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Biomedical subjects

W Jimenez

Publications and source records attributed to W Jimenez.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Large-volume paracentesis and intravenous saline: effects on the renin-angiotensin system.

Fourteen cirrhotic patients with tense ascites were treated with total paracentesis and intravenous isotonic saline infusion. Standard liver and kidney function tests, plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentration were measured before, at 48 hrs and at 7 days after total paracentesis. The volume of ascites removed was 7.7 +/- 5.6 l (mean +/- S.E.M.). None of the treated patients had clinical complications or significant alterations in liver or kidney function test results. Paracentesis and intravenous isotonic saline infusion were not associated with significant changes in mean plasma renin activity or plasma aldosterone concentration. These results suggest that this therapeutic procedure could be a safe and cost-effective alternative treatment of tense ascites in patients with cirrhosis.

Aged↗

Effects of atrial natriuretic peptide on urinary kallikrein excretion and renal function in rats.

We investigated whether the renal kallikrein-kinin system is involved in the renal effects of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) by measuring the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), urine volume (UV) and urinary excretion of sodium (UNaV) and kallikrein (UkkV) in 4 groups of 10 anesthetized rats before and during (two 10 min periods) the i.v. infusion of Ringer solution (control group) or different doses of ANP (0.25, 0.5 and 1 microgram, respectively). The administration of ANP was associated with a marked and significant increase in UV, UNaV, UkkV and GFR. The diuretic and natriuretic responses to ANP were dose-related, while the changes in GFR and UkkV were short-lived and not related to the dose of ANP. There was no relationship between UV or UNaV and UkkV after ANP administration. In contrast, UkkV correlated closely with GFR (r = 0.675, P less than 0.001). These data do not support the hypothesis that the kallikrein-kinin system contributes to the diuretic and natriuretic effects of ANP, but it might be involved in the renal hemodynamic action of this peptide.

Animals↗

Measurement of fibrosis in needle liver biopsies: evaluation of a colorimetric method.

Collagen content was measured in 38 needle liver biopsies (8 steatosis, 8 chronic hepatitis, 7 fibrosis and 15 cirrhosis) by a new colorimetric method based on the selective capacity of Sirius red and Fast green to bind to collagen and noncollagenous proteins, respectively. The values were compared with those obtained after determination of the degree of fibrosis by morphometry in the same tissue. In biopsies with cirrhosis and fibrosis, there was a higher amount of collagen than in biopsies with chronic hepatitis and steatosis. Furthermore, there was a highly significant direct correlation between the collagen content measured colorimetrically and the degree of fibrosis determined morphometrically (r = 0.77, p less than 0.001), suggesting that this new colorimetric method is useful in measuring the degree of fibrosis in needle liver biopsies.

Biopsy, Needle↗