[Renin and aldosterone in the first 24 hours after acute myocardial infarct]. / Renin a aldosteron v prvých 24 hodinách cerstvého infarktu myokardu.

The authors investigated the levels of plasma renin activity and aldosterone in patients with a fresh myocardial infarction during the first 24 hours of hospitalization. The values of plasma renin activity and aldosterone were correlated with values of the control group. At the time of admission to the clinic both hormones were significantly elevated, as compared with the control group, in plasma renin activity p less than 0.001 and in aldosterone p less than 0.01. During the subsequent time intervals, i.e. after 3, 6 and 24 hours, the values of plasma renin activity did not change substantially, while the aldosterone values declined during the 6th and 24th hour (significance p less than 0.05). No significant relationship was found between plasma renin activity an aldosterone. With regard to persisting elevated values of plasma renin activity the authors discuss the possible use of blockers of the angiotensin converting enzyme in order to inhibit in the initial stage of a new infarction the formation of endogenous pressor substances.

[The effect of quinidine on digoxin plasma levels after discontinuation of digoxin therapy]. / Vplyv chinidínu na plazmaticku hladinu digoxínu po vynechaní digoxínovej liecby.

The authors submit a report on the effect of quinidine on plasma digoxin. The investigation was made in 20 patients wit supraventricular dysrhythmia. After initial digoxin treatment they proceeded with quinidine six hours after the last digoxin dose. Although they did not administer digoxin, the digoxin level increased during quinidine treatment in the course of 12 hours from 2.4 +/- 1.6 ng/ml to 3.8 +/- 12.4 ng/ml. The authors draw attention to the importance of following up digoxin levels in the mentioned drug combination which is supposed to prevent serious complication caused by possible digoxin intoxication.

[Serum ferritin, its clinical significance and our personal experience]. / Sérový feritín, jeho klinický význam a nase skúsenosti.

The paper presents a survey of the information on serum ferritin and its clinical value along with the authors' own experience.

Changes induced by severe hypoxia in respiratory defence reflexes in anaesthetized cats.

The authors studied the effects of progressive isobaric hypoxia (FO2 = 0.11, 0.07, 0.06, 0.05, 0.04 and 0.03) on respiratory defence reflexes elicited by mechanical stimulation of the airways in 10 pentobarbital-anaesthetized cats. The intensity of the expiration reflex was already significantly reduced at a hypoxia level of only FO2 = 0.11; the intensity of cough also showed a tendency to decrease. The number of efforts and the intensity of both tracheobronchial (TB) and laryngopharyngeal (LPh) cough fell significantly in hypoxia of FO2 = 0.07. On an average, cough could no longer be elicited at PaO2 = 2.0 +/- 0.06 kPa. The aspiration reflex was found to be the most resistant to hypoxia, and could still be elicited just before hypoxic apnoea developed. During hypoxia with FO2 ranging from 0.21 to 0.06, minute ventilation increased, while the intensity of respiratory defence reflexes diminished. TB cough could not be elicited during hypoxia until the breathing was depressed. It can be seen from the results that the regulatory mechanisms responsible for the intensity of respiratory defence reflexes are less resistant to the consequences of an inadequate systemic oxygen supply than the mechanisms controlling ventilation.

Effects of hypoxia on respiratory defence reflexes. Effects of thirty hours' oxygen deficiency on cough, the expiration reflex and sneezing in awake cats.

The authors studied, in 11 awake adult cats, the parameters of the expiration reflex (ER), tracheobronchial (TB) and laryngopharyngeal (LPh) cough, the respiratory rate (f), tidal volume (VT), the end tidal fractional CO2 concentration (FETCO2), the pH, the blood gases and the heart rate during 30 hours' isobaric hypoxic hypoxia (FO2 = 0.11). During the whole 30 hours the cats developed hypocapnic hypoxemia, f remained unchanged and VT was markedly elevated. In the acute phase (15 min) of hypoxic hypoxia of the same intensity, changes in respiratory parameters were the same and the intensity of respiratory reflexes increased significantly (Tatár et al. 1984). During prolonged hypoxic hypoxia there were no statistically significant changes in the intensity of the ER and of TB and LPh cough. The authors assume that some adaptation of the central mechanisms regulating the defence reflexes of the airways took place; this hypothesis is warranted, because an increase in the susceptibility of the cough centre during constant conditions of the stimulation of cough receptors would not be biologically expedient. The different changes in the intensity of respiratory defense reflexes in the acute and the prolonged phase of hypoxic hypoxia in the presence of identical changes in respiratory parameters are further indirect evidence pointing to the existence of functional differences between the respiratory centre and the cough centre.

[Tolbutamide as a stimulator of somatotropin secretion from the hypophysis]. / Tolbutamid als Stimulator der Ausschüttung des Wachstumshormons aus der Hyopohyse.

Our clinical experiments should point at the potential quality of tolbutamide as a stimulator of the secretion of the growth hormone. This could not be ascribed to the hypoglycaemic action of tolbutamide, because during the 240 minutes' time of the duration of the test, the glycaemic levels in the blood have been kept stabilised at the same levels as in fasting conditions before the application of tolbutamide, by a continuous intravenous drop of a 10% solution of glucose. The values of the growth hormone after application of tolbutamide raised two to fourfold in comparison to the initial value.

[Pathogenetic relationships between obesity and maturity-onset diabetes]. / Die pathogenetischen Beziehungen zwischen Fettsucht und Maturity-onset-Diabetes.

The influences of the biguanide therapy on the behaviour of the glucose tolerance and the reactive IRI-values in obese diabetics were investigated. Apart from this a group treated with sulfonylurea was compared. Here besides the IRI-values the fat parameters were tested. Apart from these investigations the half-life periods of insulin in obese diabetics were established before and after the treatment with biguanides and compared with the half-life period in diabetics treated with insulin. In a small group a tolbutamide test was carried out and the insulin secretion, the STH-values, and the cortisol values were examined. The investigations permitted the conclusion that the increased IRI-levels are to be explained by a hypertrophy of lipocytes, when at the same time the carbohydrate tolerance is reduced. The hypertrophic fat cell needs more insulin for the induction of glucose than the normal lipocyte. By this means also the improvement of the carbohydrate tolerance after reduction of weight is to be explained. Finally it is tried to interpret the behaviour of the fat parameters.

[Immunoglobulin E and its relation to bronchial asthma]. / Immunoglobulin E und seine Beziehungen zum Bronchialasthma

This paper presents a comparison of the levels of IgE in blood serum in a group of healthy persons, a group of persons suffering on asthma bronchiale of an infectious type and of the group of patients suffering in atopic type of asthma bronchiale. The quantitative estimation of IgE in sera was accomplished by the radioimmunoassay "Phadebas IgE Test". The blood levels of IgE of healthy persons and those suffering on infectious asthma bronchiale had no striking differences. The patients suffering on atopic asthma bronchiale showed a tremendous rise of blood IgE, that could be suppressed by the therapeutic application of corticosteroids (Triamcinolon). After the withdrawal of corticosteroids a new rise of blood IgE has been observed. During the application of corticosteroids there was an evident suppression of plasmatic cortisol levels, which rose after their therapeutic withdrawal.