Effect of intravenous alfacalcidol on lymphocyte phenotyping in hemodialysis patients.

Chronic renal failure is associated with decreased production of active vitamin D and also results in altered lymphocyte population. We studied the effect of alfacalcidol on lymphocyte phenotype. There were 15 patients (10 males, 5 females) with a mean age of 54.

Pseudotumor cerebri in renal transplant recipients: a diagnostic challenge.

We describe two patients with renal transplants who developed pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) in the course of their follow-up. They illustrate the diagnostic challenge in such situations. Patients with renal transplants usually have many other associated conditions which may lead to headache, visual disturbances or papilledema.

Rifampicin-induced acute renal failure: a case report.

Acute oliguric renal failure (ARF) developed in a patient two weeks after he was started on intermittent anti-tuberculous therapy including rifampicin. The clinical picture was compatible with acute allergic interstitial nephritis. Renal histology revealed mainly acute tubular necrosis with mild tubulo-interstitial mononuclear cellular infiltrate.

An unusual cause of recurrent bacteriuria in a kidney transplant recipient.

A 17-year old Saudi male presented to the transplant clinic of the King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Riyadh two weeks after undergoing a living unrelated kidney transplant in India. Graft function was normal and routine urine culture grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa for which he was treated; a follow-up urine culture was negative. Five months later, routine urine culture again documented the presence of Pseudomonas while the patient continued to be asymptomatic with normal graft function.

Comparative effects of enalapril and nifedipine on renal hemodynamics in hypertensive renal allograft recipients.

The comparative effects of enalapril (E) and nifedipine (N) on renal hemodynamics were assessed in twenty-two moderately hypertensive, cadaveric renal transplant patients who were maintaining stable renal function. Fourteen patients were on cyclosporin (CSA) and eight were receiving azathioprine with prednisolone (AZA). In each patient effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) was determined four times, first baseline, second with E, third as another baseline after a washout period, and fourth with N; and renal vascular resistance (RVR) was derived in each.

Acyclovir-induced acute tubulo-interstitial nephritis.

Two patients with presumed herpes simplex encephalitis developed severe non-oliguric acute renal failure shortly after acyclovir infusions. Renal function returned to normal in less than 3 weeks after discontinuation of acyclovir. Renal biopsies done during the acute phase demonstrated interstitial oedema, eosinophils and cellular aggregates in both and granulomata in the second case suggesting acyclovir-induced hypersensitivity interstitial nephritis.

Short-term effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril in incipient diabetic nephropathy.

The short-term effect (2 weeks) of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (enalapril) on renal hemodynamics and urinary albumin excretion was investigated in eleven normotensive patients with incipient diabetic nephropathy (IDN). Six patients had had elevated baseline glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and each responded to enalapril with a decline in the GFR, from a mean of 160.7 to 134 ml/min/1.

Renal diseases in Kuwait. Experience with 244 renal biopsies.

The biopsy slides and clinical data on 244 patients who underwent percutaneous renal biopsies in the last 4 years in Kuwait were retrospectively reviewed. The data were analysed to show a correlation between clinical presentation and histological findings. We noted a high incidence of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) presenting as nephrotic syndrome in association with schistosomal infection, an endemic disease in many of the neighbouring countries.

Incidence of peritonitis, distribution of causative bacteria and outcome in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in Kuwait.

In 28 CAPD patients in Kuwait, 69 peritonitis episodes occurred in an observation period of 311 patient treatment months (1 episode per 4.5 PTM). Microorganisms were isolated 53 times (gram-positive 34, gram-negative 17, fungi 2).

Amelioration of hypoxia-induced lactic acidosis by superimposed hypercapnea or hydrochloric acid infusion.

Recent studies have shown that ketoacid production is exquisitely sensitive to changes in systemic pH, with a decrease inhibiting and an increase stimulating the production rate. To determine whether inhibition of net endogenous acid production is a widely applicable mechanism for the defense of acid-base homeostasis, we examined the effect of superimposed acidosis on lactic acid production by hypoxic rats. Anesthetized paralyzed mechanically ventilated rats with normocapnia increased blood lactate progressively in response to a fractional inspired O2 (FIO2) of 8% (PaO2, 35-38 mmHg) and achieved a level of 7.