Two modifications of the standard method of treatment of ascites in chronic liver disease were investigated in three separate randomised trials involving a total of 201 patients. These modifications were (1) an unrestricted sodium intake and (2) limitation of diuresis to partial removal of ascites, to the point of relief of abdominal tension. Mean serum sodium fell significantly in all patient ...

T HE effect of mercurial diuretics on the renal excretion of electrolytes has been thoroughly investigated in the dog and in the normal man.'-4 The electrolyte losses in the edematous patient, however, have been studied less extensively.4-7 There is general agreement that in both the normal individual. and in the edematous patient the diuresis is predominantly one of sodium and chloride. There ...

Substantial acute and chronic intakes of alcohol or ethanol (EtOH) severely influence oral sensations, such as thirst and oral dryness (dry mouth, xerostomia). Thirst sensation and oral dryness are primarily caused by the activation of neurons in brain regions, including the circumventricular organs and hypothalamus, which are referred to as the dipsogenic center, and by a decrease in salivary ...

The deficient diuretic response to water which is characteristic of patients with adrenal insufficiency can be rapidly corrected by the administration of cortisone (1-3). The mechanism of the defective diuresis and the precise nature of the response to hormonal replacement have not been established. A number of observations, chiefly in experimental animals, have suggested that administration of...