<i>Background: </i> Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) plays an important role in gastroduodenal disease. However, there are few data concerning the epidemiology of H.pylori in patients with chronic renal failure and on hemodialysis (HD) treatment. <i> Aim of the study: </i> This study is aimed to determine the epidemiology of H.pylori infection ...

Hypertension is one of the main factors contributing to morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients have been reported to have lower blood pressure (BP) in the first 6 months or so of treatment. After that, their BP can be the same or higher than that seen ...

BACKGROUND: We recently reported that haptoglobin (Hp) phenotype 1-1 is protective against the development of nephropathy in normal creatinine diabetics. In the present study, we sought to determine if Hp phenotype also plays a role in renal deterioration by determining Hp phenotypes in a consecutive series of patients with chronic ...

BACKGROUND: Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) used in antiretroviral therapy may cause mitochondrial toxicity. Mitochondrial dysfunction leads to disturbance of the glucose metabolism, resulting in an accumulation of L-lactate (L) and pyruvate (P), with an enhanced L/P ratio. OBJECTIVES: We analysed lactate and pyruvate blood samples of patients of our ...

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and hypertension and volume expansion are highly prevalent in long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The ADEMEX study made it clear that increased small-solute clearance does not lead to better outcomes. To manage the problem, current ...

Some anthropometric measurements are usually used to estimate the nutritional status of dialysis patients. The aim of our study was the comparison of some anthropometric measurements in patients adequately (from the clinical point of view) treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD). The study was performed on 40 chronic ...

BACKGROUND: Intradialytic hypotension (IH) has been long recognized as a common complication during hemodialysis (HD) therapy, but few studies have discussed IH-related myocardial injuries and the long-term prognosis of patients prone to IH (HP). METHODS: We conducted a prospective study on 70 chronic HD patients who had no recent occurrences ...

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) is a new prognostic indicator of acute coronary syndrome. This protein is elevated in hemodialysis (HD) patients and is closely related to inflammation and oxidative stress. The aim of our pilot study was to find out whether PAPP-A is related to mortality in HD patients. ...

Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the neurodegenerative process in Huntington's disease (HD). Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) enhances mitochondrial complex I activity and may therefore provide a therapeutic benefit in HD. We compared serum CoQ10 levels of previously untreated-and treated HD patients with those of healthy controls. CoQ10 did not significantly (ANCOVA F(dF ...

BACKGROUND: Amphotericin B is used commonly to treat fungal infections. Unfortunately, little information exists regarding the use of intravenous amphotericin B in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical course of patients receiving amphotericin B during hemodialysis (HD). Twenty-five episodes of systemic fungal infection occurring ...

We investigated the clinical condition and complications of patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and on hemodialysis (HD) for more than 12 years. This retrospective review was carried out in the renal unit of the Tung Wah Hospital, Hong Kong. Patients and Of 103 HD and 341 PD patients who started ...

The cell surface proteins CD20 and CD52 differ significantly in their structures and are expressed on the majority of B cells. Both circulating CD20 (cCD20) and circulating CD52 (cCD52) have been recently documented in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. A retrospective study to establish whether cCD20 and/or cCD52 were detectable ...

This retrospective study of impairments in a decentralized and integrated, routine Hansen's disease (HD) programme was done on a cohort of all new patients detected in Rondônia state from 1996 to 1999. It shows that the dynamics of impairments during treatment in Rondônia are similar to what has been published ...

BACKGROUND: Costs for treating patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have grown noticeably. However, most of the cost estimates to date have taken the perspective of the payers. Hence, direct costs of treating ESRD are not accurately known. METHODS: Files of all adult patients with ESRD who entered dialysis therapy ...

This study examined the impact of different dialysis treatments on the neuropsychological (NP) functioning of 145 end-stage renal disease patients. Hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients were administered an NP test battery and measures of mood on 2 consecutive days (pre- and 24 hr postdialysis). Biochemistry was assessed at ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Studies on the relationship between high serum urea nitrogen, creatinine and Helicobacter pylori infection in hemodialysis patients still give conflicting results. In the present study we investigated the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori positivity in patients with hemodialysis [HD(+)] and without hemodialysis [HD(-)] and assessed the relationship between clinical factors, ...

BACKGROUND: Up to now, for a successful buttonhole puncture of the vascular access vessel, the fistula should be punctured by the same experienced medical staff for 2-3 months, using sharp needles, until a fixed puncture route is established. METHODS: We developed a timesaving method to create the fixed puncture route ...

The factors affecting the clinical results after radial osteotomies for Kienböck's disease are unknown. In the current study, we reviewed the data of 41 patients treated with radial osteotomies for Kienböck's disease and analyzed which preoperative factors significantly affected the clinical results of these procedures. Lateral closing wedge osteotomies of ...

BACKGROUND: The management of anemia with erythropoietin (EPO) is important in the global treatment of dialysis patients. There is a general impression that anemia control with EPO is obtained more easily in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients than in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The EPO administration route has to be the same ...

BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional and follow-up studies on end-stage renal disease patients showed that arterial calcifications are associated with cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and are an independent predictor of all-cause and CV mortality. However, these studies did not examine the impact on prognosis according to the type of calcification, i.e. intimal vs medial. ...

Interest in quotidian (daily) hemodialysis (HD) is growing. Some advocate short-hours high-efficiency daily HD (SDH) and others long-hours slow-flow nocturnal HD (NH) while the patient is asleep, both being used 5 to 7 d/week. The London Daily/Nocturnal Hemodialysis Study was the first attempt to obtain data of SDH and NH ...

BACKGROUND: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are thought to be involved in many complications of end-stage renal disease. This study analyzed serum AGE level reduction rates and corresponding long-term changes in serum levels among different dialysis modes. METHODS: Eighty-one patients with chronic uremia were divided into 3 groups receiving conventional ...

BACKGROUND: Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a protein-bound solute, which is progressively retained in blood according to the decline of renal function. However, clinical relevance of excess IS in hemodialysis (HD) patients remains unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We measured serum IS and clinical parameters including pentosidine, carboxymethyllysine (CML) and homocysteine levels ...

In 2000 and 2001, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Clinical Performance Measures (CPM) project collected data on all in-center hemodialysis (HD) patients in the United States aged >or=12 and <18 years. There were 433 of 486 (89%) patients and 435 of 516 (84%) ...

BACKGROUND: An increased apoptotic rate of peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes (PBMLs) in haemodialysis (HD) patients has been reported in several studies, but its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Oxidant stress is a well known cause of cell damage, and several lines of evidence suggest that it might influence the induction ...

PURPOSE: Eales' disease (ED) is an idiopathic retinal inflammatory disease, which affects the retina of young adult males. Oxidative stress has been associated with the development of various inflammatory diseases. Accumulation of DNA oxidation products has been considered as an early biomarker for assessing oxidative tissue damage. To our knowledge ...

Oxidant stress may play a role in the accelerated pathology of patients on dialysis, especially in the development of cardiovascular disease, which is a frequent condition in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Measurement of hydrocarbons can be employed to assess oxidant stress since breath hydrocarbons have been directly traced to ...

OBJECTIVE: Choreic movements of patients with Huntington's disease (HD) may result from an abnormal control of sensory inputs. In order to further examine the pathophysiology of facial choreic movements (FCM), we carried out a neurophysiological study, including prepulse inhibition of the blink reflex (BR), in HD patients with and without ...

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a common problem in hemodialysis (HD) patients and one of the most important factors influencing morbidity and mortality. More frequent HD has been shown to improve nutritional status in HD patients. METHODS: The London Daily/Nocturnal Hemodialysis Study compared the nutritional status of patients receiving quotidian HD, either ...

BACKGROUND: Increased interest in quotidian hemodialysis (HD) programs requires that nephrology nurses have a larger role in transitioning patients to more frequent HD. Nursing issues include the selection, training, and education of patients before they begin more frequent HD therapy. METHODS: The London Daily/Nocturnal Hemodialysis Study directly compared data from ...

AIMS: Dysfunctional endothelium caused by oxidative stress is thought to play a role in pathogenesis of a variety of conditions including atherosclerosis. We investigated whether a microcirculatory disturbance in hemodialysis (HD) patients was associated with increased oxidative stress and endothelial injury. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO2) on the ...

To determine the prevalence and severity of carotid artery lesions and which risk factors might be responsible for atherosclerosis in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, we tested for carotid atherosclerosis (CA) by ultrasonography and compared the CA prevalence with well-known or suspected atherosclerotic risk factors in 226 hemodialysis (HD) patients ...

BACKGROUND: We studied whether predialysis serum levels of positive acute phase markers such as alpha1-antitrypsin (AT), and complement components C3 and C4 could identify the presence of chronic inflammation in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS/RESULTS: In 103 stable HD patients, AT directly correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP) (P < 0.005), ...

Kidney transplantation (Tx) improves the cardiovascular outcome of patients receiving hemodialysis (HD). Therefore, we asked whether Tx improves the endothelial dysfunction of HD patients. Eight patients were studied twice: (1) during HD and (2) after Tx. We also studied eight matched control subjects. We measured forearm blood flow by venous ...

BACKGROUND: Several factors suggest that the presence of vascular calcification (VC) is associated with a high risk of cardiac events in uremic patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of VC on cardiac morbidity and mortality in our hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: We studied 79 patients ...

The study reports on plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) levels in Tunisian patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) and those treated with hemodialysis (HD) and renal transplant (RT). The aims of the study were to identify the determinants of tHcy concentration and to test the association between hyperhomocysteinemia and atherothrombotic disease ...

Second malignancies are frequent complications in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Hodgkin's disease (HD) has been observed in approximately 0.5% of the patients with CLL and is known as Hodgkin's type Richter's syndrome (H-RS). We present a 64-year-old male patient with a familial history of CLL who developed H-RS ...

BACKGROUND: Uraemic odour is a characteristic feature of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, few investigations have been carried out into the composition of exhaled air in ESRD patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD). Increases of exhaled isoprene levels by a factor of up to 2.7 following HD have been reported. ...

AIM: Increased blood pressure variability (BPV) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is proved to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease [Tozawa et al. 1999]. The effect of ultrafiltration (UF) on BPV in hemodialysis (HD) patients has not been reported in the literature. This study was undertaken to define ...

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is rarely associated with Hodgkin's disease (HD). We report a case of nodular sclerosis HD in a patient previously diagnosed with CLL. Reed-Sternberg cells were CD15(+) and CD30(+). He was treated with dose-escalated CHOP and at relapse, mitoxantrone, vinblastine, and CCNU (MVC) with partial response to ...

There is mounting evidence indicating that reactive free radical species (FRs) are involved in initiation and development of many different forms of human pathologies including psychiatric disorders. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether antioxidant enzyme (glutathione peroxidase, GSH-Px; superoxide dismutase, SOD and catalase, CAT) activities and malondialdehyde ...

A large left-sided pleural effusion occurred in a 12-year-old end-stage renal disease patient undergoing chronic hemodialysis (HD). The fluid had physical and laboratory characteristics of chylothorax (CHTX) and was probably related to the multiple HD accesses placed in the neck area. Initially, thoracenteses were performed and the fluid discarded. Subsequently, ...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The etiology of Hirschsprung's-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) is unknown. Previous investigations have suggested that abnormal production of mucins may have an etiologic role. Recently, a series of mucin genes have been identified. MUC-2 is the predominant mucin expressed in humans. The authors have shown previously in vitro that use of ...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Rectal biopsies are performed as a definitive means of diagnosing Hirschsprung's Disease (HD) in children presenting with constipation. The authors hypothesized that key features in the history, physical examination, and radiographic evaluation would allow us to avoid unnecessary rectal biopsies. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients undergoing ...

BACKGROUND: Quantitative or qualitative abnormalities of erythroid progenitors in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) could be the major factor for recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) hyporesponsiveness and severe anemia in hemodialysis (HD) patients receiving rHuEPO therapy. METHODS: Purified 1 x 10(4) circulating CD34+ cells isolated from rHuEPO-hyporesponsive HD patients (EPO-H; ...

BACKGROUND: Cerebrovascular diseases are very common in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Silent cerebral infarction (SCI) has not been investigated in HD patients although it may be a significant risk factor for cerebrovascular diseases. HYPOTHESIS: Chronic renal failure may be an independent risk factor for SCI and cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS: Cranial magnetic ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The concomitant presence of hyperhomocysteinemia and oxidative stress may represent a determinant factor for the occurrence of vascular alterations and cardiac diseases, the main cause of death among dialysis patients. The aim was to analyze the occurrence of hyperhomocysteinemia and oxidative stress and their possible relationship in dialysis patients. ...

BACKGROUND: Many reports indicate that a high homocysteine (Hcy) level is a potential risk factor for such thrombotic diseases as arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and cerebral infarction in healthy individuals or hemodialysis (HD) patients. The methylentetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism has been reported to be closely related to plasma Hcy level. ...

BACKGROUND: One of the complications of hemodialysis (HD) therapy is anemia caused by erythropoietin (EPO) deficiency. Recombinant EPO (rEPO) has been used routinely as a supplemental treatment. Erythrocyte expression of the complement regulatory proteins decay accelerating factor (DAF) and CD59 restricts complement activation and inhibits hemolysis. We hypothesized that the ...

BACKGROUND: Recently emerging evidence suggests that endothelial adhesion molecules may participate in atherogenesis. The aim of the present report was to investigate the probable association of circulating ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin with atherosclerotic disease in chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: One hundred and twelve HD patients and 50 age- and ...