Renal medullary hypertonicity and the pathogenesis of acute renal failure

Résumé Des rats furent protégés d'une insuffisance rénal aÏgue par une diurèse aqueuse chronique plutÔt qu'intense. L'hypotonicité de la moelle rénale est considerée comme un facteur significatif dans le développement de la détérioration rénale.     

Baroreceptor reflex sensitivity after acute blood volume expansion in anesthetized dogs

Summary Changes in heart rate resulting from mechanically induced changes in arterial blood pressure were used as a measure of baroreflex sensitivity. This sensitivity was shown to be decreased after volume expansion.This work was supported in part by PHS grant HL-23239 and a grant from the Central Ohio Heart Chapter of the American Heart Association.     

The angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril in acute ischemic renal failure in rats

The influence of the renin-angiotensin system on renal hemodynamics, tubular pressure and tubulo-glomerular feedback was investigated with the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor MK 421 (enalapril), in uninephrectomized rats with and without ischemia-induced acute renal failure. In animals with normal renal function proximal tubular pressure and tubulo-glomerular feedback response were lowered by enalapril long-term treatment, whereas glomerular filtration rate and renal blood flow were not influenced by the drug. After 45 and 70 minutes ischemia there was no difference between treated and untreated animals in the severely impaired glomerular filtration rate. Renal blood flow remained unaffected by the treatment. The histological damage due to ischemia (tubular casts, tubular necrosis and medullary capillary congestion) was not influenced by enalapril. As tubulo-glomerular feedback had been significantly inhibited during renin-angiotensin inhibition, its importance in mediating acute renal failure remains doubtful; other factors such as tubular obstruction and medullary congestion may be crucial.     

On the role of the decreased renal vascular resistance in the mechanism of volume natriuresis

Summary Acute hypohysectomy (AH) prevented the increase of the cardiac output, renal cortical blood flow (e.g. the decrease of the renal vascular resistance) and renal sodium excretion during the ECFV expansion. The non-occurrence of natriuresis in AH rats is suggested as being partly in causal relation to the inability to decrease the renal vascular resistance and thus to increase the peritubular hydrostatic pressure.Expert technical assistance of Mrs.E. Blaková, J. Kyselicová and Mr.. Kaloai is sincerely acknowledged.     

The role of synapsins in neuronal development

The synapsins, the first identified synaptic vesicle-specific proteins, are phosphorylated on multiple sites by a number of protein kinases and are involved in neurite outgrowth and synapse formation as well as in synaptic transmission. In mammals, the synapsin family consists of at least 10 isoforms encoded by 3 distinct genes and composed by a mosaic of conserved and variable domains. The synapsins are highly conserved evolutionarily, and orthologues have been found in invertebrates and lower vertebrates. Within nerve terminals, synapsins are implicated in multiple interactions with presynaptic proteins and the actin cytoskeleton. Via these interactions, synapsins control several mechanisms important for neuronal homeostasis. In this review, we describe the main functional features of the synapsins, in relation to the complex role played by these phosphoproteins in neuronal development.     

The role of calcium in aggregation and development ofDictyostelium

Changes in cytosolic Ca²⁺ play an important role in a wide array of cell types and the control of its concentration depends upon the interplay of many cellular constituents. Resting cells maintain cytosolic calcium ([Ca²⁺]_i) at a low level in the face of steep gradients of extracellular and sequestered Ca²⁺. Many different signals can provoke the opening of calcium channels in the plasma membrane or in intracellular compartments and cause rapid influx of Ca²⁺ into the cytosol and elevation of [Ca²⁺]_i. After such stimulation Ca²⁺ ATPases located in the plasma membrane and in the membranes of intracellular stores rapidly return [Ca²⁺]_i to its basal level. Such responses to elevation of [Ca²⁺]_i are a part of an important signal transduction mechanism that uses calcium (often via the binding protein calmodulin) to mediate a variety of cellular actions responsive to outside influences.     

Modelling a ciliopathy: Ahi1 knockdown in model systems reveals an essential role in brain,retinal, and renal development

Joubert syndrome and related diseases (JSRD) are cerebello-oculo-renal syndromes with phenotypes including cerebellar hypoplasia, retinal dystrophy, and nephronophthisis (a cystic kidney disease). Mutations in AHI1 are the most common genetic cause of JSRD, with developmental hindbrain anomalies and retinal degeneration being prominent features. We demonstrate that Ahi1, a WD40 domain-containing protein, is highly conserved throughout evolution and its expression associates with ciliated organisms. In zebrafish ahi1 morphants, the phenotypic spectrum of JSRD is modeled, with embryos showing brain, eye, and ear abnormalities, together with renal cysts and cloacal dilatation. Following ahi1 knockdown in zebrafish, we demonstrate loss of cilia at Kupffer’s vesicle and subsequently defects in cardiac left–right asymmetry. Finally, using siRNA in renal epithelial cells we demonstrate a role for Ahi1 in both ciliogenesis and cell–cell junction formation. These data support a role for Ahi1 in epithelial cell organization and ciliary formation and explain the ciliopathy phenotype of AHI1 mutations in man.     

The role of neuropeptides in adverse myocardial remodeling and heart failure

In addition to traditional neurotransmitters of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, the heart also contains numerous neuropeptides. These neuropeptides not only modulate the effects of neurotransmitters, but also have independent effects on cardiac function. While in most cases the physiological actions of these neuropeptides are well defined, their contributions to cardiac pathology are less appreciated. Some neuropeptides are cardioprotective, some promote adverse cardiac remodeling and heart failure, and in the case of others their functions are unclear. Some have both cardioprotective and adverse effects depending on the specific cardiac pathology and progression of that pathology. In this review, we briefly describe the actions of several neuropeptides on normal cardiac physiology, before describing in more detail their role in adverse cardiac remodeling and heart failure. It is our goal to bring more focus toward understanding the contribution of neuropeptides to the pathogenesis of heart failure, and to consider them as potential therapeutic targets.     

Observations on the renal clearance and the volume of distribution of polyfructosan-S,a new inulin-like substance

Zusammenfassung Es wird über die renale Clearance und das Verteilungsvolumen einer neuen inulinartigen Substanz, Polyfructosan-S, die gegenüber Inulin einige Vorteile hat berichtet. Renale Clearance und Verteilungsvolumen von Polyfructosan-S entsprechen bei nierengesunden und nierenkranken nichtödematösen Personen den mit Inulin ermittelten Vergleichswerten.     

The role of renal hyperaemia and plasma oncotic pressure in proximal tubular reabsorption in the rat

Zusammenfassung Die Resorptionsfähigkeit (RF) des proximalen Konvolutes der Rattenniere wurde mit der Methode der getrennten Ölsäule und die Passagezeit (PZ) der Tubuliflüssigkeit mit Lissamingrün gemessen. Aus beiden Werten konnte die prozentuale Resorption (PR) des proximalen Konvolutes berechnet werden. Mittels künstlich gesetzter Nierenhyperämie und nach Infusionen isotoner NaCl-Bikarbonat-Lösung (mit und ohne Albumin) wurden die Veränderungen von RF, PZ und PR geprüft.     

The role of calcitonin in hypocalcemia in acute experimental pancreatitis

Summary Experimental pancreatitis in rats was accompanied by hypocalcemia. Thyroidectomy did not abolish the fall in serum calcium observed in intact animals during pancreatitis. Data presented in our study suggest that the thyroid gland and calcitonin are not important factors in causing the hypocalcemia observed in rats.     

The action of ouabain in promoting the release of catecholamines

Summary It is suggested that ouabain promotes catecholamine release by causing a rise in intracellular Na⁺ which, in turn, causes an elevated steady-state level of intracellular Ca²⁺. It is suggested that the Na⁺–K⁺-ATPase is not directly involved in exocytosis at either adrenergic or cholinergic synapses.     

The heuristic role of mathematics in the initial development of superconductivity theory

During the first twenty-four years after the discovery of superconductivity many attempts to derive an adequate theory failed, mainly because the problem was not formulated quite correctly. In this paper we investigate certain questions related to the heuristic role of mathematics in the appropriate formulation of the problem that had to be solved and the development of a theory which was hindered by theoretical superstitions.     

Effects of prostaglandins PGE1 and PGF2α on oxygen consumption,sodium and potassium content of renal tissue

Résumé Chez le rat la prostaglandine E₁ augmente la consommation d'oxygène et la teneur en potassium, tandis qu'elle abaisse la teneur en sodium dans le tissu rénal et hépatique. On y a observé une corrélation entre l'effet et la dose de PGE₁ employée. Cependant dans les coupes du tissu hépathique, la PGE₁ est restée sans action. A même dose la PGF₂ a produit des effets comparables à ceux qu'on obtient avec la PGE₁. Ces résultats indiqueraient que la réponse natriurétique à la PGE₁ ne semble pas due à une inhibition de la pompe de sodium des cellules tubulaires, mais à une élévation du flux sanguin rénal.

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The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to Dr.M. Cereijido for his valuable criticism of this work and to MissL. A. Vargas andMr. G. Jordan for their competent technical assistance.

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This work was supported by a grant from the CONICET and CondesaAna Thyssen de Zichy.