Urinary retention is a frequent feature in patients with acute myelitis (AM). We here describe the result of a survey of 32 consecutive AM patients as to what extent of AM patients initially present with micturition disturbance. Among those, 3 patients (9%) were shown to have urinary retention as the ...

Recent studies indicate that adding the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone (SP) to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or ACEI and angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), which is known as a triple blockade, enhances the more beneficial effects on urinary protein excretion of patients with chronic kidney diseases. In this study, we ...

BACKGROUND: Recently, two excellent methods have been used for the diagnosis of Legionnaires' disease: urinary antigen detection and PCR. The purpose of the present study is to analyze and evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of three different urinary antigen detection kits as well as PCR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total ...

To determine the prevalence, clinical manifestations, and laboratory features of Neuro-Behcet`s disease. This prospective study was carried out in the Behcet`s Research Clinic in Shiraz (south-west Iran) and included the patients referred from 1990-1999. The patients` clinical records, images, CSF analyses, and electrodiagnostic studies were reviewed. Eighteen (15 males and ...

BACKGROUND: Diuretics are commonly used in the intensive care unit (ICU) for patients with fluid over-loading. Hypoalbuminemia is a major cause of diuretic resistance. Albumin mixed with furosemide can promote diuresis and sodium excretion in patients with hypoalbuminemia. The purpose of this study is to compare the diuretic effect of ...

OBJECTIVE: Chromogranin A (CgA) is the most accurate general marker of neuroendocrine tumours. Supranormal CgA concentrations have been recorded in patients with tumours of neuroectodermal origin such as phaeochromocytoma and paraganglioma. DESIGN: The present study was performed to assess the role of CgA determination in the management of patients with ...

We have studied the incidence of deep wound infection after hip fracture surgery and its relationship to urinary catheterisation. Infection after hemiarthroplasty occurred in 16/949 cases and 10/1,143 sliding hip screw fixations. No cases of deep sepsis were seen for the 203 patients treated with an intramedullary nail or the ...

To enable male patients to undergo uroflowmetry in a private condition without medical supervision, we devised an automatic switching and patient guidance system for the spinning disk uroflowmeter Urodyn 1000, using two commercial electronic devices (an infrared motion sensor tap and a memorizable vacuum fluorescent display). Instead of running the ...

Increased urinary calcium excretion commonly is found in patients with hypertension and kidney stone disease (KSD). This study investigated the aggregation of hypertension and KSD in families of patients with KSD and hypercalciuria and explored whether obesity, excessive weight gain, and diabetes, commonly related conditions, also aggregate in these families. ...

Acute pyelonephritis is a common complication of kidney transplantation, occurring in up to 1% of grafts. Diagnosis is mainly clinical and atypical presentations have seldom been reported. The diagnostic role of imaging techniques has not been defined. Five cases of acute graft pyelonephritis are reported (three kidney, two pancreas-kidney grafts). ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are at high risk from the nephrotoxic effects of intravenous antibiotics due to repeated and prolonged courses of therapy. Routine methods of monitoring renal injury are insensitive. N-acetyl-b-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) is a lysosomal enzyme present in the renal proximal tubular cells, with increased excretion an ...

Urine metabolic profiles of patients with inborn errors of metabolism were examined with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) methods. Spectra obtained from the study of urine samples from individual patients with argininosuccinic aciduria (ASA), classic homocystinuria (HCY), classic methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), maple syrup urine ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the progression of mucopolysaccharidosis II in 11 Brazilian patients over a 12-month period. METHODS: Eleven Brazilian patients with mucopolysaccharidosis II were prospectively studied at the Division of Medical Genetics of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. The initial assessment and the assessment at 12 months included: anamnesis, ...

The aim of the study was to assess the utility of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in blood and urine for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). We prospectively evaluated the usefulness of PCR performed in blood and urine samples from patients with proved or probable TB compared with a ...

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to characterize the patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. STUDY DESIGN: Basic data of personal history and history of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis, lower genital tract symptoms and signs in 50 patients were analyzed in this longitudinal follow-up study including the determination of midluteal serum progesterone and ...

BACKGROUND: The proximal kidney tubule contains a large number of lysosomes involved in the breakdown of intracellular as well as reabsorbed proteins. When tubular protein reabsorption is overburdened or when there is tubular cell damage, higher urinary excretion of lysosomal enzymes, e.g. cathepsins and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), can be found. We ...

Although hyponatremia frequently occurs in Kawasaki disease (KD), the clinical characteristics of KD patients with hyponatremia and the pathogenesis of hyponatremia in KD remain unknown. The aims of this study were to define the clinical characteristics of KD patients with hyponatremia (serum sodium <135 mEq/l) and to determine the factors ...

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the prevalence of disease as determined by age, sex and the degree of haematuria at presentation, and to ascertain the merits of using ultrasonography (US), i.v. urography (IVU) or both when imaging the upper urinary tract, in a prospective cohort of patients attending a protocol-based haematuria clinic. ...

Porphyria experts concur that acute attacks of AIP, VP and HCP, are invariably associated with increases in urinary PBG. Reports differ, however, as to the amount of increase indicative of an acute attack. Some authors consider excretion of at least 25-fold the upper level of normal, as indicative, whereas others ...

OBJECTIVE: Reactive thrombocytosis can be found in patients with different types of infections, including upper urinary tract infection (UTI). In this study, we determined whether thrombocytosis in patients with upper UTI is a random phenomenon or is related to complications associated with the UTI. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of ...

Findings of ultrasound examination of the urinary tract and changes in clinical management, which were instituted on the basis of ultrasound examination, were compared between two groups of spinal cord injury patients. Group 1 had no urinary symptoms when they underwent the scan, whereas group 2 was comprised of patients ...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) in newborns with asymptomatic, unexplained indirect hyperbilirubinemia in the first two weeks of life. Jaundiced infants, otherwise clinically well, less than two weeks of ages, with a total bilirubin level above 15 mg/dl were eligible ...

AIMS: Focal glomerulosclerosis (FGS) and minor glomerular abnormalities are kidney diseases characterized by massive proteinuria. Urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP), an intracellular carrier protein of free fatty acids, is expressed in proximal tubules of the human kidney. Patients with FGS show significant improvement with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis. The ...

The response to steroid therapy is used to characterize the idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) of childhood as either steroid-sensitive (SSNS) or steroid-resistant (SRNS), a classification with a better prognostic capability than renal biopsy. The majority (approximately 80%) of INS is due to minimal change disease but the percentage of focal ...

In some patients polyomavirus replication induces chronic tubulointerstitial inflammation in the transplanted kidney. The aim of this study was to investigate whether immunocytological urinalysis and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) assays could be used for an early diagnosis of nephropathy for patients with polyomavirus replication. We analyzed 1189 urine sediments from ...

OBJECTIVE: Idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH) is a metabolic risk factor in patients with urinary calcium stones and implicated in 30%-50% of all urinary stone diseases. Clinical manifestations and distribution of types of IH are reviewed, as well as current treatment methods and long-term outcomes. PATIENTS: A total of 131 patients (70 ...

Although its etiology remains unknown, the increased production of reactive oxygen species in Behçet's disease (BD) have been reported. Furthermore, it has been suggested that vascular and endothelial tissue damage seen in BD is related to elevated reactive oxygen species generated by activated neutrophils from BD patients. To investigate the ...

A retrospective chart review was performed on 54 patients with positive urine cultures during a 1-year period to assess the clinical significance of Aerococcus urinae. Based on predetermined criteria, patients were classified into 2 groups: those with urinary tract infections (UTIs) and those who were considered colonized. The majority of ...

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is a common disease in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and predisposes to heart disease, stroke, and progression of renal failure. In the general population, sodium restriction has been shown to improve blood pressure (BP) control, but this is not widely recommended in CKD patients. The aim ...

Serum creatinine is not an ideal marker of renal function in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). Previous studies demonstrated that urinary IL-18 is increased in human AKI. Thus, whether urine IL-18 is an early diagnostic marker of AKI was investigated. A nested case-control study was performed within the Acute ...

BACKGROUND: The relationship between the progress of tubular damage and renal insufficiency in autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a subject of doubtless interest, and is the object of this present work. METHODS: A total of 92 adult ADPKD patients of both genders were studied, none of which presented end-stage ...

Hypercalciuria is an important and common risk factor in the formation of renal stones. In this study we evaluated the incidence and the clinical presentation of hypercalciuria in 75 children over 5 years of age with the diagnosis of recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI). We measured random urinary calcium/creatinine value ...

Six patients being evaluated for phaeochromocytoma had misleading investigative findings: all initially had raised urinary catecholamine levels, and five had adrenal masses on imaging studies. Adrenalectomy in these five patients revealed only one pathologically confirmed phaeochromocytoma. Tricyclic antidepressant use produced misleading elevations in urinary catecholamine levels in three patients. 24-hour ...

PURPOSE: If most patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) have epithelial leakage allowing urinary K to penetrate the interstitium and provoke symptoms, urinary K should be lower in untreated patients than in healthy subjects and it should increase with successful heparinoid treatment. This study tested these hypotheses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Na, ...

BACKGROUND: Acute urinary retention following major joint arthroplasty is common. It does necessitate instrumentation, puts patients at risk of complications, and causes discomfort and embarrassment. The aim of the study was to find a test to help the surgeon to predict the possibility of acute retention of urine. METHODS: Male ...

Background: Kidney's functional and anatomical changes reversibility of after treatment of partial ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) is not defined well. Therefore, in this clinical trial study, we've evaluated these changes. Methods: In a clinical trial study with non randomized-simple sampling, 32 patients with chronic partial obstruction of urinary tract due ...

In some malignant disorders, it was reported that urinary albumin excretion (UAE) was correlated with the prognosis and the extent of the disease. In this study, 24-h UAE was determined in 34 Hodgkin's disease patients without prior treatment and 19 healthy controls. Microalbuminuria (MAU) was defined as UAE > or ...

Slightly increased urinary albumin excretion is frequently found in patients with lymphoma and other malignancies but the pathophysiological mechanisms have yet to be clarified. In this study, parameters of renal function in lymphoma patients with microalbuminuria were evaluated. Sixty-seven patients with histologically proven diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were included in ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of catecholamine excess and phaeochromocytomas in a well-defined population of people with hereditary head and neck paragangliomas. METHODS: We studied in a prospective follow-up protocol all consecutive patients referred to the Department of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, ...

The prognostic importance of baseline urines for cocaine was examined in a randomized, placebo-controlled, twelve-week clinical trial in 165 opioid- and cocaine-dependent patients who were treated with desipramine (DMI) in combination with buprenorphine (BUP) or methadone (Meth). Patients with a cocaine-positive urine at baseline (CU+) had significantly fewer cocaine-free urines ...

Increased activity of urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) can be used as an early indicator of damage to the tubular epithelium. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune rheumatic disease. Nephritis is known as the most serious complication of SLE and the strongest predictor of poor outcome. In this study urinary ...

In this study of 26 patients, clinical features diagnosed as urinary tuberculosis in our nephrology and urology clinics between 1993 and 2002 were investigated retrospectively. Fifteen patients (52%) were male, and mean age was 43.5 (18-71). Twenty percent of the patients were asymptomatic. Frequency-dysuria (46%), flank pain (33%), and macroscopic ...

Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), resulting from a deficiency of porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) in heme biosynthesis, is genetically heterogeneous and manifests with variable penetrance. The clinical outcome, prognosis, and correlation between PBGD genotype and phenotype were investigated in 143 Finnish and Russian AIP patients with 10 mutations (33G-->T, 97delA, InsAlu333, R149X, ...

We have recently shown that mineralocorticoid receptor blockade may represent optimal therapy for patients with early diabetic nephropathy who show aldosterone breakthrough during angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor treatment, and who no longer show the maximal antiproteinuric effects of ACE inhibition. In this study, we explored the effects of the mineralocorticoid ...

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic investigation in patients with urinary lithiasis is very important for preventing recurrence of disease. The objective of this work was to diagnose and to determine the prevalence of metabolic disorders, to assess the quality of the water consumed and volume of diuresis as potential risk factors for this ...

Severe sepsis is known to cause multiple organ failure, including renal dysfunction. During sepsis, endotoxin targets the renal proximal tubular cells, the function of which can be evaluated on the basis of urinary N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG). We investigated whether urinary NAG activity is altered in patients with severe sepsis and whether ...

BACKGROUND: Anorexia nervosa (AN) has been associated with abnormal osmoregulation and impaired urinary concentrating capacity. Conflicting results suggest that the disorder may be related to hypothalamic dysfunction and/or a primary renal defect. The role of antidepressants, which are increasingly prescribed in AN patients, has not been evaluated. METHODS: We analysed ...

OBJECTIVE: Malnourished patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) can develop pellagra-like manifestations such as dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia; therefore, we tested the hypothesis that patients with AIDS and diarrhea would have niacin depletion. This study compared 24-h urine excretion of N1-methyl-nicotinamide (N1MN) among patients with pellagra and patients with ...

This paper presents data collected by a Brazilian center in a multinational multicenter observational study of patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (MPS VI), aiming at determining the epidemiological, clinical, and biochemical profile of these patients. Twenty-eight south-American patients with MPS VI were evaluated through medical interview, physical exam, echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, ...

BACKGROUND: Vasoactive peptides produced by neuroendocrine tumors can induce characteristic symptoms of the carcinoid syndrome (flushing, diarrhea, and wheezing). To what extent external factors provoke these symptoms and how excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), the degradation product of serotonin, varies throughout the day remain unknown. In this study, we investigated ...