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Hypothetical mechanisms have been postulated to explain the presence of proteins in urine after severe exercise. Recently, it has been shown that several amino acids inhibit tubular protein reabsorption. Seven healthy men, hyperhydrated, were studied during a 2-min bicycle exercise at supramaximal load. The subjects were tested without or with lysine perfusion (0.4 g/kg body wt iv). In both testing conditions, blood lactate increased to 13.8 mmol/l. Total protein urinary excretion increased to 1.10 and 1.67 mg/min, without and with lysine perfusion, compared with 79 micrograms/min at rest. In the meantime, albumin excretion increased 48- and 74-fold, respectively, while beta 2-microglobulin excretion increased 97- and 1,043-fold compared with basal values. The renal clearance of albumin increased to 8.4 microliters/min without lysine and to 12.0 microliters/min with lysine perfusion (rest 0.18). beta 2-Microglobulin clearance increased to 10.0 and 39.3 ml/min, respectively (rest 0.05). These data clearly demonstrate that postexercise proteinuria is of mixed type after exhaustive short-term exertion. Both increased glomerular permeability and partial tubular reabsorption inhibition to proteins appear to be involved.

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1. Plasma renin concentrations were determined in 1068 samples obtained in 113 patients in the end stage of chronic renal failure treated by repeated haemodialyses or by renal transplantation. 2. Patients with malignant nephroangiosclerosis have a very high concentration of plasma renin; this differentiates them from other disease groups, where renin concentration is sometimes normal and sometimes elevated; there is no significant difference between the glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis groups. 3. There is a weak but significant correlation between plasma renin concentration and arterial blood pressure. In the terminal stage of chronic renal insufficiency, blood pressure appears to be controlled by other quantitatively more important factors. However, the hypertension of some cases, characterized by high concentrations of plasma renin, can be controlled only by bilateral nephrectomy. 4. There is an inverse and highly significant correlation between plasma renin and sodium concentrations. This is also the case in transplanted patients where an inverse correlation also exists between plasma renin concentration and daily urinary output of sodium. 5. The juxtaglomerular granulation index correlates positively with the plasma renin concentration. 6. In terminal renal failure the kidney retains its capacity to secrete renin as a response to acute haemorrhage or other stimuli. 7. Renin is present in the blood of anephric patients and its concentration is not correlated either with the patient's sex or with the time elapsed after binephrectomy. 8. During rejection episodes in transplanted patients a rise of plasma renin concentration is frequently but not invariably observed. Elevation of plasma renin concentration is evident in very acute rejection crises.

1. Twenty-three hypertensive patients were treated by sotalol, a pure beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agent. The drug produced a significant decrease of blood pressure in nineteen patients. 2. On average, cardiac index decreased but not significantly; heart rate decreased and stroke index increased significantly. Total peripheral resistance varied in both directions. 3. Sotalol determined a fall in plasma renin concentration (only significant in the high-renin group), a fall in plasma angiotensin II concentration and in urinary excretion rate of aldosterone accompanied by a rise in plasma potassium concentration. 4. The fall of blood pressure was not correlated with the decreases of renin and angiotensin II concentrations or excretion rate of aldosterone. However, in the placebo period plasma angiotensin II concentration was significantly correlated with total peripheral resistance; during sotalol treatment the variations of these two parameters seemed also to be correlated. 5. There was a poor correlation between decreases of cardiac output and of blood pressure; it was impossible to foresee the magnitude of the lowering of the blood pressure from the initial cardiac index. 6. The association of a diuretic with sotalol enhanced the hypotensive effect of the beta-receptor blocking drug, without significant increase of plasma renin and angiotensin II concentrations.

To determine whether chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition produces functional changes in the aorta normotensive rats, four groups of rats were studied in parallel for 6 weeks. Group 1 orally received ramipril and beta 2-kinin antagonist HOE140 500 micrograms/kg per day s.c. by injection for the remaining 2 weeks; group 3, hydralazine 100 mg/kg per day PO for 6 weeks; group 4 (control), subcutaneous injections of saline solution during the last 2 of 6 weeks. In aorta isolated from group 1 the relaxations induced by bradykinin, acetylcholine, and histamine were significantly potentiated compared with those of group 4. In group 3, despite a decrease in systolic blood pressure similar to that induced by ramipril treatment, the responses to these three endothelium-dependent vasodilators were not different from those of group 4. In group 2, bradykinin-induced relaxations were completely abolished whereas acetylcholine-induced and histamine-induced relaxations were to those of group 4. The inhibitory effect of the endothelium on serotonin-induced contractions was significantly increased in preparations of group 1 compared with those of groups 2 through 4. Indirect measurements of nitric oxide formation such as contractions evoked by NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) and aortic cGMP content were also significantly enhanced in preparations from group 1 compared with those of groups 2 through 4. Moreover, because the relaxations to nitroglycerin and nitroprusside were similar in groups 1, 2, and 4 an alteration of the guanylate cyclase activity by ramipril treatment is quite unlikely. Thus long-term treatment with ramipril potentiates the endothelium-dependent responses in the rat aorta by enhancing nitric oxide availability.

Introduction The role played by several vasoactive mediators that are synthesized and released by the pulmonary vascular endothelium in the regulation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) remains unclear. As a potent vasoconstrictor, angiotensin II could be involved. We tested the hypothesis that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition by enalaprilat and type 1 angiotensin II receptor blockade by candesartan would inhibit HPV. Methods HPV was evaluated in anaesthetized dogs, with an intact pulmonary circulation, by examining the increase in the Ppa-Ppao gradient (mean pulmonary artery pressure minus occluded pulmonary artery pressure) that occurred in response to hypoxia (inspiratory oxygen fraction of 0.1) at constant pulmonary blood flow. Plasma renin activity and angiotensin II immunoreactivity were measured to determine whether activation or inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system was present. Results Administration of enalaprilat and candesartan did not affect the Ppa-Ppao gradient at baseline or during hypoxia. Plasma renin activity and angiotensin II immunoreactivity increased during hypoxia, and subsequent measurements were consistent with effective angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition after administration of enalaprilat, and with angiotensin receptor blockade after administration of candesartan. Conclusion These results suggest that, although the renin-angiotensin system was activated in hypoxia, angiotensin II is not normally involved in mediating acute HPV.