Colonizations from marine to freshwater environments constitute among the most dramatic evolutionary transitions in the history of life. Colonizing dilute environments poses great challenges for acquiring essential ions against steep concentration gradients. This study explored the evolution of body fluid regulation following freshwater invasions by the copepod Eurytemora affinis. The goals of ...

Vaginal lubricants are widely used by women to help solve intercourse difficulties or as enhancers, but recent reports raise questions about their safety. Twelve commercially available gel products were tested for pH value, pH buffering capacity, osmolality and cytotoxicity relevant to vaginal delivery. Obtained data were analyzed in light of the recent Advisory Note by the World Health Organiz...

Blood osmolality rises during general muscle exercise. The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of similar slow, graded rises of blood osmolality on pulmonary vascular resistance. Hyperosmolar solutions of sodium chloride, mannitol, urea, glucose, thiourea and ethylene glycol were infused into the left lower lobe pulmonary arterial branch in the cat. Lobe blood flow, pulmonary art...

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of exercise on urine sediment in adolescent soccer players. In 25 15-year-old (range 14.4-15.8 yrs) athletes, urinary protein, osmolality and cytology were analyzed by flow cytometry and automated dipstick analysis before (T(0)), during (T(1)), and after a match (T(2)). All athletes had normal urine analysis and blood pressure at rest, tested before the st...

1 . The effects on the serum electrolytes of long-term treatment with either mestranol or a placebo were determined in 175 healthy middle-aged oophorectomized women. In forty of these women the packed cell volume (PCV), serum albumin, serum and urinary osmolality, inulin space and total exchangeable sodium (Na,) were also measured. 2. The mean serum sodium and chloride concentrations were signi...

Sorbitol production in the renal medulla increases in dehydrated rats, indicating that aldose reductase activity varies with the state of hydration. This response could be due to an increased synthesis of the enzyme (Moriyama T et al. J Biol Chem 1989:264:16810-16814) and/or a change in aldose reductase activity caused by acute changes in intracellular ionic composition, ionic strength, osmolal...

The effect of mannitol on serum and urine electrolytes and osmolality was investigated intraoperatively in neurosurgical patients. Patients in Group A (n = 7) received 1 gm . kg-1 of 20 per cent mannitol ("low"-dose) and in Group B, (n = 7) 2 gm . kg-1 ("high"-dose). There was a significant decrease in serum sodium and bicarbonate, and a significant increase in serum osmolality in both groups a...

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of each additive [FeSO4, multivitamin (MTV), and vitamin E] on the postprandial osmolality of expressed breast milk (EBM) at 0, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. Babies born at Songklanagarind Hospital from 1 August, 2005 to 31 December, 2006 were studied; EBM was collected from mothers with a child born at an estimated gestational age less than 32 wee...

OBJECTIVE To present a practical approach to the management of osmolar disorders by considering the mechanisms involved in their development. DATA SOURCES Articles and published peer-review abstracts on the mechanisms and management of disorders of plasma osmolality. SUMMARY OF REVIEW In health, plasma osmolality is determined largely by the concentration of sodium and its accompanying anio...

Most herbaceous plants employ thermodynamically active mechanisms of phloem loading, whereas in many trees, the mechanism is passive, by diffusion. Considering the different water transport characteristics of herbs and trees, we hypothesized that water relations play a role in the adoption of phloem loading strategies. We measured whole-plant hydraulic conductance (K(p)), osmolality, concentrat...