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The validity of a single blood sample technique at the 44th min after the injection of OIH for the evaluation of effective renal plasma flow was assessed by comparison with a standard clearance method, based on two-compartment analysis of plasma disappearance of the tracer. The simplified method tended to overestimate the true values; the 95% confidence interval for the error in predicting the true value was found to be +/- 88 ml/min. Overall, the simplified method appears to be adequate to study renal perfusion or its changes in different conditions, but due to the predicting error it requires a larger number of patients, as compared with the reference method, in order to obtain statistically valid results.

Candida arthritis in men is very rare. In most cases Candida albicans is isolated from joints (commonly the knee) of immature infants or of immunodeficient subjects without underlying joint disease; Candida non albicans is isolated from joints of immunodeficient patients with underlying joint disease. A case of Candida arthritis in a heroin addict is described. This is the second report of Candida arthritis in a heroin addict, but it is the first in which Candida krusei has been isolated.

Forty-four essential hypertensive patients were studied during placebo and after 2 months of the following treatments: hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg once daily (group 1); captopril 50 mg twice daily (group 2); hydrochlorothiazide + captopril (group 3). Blood pressure, serum sodium and potassium (Nae, Ke) and intralymphocytic sodium and potassium (Nai, Ki) were measured before and after treatment. During placebo, diastolic blood pressure was directly related to Nai (r = -0.84) and inversely related to Ki (r = -0.81). The correlation was even greater when the Ki:Ke ratio was considered instead of Ki alone (r = -0.91). Hydrochlorothiazide reduced Nai, Ke and Ki. Captopril induced a decrease in Nai, an increase in Ki and no change in Nae or Ke. The association of the two drugs caused a reduction in Nae and Nai and an increase in Ki. All three treatments caused an increase in Ki:Ke ratio which was proportional to the decrease in the blood pressure. While the antihypertensive effect of hydrochlorothiazide seems to be more related to Nai:Nae reduction, the effect of captopril seems to be more related to the increase in Ki:Ke ratio. The results of our study suggest that hyperpolarization of arterial smooth muscle cells, induced by a Ki:Ke ratio increase, along with a reduction in Nai:Nae, might play a role in the antihypertensive effect of captopril and hydrochlorothiazide.