate (ALA) was administered by the oral route to three patients with symptomatic porphyria cutanea tarda as a tracer dose and the incorporation of radioactivity into urinary 8-, 7-, 6-, 5- and 4-carboxyl porphyrins studied as a function of time. In one of these patients the study was repeated after partial depletion of stored liver porphyrins by low-dose chloroquine therapy.

2. Maximal radioactive incorporation into the urinary porphyrins was generally inversely related to the degree of carboxylation. In all instances maximal specific radioactivity of coproporphyrin far exceeded that of uroporphyrin, but was achieved at the same time interval.

3. Chloroquine therapy resulted in a porphyrinuria with a composition substantially similar to that before treatment. After partial depletion of the liver porphyrin stores maximum specific radioactivity of all urinary porphyrins increased as compared with before treatment.

4. Non-porphyric livers, obtained at post-mortem, were analysed for porphyrin content and composition; appreciable performed pools of 8-, 7-, 6-, 5-, 4- and 2- carboxyl porphyrins were found.

5. Results of the radioactive studies are interpreted as consistent with dilution in preformed pools of stored porphyrins of decreasing size. It is suggested that the predominance of 8- and 7-carboxyl porphyrins in the livers and urines of patients with porphyria cutanea tarda is due to rate-limitation of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylation in those liver cells which store free porphyrins.
The Effect of Anticonvulsant Therapy upon the Absorption of Folates
Authors: Fehling C. , Jägerstad Margaretha , Lindstrand K. , Westesson Anna-Kerstin
Published: August 2015

1. The absorption of orally administered pteroylmonoglutamate and pteroyltetraglutamate, measured as peak rise in serum folate levels, was examined in normal volunteers and in epileptic patients on anticonvulsant drugs.

2. Although the fasting serum folate levels were low in the patients, they absorbed the two folate forms as well as the volunteers did and there was no difference between the absorption of pteroylmonoglutamate and pteroyltetraglutamate.

3. The findings indicate that the folate deficiency, caused by anticonvulsant drugs is not due to interference with the intestinal conjugase or the mechanism of absorption in itself.
The Calcium Lowering Effect of Synthetic Human, Porcine, and Salmon Calcitonin in Patients with Paget's Disease
Authors: Galante L. , Joplin G. F. , MacIntyre I. , Woodhouse N. J. Y.
Published: August 2015

1. Four patients with active Paget's disease were given acute injections of a synthetic calcitonin. The calcium lowering effect of human and porcine calcitonin was compared in two patients, and the human and salmon hormone in the other two patients.

2. All three hormones were effective in lowering the plasma calcium, but weight for weight salmon calcitonin was the most potent. Thus salmon calcitonin produced approximately the same effect as a ten times greater dose of human calcitonin. However, porcine calcitonin was the least potent, and compared with human calcitonin, required an approximately tenfold dose for a similar response.
A Comparison of the Ventilatory Response to Carbon Dioxide by Steady-State and Rebreathing Methods during Metabolic Acidosis and Alkalosis
Authors: Linton R. A. F. , Poole-Wilson P. A. , Davies R. J. , Cameron I. R.
Published: August 2015

1. The rebreathing and steady-state methods for assessing the response to inhaled carbon dioxide were compared in six normal subjects under control conditions and during metabolic acidosis and alkalosis.

2. The slopes of the CO2 response lines obtained with the two methods under control conditions were not significantly different.

3. Metabolic acidosis and alkalosis produced a significant change in the intercept of the response line when this was assessed with the steady-state technique. The slope of the response lines did not change significantly in alkalosis but there was probably a small increase during acidosis.

4. Using the rebreathing technique there was no significant change in intercept in acidosis and alkalosis, but the slope varied significantly from control values.

5. It is concluded that the two methods of assessing the respiratory response to inhaled CO2 are comparable under normal acid-base conditions. This similarity does not hold in metabolic changes of the acid-base state.
Triiodothyronine Concentration in Cord and Maternal Sera at Term
Authors: Eastman C. J. , Corcoran J. M. , Jequier A. , Ekins R. P. , Williams E. S.
Published: August 2015

1. Specific radioimmunoassays have been employed to measure triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) concentrations in the cord serum of fifty-five healthy babies and in a second series of fifteen paired cord and maternal blood samples.

2. The mean cord serum T3 was 332±136 (SD) pg/ml. In the paired series the mean cord serum T3 was 355±142 pg/ml whereas the mean maternal value was 1557±283 pg/ml.

3. Serum thyrotrophin (TSH) concentration was raised in cord serum compared with maternal serum.
Bile Acid Synthesis in the Developing Sheep Liver
Authors: Smallwood R. A. , Jablonski P. , Watts J. McK.
Published: August 2015

1. [14C]Cholesterol was administered intravenously via the umbilical vein to foetal sheep in the latter half of gestation, and the incorporation of radioactive label into foetal bile acids was assessed.

2. After 4 days, 0·5–2% of the radioactive label was found in foetal bile. Seventy to eighty per cent of the radioactive label in foetal bile was present as [14C]taurocholic acid and [14C]taurochenodeoxycholic acid. The remainder was [14C]cholesterol. No radioactive label was found in taurodeoxycholic acid, or in any of the glycine-conjugated bile acids.

3. It is concluded that the foetal sheep liver in the second half of gestation synthesizes taurocholic acid and taurochenodeoxycholic acid. However, the secondary bile acid taurodeoxycholic acid and the glycine-conjugated bile acids, present in foetal bile, have been acquired by placental transfer from the mother.
Early Consequences of Screening for Hypertension in a Community
Authors: Prineas Ronald J. , Stephens W. B. , Lovell R. R. H.
Published: August 2015

1. The prevalence of high blood pressure and its treatment was determined in 50–59-year-old men and women in an Australian provincial city.

2. The proportion with diastolic blood pressures equal to or greater than 110 mmHg together with those on hypertensive therapy was 19.1% for men and 23% for women.

3. Of those examined 12% were on hypotensive therapy.

4. A single postal notification to hypertensive subjects that they should have a further check resulted in 90% of them attending their general practitioners.

5. Local doctors varied in their approach to the initiation of hypotensive therapy, but their stated intentions were in good agreement with their actual practice.
The Potentiation of Platelet Aggregation and Adhesion by Heparin in Vitro and in Vivo
Authors: Thomson C. , Forbes C. D. , Prentice C. R. M.
Published: August 2015

1. Heparin has been shown to increase platelet aggregation by ADP and adrenaline and to enhance the platelet release reaction when tested in citrated platelet-rich plasma (P.R.P.). This activity is present when heparin is added to P.R.P. or when P.R.P. is prepared after intravenous injection of heparin, and when heparin is added to non-anticoagulated native P.R.P.

2. Retention of platelets by cellophane membranes within a specially designed test-cell was significantly increased when heparin was added to citrated whole blood.

3. Though aspirin blocks the release reaction with and without heparin, it does not prevent the potentiation of initial ADP or first wave adrenaline aggregation caused by heparin.
Glucose Tolerance and Metabolic Changes in Human Viral Hepatitis
Authors: Record C. O. , Alberti K. G. M. M. , Williamson D. H. , Wright R.
Published: August 2015

1. Glucose tolerance and metabolic changes after intravenous glucose were studied in fifteen patients with acute viral hepatitis and in eight patients after recovery. In the acute stage glucose tolerance was significantly impaired compared with control subjects or with patients after recovery from hepatitis.

2. Serum insulin concentrations were significantly higher in fasting acute hepatitis patients than in control subjects and the time-integrated serum insulin concentration in the first 5 min after glucose was inappropriately high for the observed glucose disappearance rate, indicating insulin resistance. Serum growth hormone concentrations in male acute hepatitis patients were significantly higher than controls and suppressed poorly.

3. Fasting blood lactate concentrations were significantly elevated and after intravenous glucose there was a variable response. 2-Oxoglutarate, glutamate and glutamine concentrations from blood of fasting subjects, were significantly higher in acute hepatitis patients than controls.

4. There were no significant differences in blood ketones, glycerol and plasma free fatty acid concentrations from fasting subjects, but plasma triglycerides were significantly increased in the acute hepatitis patients.

5. The results indicate that viral hepatitis is associated with glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. After recovery the lactate response after glucose is diminished compared with controls.
Absorption of Amino Acids from an Amino Acid Mixture Simulating Casein and a Tryptic Hydrolysate of Casein in Man
Authors: Silk D. B. A. , Marrs T. C. , Addison Jill M. , Burston D. , Clark M. L. , Matthews D. M.
Published: August 2015

1. A double-lumen perfusion technique has been used in man to study jejunal absorption of individual amino acids from an amino acid mixture simulating casein, and a tryptic hydrolysate of casein consisting of oligopeptides and amino acids.

2. Total absorption was greater from the tryptic hydrolysate than from the amino acid mixture. There was wide variation in the extent to which individual amino acids were absorbed from the amino acid mixture. This was decreased when the tryptic hydrolysate was perfused. Amino acids which were particularly poorly absorbed from the amino acid mixture were absorbed to a substantially greater extent from the tryptic hydrolysate.

3. The results suggest that the characteristics of absorption of amino acid mixtures do not represent those of absorption of the physiological products of intraluminal digestion, oligopeptides and amino acids.
Renal Vascular Responses to Dopamine: Haemodynamic and Angiographic Observations in Normal Man
Authors: Hollenberg N. K. , Adams D. F. , Mendell P. , Abrams H. L. , Merrill J. P.
Published: August 2015

1. The renal vascular response to intravenously administered dopamine was assessed in normal man by selective renal arteriography and xenon washout. Infusion of 3 μg min−1 kg−1 induced renal vasodilatation with an increase in the cortical component of blood flow. Arterial blood pressure was not influenced and a systemic effect was not demonstrable. Lower doses did not induce a renal response. Increasing dosage raised arterial blood pressure and induced subjective symptoms, but did not result in a further increase in renal blood flow.

2. Renal vascular resistance increased with increasing age in the normal subjects. A significant inverse relationship was found between the initial vascular resistance and the renal vasodilator response to dopamine. It thus appears that the vascular effects of increasing age (nephrosclerosis) may limit the dilator response to dopamine.

3. It is concluded that dopamine is an effective renal cortical vasodilator when administered intravenously at doses which are free from other systemic cardiovascular effects. The dose-response relationship must be considered in attempts at reversal of conditions characterized by renal vasoconstriction.
A New Look at the Treatment of Severe Hypertension
Authors: Kincaid-Smith Priscilla , Fang P. , Laver M. C. , Kincaid-Smith Priscilla
Published: August 2015

1. Although it is now easy to treat most patients with hypertension without producing troublesome side effects, a few patients remain refractory to conventional methods of treatment. These patients will progress to die of renal failure unless the blood pressure is controlled.

2. Thiazides potentiate the effect of other hypotensive agents and this potentiation is probably independent of their diuretic action. Diazoxide actually produces salt and water retention at the same time as marked decrease in the blood pressure. Spirono-lactone in a dose of 400 mg daily produced a highly significant reduction in blood pressure in an unselected group of patients with severe refractory hypertension.

3. β-Adrenergic blocking agents either alone or in combination with other drugs may be useful in the control of severe hypertension. An increasing effect on the blood pressure was demonstrated with doses between 1 and 2 g per day.

4. A new drug, prazosin hydrochloride, with properties somewhat similar to hydrallazine but with few side effects promises to be useful in the control of severe refractory hypertension particularly in combination with β-adrenergic blocking drugs.
Studies on Sweating in Clinical and Experimental Thyrotoxicosis
Authors: Allen Judith A. , Lowe Daphne C. , Roddie I. C. , Wallace W. F. M.
Published: August 2015

1. Beta-adrenoceptor blockade with propranolol (40 mg, 6 hourly) did not significantly decrease thermal or mental sweating in a group of eight thyrotoxic patients.

2. The patients did not appear to sweat excessively either when at rest in an environmental temperature of 29°C or in response to mental arithmetic when compared with a group of young healthy medical students.

3. A state resembling thyrotoxicosis was induced in two healthy subjects by the oral administration of tri-iodothyronine (T3) over a period of days.

4. This increased the sweat response to thermal stress but did not precipitate active sweating in an environmental temperature of 29°C.

5. Neither oral propranolol therapy during T3 administration nor intravenous injection of propranolol significantly decreased the induced sweat response to thermal stress.
Decreased Ouabain-Sensitive Adenosine Triphosphatase Activity in the Erythrocyte Membrane of Patients with Chronic Renal Disease
Authors: Cole C. H.
Published: August 2015

1. Ouabain-sensitive ATPase (adenosine triphosphatase) activity was measured in the erythrocyte membranes of twenty patients with chronic renal disease. Decreased activity was found in nineteen of the twenty patients. The average decrease was 38%.

2. In three patients erythrocyte sodium concentration exceeded 9·5 mmol/l of RBC and these patients had the most marked decreases in ouabain-sensitive ATPase activity.

3. By contrast, in only two of 100 patients admitted to a general medical ward was erythrocyte sodium concentration greater than 9.5 mmol/l of RBC.

4. Ouabain-insensitive and calcium-activated components of erythrocyte membrane ATPase were unaffected by chronic renal disease.
The Effect of Ethinyloestradiol on Calcium and Phosphorus Metabolism of Post-Menopausal Women with Primary Hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Gallagher J. C. , Wilkinson R.
Published: August 2015

1. Eight post-menopausal women with primary hyperparathyroidism were given ethinyloestradiol (0.05 mg daily) and the effects on calcium and phosphorus metabolism were observed.

2. In every patient ethinyloestradiol produced a fall in fasting plasma and urine calcium. Calcium balance improved in seven patients on treatment and there was a significant fall in 24 h urine calcium in all eight patients; however, there was no consistent change in net or true absorption of calcium.

3. Ethinyloestradiol produced a small fall in the fasting plasma inorganic phosphorus and a fall in fasting urine phosphorus in seven cases. There was a decrease in 24 h urine phosphorus in seven of the eight cases, but there was no consistent effect on phosphorus absorption nor on phosphorus balance.

4. Bone mineralization rate and bone resorption rate were determined in seven of the patients. The administration of ethinyloestradiol produced a decrease in both these variables in all seven patients.

5. The 24 h urine hydroxyproline, used as an independent measure of bone resorption, decreased in all eight patients during ethinyloestradiol therapy.

6. It is concluded that ethinyloestradiol produces an improvement in calcium and phosphorus balance and a decrease in plasma calcium and phosphorus in primary hyperparathyroidism by decreasing bone resorption.

7. It is suggested that ethinyloestradiol may be used as a medical treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism in post-menopausal women who are either unsuitable for surgery or on whom operative procedures have failed, or in those cases in whom primary hyperparathyroidism is mild.
The Effect of Protein Loads on Plasma Amino Acid Levels
Authors: Palmer T. , Rossiter Mary A. , Levin B. , Oberholzer V. G.
Published: August 2015

1. After ingestion of up to 1–2 g of protein/kg body weight by adults, plasma concentrations of all amino acids, including glutamine and glutamic acid, rose to a maximum within 5 h.

2. The increases in concentration depended on the amount of protein ingested.

3. The changes were not due to diurnal variation in plasma amino acid levels, so, protein loading tests may be of value in the assessment of protein absorption.
Results of Surgical Treatment in Comparison with Medical Treatment of Renovascular Hypertension
Authors: Owen K.
Published: August 2015

1. Renal artery disease is a potentially dangerous condition with 5 year mortality rate around 30% whether treated medically or surgically, and reduction of blood pressure to normal levels does not offer complete protection from cardiovascular death.

2. The mortality rate is relatively low in the first four decades, but rises rapidly after this. Length of history is not closely related to the prognosis.

3. No single diagnostic criterion is of over-riding importance in assessing operability and prognosis, but evidence of secondary hypertensive damage to the contra-lateral kidney indicates a bad result.

4. Fibroplasia stenosis offers a much better prognosis than atheroma.

5. Operative treatment is suggested as the method of choice for patients in the first four decades with anatomical and functional evidence of stenosis provided there is no evidence of secondary hypertensive renal damage. In other patients medical treatment is suggested primarily although surgery may salvage a small proportion of patients in whom this treatment is unsuccessful.
The Natural History of Hypertension with Moderate Impairment of Renal Function
Authors: Bauer G. E. , Humphery T. J.
Published: August 2015

1. A continuing prospective study of patients with severe hypertension is now in its eighteenth year.

2. Patients with impaired renal function survive longer with present-day management if control of pressure is good and if renal structural abnormalities are not gross.

3. Since 1960 myocardial infarction, rather than cerebrovascular accident, has been the commonest cause of death.
Angiotensin-Salt Hypertension
Authors: Muirhead E. Eric , Leach Byron E. , Armstrong Frank B.
Published: August 2015

1. Experimental hypertension could be induced in rats by injecting angiotensin I or II subcutaneously.

2. Such hypertension lasted for about 1 h after injection.

3. Angiotensin-induced hypertension was enhanced and sustained by salt loading and diminished by salt restriction or spironolactone.

4. Angiotensin-salt hypertension is reversed by transplants of compatible renal medulla subcutaneously.
Experimental Studies on the Mechanism of Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone-Induced Hypertension in the Sheep
Authors: Scoggins B. A. , Coghlan J. P. , Cran Elizabeth J. , Denton D. A. , Fan S. K. , McDougall J. G. , Oddie Catherine J. , Robinson P. M. , Shulkes A. A.
Published: August 2015

1. The mechanism of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)-induced hypertension in the sheep has been examined.

2. Hypertension was dependent on the presence of the adrenal gland.

3. ACTH-hypertension was not reproduced by administration of cortisol, corticosterone, deoxycorticosterone or deoxycortisol, alone or in combination.

4. Intact adrenal nerves were not necessary for the hypertension.

5. It is postulated that an adrenal factor other than those studied may be responsible for the hypertension.
Plasma Renin and Angiotensin Levels in Human Hypertension following Treatment
Authors: Johnston C. I. , Anavekar N. , Chua K. G. , Louis W. J.
Published: August 2015

1. The levels of plasma renin activity or concentration and plasma angiotensin were similar in normotensive subjects and in untreated or treated essential hypertensives.

2. There was a close relationship between plasma renin activity and plasma renin concentration and between these and plasma angiotensin. This suggests that there were no abnormalities in renin substrate or renin kinetics in human essential hypertension.

3. Ganglion blockade did not change the plasma renin levels but α-adrenergic blockade caused a significant rise in plasma catecholamines and plasma renin without change in blood pressure.

4. Both acute and chronic β-adrenergic blockade were associated with a fall in blood pressure and small but significant falls in plasma renin levels.
Divided Renal and Peripheral Venous Renin as a Means of Predicting Operative Curability of Renal Hypertension
Authors: Arakawa Kikuo , Masaki Zenziro , Osada Yukio , Yamada Junko , Momose Shunro
Published: August 2015

1. Eighteen patients with unilateral arterial stenosis or renal parenchymal lesion underwent corrective surgery for hypertension. Operative curability of hypertension was compared with pre-operative plasma renin activity (PRA) determined in three different veins; affected side renal (A), contralateral renal (C), and peripheral veins (P).

2. Those with renal arterial stenosis in whom the PRA in the affected side renal vein was significantly higher (more than 14 ng/ml) than that in both the contra-lateral side and peripheral veins, i.e. those with PRA values showing a pattern of A > C=P were found surgically curable without exception.

3. Patients with unilateral renoparenchymal lesions showed either A, C > P or A = C=P pattern and these were all found not curable. A similar pattern was found in four controls.
Improved Technique for Aorto-Renal Reconstruction: A Haemodynamic Approach
Authors: Ruberti U. , Vegeto A. , Malan E.
Published: August 2015

1. An improved method of aorto-renal reconstruction in renal artery stenosis is described.

2. The Dacron prosthesis is inserted high in the aorta, thus avoiding a recurrent course and limiting turbulence.

3. The prosthesis is inserted end-to-end in the reconstructed renal artery.

4. On the right side the restructured renal artery is placed anterior to the vena cava.

5. These modifications result in a wide anastomosis with maximum haemodynamic effectiveness.
The Normal Alveolar-Arterial Oxygen-Tension Gradient in Man
Authors: Harris E. A. , Kenyon Alison M. , Nisbet Heather D. , Seelye Eve R. , Whitlock R. M. L.
Published: August 2015

1. The alveolar-arterial oxygen-tension gradient was measured in duplicate, in forty-eight healthy subjects (twenty-four men and twenty-four women) aged from 20 to 74 years, while breathing oxygen concentrations of approximately 14, 21, 40, 60 and 100%.

2. The gradient increased with age and with inspired O2 concentration up to 60%. Above 60%, during normal breathing, there was no significant change in gradient.

3. Breathing 100% O2 in deep breaths decreased the gradient in all age-groups, significantly so in subjects of 50 years and younger. The remaining gradient was due to anatomical venous shunt.

4. When this anatomical shunt was allowed for, the differences in gradient between age-groups were largely abolished at all inspired O2 concentrations. The gradient which was not due to anatomical shunt, when breathing air, remained higher in subjects over 60 years than in the younger subjects.

5. The results can be interpreted to mean that three components contribute to the normal gradient: (a) irreversible anatomical shunt; (b) closed, unventilated alveoli which can only be inflated by deep breaths; and (c) cyclical airway closure during normal breathing in subjects over 60 years. Diffusion disequilibrium may contribute a gradient of up to 3 mmHg during the breathing of low O2 concentrations.
Plasma Enzyme and Isoenzyme Changes during Perfusion of the Isolated Pig Liver
Authors: Buttery J. E. , Parbhoo S. P. , Baron D. N.
Published: August 2015

1. Changes in the perfusate activities of aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, its ‘LD-5’ component, sorbitol dehydrogenase, ornithine carbamoyltransferase, and the isoenzyme patterns of lactate dehydrogenase and aspartate transaminase, were investigated in eleven perfusions of pig liver with human blood in order to assess liver cell damage during perfusion.

2. The aspartate transaminase values were a sensitive indicator of liver damage provided that, as was usually the case, the degree of haemolysis was small. Appearance on electrophoresis of the mitochondrial isoenzyme of aspartate transaminase indicated severe liver damage.

3. Measurement of sorbitol dehydrogenase activity was also shown to be a sensitive index of liver cell damage, and had the advantage that haemolysis did not interfere.

4. Measurement of total lactate dehydrogenase activity was unreliable as this largely reflected the degree of haemolysis rather than liver cell damage. However, the isoenzyme pattern of lactate dehydrogenase on electrophoresis distinguished liver cell damage from haemolysis. The chemical determination of ‘LD-5’ was not a sensitive index of pig liver damage as this fraction is found only in low concentration in pig liver.

5. Ornithine carbamoyltransferase was also found not to be a sensitive marker of liver cell damage.
Human Placental Transfer of Glucagon
Authors: Moore W. M. O. , Ward B. S. , Gordon C.
Published: August 2015

1. The permeability of human chorion laeve in vitro to 125I-labelled glucagon was investigated. The problem caused by degradation of 125I-labelled glucagon in the preparation and a means to prevent this are described.

2. The human chorion laeve was found to be impermeable to iodinated glucagon.
Tissue Distribution of Coenzyme and other Forms of Vitamin B12 in Control Subjects and Patients with Pernicious Anaemia
Authors: Linnell J. C. , Hoffbrand A. V. , Hussein H. A-A. , Wise Irene J. , Matthews D. M.
Published: August 2015

1. Methylcobalamin (Me-B12), adenosylcobalamin (Ado-B12), hydroxocobalamin (OH-B12) and cyanocobalamin (CN-B12) have been estimated by a chromatographic—bioautographic technique in plasma, erythrocytes, leucocytes and bone marrow from normal subjects, hospital controls and patients with untreated pernicious anaemia.

2. Estimates of concentrations of cobalamins have also been obtained in bile, cerebrospinal fluid, liver biopsies and in autopsy samples of liver, kidney, spleen, brain and pituitary.

3. In normal and control subjects, Ado-B12 predominated in all samples except plasma, in which Me-B12 was the predominant form. Me-B12, Ado-B12, OH-B12 and CN-B12 were found in normal erythrocytes, leucocytes and bone marrow and the proportion of each cobalamin was fairly similar in all these tissues. In liver, kidney, spleen, brain and pituitary, the proportions of the cobalamins were more variable. No CN-B12 was detected in these organs.

4. In untreated pernicious anaemia, Me-B12 was disproportionately reduced in plasma, but not in erythrocytes, leucocytes or bone marrow. There was a small increase in the proportion of CN-B12 in plasma, blood cells and bone marrow in untreated pernicious anaemia.
Metabolism of the Third Component of Complement (C3) in Normal Human Subjects
Authors: Charlesworth J. A. , Williams D. Gwyn , Sherington E. , Peters D. K.
Published: August 2015

1. A single, biologically active, highly purified preparation of the third component of complement (C3) has been used to study C3 metabolism in eleven normal subjects.

2. Half-life of the radioactive protein ranged from 64 to 81 h with fractional catabolic rates (FCR) of 1·36–1·95% of the plasma pool/h. Extravascular/intravascular pool ratios were 0·19–0·55.

3. Analysis of plasma and extravascular radioactivity curves suggested that the primary site of C3 metabolism was intravascular.
Interstitial Gel Swelling Pressure in Human Subcutaneous Tissue Measured with a Cotton Wick
Authors: Snashall P. D. , Boother Frances A.
Published: August 2015

1. A cotton wick probe has been used to measure the pressure in subcutaneous interstitial tissues of man.

2. The probe was inserted with minimal trauma into a plane of natural dissection at the level of the deep fascia in three sites: dorsum of the hand and foot, and the forearm.

3. The pressure was subatmospheric on every occasion (mean pressure: hand, −3·01 ± SD 0·50 cmH2O; foot, −3·54 ± SD 1·74 cmH2O; forearm, −2·41 ± SD 0·85 cmH2O).

4. Taking the three sites together, there was a positive correlation between wick pressure and locally measured tissue temperature (r = 0·55; P < 0·01), but when each site was analysed separately the relationship was significant only in the hand.

5. Wick pressure rose when the subcutaneous tissues were warmed.

6. A negative correlation was observed between wick pressure from the forearm and the subject's plasma colloid osmotic pressure (r = 0·73; P < 0·01), but no such relationship was observed in the hand or foot.
Maximal Expiratory Flow and Lung Volume Changes Associated with Exercise-Induced Asthma in Children and the Effect of Breathing a Low-Density Gas Mixture
Authors: Benatar S. R. , König P.
Published: August 2015

1. Lung volumes and maximum expiratory flow volume (MEFV) curves were measured before and after exercise and after a bronchodilator in eight asthmatic children.

2. Exercise produced significant changes in all volumes and flow rates measured, but the most sensitive measurement was of flow rate at an absolute volume in the terminal portion of the forced vital capacity. Of the more simply obtained measurements maximal flow at 50% of the exhaled vital capacity was the most sensitive, but reductions in forced expiratory volume at 1 s and peak flow rate were almost as marked.

3. The marked reductions in flow rates at low lung volumes after exercise were accompanied by large increases in residual volume and a reduction in the slope of the MEFV curve. These changes suggest functional closure of some lung units and an increase in the time-constant of emptying of other units.

4. The response of flow to breathing helium—oxygen (79:21, v/v) was assessed in the dilated state (before exercise or after bronchodilator) and the constricted state (after exercise) in five of the subjects.

5. An increase in density-dependence of flow rates at all lung volumes during constriction is evidence that, despite the reduction in flow rates, convective acceleration and turbulent flow constitute a greater proportion of the total upstream resistance after exercise than before exercise. The implication is that the cross-sectional area at equal pressure points (EPP) is smaller after exercise than before exercise. This could result from either bronchoconstriction with no change in the location of EPP, or from progression of the EPP further upstream to a region where loss of airways or reduction in their diameter has rendered the total cross-sectional area considerably smaller than under normal circumstances.
The Reflex Hypoxic Respiratory Drive in Patients with Chronic Bronchitis
Authors: Lee K. D. , Bishop J. M.
Published: August 2015

1. The extent of the reflex hypoxic respiratory drive was investigated in a group of patients who were hypoxaemic because of chronic bronchitis.

2. Oxygen was substituted for the inspired air for periods of 1–2 min. This produced a rise in arterial Po2 (Pa,o2) which varied considerably from patient to patient, but in each case the rate of rise was effectively linear with time. The resulting fall in ventilation, measured over 15 s periods, was compared with the Pa,o2 achieved.

3. In most patients the Pa,o2 did not reach hyperoxic levels. The total contribution of their peripheral chemoreceptor reflexes to their resting ventilation could not therefore be measured. The fraction of the ventilation abolished when the Pa,o2 was corrected to near-normal levels was measured instead. In two patients whose Pa,o2 on air was 6·0 and 6·5 kPa (45 and 49 torr) this fraction was 25 and 27%. In three patients whose initial Pa,o2 was 8·0–8·8 kPa (60–66 torr), it was 18–21%. In three patients with an initial Pa,o2 of more than 9·3 kPa (70 torr), it was 5–16%.

4. Each of these patients therefore had a reflex hypoxic respiratory drive. In the more severely hypoxaemic patients the fraction measured was an important part of the overall efferent drive to the respiratory muscles.
The Effect of Aldosterone on Colonic Potential Difference and Renal Electrolyte Excretion in Normal Man
Authors: Efstratopoulos A. D. , Peart W. S. , Wilson G. A.
Published: August 2015

1. The effect of the intravenous administration of aldosterone on the colonic potential difference has been studied in eight normal young males and compared with effects on renal function.

2. Under control conditions the colonic potential was remarkably stable over a period of 10 h of recumbency whereas with infusions of aldosterone ranging from 5·6 to 89·6 pmol min−1 kg−1 (2 to 32 ng min−1 kg−1), the colonic potential difference increased in a quantitatively reproducible fashion. The correlation between change in plasma aldosterone and in colonic potential was highly significant.

3. The delay between the end of the infusion and the maximum change in colonic potential was 4 h. The shortest latent period before any change in colonic potential occurred was 70 min after the start at infusion rates of 11·2 pmol min−1 kg−1 or more. The effect, although still present at 10 h, had returned to control values at 20 h after the start.

4. The main renal effect of aldosterone was on sodium excretion, which was reduced at infusion rates of 11·2 pmol min−1 kg−1 and more, but the relation to dose of aldosterone was not very quantitative and the effect was more like a threshold response.

5. The conclusion is that the colonic potential difference may be used as a quantitative indicator of the actions of aldosterone and is more sensitive and dose-dependent than the renal effects.