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Biomedical subjects

M Aurell

Publications and source records attributed to M Aurell.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Effects of sodium restriction and energy reduction on erythrocyte sodium transport in obese hypertensive men.

Twelve moderately obese middle-aged male out-patients with untreated mild hypertension reduced their sodium intake by about 120 mmol/day during 4-6 weeks. The low sodium diet period was followed by a period of energy reduction as well as sodium restriction for 15 weeks. Mean body mass was then reduced by 7.5 +/- 1.0 kg. Intraerythrocyte sodium (IeNa), sodium influx (Na-influx) and sodium efflux rate constant (Na-efflux rate), were measured before intervention, during salt restriction and during salt and energy restriction. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and urinary excretion of aldosterone (U-Aldo) and noradrenaline (U-NA) were also determined during the three observation periods. During sodium restriction there was a significant increase in PRA and U-Aldo, but no change was seen in IeNa, Na-influx or Na-efflux rate constant. During sodium restriction there was a significant positive correlation between PRA and both Na-influx and Na-efflux rate constant. When energy reduction was combined with sodium restriction, PRA and U-NA both diminished significantly. Na-influx and Na-efflux rate also exhibited a significant decrease while IeNa did not change. Sodium restriction caused a significant fall in mean arterial blood pressure and a tendency to a further decrease was seen when energy intake was also reduced. No significant correlation could be found between the fall in blood pressure and changes in cellular sodium transport. These data indicate that the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and sympathetic activity influence the regulation of erythrocyte sodium turnover during sodium and energy restriction in obese hypertensive men.

Biological Transport↗

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ramipril in renal failure.

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the novel angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ramipril were studied in 6 patients with a glomerular filtration rate of less than 20 ml/min/1.73 m2 of body surface area. A single oral dose of 5 mg was given and serum concentrations of the compound and its diacid, the active metabolite (ramiprilat), as well as ACE activity, blood pressure and pulse rate were monitored for 28 days. The original compound reached peak serum concentrations of 42.8 +/- 26.5 ng/ml about 1 hour after dosing and was completely eliminated from the serum after 24 hours. Ramiprilat reached peak values of 14.4 +/- 11.6 ng/ml after about 6 hours. In contrast with the parent compound, low concentrations of ramiprilat were still detected in the serum after 28 days. ACE activity decreased to approximately 5% of baseline values, remained low for the next 48 hours, then increased slowly thereafter but reached only 84.5% of initial values after 28 days. Blood pressure decreased significantly and remained low for 24 hours after dosing. The drug was well tolerated in all patients. It is concluded that a single 5 mg dose of ramipril was effective in inhibiting plasma ACE activity and lowering blood pressure in patients with renal failure. There was a slower decline in ramiprilat concentrations compared with subjects with normal renal function.

Adult↗

Haemodynamic and haemorheological effects of hypervolaemic haemodilution in men with primary hypertension.

The haemorheological disturbances observed in primary hypertension arise mainly from haemoconcentration, which leads to an elevation of blood and plasma viscosity and increased aggregation of red blood cells (RBCs). We evaluated the rheological properties of blood and central haemodynamic indices in 13 men with untreated primary hypertension (WHO stage I and II), during a baseline period and after intravenous infusion of 1000 ml of 0.9% NaCl (within 12-15 min). The rheological properties studied were: whole blood viscosity (WBV), plasma viscosity (PV), haematocrit (HCT) and plasma fibrinogen concentration (PF). The central haemodynamic indices were: mean intra-arterial blood pressure (MAP), central venous pressure (CVP), cardiac index (CI), stroke volume index (SVI), total peripheral resistance index (TPRI) and the vascular hindrance index (VHI). Plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma noradrenaline concentration (P-NA) were also measured. Volume expansion with saline caused haemodilution as expressed by a fall in HCT (P less than 0.001), WBV (P less than 0.001) and PV (P less than 0.01). At the same time, CVP, MAP and VHI increased (P less than 0.05) while PRA decreased (P less than 0.05) and P-NA remained unchanged. Mean values of the cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume index (SVI) did not change significantly. We did not observe any significant relationship between haemodynamic and haemorheological parameters, during baseline or between their respective changes after the infusion. The results indicate that although hypervolaemic haemodilution produced by saline infusion in hypertensive patients may improve blood flow properties (HCT, WBV, PV), blood pressure (BP) is not reduced; rather the converse is true. The reduction in HCT and hence the improved blood rheology, did not affect calculated vascular resistance. Thus, correction of WBV does not acutely normalize BP in primary hypertension.

Adult↗

Significant relationship between renin suppression and atrial natriuretic peptide (alpha-hANP) during volume loading in hypertensive men.

We have studied eight men with moderate hypertension to determine the atrial natriuretic peptide (alpha-hANP) response to acute volume expansion. Rapid infusion of 1,000 ml 0.9% saline (10-20 min) caused an increase in central venous pressure (4.7 +/- 1.6 cmH2O) while blood pressure and pulse pressure (arterial baroreceptor load) did not change. Stroke volume and heart rate were not affected by the volume load but plasma renin activity (PRA) was significantly suppressed (from 0.83 +/- 0.14 to 0.68 +/- 0.34 microgram AI I/ml-h; p less than 0.01). A significant hemodilution was also observed. Renal sodium excretion was significantly increased. Arterial alpha-hANP increased significantly from 21.1 +/- 6.1 to 30.5 +/- 4.0 pmol/l (p less than 0.02) during volume expansion. There was a significant correlation between corrected plasma volume increase (urine volume subtracted from the infused volume) and alpha-hANP plasma elevation (r = 0.78; p less than 0.05). There was also a significant negative correlation between changes alpha-hANP and PRA (r = -0.78, p less than 0.05). We conclude that only moderate volume loading in human hypertensives is a mechanism for increase in plasma alpha-hANP levels. The significant negative correlation between changes in alpha-hANP and PRA suggests that alpha-hANP may be the humoral factor at least partly responsible for suppression of renin in hypertensive man. Since increased fluid volume also affects sympathetic renal efferents as well as vasopressin secretion, our observed relationship between volume load and renin may well be related also to such mechanisms.

Adult↗

Clinical evaluation of felodipine in patients with refractory hypertension.

The calcium antagonist, felodipine, was used to treat 21 patients with severe uncontrolled hypertension: 13 had renoparenchymatous hypertension, 5 essential hypertension and 3 renovascular hypertension. Mean arterial blood pressure of patients was 195 +/- 8/122 +/- 3mm Hg in spite of treatment with 3 or more antihypertensive drugs. The majority of the patients (n = 17) were treated with an ACE inhibitor. Mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR) for 20 patients was 39 +/- 6 ml/min/1.73m2 body surface area (Cr-EDTA clearance) before felodipine administration. All patients had an immediate blood pressure fall after 5-10mg of felodipine administered orally. This fall persisted when the drug was given 2 or 3 times daily in combination with previous medication except the former vasodilating drugs. 15 patients are on long term treatment with felodipine and their blood pressure after 1 year (n = 14) was 152 +/- 4/89 +/- 2mm Hg. Patients with moderately impaired renal function and no signs of progressive kidney disease (n = 8) improved their GFR significantly after 1 year on felodipine. Six patients stopped felodipine therapy within 3 months (4 because of adverse reactions, 1 died of scleroderma and 1 became normotensive after the start of dialysis treatment). In patients with renoparenchymatous disease and documented progressive deterioration of renal function the addition of felodipine did not prevent a decline in filtration rate but did slow the rate of deterioration (from 9 +/- 2 to 5 +/- 1 ml/min/year).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Advanced diabetic glomerulopathy. Quantitative structural characterization of nonoccluded glomeruli.

Quantitative ultrastructural data were obtained from kidney biopsy material of 12 long-term insulin-dependent diabetics. All patients had overt diabetic nephropathy with increased urinary albumin excretion and reduced glomerular filtration rate. Renal clearance of 51Cr-EDTA was in the range of 16-50 ml X min-1 X 1.73 m-2. All patients received antihypertensive treatment. A combined light- and electron-microscope study was performed. A significant proportion of the glomeruli was totally occluded (mean 36%, range 24-67%). Structural data presented relate only to the open, still-functioning glomeruli. Comparison with data previously obtained showed that the thickness of the peripheral basement membrane [647 nm, coefficient of variation (C.V.) 0.22] was more than twice the normal value (310 nm, C.V. 0.08); the width of epithelial foot processes (352 nm, C.V. 0.07) was significantly greater than in normal biopsies (224 nm, C.V. 0.06); and the mean volume of the open glomeruli was markedly increased compared with normal and clearly exceeded that in the early diabetic hypertrophy. Total mesangial volume and total basement membrane material per open glomerulus were increased by 277 and 614%, respectively. However, capillary length and surface per open glomerulus were similar to those observed in early diabetic hypertrophy. These findings suggest that a late glomerular hypertrophy with preservation of capillary surface occurs as a compensatory phenomenon, prolonging renal survival for diabetic nephropathy patients.

Adolescent↗

Addition of the calcium antagonist PN 200-110 to pindolol markedly augments the antihypertensive effect in essential hypertension.

Several large-scale studies have recently drawn attention to the fact that arterial hypertension frequently is inadequately controlled and that therapeutic alternatives other than the commonly employed stepped-care treatment may be needed in order to obtain normotension. For this reason PN 200-110, a new dihydropyridine calcium antagonist--at two different dose levels (average 3.8 mg b.i.d. or 5.7 mg b.i.d.)--or placebo was added in a double-blind cross-over trial to pindolol, 10 mg per day, in 20 patients with essential hypertension, after an initial 3-week placebo period. Ionized calcium in serum was determined repeatedly during the study. From an initial level of 157/100 mm Hg, PN 200-110 at the first dose level reduced blood pressure by 14/11 mm Hg (p less than 0.01/0.001) and at the second dose level reduced blood pressure by 22/18 mm Hg (p less than 0.001/0.001). The reduction in mean arterial pressure was significantly correlated to age (=0.050, p less than 0.05). There was no significant increase in heart rate, nor were there any significant correlations between ionized calcium and the effect of PN 200-110 nor between the changes in ionized calcium and the changes in blood pressure. Adverse effects were few and mild. One patient had to be withdrawn because of side effects, probably not related to the investigated drugs. Thus, addition of PN 200-110 to hypertensive patients treated with pindolol caused highly significant and clinically relevant further reductions in arterial pressure. The results show that a combination of this kind offers the possibility of good blood pressure control.

Adult↗

Beneficial effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on renal function in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

The effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition with captopril were investigated in patients with diabetic nephropathy and hypertension. After nine days' treatment with captopril glomerular filtration rate was unchanged in 13 patients, whereas renal plasma flow had increased from 265 to 302 ml/min/1.73 m2 body surface area (p less than 0.05) and the filtration fraction had decreased from 14.3 to 12.8% (p less than 0.025). During two years' treatment with captopril in 14 patients the mean arterial blood pressure had fallen by 5 mm Hg (p less than 0.005) and the deterioration in glomerular filtration rate had decreased from 10.3 to 2.4 ml/min/year (p less than 0.005). There was no correlation between the fall in blood pressure and the reduction in the deterioration of glomerular filtration rate. These findings suggest that the effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on renal haemodynamics protect renal function. Inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme should be considered for lowering blood pressure in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Adult↗

Central haemodynamics, baroreceptor sensitivity and alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated vascular reactivity during weight-stable sodium restriction in obese men with hypertension.

Ten obese men (20-40% overweight) with previously untreated arterial hypertension (WHO stages I and II) were examined before and during sodium-restricted isocaloric diets. The mean (+/- s.d.) daily sodium excretion was reduced from 199 +/- 65 to +/- 25 mmol/24 h. Intra-arterial blood pressure (BP), cardiac output (CO), plasma volume, circulating and urinary noradrenaline (NA), plasma renin activity (PRA) and urinary aldosterone were measured. Vascular reactivity was assessed with intravenous bolus injections of 50, 100 and 200 micrograms phenylephrine, and baroreflex sensitivity was assessed with the R-R interval response to pressure elevations on electrocardiogram. Significant reductions in systolic BP from 163 +/- 18 to 147 +/- 17 mmHg and in diastolic BP from 97 +/- 7 to 88 +/- 9 mmHg occurred during salt restriction. Blood pressure reductions were correlated with changes of urinary sodium excretion (r = 0.71; P less than 0.05). No significant changes in CO, heart rate (HR) or stroke volume (SV) were observed; therefore, BP reduction was secondary to the fall in total peripheral resistance (TPR) from 21.8 +/- 4.1 to 19.0 +/- 4.1 units (P = 0.05). Plasma volume, as well as total blood volume, was not affected by the moderate sodium restriction, but PRA rose from 0.71 +/- 0.1 to 0.87 +/- 0.1 micrograms angiotensin 1/ml per h (P less than 0.05). Urinary aldosterone was increased from 32 +/- 12 to 54 +/- 9 nmol/24 h. No change in venous or arterial concentrations of NA or of urinary NA was observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗