Early and persistent abnormalities in rats with neonatally acquired Borna disease virus infection

Newborn rats inoculated with Borna disease virus (BDV) develop a persistent, tolerant nervous system infection (PTI-NB), with no signs of encephalitis or Borna disease. We measured body weight, body length, taste preferences, and spontaneous locomotor activity over a 4-month period in PTI-NB and control rats. PTI-NB rats had decreased weight and length but not detectable disturbances in growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 biosynthesis as compared to control rats. In single bottle taste acceptance tests, PTI-NB rats did not differ from controls and drank normal amounts of all solutions. When offered a choice of solutions in two-bottle taste preference tests, PTI-NB rats exhibited a normal preference for saccharin and a normal aversion for quinine, but an exaggerated preference for saline. At 1 and 4 months of age, PTI-NB rats were significantly more active than normal rats, although only 1-month-old PTI-NB rats had increased daytime activity. Thus, even in the absence of encephalitis, BDV infection of the PTI-NB rat is associated with a number of physiological and behavioral abnormalities.

Carbonic anhydrase II mRNA is induced in rabbit kidney cortex during chronic metabolic acidosis

Carbonic anhydrase II (CA II), the predominant isoform of carbonic anhydrase in the kidney, is believed to be localized primarily in the cytoplasm of proximal tubule and collecting duct intercalated cells. Carbonic anhydrase facilitates H+ secretion by catalyzing the formation of HCO3- from OH- in the presence of CO2. We have shown that renal cortical CA II activity is stimulated during 4-6 days of chronic metabolic acidosis [L.P. Brion, B.J. Zavilowitz, O. Rosen, and G.J. Schwartz. Am. J. Physiol. 261 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 30): R1204-R1213, 1991]. The purpose of these studies was to examine under similar conditions the regulation of CA II mRNA. We obtained a major portion of the rabbit CA II cDNA by reverse transcription of total RNA from rabbit kidney followed by amplification using oligonucleotide primers prepared from conserved areas in the coding regions of human, mouse, and chick CA II cDNAs in a polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The 696-bp RT-PCR product was sequenced and found to be 71-86% homologous to CA II cDNAs from the other three species. The deduced amino acid sequence agreed closely (> 97%) with a previous Edman analysis of rabbit erythrocyte CA II. Northern analysis showed expression of a approximately 1.4 kb RNA, with cortex > outer medulla > inner medulla. Steady-state mRNA expression from kidney cortex of acid-treated rabbits was about twice that from controls, when normalized to the expression of beta-actin or malate dehydrogenase. The stimulation of CA II mRNA was greater after 3 days than after 5-6 days of acid treatment. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Gastric loads and cholecystokinin synergistically stimulate rat gastric vagal afferents

Both gastric preloads and exogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) administration inhibit food intake, and combinations of preloads and CCK suppress feeding to a greater degree than either stimulus delivered alone. A role for the vagus nerve in mediating CCK's inhibition of food intake has been proposed, and gastric vagal afferent fibers respond to both gastric loads and local CCK infusions. To examine whether combined load and CCK stimuli may synergistically augment gastric neural afferent activity at the level of the peripheral vagus, we have examined the gastric vagal afferent responses (n = 8) to a range of gastric saline loads (1, 2, and 3 ml) and exogenous close celiac arterial CCK (10 and 100 pmol) when administered alone or in combination. Gastric loads ineffective in eliciting a significant increase in vagal afferent activity when administered alone became effective when combined with doses of CCK that were subthreshold for the production of a vagal afferent response. Gastric loads that alone were effective in producing a significant vagal afferent response yielded an even greater response when administered in combination with both subthreshold and suprathreshold doses of CCK. These data demonstrate that, in rats, signals produced by combined gastric load and exogenous CCK administration are integrated peripherally and interact synergistically. These results suggest that signals arising from the vagus may provide sufficient information for the synergistic inhibition of food intake produced by combinations of gastric loads and exogenous CCK.

Blockade of type A, but not type B, CCK receptors postpones satiety in rhesus monkeys

The exogenous administration of the brain/gut peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) inhibits food intake in a variety of species, including subhuman primates and humans. To determine the role of endogenously released CCK in the control of food intake in rhesus monkeys, we examined the ability of the selective type A and type B CCK antagonists devazepide and L-365260 to affect total daily food intake and various meal patterns. Various doses of the antagonists were administered intragastrically 30 min before a daily 4-h feeding period. One-gram food pellets were delivered in response to lever pulls, and intake was computer monitored. Intragastric administration of the type A CCK receptor antagonist devazepide (10-320 micrograms/kg) significantly increased food intake in a dose-related fashion. The threshold for increasing intake was 32 micrograms/kg, and a maximal effect was obtained at a dose of 100 micrograms/kg that increased total 4-h food intake by 47%. The effect of devazepide on food intake was mediated by significant increases in the size and duration of the initial meal, lengthening of the subsequent intermeal interval, and a decrease in the satiety ratio (intermeal interval/1st meal size). In contrast, intragastric administration of the type B CCK receptor antagonist L-365260 (3.2-320 micrograms/kg) did not significantly affect total food intake or any of the meal parameters. These data demonstrate that endogenously released CCK acting through type A CCK receptors plays a role in regulating food intake in rhesus monkeys.

Endogenous cholecystokinin in the control of gastric emptying of liquid nutrient loads in rhesus monkeys

A role for the brain/gut peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) in the control of gastric emptying has been proposed. In the present studies, we have used a potent type A CCK-receptor antagonist (devazepide) to examine the quantitative contribution of endogenously released CCK in the control of liquid gastric emptying of 100 ml lipid, protein, and carbohydrate test loads in rhesus monkeys. Emptying was studied in conscious monkeys equipped with chronic indwelling gastric cannulas. Prior intragastric administration of devazepide (1.0-320 micrograms/kg) differentially affected the 10-min emptying of glucose (0.125/ml), peptone (4.5%), and Intralipid (4.5%). Glucose emptying was not affected by any dose of the CCK antagonist. The emptying of peptone was accelerated by doses of 10 micrograms/kg or higher. This effect, however, was only partial and plateaued at a dose of 100 micrograms/kg. The gastric emptying of Intralipid was accelerated at a dose of 32 micrograms/kg, and the inhibitory effect of the Intralipid was completely eliminated at a dose of 320 micrograms/kg. At this dose of devazepide, the Intralipid test meal emptied from the stomach at the same rate as physiological saline. These data demonstrate that in rhesus monkeys endogenously released CCK 1) does not play a role in the control of glucose emptying, 2) is a partial mediator of the inhibitory action of peptone on gastric emptying, and 3) is the primary inhibitory mediator in the control of the gastric emptying of Intralipid.

Gastric branch vagotomy blocks nutrient and cholecystokinin-induced suppression of gastric emptying

Pages R630–R637: G. J. Schwartz, G. Berkow, P. R. McHugh, and T. H. Moran. “Gastric branch vagotomy blocks nutrient and cholecystokinin-induced suppression of gastric emptying.” Page R361: An incorrect formula was used to calculate the volume remaining. The correct formula appears below.

V = (Cs/Ci){[5/(1 – Co/Cs)] – 5}

where Cs, is the concentration of dye in the stomach before saline rinse. The other factors remain as described in the article. This error resulted in a small underestimation of the magnitude of the reported phenomena in a few cases and does not alter the main findings, conclusions, or interpretations of this study.

Gastric branch vagotomy blocks nutrient and cholecystokinin-induced suppression of gastric emptying

A role for the vagus nerve in the emptying of intragastric nutrients and the gastric inhibitory actions of the brain-gut peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) has been proposed. To directly assess the role of the gastric vagal branches in these actions, we compared the emptying of 5-ml nutrient and nonnutrient gastric loads in male rats in which both branches of the gastric vagus nerves were cut (GVX, n = 7) with emptying in surgical control (n = 8) rats. Gastric emptying of saline was also examined in both groups after intraperitoneal administration of 8 micrograms/kg CCK. In control rats, high osmolarity, low pH, and caloric density all significantly decreased gastric emptying compared with the emptying of physiological saline. In addition, fat (oleic acid) and protein (peptone) loads emptied significantly more slowly than isocaloric carbohydrate (glucose) loads. Gastric branch vagotomy completely blocked the suppression of emptying produced by fat, protein, carbohydrate, and acid loads. In addition, GVX attenuated the ability of hyperosmotic nutrient and nonnutrient loads to inhibit emptying to the same degree, irrespective of their caloric content. Finally, in intact rats, CCK significantly inhibited the emptying of physiological saline, and gastric vagotomy abolished this suppression. Taken together, these results are consistent with the proposals that 1) the controlled emptying of caloric, hyperosmotic, and acidic solutions is dependent on gastric vagal branches, and 2) exogenous CCK relies on an intact vagal pathway in the control of gastric emptying.

CCK satiety is differentially mediated by high- and low-affinity CCK receptors in mice and rats

Cholecystokinin-JMV-180 (JMV-180) is an analogue of cholecystokinin C-terminal octapeptide (CCK-8), which has been shown to be an agonist at the proposed CCK pancreatic high-affinity site and a functional antagonist at the pancreatic low-affinity site in rats and to have agonist activity at both high- and low-affinity sites in the mouse. In this study we used JMV-180 to evaluate the potential participation of these two CCK-A sites in the satiety effect of CCK-8 in rats and mice. When tested at doses that ranged from 0.01 to 9.2 mumol/kg, JMV-180 did not reliably affect food intake of solid or liquid test diets in rats. When combined with CCK-8 (3.2 or 8.5 nmol/kg) JMV-180 dose dependently reversed the satiety effect of CCK-8. In contrast to these results in the rat, both JMV-180 (3.7-14.8 mumol/kg) and CCK-8 (1.7-6.8 nmol/kg) dose dependently reduced the intake of 20% sucrose in mice. Both CCK-8- and JMV-180-induced suppression of food intake were attenuated by the CCK-A antagonist MK-329 (24.8 nmol/kg). The results of these studies suggest that agonist activity at sites pharmacologically similar to the CCK pancreatic high-affinity site is not sufficient for expression of CCK satiety, whereas agonist activity at low-affinity-like sites is necessary to reduce food intake. Thus the anorexic activity of CCK appears to be mediated through an interaction with a receptor site pharmacologically similar to the pancreatic low-affinity CCK receptor site.

Gastric branch vagotomy blocks nutrient and cholecystokinin-induced suppression of gastric emptying

Pages R630–R637: G. J. Schwartz, G. Berkow, P. R. McHugh, and T. H. Moran. “Gastric branch vagotomy blocks nutrient and cholecystokinin-induced suppression of gastric emptying.” Page R361: An incorrect formula was used to calculate the volume remaining. The correct formula appears below.

V = (Cs/Ci){[5/(1 – Co/Cs)] – 5}

where Cs, is the concentration of dye in the stomach before saline rinse. The other factors remain as described in the article. This error resulted in a small underestimation of the magnitude of the reported phenomena in a few cases and does not alter the main findings, conclusions, or interpretations of this study.

Adaptation of rabbit cortical collecting duct to in vitro acid incubation

Cortical collecting ducts (CCDs) isolated from acid-loaded rabbits and perfused in vitro absorb HCO3-, whereas CCDs from normal animals secrete HCO3-. We have previously shown that CCDs incubated in vitro for 3 h at pH 6.9 show a reduction in net (baseline and stimulated) HCO3- secretion. In this study we ascertained the minimum duration of an acidic stimulus necessary to induce adaptive changes in stimulated HCO3- secretion (determined in the absence of basolateral Cl-) and the roles of protein synthesis and cytoskeletal function in this process. CCDs incubated in acid (pH 6.8, HCO3- 6 mM) for 1 h followed by incubation at pH 7.4 (HCO3- 25 mM) for 2 h showed a 41% reduction in stimulated HCO3- secretion (P < 0.001), similar to that observed after 3 h of incubation at pH 6.8. However, this incubation protocol failed to enhance stimulated HCO3- absorption (determined in the absence of luminal Cl-). Addition of 10 microM anisomycin, a reversible inhibitor of protein synthesis, throughout the entire period of incubation (1 h at pH 6.8 plus 2 h at pH 7.4) blocked adaptive reduction in HCO3- secretion, as did exposure to anisomycin only during the initial 1 h of acid incubation. In contrast, anisomycin application during the 2-h incubation at pH 7.4 failed to block this adaptation of HCO3- secretion. Application of 4 microM actinomycin D, an inhibitor of DNA transcription, during the acid incubation also prevented the adaptive response, as did application during the total or during the 2-h pH 7.4 incubation period of 0.2 microM cytochalasin D, an inhibitor of actin filament function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Maturation of aldose reductase expression in the neonatal rat inner medulla

Newborns are less able to concentrate urine than adults are. With development of the concentrating system and a hypertonic medullary interstitium, there is a need to generate intracellular osmolytes such as sorbitol, which is produced in a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme aldose reductase. We sought to discriminate between two possible mechanisms of aldose reductase induction during development: (a) a response to an osmotic stimulus generated by the concentrating mechanism; or (b) part of the genetic program for development of the kidney. We measured the change in aldose reductase mRNA and activity in terminal inner medullary collecting ducts (IMCDs) microdissected from Sprague-Dawley rats during the first month of life. Aldose reductase mRNA was assayed by Northern analysis of total RNA from inner medulla and by detection of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) product obtained from single IMCDs using aldose reductase-specific primers. Aldose reductase activity was measured in IMCDs taken from the same rats using a fluorescent microassay. Newborn rat IMCDs had minimal aldose reductase mRNA or activity, however mRNA was readily detected in IMCDs from rats older than 3 d of age, with peak expression occurring at 1-3 wk of age before decreasing to adult levels. In contrast, the mRNA level for a housekeeping metabolic enzyme, malate dehydrogenase, did not change during maturation. Aldose reductase enzyme activity was readily detectable by 6 d of age, peaked at 20 d, then decreased to adult levels. Urine osmolality remained < 600 mosmol/kg until 16 d, then increased to > 1,100 mosmol/kg after 20 d. Thus, aldose reductase mRNA and activity increased before urinary osmolality reached 870 mosmol/kg. Because urine osmolality may not be indicative of inner medullary osmolality and because mother's milk may provide excessive free water to the pups under 3 wk of age, half of the animals in several litters were separated from their mothers for 1 d and inner medullary osmolality, in addition to urine osmolality, was measured by vapor pressure osmometry, while aldose reductase mRNA was assessed densitometrically in IMCDs after RT-PCR. Although fluid restriction resulted in a near doubling of urine osmolality and a tendency towards increased aldose reductase mRNA, there was no consistently significant increase in aldose reductase mRNA or inner medullary osmolality during the first 13 d of life compared to the suckling animals. On the other hand, 2-3-wk-old rats showed significant increases in aldose reductase mRNA, accompanied by increases in inner medullary osmolality, after fluid restriction. Thus, the dissociation between the increases in aldose reductase expression and inner medullary hyperosmolality indicates that the maturational induction of the aldose reductase gene is not a consequence of osmotic stimulation, but rather, part of the developmental program of the kidney.

Novel method for performing carbonic anhydrase histochemistry and immunocytochemistry on cryosections

It is difficult to correlate structure with function in the kidney because of the extensive cell heterogeneity. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is an enzyme that mediates renal acidification and is found predominantly in proximal tubule and collecting duct cells. We modified Hansson's method for histochemically identifying cellular CA activity on PLP-fixed rabbit kidney sections mounted on Millipore filters, and then removed the filters to perform peanut lectin and antibody labeling on the same sections. There was adequate preservation of morphology, and individual cells could be identified with CA activity in the cytosol and specific antibody or lectin labeling on the cell surfaces.

The contribution of gustatory nerve input to oral motor behavior and intake-based preference. II. Effects of combined chorda tympani and glossopharyngeal nerve section in the rat

Two-bottle preference and taste-elicited oral motor responses were examined to determine whether the total lingual gustatory denervation that results from combined bilateral chorda tympani (CTX) and glossopharyngeal nerve section (GPX) would (a) alter the ingestive behavior of the rat and (b) if altered, whether the pattern of deficit revealed would be similar to or different from that obtained by sectioning each of the individual nerves separately. Remarkably, intake-based preference was unaffected by an approximately 80% reduction in taste receptors. Lingual gustatory denervation failed to affect the preference for any of the normally-preferred stimuli. Preference for only two of the 8 normally-avoided solutions was increased following the combined nerve cuts. In contrast, examination of oral motor taste-reactivity responses revealed that combined nerve sections significantly reduced the number of ingestive responses elicited by 5 or 6 normally-preferred and 5 of 8 normally-avoided stimuli. In addition, the pattern of deficits in taste-elicited oral motor responses resulting from the combined sections was different from that predicted by summing the effects of the individual nerve sections. We had shown that CTX did not alter aversive behavior to quinine whereas CPX did reduce these responses but did not affect their concentration dependence. Neither CTX nor GPX affected oral motor responses elicited by sucrose. Combined nerve section, by contrast, completely eliminated the concentration-dependent increases in aversive responses to quinine and ingestive responses to sucrose and glycine. In fact, CTX + GPX profoundly reduced the oral motor behavior elicited by all of the chemical stimuli examined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The contribution of gustatory nerve input to oral motor behavior and intake-based preference. I. Effects of chorda tympani or glossopharyngeal nerve section in the rat

Two-bottle intake tests and taste reactivity (TR) tests were used to reveal whether changes in ingestive behavior would follow bilateral section of either the chorda tympani (CT) or the glossopharyngeal (GP) nerve. Rats received two-bottle intake tests to compare 24-h ingestion of water to that of NaCl, MgCl2, quinine, or sucrose. Prior to each long-term intake test, rats received a 1 min, 1 ml intraoral infusion of the same chemical stimulus. Ingestive and aversive oral motor responses elicited by these 1 ml infusions were videotaped and subsequently analyzed. GP-section did not alter quinine or sucrose preference; overall, preference of MgCl2 and NaCl was also similar to controls. In contrast, TR tests in GP-sectioned rats revealed that most quinine, MgCl2 and NaCl stimuli elicited significantly fewer aversive oral motor responses. In addition, the latency of aversive responses to these 3 chemical stimuli was increased for these rats. Intake-based preference tests failed to show any difference between rats with CT nerve section and controls. In TR tests, however, CT-sectioned rats displayed significantly fewer ingestive oral motor responses to NaCl, MgCl2, and quinine than controls. Neither sucrose intake nor sucrose-elicited TR were altered by CT or GP nerve section. This report confirms the failure of long-term intake tests to uncover behavioral deficits following the section of gustatory nerves. In contrast, the use of a different behavioral test makes clear for the first time that gustatory nerve section has dramatic consequences on ingestive behavior. The examination of taste elicited oral motor behaviors reveals a coherent and nerve specific pattern of neurological deficit following peripheral nerve section.

Postnatal maturation of rabbit renal collecting duct. III. Peanut lectin-binding intercalated cells

Measurements of transepithelial HCO3 transport in the rabbit cortical collecting duct (CCD) indicate that net HCO3 secretion becomes apparent only after the first month of life [F. M. Mehrgut, L. M. Satlin, and G. J. Schwartz, Am. J. Physiol. 259 (Renal Fluid Electrolyte Physiol. 28): F801-F808, 1990]. We used fluorescent probes and immunocytochemistry to trace the postnatal functional development of the beta-intercalated cell, the HCO3-secreting cell of the fully differentiated CCD. Throughout maturation, the beta-intercalated cell was empirically identified by its selective uptake of the pH-sensitive dye 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein, an alkaline cell pH, apical binding to peanut agglutinin (PNA) and monoclonal antibody B63, and by its functional capacity for apical Cl-HCO3 exchange as manifested by Cl-dependent extrusion of an intracellular alkali load. Compared with the mature segment, the neonatal mid-CCD exhibited fewer intercalated cells, which were characterized by a less alkaline cell pH, reduced apical Cl-HCO3 exchange activity, and shorter apical binding profiles for PNA. There was evidence for basolateral Cl conductance and similar buffering capacity at all ages. In the neonatal outer cortex there was little or no binding to PNA or to B63. As soon as cell surface antigens characteristic of the fully differentiated beta-cell were detected, functional studies indicated the presence, albeit reduced, of apical Cl-HCO3 exchange. Thus there is postnatal proliferation and maturation of HCO3-secreting intercalated cells in the rabbit kidney; the origin of these cells remains to be determined.

Blockade of type A, not type B, CCK receptors attenuates satiety actions of exogenous and endogenous CCK

Recent work has suggested a role for an endogenous release of cholecystokinin (CCK) acting at either type A or type B CCK receptors in the control of food intake. In an effort to investigate whether the mechanisms by which exogenously administered and endogenously released CCK inhibits food intake are similar and depend upon interactions with either type A or type B CCK receptors, we examined in rats the ability of the type A (L 364718) and type B (L 365260) CCK receptor antagonists to 1) block the inhibition of glucose consumption produced by an intraperitoneal injection of 4 micrograms/kg of CCK and 2) increase glucose consumption in the absence of exogenous CCK after a 6-h daytime deprivation. Increasing dosages (10-100 micrograms/kg) of the type A CCK antagonist resulted in a dose-related blockade of the inhibition of intake produced by CCK, and the 100 micrograms/kg dose of the A antagonist significantly increased glucose intake above baseline levels. In contrast, no dose (10-1,000 micrograms/kg) of the B antagonist blocked the inhibitory action of exogenous CCK at any time point. In the absence of exogenous CCK, the 32 and 100 micrograms/kg doses of L 364718 increased intake above baseline levels. No dose (3.2-320 micrograms/kg) of the type B antagonist, L 365260, affected intake in this paradigm. These results suggest that the mediation of the feeding-inhibitory effects of exogenous and endogenous CCK are similar and depend upon activation of type A CCK receptors.

Central gustatory lesions: I. Preference and taste reactivity tests

Bilateral electrophysiologically guided lesions were placed in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST), the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), and the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus (VPMpc) of rats, and 15-min intake and taste reactivity (TR) responses elicited by 3 concentrations each of sucrose, NaCl, HCl, and quinine (Q) HCl were subsequently measured. Compared with controls, NST lesions had no significant effects on intake, and rats with PBN lesions consumed significantly more QHCl, sucrose, NaCl, and HCl. Thalamic lesions decreased sucrose intake. Analysis of TR responses showed that the QHCl threshold for aversive responses increased after VPMpc, PBN, and NST lesions. Rats with NST or PBN lesions were unresponsive to increasing sucrose concentration. TR responses elicited by NaCl and HCl were similar across the groups.

Gastric loads potentiate inhibition of food intake produced by a cholecystokinin analogue

We have proposed that cholecystokinin's (CCK) inhibition of gastric emptying contributes to its ability to inhibit food intake. To directly test this hypothesis in rats, the effect of the presence of a 5-ml gastric saline load on the ability of a long-acting cholecystokinin analogue U-67827E (0.1-10.0 nmol/kg) to inhibit intake of a 0.5 kcal/ml glucose solution was measured. The CCK analogue alone inhibited intake at a threshold dose of 2.5 nmol/kg. Although lower doses of the CCK analogue alone had no effect on subsequent glucose intake, when combined with the gastric load such doses did significantly inhibit intake. Thus the presence of a gastric load reduced the threshold dose of the CCK analogue required to inhibit intake. Furthermore, at suprathreshold doses, the peptide-load combination suppressed intake more than the peptide alone. In addition, administration of 0.5 and 5.0 nmol/kg doses of the CCK analogue inhibited gastric emptying at 10, 20, and 30 min in a dose-dependent fashion. The CCK analogue's inhibition of food intake and gastric emptying were reversed by pretreatment with 100 micrograms/kg L364,718, indicating that the analogue was having its effects by interacting with specific type A CCK receptors. Together these data support the notion that CCK satiety derives from an integration of the visceral afferent signals generated by CCK's promotion of gastric distension and those produced directly by CCK.

Changes in soluble carbonic anhydrase activity in response to maturation and NH4Cl loading in the rabbit

Maturation and systemic acidosis are two factors that stimulate urinary acidification. Proton secretion, CO2 handling, and some metabolic processes are facilitated by cytosolic carbonic anhydrase (CA). The activity of this enzyme in kidney, red blood cells (RBCs), and liver could be regulated in response to acid-base perturbations or maturation. Therefore, we investigated the effects of maturation and NH4Cl acid loading on soluble CA hydratase activity in RBCs, kidneys, and livers of female New Zealand White rabbits during three stages of maturation (neonatal, 4 wk, and adult). Total RBC CA activity doubled with maturation but did not increase after NH4Cl loading. There was substantial interindividual variation in the amount of CA I related activity. In the kidney we found intrinsic cortical CA II activity to be more than twice that in the outer medulla, which was more than twice that in the inner medulla. CA activity doubled with maturation in the cortex and increased by 70% in the outer medulla. Twenty hours after an NH4Cl load there was a 50% increase in renal cortical CA activity in 4-wk-old rabbits, but a comparable increase in cortical CA activity was only seen after 3-5 days of NH4Cl loading in adult animals. In the liver a third of cytosolic CA activity was acetazolamide resistant, presumably CA III, which doubled with maturation. Chronic NH4Cl loading in adult animals induced an almost 60% increase in hepatic acetazolamide-sensitive CA activity (mostly CA II). These data show that in the rabbit there is a renal corticomedullary gradient in soluble CA activity (mostly CA II), with significant activity in the inner medulla. Maturation induced total CA activity in the inner medulla. Maturation induced total CA activity in RBCs, CA II activity in kidney cortex and outer medulla, and CA III in the liver. Finally, CA II activity in kidney cortex and liver appeared to be regulated in response to some conditions of NH4Cl loading.

Gentamicin interval in newborn infants as determined by renal function and postconceptional age

We evaluated the relationship between gentamicin pharmacokinetics and glomerular filtration rate in newborn infants to estimate the appropriate interval of administration in neonates with renal insufficiency. Gentamicin half-life (Gt1/2) could be predicted from plasma creatinine concentration (PCr) (r = 0.78); the prediction was minimally but significantly increased (r = 0.81) by adding post-conceptional age to a multiple regression analysis. Infants with a postconceptional age of 29 weeks or more and a PCr of 1 mg/dl or more had significantly greater through and peak gentamicin levels than those with a PCr less than 1 mg/dl. If gentamicin is indicated in a patient with renal insufficiency, the interval of administration should be 2-3 Gt1/2, which can be estimated from PCr (Gt1/2 = 2.0 + 7.7 PCr). The interval can then be adjusted according to peak and trough gentamicin levels.

Case report 668. Carbonic anhydrase II deficiency syndrome (osteopetrosis associated with renal tubular acidosis and cerebral calcification)

A 4-month-old infant with bronchiolitis was found to have hyperdense bones on chest roentgenograms. The diagnosis of osteopetrosis was demonstrated by generalized increased radiological bone density and by a bone biopsy showing persistence of calcified cartilage. The infant also had a mixed proximal and distal renal tubular acidosis requiring as much as 12 mEq/kg per day of sodium bicarbonate. Measurement of his erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase activity revealed a deficiency of CA II. His parents showed values of CA activity that were intermediate between controls and the proband. Thus, this is a patient with the CA II deficiency syndrome; he is the youngest reported case without any family history of osteopetrosis to be diagnosed initially on the basis of his radiographic features.

Postnatal maturation of rabbit renal collecting duct. II. Morphological observations

The renal collecting duct exhibits cellular heterogeneity. An ultrastructural analysis of this nephron segment during maturation has been performed to determine morphological characteristics of developing principal and intercalated cells (IC). Apical surface features and cytoplasmic ultrastructure were best revealed by scanning electron microscopy and by transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Morphological maturity was assessed by comparing measurements of apical perimeter, vesicular profiles, and mitochondrial volume percent. In mature cortical collecting duct (CCD), approximately 30% of total cells were rich in mitochondria and generally dark in matrix staining, i.e., IC. Most IC in outer cortex were microvillated, whereas in inner cortex most IC were microplicated with interspersed microvilli. Only approximately 16% of cells in outer medullary collecting duct (OMCD, outer stripe) were IC, with light cytoplasm and large protruding apical surfaces covered exclusively with microplicae. Neonatal CCDs showed no IC in outer cortex; a single type of principal-like cell was found in outer cortical region. Neonatal IC in both CCDs and OMCDs showed smaller apical perimeters, vesicular volumes, and mitochondrial volume percents than did mature IC. Whereas the number of cortical IC was reduced in the newborn, IC were present in mature numbers in OMCD and appeared relatively more mature than did IC of CCD. Some (approximately 10%) of IC in neonatal CCD did not show an identifiable apical surface pattern. Principal cells from both newborn CCD and OMCD were also morphometrically immature. It is clear that the neonatal collecting duct undergoes postnatal proliferation and differentiation.

Integration of vagal afferent responses to gastric loads and cholecystokinin in rats

The neurophysiological responses to 2-ml intragastric saline loads and 100-pmol celiac artery infusions of cholecystokinin (CCK) were obtained from 20 vagal afferent fibers in 14 rats. Two groups of fibers were identified. Discharge rates of group I fibers (n = 16) were significantly increased by gastric loading, adapted slowly to maintained gastric volume, and were inhibited by load withdrawal. CCK elicited a significant increase in the discharge rate of these group I fibers. Prior exposure to CCK nearly doubled the response of these fibers to a subsequent gastric load. In contrast, group II fibers (n = 4) increased firing rate only during infusion of a gastric load and showed rapid adaptation and no response to CCK. CCK failed to alter subsequent responses to gastric loads in these fibers. These results 1) demonstrate an integration of signals elicited by exogenous CCK and gastric loads at the level of vagal afferent fibers and 2) imply that aspects of CCK's inhibition of food intake may derive from CCK's ability to mimic and amplify vagal afferent activity provoked by meal-related gastric events.