BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous studies reported that sodium and potassium play an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Recently attention has been directed towards a possible role of the divalent cations such as calcium, and magnesium. Plasma renin activity is also known to be related to divalent cations heterogeneously. This study investigated the relationships between serum magnesium and ionized calcium and plasma renin activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects consisted of 27 essential hypertensive patients and 25 normotensive controls. Criteria for hypertensive group in this study were systolic blood pressure> or =140mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure > or =90mmHg (JNC-VI, 1997). Inclusion criteria were normal urinalysis, no history of systemic illness, no intake of antihypertensive drugs, and no recent intake of any other medication. We took magnesium-loading test for a reliable method of assessing possible magnesium deficiency. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between two groups in serum Magnesium concentration and other electrolytes and plasma renin activity. There was significantly higher rate in hypertensives than in normotensives in magnesium retention(hypertensive vs. normotensive: 63.56+/-12.21% vs. 38.43+/-11.53%, P<0.001). There was significant differences in ionized calcium between high-renin and low-or normo-renin hypertensives(P<0.001). Plasma renin activity was correlated positively with serum ionized calcium in hypertensives(r=.8147; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that plasma renin activity is a factor that can influence on serum ionized calcium in high-renin hypertensives.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium* ; Cations, Divalent ; Electrolytes ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Magnesium Deficiency ; Magnesium* ; Plasma* ; Potassium ; Renin* ; Sodium ; Urinalysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous studies reported that sodium and potassium play an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. Recently attention has been directed towards a possible role of the divalent cations such as calcium, and magnesium. Plasma renin activity is also known to be related to divalent cations heterogeneously. This study investigated the relationships between serum magnesium and ionized calcium and plasma renin activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects consisted of 27 essential hypertensive patients and 25 normotensive controls. Criteria for hypertensive group in this study were systolic blood pressure> or =140mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure > or =90mmHg (JNC-VI, 1997). Inclusion criteria were normal urinalysis, no history of systemic illness, no intake of antihypertensive drugs, and no recent intake of any other medication. We took magnesium-loading test for a reliable method of assessing possible magnesium deficiency. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between two groups in serum Magnesium concentration and other electrolytes and plasma renin activity. There was significantly higher rate in hypertensives than in normotensives in magnesium retention(hypertensive vs. normotensive: 63.56+/-12.21% vs. 38.43+/-11.53%, P<0.001). There was significant differences in ionized calcium between high-renin and low-or normo-renin hypertensives(P<0.001). Plasma renin activity was correlated positively with serum ionized calcium in hypertensives(r=.8147; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that plasma renin activity is a factor that can influence on serum ionized calcium in high-renin hypertensives.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium* ; Cations, Divalent ; Electrolytes ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Magnesium Deficiency ; Magnesium* ; Plasma* ; Potassium ; Renin* ; Sodium ; Urinalysis

No abstract available.
Electrolytes*

The isolated rabbit kidney was perfused with 4 kinds of perfusates which had different ionic compositions, in order to investigate the effects of divalent cations, Mg and Ca, on the renal autoregulation. Four kinds of perfusates are full-balanced perfusate (FBP), perfusate subtracted both CaCl2and MgCI2 from FBP, perfusate subtracted only CaCI, from FBP, and perfusate subtracted only MgCl2 from FBP. The composition of FBP is 6% hydroxyethyl starch in 0.9% NaCl (McGaw Lab. USA) containing Na-acetate 5.0, K2HPO4 5.0, CaCls 1.2, MgCl2 0.5, and glucose 5.O mM/L. Renal Perfusate Flow (RPF) as related to various renal arterial perfusion pressure (RAP) was directly measured with flow-meter attached to the perfusion system. Total renal resistance (Rr) was calculated from RAP & RPF (RT=RAP/RPF). Alterations in renal autoregulation, when different perfusates were perfused, were estimated by pressure-flow curve in every run of perfusion experiments. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Kidney perfused with FBP revealed autoregulation within the range of 100~180 mmHg RAP. Renal Perfusate Flow in the autoregulation zone was 5.0 ml,min/gm. 2) The autoregulation was not appeared in the experiments perfused with the solution subtracted both CaCl2 and MgCI2 from FBP. 3) Kidney perfused with FBP-CaCI2 revealed the autoregulation, which had the autoregulation zone of 110~180 mmHg RAP, and 5. 5 m1/min/gm RPF. However, it was not present in the kidney perfused with FBP-MgCl2. 4) The time course of autoregulation was observed on the pressure-flow curve; autoregulation was continued approximately for 15 minutes, and then deteriorated rapidly. 5) Total renal resistance calculated was proportionately increased as the RAP increased within the regulation zone. Below and above the zone, it was almost inversely related to the RAP. From the above results, it was concluded that Mg is the essential factor in the renal autoregulation and suggested that Mg could have a key role on the neuromuscular transmission, excitability of muscular cell membrane, or the process of intracellular contraction.
Cations, Divalent ; Cell Membrane ; Glucose ; Homeostasis* ; Ions* ; Kidney* ; Magnesium Chloride ; Perfusion ; Starch

TRPM7, a cation channel protein permeable to various metal ions such as Mg2+, is ubiquitously expressed in variety of cells including lymphocytes. The activity of TRPM7 is tightly regulated by intracellular Mg2+, thus named Mg2+-inhibited cation (MIC) current, and its expression is known to be critical for the viability and proliferation of B lymphocytes. In this study, the level of MIC current was compared between immature (WEHI-231) and mature (Bal-17) B lymphocytes. In both cell types, an intracellular dialysis with Mg2+-free solution (140 mM CsCl) induced an outwardly-rectifying MIC current. The peak amplitude of MIC current and the permeability to divalent cation (Mn2+) were several fold higher in Bal-17 than WEHI-231. Also, the level of mRNAs for TRPM7, a molecular correspondence of the MIC channel, was significantly higher in Bal-17 cells. The amplitude of MIC was further increased, and the relation between current and voltage became linear under divalent cation-free conditions, demonstrating typical properties of the TRPM7. The stimulation of B cell receptors (BCR) by ligation with antibodies did not change the amplitude of MIC current. Also, increase of extracellular [Mg2+]c to enhance the Mg2+ influx did not affect the BCR ligation-induced death of WEHI-231 cells. Although the level of TRPM7 was not directly related with the cell death of immature B cells, the remarkable difference of TRPM7 might indicate a fundamental change in the permeability to divalent cations during the development of B cells.
Antibodies ; B-Lymphocytes* ; Cations, Divalent ; Cell Death ; Dialysis ; Ions ; Ligation ; Lymphocytes ; Permeability ; Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid ; RNA, Messenger

OBJECTIVETo develop a high performance capillary electrophoresis method for Citrus aurantium fingerprints to control its quality.

METHODThe background electrolyte (BGE) was an 80 mmol x L(-1) boric acid solution containing 15 mmol x L(-1) borate. The pH of the BGE was adjusted to 9.70 with KOH solution. The detection wavelength was 201 nm and a voltage of 16 kV was applied. The sample hydrodynamic injection was 0.4 ps with a duration time of 8 sec. C. aurantium was extracted by water and a set of capillary electrophoresis fingerprints (CEFP) containing 12 co-possessing peaks was obtained.

RESULTThere were good similarities between the standard CEFP and each set of CEFP of C. aurantium collected from eleven different places, and their similarity coefficients were between 0.973 and 0.996.

CONCLUSIONThe CEFP has acceptable precision, reproducibility and stability and can be used for the quality control of C. aurantium.

Borates ; chemistry ; Citrus ; chemistry ; Electrolytes ; chemistry ; Electrophoresis, Capillary ; methods ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Temperature

Porphyromonas gingivalis is strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of adult periodontitis, the major cause of tooth loss in adults. Use of an antibacterial agent controlling P. gingivalis as a periodontal therapeutic agent has been rationalized. The present study was performed to observe the antibacterial effect of inorganic polyphosphates (polyP) on P. gingivalis. P. gingivalis 2561 was grown in half-strength brain-heart infusion broth containing hemin and vitamin K with or without polyP. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of polyP with various chain lengths was determined by measuring the absorbance of the grown cells at 540 nm. MIC of polyP for the bacterium was determined to be 0.05%. The effect of polyP with a chain length of 75 (polyP 75) was further examined. PolyP 75 added to the growing culture of P. gingivalis at its exponential phase was as effective in inhibiting the growth of P. gingivalis as polyP 75 added at the very beginning of the culture. More than 99% of the cells lost their viability determined by viable cell count when polyP 75 was added to the culture of growing P. gingivalis at the concentration of 0.06%, suggesting that polyP 75 has a bactericidal effect on the bacterium. Intracellular nucleotide release from the cells was increased by approx. 20% in the presence of polyP 75 but was not reversed by the addition of divalent cations like Ca++ and Mg++. Under the transmission electron microscope, only a small number of the growing P. gingivalis cells were actually lysed. However, the majority of the cells appeared to be atypical in their shape, demonstrating accumulation of highly electron-dense granules and bodies of condensed nucleic acid-like material in the cytoplasm. In the presence of polyP 75, the protein profile of P. gingivalis was changed as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblot, and the proteolytic activity of the bacterium demostrated on the zymograms was decreased. The overall results suggest that polyP have a strong bactericidal activity against P. gingivalis in which lysis in relation to chelation may not play the major role but unknown mechanism that possibly affects the viability of the bacterium may be involved. PolyP may be used as an agent for prevention and treatment of periodontitis.
Adult ; Cations, Divalent ; Cell Count ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Cytoplasm ; Electrophoresis ; Hemin ; Humans ; Periodontitis ; Polyphosphates* ; Polyps ; Porphyromonas gingivalis* ; Porphyromonas* ; Tooth Loss ; Vitamin K

The anion gap in the serum is useful in the interpretation of acid-base disorders and in the diagnosis of other conditions. In the early 1980s, ion-selective electrodes for specific ionic species were introduced for the measurement of serum electrolytes. This new method has caused a shift of the anion gap from 12+/-4 mEq/L down 6+/-3 mEq/L. It is worthy for clinicians to understand the range of normal anion gap and the measuring methods for serum sodium and chloride in the laboratories that support their practice. While an increase in the anion gap is almost always caused by retained unmeasured anions, a decrease in the anion gap can be generated by multiple mechanisms.
Acid-Base Equilibrium* ; Anions ; Diagnosis ; Electrolytes ; Ion-Selective Electrodes ; Sodium

PURPOSE: To analyze the changes of tear composition in chronic blepharitis patients. METHODS: Tear samples were collected from 30 eyes of 29 patients diagnosed as chronic blepharitis by slit-lamp examination, and from 30 eyes of 30 normal volunteers. Chronic blepharitis group was subdivided into untreated group (10 eyes; tear sampling before the initiation of treatment) and treated group (20 eyes; tear sampling after the initiation of treatment). Tear pH, concentration of ions (Na+, K+, Cl-, Ca2+), total protein concentration and tear protein fraction (TPF) were measured. Statistical analysis was done by using Mann-Whitney U test and Kruscal-Wallis test, and p-valueelectrolytes and total protein concentrations among 3 groups. Tear protein analysis showed increased TPF4 in untreated (25.5%) and treated group (24.4%) compared with that in the control group (20.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of tear composition may be useful in understanding the pathophysiology of the chronic blepharitis and in evaluating the efficacy of the treatment.
Blepharitis* ; Electrolytes ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Ions ; Tears*

No abstract available.
Electrolytes* ; Lung*