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Urea and water transport across the toad bladder can be separately activated by low concentrations of vasopressin or 8 Br-cAMP. Employing this method of selective activation, we have determined the reflection coefficient (sigma) of urea and other small molecules under circumstances in which the bladder was transporting urea or water. An osmotic method for the determination of sigma was used, in which the ability of a given solute to retard water efflux from the bladder was compared to that of raffinose (sigma = 1.0) or water (sigma = 0). When urea transport was activated (low concentration of vasopressin), sigma for urea and other solutes was low, (sigma urea, 0.08--0.39; sigma acetamide, 0.55; sigma ethylene glycol, 0.60). When water transport was activated (0.1 mM 8 Br-cAMP) sigma urea approached 1.0 sigma urea also approached 1.0 at high vasopressin concentrations. In a separate series of studies, sigma urea was determined in the presence of 2 x 10(-5) M KMnO4 in the luminal bathing medium. Under these conditions, when urea transport is selectively blocked, sigma urea rose from a value of 0.12 to 0.89. Thus, permanganate appears to "close" the urea transport channel. These findings indicate that the luminal membrane channels for water and solutes differ significantly in their dimensions. The solute channels, limited in number, have relatively large radii. They carry a small fraction (approximately 10%) of total water flow. The water transport channels, on the other hand, have small radii, approximately the size of a water molecule, and exclude solutes as small as urea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vsopressin activates a number of transport systems in the toad bladder, including the systems for water, urea, sodium, and other small solutes. Evidence from experiments with selective inhibitors indicates that these transport systems are to a large extent functionally independent. In the present study, we show that the transport systems can be separately activated. Low concentrations of vasopressin (1 mU/ml) activate urea transport with virtually no effect on water transport. This selective effect is due in part to the relatively greater inhibitor action of endogenous prostaglandins on water transport. Low concentrations of 8-bromoadenosine cyclic AMP, on the other hand, activate water, but not urea transport. In additional experiments, we found that varying the ratio of exogenous cyclic AMP to theophylline activated water or urea transport selectively. These studies support the concept of independently controlled systems for water and solute transport, and provide a basis for the study of individual luminal membrane pathways for water and solutes in the accompanying paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a marker of widespread atherosclerosis. Individuals with PAD, most of whom do not show typical PAD symptoms ('asymptomatic' patients), are at increased risk of cardiovascular ischaemic events. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend that individuals with asymptomatic lower extremity PAD should be identified by measurement of ankle-brachial index (ABI). However, despite its associated risk, PAD remains under-recognised by clinicians and the general population and office-based ABI detection is still poorly-known and under-used in clinical practice. The Prevalence of peripheral Arterial disease in patients with a non-high cardiovascular disease risk, with No overt vascular Diseases nOR diAbetes mellitus (PANDORA) study has a primary aim of assessing the prevalence of lower extremity PAD through ABI measurement, in patients at non-high cardiovascular risk, with no overt cardiovascular diseases (including symptomatic PAD), or diabetes mellitus. Secondary objectives include documenting the prevalence and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors and the characteristics of both patients and physicians as possible determinants for PAD under-diagnosis. Methods/Design PANDORA is a non-interventional, cross-sectional, pan-European study. It includes approximately 1,000 primary care participating sites, across six European countries (Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland). Investigator and patient questionnaires will be used to collect both right and left ABI values at rest, presence of cardiovascular disease risk factors, current pharmacological treatment, and determinants for PAD under-diagnosis. Discussion The PANDORA study will provide important data to estimate the prevalence of asymptomatic PAD in a population otherwise classified at low or intermediate risk on the basis of current risk scores in a primary care setting. Trial registration number Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT00689377.