Up to code: does your company's conduct meet world-class standards?

Codes of conduct have long been a feature of corporate life. Today, they are arguably a legal necessity--at least for public companies with a presence in the United States. But the issue goes beyond U.

Significant reduction of peritonitis rate by the use of Twin-bag system in a Canadian regional CAPD program.

In a regional CAPD program in Northern Alberta, Canada, the peritonitis rates among patients undergoing CAPD treatment were quite high: 1/8.3 and 1/7.4 per patient month from a population of 75 and 76 patients in 1989 and 1990 respectively.

Growth of bacterial biofilms on Tenckhoff catheter discs in vitro after simulated touch contamination of the Y-connecting set in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

We simulated touch contamination of peritoneal dialysis fluids perfused through an in vitro system with a modified Robbins' device (MRD) and Y-connecting tubings, to study the pathogenesis of bacterial biofilm (BB) growth on Tenckhoff catheter (TC) discs. The spike ends of Y-connecting sets were dipped in a suspension of freshly cultured cells of Staphylococcus epidermidis (3 X 10(8) cfu/ml), and connected to 2 litres of 0.5% dianeal solution which was perfused through the MRD with plugs containing TC discs.

An extracorporeal model of biofilm-adherent bacterial microcolony colonization for the study of peritonitis in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

We have developed an extracorporeal system for investigating in vitro the biofilm-adherent bacterial microcolonies (BABM) that grow on Tenckhoff catheters (TC), to study peritonitis in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). A modified Robbins' device, attached to sampling plugs with TC discs and connected to the dialysate via a peristaltic pump, is run for 24 h; scrapings from pairs of TC discs are processed for assessment of viable BABM, one of each pair for culture by routine microbiology techniques and the other for examination by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (EM). No colonization was noted with fresh dialysis solutions and spent dialysates from patients without clinical peritonits; but, when bacterial suspensions were added to aliquots of the same dialysates, BABM were noted on both culture and EM.

Anemia in hemodialysis patients.

The association between anemia and chronic renal failure has been recognized since the early 19th century. With the introduction of regular dialysis treatment, an understanding of all aspects of this uremic complication has become of great importance, including an appreciation of the hazards of multiple blood transfusions. This analysis of hemoglobin levels and transfusion requirements in 84 dialysis patients focuses specific attention on hemolytic mechanisms, blood loss, and the effect of bilateral nephrectomy on erythropoiesis.

Bone demineralization in renal failure: a longitudinal study of the distal femur using photon absorptiometry.

The bone mineral content (BMC) of the lower end of the femur was measured by photon absorptiometry in 87 patients with chronic renal failure. The gamma-ray photon source was Am241. Serial measurements were obtained for up to two years.

Blood access in hemodialysis.

Four hundred seventy blood access procedures performed on 170 dialysis patients during the period 1962-1975 have been analyzed according to survival of access with respect to age, sex and cause of failure. Subcutaneous forms of blood access have a significantly longer life and are more free of complications than external shunts. Although the mode of access can now be tailored to the individual patient, the arterio-venous fistula remains the least expensive and simplest surgical procedure.

Effect of I,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in renal osteodystrophy.

A 23-year-old man with medullary cystic disease had been undergoing hemodialysis for 5 years and had become confined to a wheelchair because of renal osteodystrophy. He was treated with 125-dihydroxycholecalciferol, 2.0 mug (later 1.

Effects of chronic hemodialysis on thyroid function in chronic renal failure.

Thyroid function was studied in 54 patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis. Serum thyroxine, triiodothyronine and free thyroxine and the free thyroxine index were significantly lower than normal. The levels of both serum thyroxine and the free thyroxine index tended to fall progressively the longer the patients were on hemodialysis.