Effect of indomethacin on desoxycorticosterone acetate-sodium chloride-induced renal lesions in the pregnant rat and her offspring.

To explore the effects of inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis on renal lesions, 37 female rats were made hypertensive and of these, 22 were treated with indomethacin. The blood pressure (207 +/- 5 mm Hg) in the indomethacin group was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than the blood pressure (191 +/- 7 mm Hg) in the control group. Weight changes were not significantly different. Renal lesions of varying severity were noted in mothers and offspring of both groups. The lesions ranged from thickening of the basement membranes to glomerular congestion, some with nearly complete eradication of glomerular architecture. Although the lesions appeared to be more marked in the indomethacin-treated group, no specific pattern of lesion location nor significant differences in the severity of the lesions was demonstrated. These data suggest that the lesions noted were the result of the hypertension. However, exacerbation by indomethacin could not be excluded.

Effects of ipsilateral and contralateral counterirritation on experimentally produced itch in human beings.

The experimental study of itch was reviewed, and an experiment performed to test the effects of ipsilateral and contralateral counterirritation distal to the itching wrist. Each of the 18 subjects served in all experimental conditions, receiving cowage as the itch stimulus and a placebo. Counterirritation consisted of a 10-sec immersion of the fingers into a 2 degrees C water bath. Lateral differences both in response to cowage and to counterirritation were obtained. In general, counterirritation reduced itch significantly more than the control procedure during the treatment period and the first three intervals following treatment. The results of the present experiment suggest a central mechanism attenuating the sensation of itch.