The American journal of physiology
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The rapidity with which lung growth is initiated and completed after pneumonectomy was examined in young rats (4 wk of age; 82 g). After left pneumonectomy, the remaining lobes of the right lung grew to equal the weight of both lungs of control animals by day 7 and within 14 days increased from 366 to 968 mg. The tissue concentrations of RNA, DNA phosphate, collagen, and noncollagen proteins did not increase during the growth response. ⋯ Although cell size increased in control lungs during the experimental period, there was little evidence of additional cellular hypertrophy associated with compensatory lung growth. The character of the response to pneumonectomy in these rats was similar to that observed previously in older animals (320 g). Thus in spite of the higher basal rate of lung growth in the younger rats, the pattern and rapidity of compensation after pneumonectomy was similar in both age groups.
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Recent studies have suggested that potassium, like urea, undergoes medullary recycling. The present cortical and papillary micropuncture studies were designed to confirm the existence of medullary potassium recycling and to determine whether acute infusions of aldosterone affected this phenomenon. ⋯ The clearance results demonstrated that aldosterone has an acute antinatriuretic and a kaliuretic effect, whereas the micropuncture studies demonstrated that 1) aldosterone increases potassium secretion between early and late distal tubule punctures; 2) aldosterone causes an increase in delivery of potassium to the papillary collecting duct; 3) aldosterone does not increase potassium secretion across the papillary collecting duct; and 4) aldosterone significantly increases medullary potassium recycling as evidenced by increased quantities of potassium present at the bend of the loop of Henle in response to aldosterone infusions. Thus, the studies confirm the existence of potassium recycling and suggest that this phenomenon is a feedback system that, in part, regulates urinary potassium excretion.