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In 25 men with acute myocardial infarction simultaneous determinations of free fatty acid (FFA), noradrenaline, and adrenaline were made in blood samples obtained on the 1st and the ioth day after the acute attack. In the acute phase of myocardial infarction the levels of FFA and noradrenaline were significantly higher than on the ioth day of illness and revealed a highly significant positive correlation. The blood adrenaline levels were not significantly raised and did not correlate with the FFA levels. Patients and methods Twenty-five men with acute myocardial infarction, consecutively admitted to the coronary care unit, were studied. The age range was 35-65 years, with a mean of 5I-4 years. The diagnosis of myocardial infarction was based on the clinical picture, typical electrocardiographic findings, and raised enzyme levels. None of the patients received heparin, corticosteroids, clofibrate, glucose infusions, or other drugs which might have influenced the parameters studied. None of the patients had a history of diabetes mellitus. The patients were continuously monitored with an oscilloscope, with frequent pulse and blood pressure measurements. The venous blood samples of about 25 ml were obtained within I2 hours from the onset of the acute attack, at least 5 hours after a meal. The infarction was transmural in 22 patients and subendocardial in 3 patients. The localization of the infarction was anterior in 8 patients, anterolateral and inferolateral in 2 patients each, and inferior in 8 patients. None of the patients had evidence of shock. Four patients gave a history of hypertension. In 4 patients the systolic blood pressure was i6o mmHg or higher, and in IO patients the diastolic blood pressure equalled or exceeded 95 mmHg at the time of blood collection.Various degrees of heart failure were found in i8 patients; in I2 of them the symptoms of heart

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In 106 patients with essential hyp3rtension and different plasma renin activity several hormonal and metabolic factors were studied: urinary excretion of catecholamines, blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, levels of glycaemia and insulinaemia after glucose load and plasma fibrinolytic activity. The plasma renin activity in 46-2 per cent ofpatients was normal, whereas in 25-5 per cent it was low, and in 28-3 per cent it was high. In patients with high plasma renin activity the excretion of noradrenaline and adrenaline was relatively high while that of dopamine was low. Significantly lower triglyceride levels were found in patients with low plasma renin activity in comparison with those with high and normal plasma renin activity. There was also a statistically significant difference in the euglobulin lysis time which was shortest in patients with low and longest in patients with normal plasma renin activity. The results of the study show that patients with different plasma renin activity may also differ in some hormonal and metabolic values.It has been shown recently that patients with Patients and methods essential hypertension do not represent a homogeneous population in relation to humoral factors The investigations were carried out in 106 patients (Brunner et al., 1972;DeQuattro and Miura, 1973; with essential hypertension, 41 women and 65 men, Laragh, 1973;Januszewicz and Wocial, 1975). aged 19 to 59 years. The diagnosis of essential Particular attention has been paid to the observa-hypertension was based on the clinical picture and tion that patients with essential hypertension differ special laboratory tests and radiological methods to in relation to plasma renin activity. It was found: exclude secondary forms of hypertension. All that the activity of this enzyme was normal in about patients were in hospital and remained on a standard 50 to 60 per cent of patients, while in others it was diet. They did not receive any hypotensive drugs low or high (Brunner et al., 1972; Crane et al., and other drugs which might have influenced the 1972). Brunner et al. (1972Brunner et al. ( , 1973 suggested that values for at least 3 weeks before the study. patients with different plasma renin activity Plasma renin activity was measured by radiodiffered also in relation to the clinical course of immunoassay of angiotensin I using CEA-IREhypertension and the incidence of cardiovascular SORIN kits. The patients were divided into 3 complications. Though this interesting observation groups on the basis of plasma renin activity; the was not confirmed by other authors (Doyle et al., arithmetic mean of plasma renin activity obtained 1973;Mroczek et al., 1973) it gave an impetus for in the control group of 20 healthy people ± 1 SD was further research to elucidate the relation between accepted as a criterion of division; 49 patients humoral factors and the clinical course of essential (46%) were defined as having normal plasma renin hypertension.activity, 27 patients (26 %) had low, and 30 patients The aim of the present...