Calprotectin is a contributor to and potential therapeutic target for vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease.

Vascular calcification is an important risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is also a complex process involving osteochondrogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and abnormal deposition of minerals in the vascular wall. In an observational, multicenter European study, including 112 patients with CKD from Spain and 171 patients on dialysis from France, we used serum proteome analysis and further validation by ELISA to identify calprotectin, a circulating damage-associated molecular pattern protein, as being independently associated with CV outcome and mortality.

Functional status of chronic renal replacement therapy in elderly patients--comparison between hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

Unlabelled: Nowadays, nephrologists are confronted with an increasing number of elderly patients diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in need of dialysis. The benefits of renal replacement therapy are uncertain in this group of patients. Most studies show that the quality of life and survival of elderly dialyzed patients are worse than in younger patients because of multiple comorbidities.

Comparative evolution of hemodialysis vs. peritoneal dialysis in elderly.

Unlabelled: The prevalence of treated patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has considerably increased in the last decade mainly in the elderly age groups. The type of optimal mode of dialysis therapy in elderly is difficult to establish and most studies comparing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in elderly failed to demonstrate the superiority of one therapy versus the other. The present article uses Charlson Co morbidity Index to compare evolution of an elderly population in HD versus PD.

[The role of ultrasonography exam in orbital-ocular tumors].

Ophthalmology is one of the specialties that have particularly benefited from the contribution of ultrasonography exam as a method of investigation. Ultrasonography is very much essential for diagnostic to complement other clinical and laboratory investigations, providing images in real time. The basic principle of diagnostic ultrasound is to study and to interpret the changes they undergo when crossing ultrasonic waves diverse biological properties different sound, and such injuries can be traced in the dynamics or can be documented on photographic paper and thus can diagnose correct certain eye diseases.

Randomized trial of bioelectrical impedance analysis versus clinical criteria for guiding ultrafiltration in hemodialysis patients: effects on blood pressure, hydration status, and arterial stiffness.

Background: Chronic fluid overload is common in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients and is associated with severe cardiovascular complications, such as arterial hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmia. Therefore, a crucial target of HD is to achieve the so-called dry weight; however, the best way to assess fluid status and dry weight is still unclear. Dry weight is currently determined in most dialysis units on a clinical basis, and it is commonly defined as the lowest body weight a patient can tolerate without developing intra-dialytic or inter-dialytic hypotension or other symptoms of dehydration.

Changes in arterial stiffness following dialysis in relation to overhydration and to endothelial function.

Introduction: Cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality are greatly enhanced in patients with chronic kidney disease, partly due to increased arterial stiffness.

Material And Method: The study included 63 stable HD patients. Stiffness parameters were evaluated by applanation tonometry before the mid-week HD sessions.

Regression of left ventricular hypertrophy in hemodialyzed patients is possible: a follow-up study.

Background: Few studies have addressed the description of serial changes in left ventricular mass (LVM) and relevant risk factors. The aims of our study were to describe trends in left ventricular (LV) structure and function derived from echocardiographic measurements over a 10-year period in Fresenius Nephrocare Dialysis Center in Iaşi and to compare the results with those obtained on a smaller group 4 years ago.

Methods: Three hundred and thirty-four hemodialyzed patients were enrolled at baseline, between January 1999 and March 2009.

The relationship between chronic volume overload and elevated blood pressure in hemodialysis patients: use of bioimpedance provides a different perspective from echocardiography and biomarker methodologies.

Background: Chronic volume overload is very frequent in hemodialysis (HD) patients and is directly associated with hypertension, increased arterial stiffness, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), heart failure and ultimately with higher mortality and morbidity. One major issue is that presently there are very few comparative studies of the various methods (clinical, bioimpedance, inferior cava vein diameter (ICV) and Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP)) for volume status evaluation and their correlation with cardiovascular disease.

Methods: In 160 patients treated by chronic HD in our center, euvolemic according to clinical assessment, we performed evaluation of volume status through bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS), ICV and NT-proBNP, as well as echocardiography, to estimate the left ventricle structure and function.

Infective endocarditis--a forgotten cause for heart insufficiency in elderly. Case report.

Right heart infective endocarditis in an elderly patient with no previous known risk factors is a very rare situation (even if subacute infective endocarditis has the same chance of occurrence at either a young person, or an elderly patient). We present the case of a 75-years old patient, with no previous cardiac history, addressed to our clinic with nonspecific septic symptoms associated with an edematous syndrome. The patient was treated for right heart valve infective endocarditis; a particularity may be the fact not all Duke criteria were respected.

[Epidemiology of biopsy-proven renal disease in Romania: data from a regional registry in north-eastern Romania].

Unlike Western European countries, data on the epidemiological biopsy-proven renal disease in Eastern Europe is scarce. We aimed to analyze retrospectively the main histological renal findings, over a 10-year (1995-2004) period, in a large tertiary nephrology referral center in North-Eastern (N-E) Romania, serving a population of 4.7 million inhabitants.

Serial echocardiographic changes in patients on hemodialysis: an evaluation of guideline implementation.

Background: Few studies have addressed the description of serial changes in left ventricular mass (LVM) and relevant risk factors. All these studies were initiated before the implementation of EBPG or K/DOQI guidelines. The aims of our study were to prospectively describe trends in left ventricular (LV) structure and function, evaluate risk factors for progression of LVM derived from serial echocardiographic measurements starting January 2003, 6 months after full implementation of EBPG in our unit.

Plasma renin activity in hyperthermic rats.

Heating rats exposed 30' to a 40 degrees C environmental temperature increases plasma renin activity (PRA). Propranolol as such decreased PRA, but heating propranolol-treated rats induced also an increased PRA. Hexamethonium increases PRA, that increases additionally when rats are heated.