[Loop diuretics: facts and fallacies].

Refractory edema is a clinical condition which recognises different etiologies and is characterized by decreased or absent diuretic response before the therapeutic goal is reached. Several pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic strategies are used in this setting, and further research is needed in order to optimize drug effectiveness.

[From kidney disease to ischemic heart disease].

Chronic kidney disease is a pathology progressively increasing in the world. Patients with renal disease have an about 20 times greater chance of dying for cardiovascular disease than to reach the stage of dialysis and, compared to general population, they have a three times greater risk of developing acute myocardial infarction. Based on these considerations, we analyzed the most important metabolic changes that occur in renal failure, predisposing to ischemic heart disease.

[Bence-Jones proteinuria and kidney's damages].

Bence-Jones proteinuria consists in monoclonal light chains into the urine. Normally kidney eliminates light chains but, when light chains are in excess, they make histological and functional lesion to tubules, glomerulus and vessels both by direct action, or lysosomal enzyme releasing or making tubular obstruction. We analyse these kidney's damages from the morphological and functional point of view.

[Contrast-induced nephropathy. Current concepts and propositions for Italian guidelines].

Contrast-induced nephropathy is an impairment in renal function following intravascular exposure to radiographic contrast media (CM). Kidney damage may be limited to an asymptomatic increase in serum creatinine or reveal itself as acute renal failure, which can require renal replacement therapy. The aim of the present review is to describe the most recent knowledge concerning this matter.

Contrast medium induced nephropathy in urological practice.

Purpose: Contrast medium induced nephropathy is the third cause of in-hospital acute renal failure. The first studies in this area were done with reference to urological practice only. Although various guidelines on the management of contrast medium induced nephropathy were provided by the European Society of Urogenital Radiology, more recently many investigators have focused their attention on contrast medium use in interventional vascular radiology and cardiology.

Contrast medium administration in the elderly patient: is advancing age an independent risk factor for contrast nephropathy after angiographic procedures?

Contrast medium-induced nephropathy (CMIN) is the third leading cause of hospital-acquired acute renal dysfunction. Even if the number of patients over 75 years of age undergoing diagnostic and/or interventional procedures and requiring administration of contrast medium (CM) is growing constantly, at present there is no definitive consensus regarding the role of advancing age and related morphologic or functional renal changes as an independent risk factor for CMIN. The authors review the evidence from recent medical literature on the definition, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation of CMIN as well as therapeutic approaches to its prophylaxis.

[Perspectives on treatment of the renal failure].

The next decade will face an increase in the number of patients affected by end-stage renal disease. In line with the growing incidence of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and old age in the general population, we can expect a dramatic increase of uremic patients needing a substitutive treatment of renal function. On the basis of the current trends, we expect an exponential growth of cardiovascular complications in both dialysis and transplant populations.

Facts and fallacies concerning the prevention of contrast medium-induced nephropathy.

Objective: The aim of this article is to extract from recent medical literature and nephrologic practice the facts and fallacies concerning the possible prophylaxis of contrast medium-induced nephropathy.

Data Sources, Study Selection, And Data Extraction: A MEDLINE/PubMed search (1985 to January 2006) was conducted, including all relevant articles investigating the pathogenesis and prevention of contrast medium-induced nephropathy from a nephrologic critical point of view.

Data Synthesis: Considerable efforts have been made to develop pharmacologic therapy for the prevention of contrast medium-induced nephropathy, especially in patients at risk, such as elderly subjects and those with preexisting renal impairment, hypovolemia, or dehydration.

[Serum concentration of some tumor markers in renal failure].

This study was undertaken to define the relationship between renal function and the blood level of some tumor markers. In order to evaluate the specificity of tumor markers in cronic renal failure the following alphaFP, CEA, NSE, SCC and beta2 microglobulin were studied in 40 adult patients, with cronic renal failure of different degrees (27 p.), in hemodialyzed patients (6 p.

[Diagnosis of the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome in clinical practice].

The diagnosis of the antiphospholipid syndrome is based on well defined clinical and serological criteria. We report the results of a two-years observational study in our hospital focusing on the number of correct diagnosis, required to identify subjects in which prophylaxis or treatment is needed.

[Differential diagnosis in hypokalemia. A case of Liddle syndrome].

A case of Liddle's syndrome showing weakness, hypertension, metabolic alkalosis and hypokalemia, identifiable as Liddle's syndrome, allows us to face the differential diagnosis among ionic dysfunctions, as primitive and secondary hyperaldosteronism, hypercorticism and pseudohyperaldosteronism. We discuss hypokalemia due to reduced potassium pool, or referable to altered ionic redistribution without losses. Concerning the treatment of important hypokalemia, we face manners and times of intravenous administration of potassium salts, potassium-sparing diuretics and supplementation per os; besides, we stress the dietetic contribution of rich in potassium foods, for the correction of the light hypokalemia and against deficit of pool referable to the long-term diuretic therapy.

[Etiopathogenesis and clinical aspects of nephrolithiasis--at present].

This paper deals of kidney stones, hard concretions that grow within the urinary tract, 71.5% of which have calcium contents. A high rate of recurrences underscores the importance of medical prevention with a variety of conservative (increased fluid intake and dietary modifications) and drug therapy (potassium citrate, potassium magnesium citrate, thiazides, allopurinol).