MANY of the unicellular organisms have a greater concentration of osmotically active material within their body fluids than there is in the medium surrounding them, and the higher animals have glands like the kidney and sweat glands which are able to elaborate fluids with much lower concentrations of sodium and chloride than the body-fluids from which they were derived. The concentrations of so...

To cite: Vasavada A, Agrawal N, Parekh P, et al. BMJ Case Rep Published online: [please include Day Month Year] doi:10.1136/ bcr-2014-205323 DESCRIPTION Allergic response to iodinated contrast agents is a rare occurrence and is even rarer in non-ionic and low osmolar contrast agents. We present an interesting case of an elderly hypertensive man with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III a...

Transmission of pathogenic Leptospira between mammalian hosts usually involves dissemination via soil or water contaminated by the urine of carrier animals. The ability of Leptospira to adapt to the diverse conditions found inside and outside the host is reflected in its relatively large genome size and high percentage of signal transduction genes. An exception is Leptospira borgpetersenii sero...

Vasopressin, also known as arginine vasopressin or antidiuretic hormone, plays a pivotal role in maintaining body homeostasis. Increased vasopressin concentrations, measured by its surrogate copeptin, have been associated with disease severity as well as disease progression in polycystic kidney disease (PKD), and in experimental studies vasopressin has been shown to directly regulate cyst growt...

The differential diagnoses for acid-base problems can be reduced to a workable few by using a minimal amount of laboratory data. Following well-established principles and formulas, the presenter will help you resolve common acidbase problem cases. • Identify etiologies of anion gap and non-anion gap acidosis. • Explain the principle of osmolar gap. • Differentiate the causes of acid-base distur...

Free water reabsorption (T(c) (H2O)) measured during 10% mannitol diuresis and subsequently during 3% saline diuresis was compared in patients with sickle cell anemia and in normal subjects. During mannitol infusion, T(c) (H2O) progressively rose with increasing osmolar clearance (C(osm)) and reached a maximal level in both groups studied. During hypertonic saline diuresis, T(c) (H2O) progressi...