BACKGROUND: Furosemide inhibit NaCl absorption in the thick ascending limb and produce an increase in distal delivery of Na+. We carried out semiquantitative immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry of rat kidneys to investigate whether chronic furosemide infusion is associated with compensatory increases in the abundance of Na+ transporters in distal nephron. METHODS: Osmotic minipumps were implanted into Sprague-Dawley rats to deliver 12 mg/day of furosemide(n=6) with simultaneous administration of 0.8% NaCl and 0.1% KCl in drinking water for 7 days. RESULTS: Compared with vehicle infused controls, urine volume and urine sodium amount were increased. However, there were no differences in body weight, serum aldosterone, and creatinine clearance. The abundance of Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter after furosemide infusion was increased in cortex (151+/-10 vs. 100+/-10%, p< 0.05) and outer medulla (122+/-5 vs. 100+/-3%, p< 0.01). In furosemide infusion group, the abundance of all three subunits of epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) was increased both in cortex (alpha: 187+/-25 vs. 100+/-17%, p< 0.05; beta: 155+/-8 vs. 100+/-15%, p< 0.05; gamma: 168+/-16 vs. 100+/-9%, p< 0.05) and outer medulla (alpha: 171+/-27 vs. 100+/-17%, p< 0.05; beta: 986+/-91 vs. 100+/-33%, p< 0.01; gamma: 242+/-24 vs. 100+/-22%, p< 0.01). Consistent with these results, ENaC beta-subuint immunohistochemistry showed a remarkable increase in immunoreactivity in the principal cells of collecting ducts with furosemide treatment. CONCLUSION: These increases in the abundance of ENaC protein may account for the generation of diuretic tolerance.
Absorption ; Aldosterone ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Creatinine ; Drinking Water ; Epithelial Sodium Channels ; Extremities ; Furosemide* ; Immunoblotting ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kidney* ; Nephrons ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium*

No abstract available.
Encephalitis

No abstract available.
Parkinson Disease ; Schizophrenia

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate associations of central obesity with sexual maturation and metabolic parameters in Korean girls with precocious puberty. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated data from 72 girls under 8 years of age with a chief complaint of early breast development. The patients were categorized as central precocious puberty (CPP) subjects or non-CPP subjects based on their gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test results. Visceral fat thickness (VFT) was measured using ultrasonography and defined as the distance from the linea alba to the aorta. Patient anthropometric, metabolic, and hormonal parameters were also evaluated. RESULTS: Increased VFT was correlated with an earlier onset of thelarche among all study subjects (r=-0.307, P=0.034). Overweight CPP subjects showed higher insulin resistance than normal weight CPP subjects. Insulin resistance was not significantly different between overweight and normal weight non-CPP subjects. VFT was not significantly different between CPP and non-CPP subjects (2.22±0.79 cm vs. 2.74±1.47 cm, P=0.169). However, overweight and obese CPP subjects (body mass index percentile>85%) had lower VFT than non-CPP obese subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Central obesity, defined using ultrasonography-measured VFT, might be associated with early pubertal development in Korean girls. However, VFT was not higher in CPP than non-CPP patients and was not significantly correlated with insulin resistance. Further longitudinal studies with a larger cohort are needed.
Aorta ; Breast ; Cohort Studies ; Female* ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Intra-Abdominal Fat* ; Longitudinal Studies ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Overweight ; Puberty, Precocious* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sexual Maturation ; Ultrasonography

Objective: To assess the feasibility of quantitatively assessing pancreatic steatosis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its correlation with obesity and metabolic risk factors in pediatric patients. Materials and Methods: Pediatric patients (≤ 18 years) who underwent liver fat quantification MRI between January 2016 and June 2019 were retrospectively included and divided into the obesity and control groups. Pancreatic proton density fat fraction (P-PDFF) was measured as the average value for three circular regions of interest (ROIs) drawn in the pancreatic head, body, and tail. Age, weight, laboratory results, and mean liver MRI values including liver PDFF (L-PDFF), stiffness on MR elastography, and T2* values were assessed for their correlation with P-PDFF using linear regression analysis. The associations between P-PDFF and metabolic risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and dyslipidemia, were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 172 patients (male:female = 125:47; mean ± standard deviation [SD], 13.2 ± 3.1 years) were included. The mean P-PDFF was significantly higher in the obesity group than in the control group (mean ± SD, 4.2 ± 2.5% vs. 3.4 ± 2.4%; p = 0.037). L-PDFF and liver stiffness values showed no significant correlation with P-PDFF (p = 0.235 and p = 0.567, respectively). P-PDFF was significantly associated with obesity (odds ratio 1.146, 95% confidence interval 1.006–1.307, p = 0.041), but there was no significant association with hypertension, DM, and dyslipidemia. Conclusion MRI can be used to quantitatively measure pancreatic steatosis in children. P-PDFF is significantly associated with obesity in pediatric patients.