Long-term captopril therapy at low doses reduces albumin excretion in patients with essential hypertension and no sign of renal impairment.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in urinary micro-albumin and in serum and urinary beta 2-microglobulin during treatment with captopril at low doses in a group of hypertensive outpatients without any sign of renal impairment. Thirty-four patients with essential hypertension entered the study, all having been treated for at least one year with beta-blockers and diuretics. None had proteinuria (by Albustix) and creatinine clearance was normal. The patients were randomly allocated to two groups: the first group was maintained on the previous regimen (group BD) and the second received captopril 50 mg twice daily instead of the beta-blocker (group CD). During the year of observation blood pressure values and serum and urinary beta 2-microglobulin were not significantly different between the two groups. There was, however, a significant reduction in albumin excretion rate (AER) in the CD group at both 3 and 6 months. Since arterial measures did not differ between the two groups, it is proposed that the reduction of AER was due to a diminution of the transcapillary hydraulic pressure due to the inhibition of the intrarenal angiotensin II induced by captopril.

[Incidence of salmonellosis in the Province of Trento in the past 3 years]. / Incidenza delle salmonellosi in provincia di Trento nell'ultimo triennio.

72 strains of Salmonella, belonging to 23 different serum types have been isolated during the last three years. These strains come from adult patients admitted to the Infective department of St. Chiara hospital in Trento and from three asymptomatic carriers found among the hospital staff, who have been regularly submitted to microbiological checks. Among the most frequent strains the AA. have found: S. enteritidis and S. typhi murium. Salmonellas, never isolated before, have spread, but they have shown poor adaptation to the environment: among these S. panama, S. infantis, S infantis, S. münchen. S. wien has not found, in the Province of Trento, environing conditions fit for its colonization. S. agona has shown a certain tendency to create a situation of asymptomatic carrier.