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Unlabelled: We have utilized the persistent elevation of fractional excretion (FE) of urate, > 10%, to differentiate cerebral/renal salt wasting (RSW) from the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), in which a normalization of FEurate occurs after correction of hyponatremia.  Previous studies suggest as well  that an elevated FEurate with normonatremia, without pre-existing hyponatremia, is also consistent with RSW, including studies demonstrating induction of RSW in rats infused with plasma from normonatremic neurosurgical and Alzheimer's disease patients.  The present studies were designed to test whether precipitates from the urine of normonatremic neurosurgical patients, with either normal or elevated FEurate, and patients with SIADH, display natriuretic activity.  , Methods: Ammonium sulfate precipitates from the urine of 6 RSW and 5 non-RSW Control patients were dialyzed (10 kDa cutoff) to remove the ammonium sulfate, lyophilized, and the reconstituted precipitate was tested for its effect on transcellular transport of (22)Na across LLC-PK1 cells grown to confluency in transwells., Results: Precipitates from 5 of the 6 patients with elevated FEurate and normonatremia significantly inhibited the in vitro transcellular transport of (22)Na above a concentration of 3 μg protein/ml, by 10-25%, versus to vehicle alone, and by 15-40% at concentrations of 5-20 μg/ml as compared to precipitates from 4 of the 5 non-RSW patients with either normal FEurate and normonatremia (2 patients) or with SIADH (2 patients)., Conclusion: These studies provide further evidence that an elevated FEurate with normonatremia is highly consistent with RSW.  Evidence in the urine of natriuretic activity suggests significant renal excretion of the natriuretic factor. The potentially large source of the natriuretic factor that this could afford, coupled with small analytical sample sizes required by the in-vitro bioassay used here, should facilitate future experimental analysis and allow the natriuretic factor to be investigated as a potential biomarker for RSW.

An earlier report indicated that acid secretion in turtle urinary bladder is driven by an unusual vacuolar H+-ATPase and that the ATPase accounts for essentially all acid secreted. These results, however, are difficult to reconcile with the acid transporters currently ascribed to the renal collecting duct. Here, we re-examine the effect of bafilomycin A1, an inhibitor of vacuolar (V-type) H+-ATPases, on acid secretion by intact isolated bladders from Pseudemys scripta turtles. Serosal-side bafilomycin had no effect on the transepithelial acidification current (AC). In the mucosal solution, bafilomycin inhibited the AC, with inhibition developing over the range 0.1-10 nmoll(-1), with a sigmoidal dose-response curve, and an IC50 of 0.47 nmoll(-1). At saturation, approximately 70% of H+ secretion was inhibited. The remaining 30% could be abolished by 30 micromoll(-1) Sch-28080, which is a level that in other systems is known to inhibit H+/K+-ATPase transport activity specifically and essentially completely. When the order of addition was reversed (Sch-28080 first), there was no change in the magnitude of the effect produced by either inhibitor, and the two together again eliminated the AC. The data indicate that baseline acid secretion in intact bladders is due (i) in part to a highly bafilomycin-sensitive process, with sensitivity typical of vacuolar H+ ATPases; and (ii) in part to a more bafilomycin-resistant process that is sensitive to Sch-28080.

Accurate measurements of intracellular calcium activities in salivary gland epithelial cells of the insect Phormia regina were obtained with microelectrodes in which N,N'-di(11-ethoxycarbonyl)undecyl-N,N'-4,5-tetramethyl-3,6-dioxaoctane diacid diamide wsa incorporated in a liquid membrane system. When calibrated in solutions approximating the ionic concentration of the cell interior, these microelectrodes gave rapid stable responses that were linear functions of the logarithm of calcium activities and were not affected by potassium, sodium and magnesium. Continuous monitoring of calcium activities during serotonin-induced saliva release provided direct evidence of hormonal influence on transmembrane calcium movement and spontaneous regulation of intracellular calcium by stimulated cells.