[Neutrophil chemotaxis in patients with chronic active hepatitis]. / Quimiotaxis de los neutrófilos en pacientes con hepatitis crónica activa.

The serum of 18 patients diagnosed as having chronic active hepatitis (CAH) was studied in order to ascertain the neutrophil motility in healthy person serum. The chemotaxis and the chemokinesis induced by the serum of the patients were lower than those obtained using a control serum. When the control serum, activated by zymosan, was added to the patients serum a decrease of chemotaxis was observed. Contrary to this, when activated serum of patients was added to the control serum, there was no alteration of chemotaxis. We concluded that serum of patients affected by CAH have an inhibitor of the motility of neutrophils.

[Effect of an oral calcium supplement in the treatment of slight-to- moderate essential arterial hypertension]. / Influencia de un suplemento oral de calcio en el tratamiento de la hipertensión arterial esencial ligera-moderada.

51 patients with mild essential hypertension (EH) were randomly divided into two groups; the first group (31 patients) was treated with 1 g. of oral calcium during a period of 8 weeks; the second group received a placebo. The treated with calcium showed a significant decrease in blood pressure (BP), the maximal reduction being of 6 mm Hg in the systolic pressure (SBP) and 3 mm in the diastolic (DBP) at the end of the 8th week. We found a substantial positive relationship between the decrease in SBP and seric renin activity (p less than 0.05), as well as a significant negative relationship (p less than 0.05) between DBP and the seric level of parathyroid hormone (PTH). During the administration of the oral calcium supplement, the BP decreased in an inverse proportion to the plasmatic renin and seric level of PTH.