Based on the evaluation of plasma renin activity (PRA) responses to the two different maneuvers designed to produce hypovolemia; furosemide administration and dietary salt restriction, 12 hypertensive patients with a sup-pressed PRA were screened from 38 patients with benign essential hypertension. Urinary levels of aldosterone in these 12 patients were within normal limits. In five (group A) of 12 patients with a suppressed PRA the pattern of sodium excretion following salt restriction resembled that of five patients with primary aldosteronism. On the other hand, the remaining 7 patients (group B) showed the same pattern of sodium excretion following salt restriction as that of normotensive patients. All the patients of group A became normotensive within two weeks with spironolactone therapy with significant increases in the serum levels of potassium and PRA, while the patients of group B had an insignificant reduction of blood pressure without any changes in the serum levels of potassium and PRA for 7 weeks after spironolactone therapy. From these results it was suggested that there were at least two types of hypertension with a suppressed PRA, one was mineralocorticoid (other than aldosterone)-dependent (group A) and other one was not (group B).

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1) A new technique of kinetocardiogram (S-KCG) by using a straingauge was introduced to measure the absolute precordial movement. 2) The device had a constant frequency-response curve within the range lower than 15 Hz, linear relationship between the given displacement and the recorded amplitude and infinite time constant. 3) The influences of intervening soft tissue on the record could be avoided by the pressure (700 gram) on the chest wall applied through the pickup device. 4) The recorded tracings were consisted of 5 main components: atria wave ("a"), preejection wave and ejection wave (PE and E), midsystolic outward movement (MOM), recoil movement at the time of second heart sound (R), rapid and slow filling wave (rF and sF). A magnitude of a wave was expressed as "a" wave ratio to the total maximum deflection (a/TD). 5) Various changes in the configuration of S-KCG in altered hemodynamics which were induced by amyl nitrite inhalation, β-stimulant injection, arrhythmias and various congenital and acquired heart diseases were demonstrated. 6) Absolute amplitude of "a " wave as well as a/TD increased under the conditions of both pressure, and volume overload in the left atrium. In mitral stenosis, there was significant positive correlation between a/TD and the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. 7) The direct measurement of isovolumetric contraction time could be possible by measuring the PE-E interval. 8) Several possible mechanism and genesis of MOM wave were discussed. 9) It was concluded that the S-KCG is useful in the evaluation of the synchrony of the contraction.

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Object: The blood vessels of eye grounds is the only vessel, which can be seen directly under physio-logical conditions, and is considered important since it is the terminal blood vessel system from the inner carotid artery and a part of the blood vessels. The development of eye ground cameras makes possible the calculative observation of the reactivity of retinal blood vessels and contributes to the diagnosis of disorders of cerebral blood vessels. There have been many studies on cerebral circulation or metabolism. However are only a few reports on the comparison of the reactivity of retinal blood vessels and cerebral blood vessels in the same subjects and especially a complete report on the comparison of the reactivity of the blood vessels in the same patients with the same agents is not found. The author has attempted in this study to elucidate the significance of retinal blood vessels in the diagnosis of cerebral arteriosclerosis, by measuring retinal hemodynamics at a resting state and with vasoacting drugs and compared the results with the cerebral vascular reaction to the same agents in the same patients. Method and Materials: After mydriasis with noesynegyn, the eye ground was photographed by an eye ground camera and the diameters of retinal blood vessels were measured with the indirect method. The retinal central arterial pressure and brachial arterial pressure were measured and the retinal blood flow and the retinal vascular resistance before and after administration of various vasoacting drugs were calculated by the Mikuni's method which makes use of the Hagen Poiseuille rule. In some of the patients, the change of cerebral hemodynamics due to the same vasoacting agents were measured by cerebral vein catheter and the N₂O method to compare the reactions. In one hundred and eighty-two cases (age 17-76 years old, male 111, female 71) the retinal hemodynamics in a resting state were measured. In 116 of these cases, the reaction to various vasoacting drugs were observed. In addition, in 18 cases, the changes of cerebral hemodynamics were measured also.

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In an attempt to elucidate pathophysiology of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage, the changes of the blood pressure were studied in relation to prognosis, localization or volume of hematoma, elapsed time from attack, and pressure of cerebrospinal fluid in the patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. The changes of plasma serotonin content and blood pressure were also studied in the dogs with experimental intracerebral hemorrhage. In the patients the localization of hematoma either assumed by ultrasonic diagnosis, cerebral angiography and neurological examination, or confirmed by operation or autopsy. An experimental intracerebral hemorrhage was produced by destruction in the brain of the dogs with reversible mass pressing method. The destructive lesion was produced by the balloon which was inserted into the brain through a small perforation drilled on the skull and inflated with an air rapidly. In both clinical and experimental cases, localization of hematoma was classified into the four group according to Scheinker's classification. The blood pressure on stroke were measured within 1 hour from attack in all patients. In the clinical research the following results were obtained: 1. Blood pressure on stroke was 160-300/90-150 mmHg, and had descended with the lapse of time. 2. On stroke, blood pressure in lateral type was higher than that in combined type or pontine hemorrhage, and the difference of blood pressure in these types disappeared gradually. 3. On stroke, there was no close relation between systolic pressure and prognosis, while the prognosis in cases with extreme low diastolic pressure was unfavorable. 4. There was no relation between blood pressure and volume of hematoma or the pressure of cerebrospinal fluid.

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