BACKGROUND The use of intravenous contrast media (CM) has increased for the diagnosis of several diseases. The newly developed low osmolar nonionic contrast agents cause significantly decreased adverse reactions than the higher osmolar ones. However, adverse reactions may still occur, ranging in severity from minor side effects to severe complications. However, there have been few reports about...

The relation between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum osmolality was studied in 16 patients with hyperosmolar hypernatraemic dehydration before treatment. After correcting shock and acidosis, 0-45% saline in 2-5 or 5% dextrose was infused in each patient over a 48- to 72-hour period. During rehydration, serum osmolality, electrolyte concentrations, urea nitrogen, and blood pH were measured s...

The vesiculation of kidney proximal tubule microvilli has been examined in tissue slices, isolated brush borders and isolated microvilli. Vesiculation could be induced in tissue slices by 2,4-dinitrophenol and anoxia. Cycloheximide and fluoride had no effect. In brush borders and microvilli, the vesiculation was found to be essentially temperature-dependent. Whilst an osmotic swelling could be ...

Urine concentration and dilution in the rat: Contribution of papillal'y structures during high rates of urine flow. To examine the contribution of papillary structures to the overall process of urine dilution and concentration at high rates of flow, studies were performed in unilaterally papillectomized kidneys (PX). Compari­ son of kidney weights in sham-operated and PX rats revealed a signifi...

Sevoflurane anaesthesia is occasionally associated with polyuria, but the exact mechanism of this phenomenon has not been clarified. Aquaporin-2 (AQP2) is an arginine vasopressin (AVP)-regulated water channel protein localized to the apical region of renal collecting duct cells and is involved in the regulation of water permeability. To elucidate the effect of sevoflurane anaesthesia on urine c...

The inhalation of distilled water can induce bronchoconstriction and a transient increase in sensitivity to methacholine in asthmatics. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of the induced bronchoconstriction in the increased sensitivity to methacholine which follows the challenge with distilled water. Eighteen asthmatic children (age 9-17 yrs) were challenged by inhalation of dis...

IN THIS ISSUE, THE PROVERBIAL question of osmotic regulation of renin secretion is revisited by Kurtz and Schweda (9) with rather surprising, yet apparently definitive, results. Since the development of osmotic diuretics, there has been much interest in whether renin secretion by the kidney is somehow regulated by changes in osmolality, either in the plasma perfusing the kidney or in the microe...