A new specific RIA for alpha-human atrial natriuretic hormone (alpha hANP) was used to determine whether changes in plasma volume elicited by acute water loading, hypertonic saline infusion, and furosemide administration caused changes in ANP release and resultant changes in renal and cardiovascular function in normal subjects. In addition, changes in plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP), PRA, and aldosterone concentrations were studied simultaneously. Mean plasma alpha hANP and AVP levels were 51.3 +/- 16.0 (+/- SE) and 3.1 +/- 0.6 pg/ml, respectively, in the basal state. Plasma alpha hANP rose to 77.8 +/- 27.6 in response to a 4.5% increase in plasma volume induced by water loading, increased further to 134.1 +/- 28.9 in response to a 23% volume increase induced by hypertonic saline, and fell to 70.2 +/- 15.8 pg/ml in response to a decrease in plasma volume after furosemide treatment (P less than 0.01-0.05). On the other hand, plasma AVP fell to 1.8 +/- 0.1 pg/ml after the water load, rose to 4.1 +/- 0.6 after hypertonic saline, and rose further to 5.8 +/- 0.8 pg/ml after furosemide (P less than 0.01-0.05). Water and hypertonic saline loading decreased PRA, but plasma aldosterone concentrations did not change; subsequent furosemide administration increased both (P less than 0.01-0.05). Arterial pressure and heart rate did not change significantly. Increases in urinary Na excretion and osmolar clearances were associated with a rise in plasma alpha hANP after water loading and hypertonic saline infusion (P less than 0.01-0.05), but changes in urine flow were mainly associated with alterations in AVP release. associated with alterations in AVP release.

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The amplitude-dependent internal friction and Young's modulus have been measured as a function of the crystal orientation in magnesium single crystal specimens of 99.9% purity by using a flexural vibration method at room temperature. It has been found that, if only the basal slip system is operative, Schmid's law holds for the orientation dependence of the breakaway stress gests that the amplitude-dependent internal friction is caused by the movement of basal dislocations. In addition the analysis of the internal friction data based on the Granato-Lticke theory has also given evidence that the amplitude-dependence of internal friction is caused by the static hysteresis due to the interaction of basal dislocations with impurity atoms. Complementary experiments using polycrystalline specimens of magnesium and zinc showed that the amplitude-dependence of internal friction was extremely sensitive to the crystallographic orientation of individual grains.large amplitude-dependence of internal friction. In contrast a specimen with columnar grains whose longitudinal direction was almost parallel to the specimen axis had a much larger value of a8 and displayed very little amplitude-dependence of internal friction. Similar behaviour was observed in two zinc specimens having quasi-equiaxed grains and the (0001) rolling texture, respectively. It was concluded that the Schmid factors in individual grains played the most important role in the amplitude-dependent internal friction of hexagonal close-packed metals.

To investigate the interaction between antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and renin-angiotensin system, plasma ADH and plasma renin activity (PRA) were determined in normal subjects (n = 10) under various hydrated states. Four experimental conditions, i.e., water loading, infusion of hypertonic saline, acute dehydration induced by furosemide and postural changes, were chosen. 1. Upright posture decreased plasma volume by 9.5 +/- 0.9% without significant changes in plasma osmolality. PRA increased from 5.2 +/- 0.7 to 8.3 +/- 0.8 ng/ml. However, plasma ADH did not change significantly (1.9 +/- 0.3 to 1.8 +/- 0.2 muU/ml). 2. When furosemide was administered intravenously under this condition, both plasma ADH and PRA increased to 3.1 +/- 0.5 muU/ml and 15.5 +/- 1.6 ng/ml with 11.2 +/- 1.1% decrease in plasma volume. Plasma osmolality did not change significantly. 3.Water load resulted in a decrease in plasma osmolality from 282.6 +/- 0.9 to 278.6 +/- 1.2 mOsm/kg without significant change in plasma volume. Significant decrease in plasma ADH level from 2.6 "/- 0.4 to 0.6 "/- 0.1 muU/ml was found, but PRA (7.8 +/- 1.1 ng/ml) did not change (6.3 +/- 1.0 ng/ml). 4. Hypertonic saline infusion brought about an increase in plasma osmolality to 290.1 +/- 0.8 mOsm/kg with simultaneous increase in plasma volume by 6.7 +/- 1.3%. Plasma ADH level also increased to 2.4 +/- 0.3 muU/ml, while PRA decreased to 4.2 +/- 0.3 mg/nl. Accordingly, significant correlation between changes in PRA and plasma ADH level, was not observed. We suggest that plasma osmolality is the dominant variable in regulating plasma ADH level, but in the presence of a sufficient degree of hypovolemia, the osmotic domination was overcome. On the other hand, PRA was strongly influenced by changes in effective blood volume other than changes in plasma osmolality.

Four patients with central diabetes insipidus were studied to clarify the mechanism of antidiuretic action of carbamazepine (Tegretol). Oral administration of Tegretol to these patients resulted in a significant -decrease in urine volume and in an elevation of U/P osmolar ratio to greater than 1. Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) concentrations in plasma also increased to normal range after the treatment. These studies indicated that the drug was acting through the release of endogenous ADH and thereby induced antidiuresis. During the course of therapy, an acute water load did not suppress ADH release, free water clearance remaining negative. Accordingly, it was concluded that the release of ADH during Tegretol therapy was controlled by the drug itself, not by physiological osmo-and volume-regulations. Tegretol was also effective in reducing polyuria in a patient with compulsive water drinking, but danger of water intoxication was great in this patient. Thus, Tegretol should not be given to this type of polyuria and caution should be exercised against water intoxication. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 38: 356, 1974)

In order to investigate the role of central alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the control of vasopressin (ADH) release and the cardiovascular system, norepinephrine (NE) (1.4 microgram/kg), methoxamine (1.4 microgram/kg), yohimbine (60 micrograms/kg), and prazosin (40 micrograms/kg) were administered via the cerebral ventricles in urethane-chloralose-anesthetized dogs after morphine sedation (n = 42). In the control study 0.9% saline was administered. NE resulted in a significant fall in blood pressure, heart rate, and ADH release. Methoxamine tended to activate the cardiovascular system, but did not affect the release of ADH significantly. Prazosin decreased blood pressure significantly with a significant rise in heart rate and ADH release. Pretreatment with prazosin did not block significantly the effect of NE on blood pressure, heart rate, and ADH release. Yohimbine did not affect the cardiovascular system and ADH release significantly. Pretreatment with yohimbine completely blocked the effect of NE on ADH release, and brought about a slight rise in blood pressure and heart rate. In none of the experiments could changes in ADH release be attributed to changes in plasma osmolality. These results indicate that central alpha 1-adrenoceptors might act to activate the cardiovascular system, but have no effects on ADH release in anesthetized dogs. On the other hand, central alpha 2-adrenoceptors might act to reduce ADH release and to depress the cardiovascular system.

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