Serum OPG and RANKL Levels as Risk Factors for the Development of Cardiovascular Calcifications in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients in Hemodialysis.

Cardiovascular calcifications (CVC) are frequently observed in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and contribute to their cardiovascular mortality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of osteoprotegerin (OPG)/Receptor Activator of NF-κΒ (RANK)/RANK ligand (RANKL) pathway in the development and evolution of CVCs in hemodialysis patients. In total, 80 hemodialysis patients were assessed for the presence of vascular (abdominal aorta and muscular arteries) calcifications and results were correlated to serum OPG and RANKL levels and the OPG/RANKL ratio.

Magnet integrated fabric phase sorptive extraction as a stand-alone extraction device for the monitoring of benzoyl urea insecticides in water samples by HPLC-DAD.

Benzoyl urea insecticides are a class of pesticides used in agriculture for the inhibition of chitin synthesis in pests. These compounds are persistent in environmental samples, and thus their monitoring is necessary to avoid detrimental effects to human health and the environment. Magnet integrated fabric phase sorptive extraction (MI-FPSE) is a recently introduced sample preparation technique that combines sample stirring and analyte extraction into one stand-alone device.

Impact of Τh1 and Τh2 cytokines in the progression of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and minimal change disease.

Background: Differential diagnosis between primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and minimal change disease (MCD) is sometimes difficult as nephrotic syndrome is the main clinical symptom in both diseases.

Objectives: This study has attempted to evaluate the urinary excretion of Th1 and Th2 cytokines as potential biomarkers in distinguishing the two types of nephrotic syndrome, and predicting outcome of renal function.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-six patients with FSGS (M/F 22/14, Age; 41.

Ambulatory Pulse Wave Velocity Is a Stronger Predictor of Cardiovascular Events and All-Cause Mortality Than Office and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Hemodialysis Patients.

Arterial stiffness and augmentation of aortic blood pressure (BP) measured in office are known cardiovascular risk factors in hemodialysis patients. This study examines the prognostic significance of ambulatory brachial BP, central BP, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and heart rate-adjusted augmentation index [AIx(75)] in this population. A total of 170 hemodialysis patients underwent 48-hour ambulatory monitoring with Mobil-O-Graph-NG during a standard interdialytic interval and followed-up for 28.