Sodium alginate has been shown to be an effective agent for selectively binding strontium ions in the gastrointestinal tract of the rat. The importance of this discovery lies in its possible application as a means to remove radioactive contamination from ingested food. [...]

The production of hypertension by renal ischemia in animals, and the recognition of renal disease in association with clinical hypertension, have firmly established the role of the kidney in the etiology of hypertension. Its mechanism of action, however, is poorly understood. [...]

Many years before the isolation of aldosterone it was observed that the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal cortex appeared to be relatively independant of anterior pituitary control. With the isolation of aldosterone (16) and the determination of its origin in the glomerulosa, studies have been undertaken to investigate factors controlling the secretion of this hormone. [...]

Using microphones and magnetic tape for recording, and, Cathode Ray Oscilloscope and Band-Pass filters for analysis, breath sounds from 10 different positions of the chest and trachea were recorded and analysed. Results showing % sound intensity in different octaves of the filters were tabulated and presented in the form of graphs for comparison. [...]

Water constitutes an integral part of all living matter. It is important in transport, chemical reactions, maintenance of osmotic pressure. It affects the swelling and solubility of colloids, the viscosity of protein solutions and inhibits or activates enzyme-catalyzed reactions. The body economy has been pictured as designed to maintain the body volume of water by equalizing the input and output mechanisms. The ability of the body to conserve water under severe circumstances has been noted. [...]

Nous nous proposons d'introduire cette étude sur l'autonomie fonctionnelle des différentes couches histologiques du cortex surrénal en décrivant l'évolution historique des théories admises à ce sujet. Nous relaterons ensuite les idées actuelles sur la biogénese des différents corticostéroides, ainsi que la régulation de leur sécretion sous l'influence de la corticotropine.

The existence of a link between adrenal cortex and hypertensive vascular disease is now well substantiated by experimental and clinical evidence some of which is outlined below in the historical review. Extensive investigations have been undertaken during the past decade to provide more specific information regarding the role of naturally occurring corticosteroids in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The observation that a significant increase of mean urinary aldosterone excretion occurs in groups of patients with essential hypertension, and the discovery of functional aldosterone-producing cortical adenomas associated with a progressive form of hypertension in many stimulated a renewed interest in aldosterone as a factor possibly involved in the pathogenesis of hypertensive vascular disease.

The function of the thyroid gland has been studied in the experimental nephrotic syndrome. Significant urinary losses of hormonal iodine were found and were dependent on the degree of proteinuria. An increased release of thyroidal hormone appeared to compensate for the urinary losses of hormone. Thyroid function was judged adequate since peripheral utilization of hormone and the rate of oxygen consumption were unaltered in the nephrotic state.

The marked electrolyte and plasma volume changes which occur after adrenalectomy do not satisfactorily explain either the death which occurs if treatment is not administered nor the pathological findings at autopsy. For example, normal animals can sustain an experimentally induced elevation of plasma potassium several milliequivalents greater than that seen in adrenal insufficiency or a reduction in blood volume of considerably greater than that occurring in this condition.

Because of its high incidence, wide distribution and socio-economic consequences, hypertension is one of the main health problems of today. Clues to the etiology of hypertensive vascular disease have accumulated at a steadily increasing rate but a satisfactory answer, which had seemed so near in a number of occasions, has repeatedly receded from the grasp of hopeful investigators. The participation of the kidney in the maintenance of increased systemic arterial pressure has been intimated since the observations of Tigerstedt and Bergman in 1898 (1) and the classical experiments of Goldblatt in 1934 (2). Today a vast amount of experimental and clinical data attest to the fact that the kidney is in some way concerned in the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension (3-5).