Sleep disorders in hemodialysis patients.

The prevalence of sleep disorders is higher in patients with kidney failure than the general population. We studied the prevalence of sleep disorders in 88 (mean age; 41.59 +/- 16.

A comparative study of two intensified pulse cyclophosphamide remission-inducing regimens for diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis: an Egyptian experience.

Introduction: Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that is usually treated with an extended course of intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide (CYC). Given the side effects of this regimen, we evaluated the short-term efficacy and toxicity of a course of low-dose remission-inducing IV CYC followed by azathioprine (AZA) in a prospective controlled study among Egyptian patients with severe LN.

Patients And Methods: In this single center, prospective clinical trial, we assigned 46 SLE patients with diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis to either a high-dose (a maximum of 1 g/dose) of IV CYC (HD-CYC) for six monthly pulses followed by two quarterly pulses or a fixed low-dose (500 mg/dose) of IV CYC (LD-CYC) for six fortnightly pulses with a cumulative dose of 3 g.

Relating circulating thyroid hormone concentrations to serum interleukins-6 and -10 in association with non-thyroidal illnesses including chronic renal insufficiency.

Background: Because of the possible role of cytokines including interleukins (IL) in systemic non-thyroidal illnesses' (NTI) pathogenesis and consequently the frequently associated alterations in thyroid hormone (TH) concentrations constituting the euthyroid sick syndrome (ESS), we aimed in this research to elucidate the possible relation between IL-6 & IL-10 and any documented ESS in a cohort of patients with NTI.

Methods: Sixty patients and twenty healthy volunteers were recruited. The patients were subdivided into three subgroups depending on their underlying NTI and included 20 patients with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI), congestive heart failure (CHF), and ICU patients with myocardial infarction (MI).

Proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha and IL-6) in Egyptian patients with SLE: its correlation with disease activity.

Background: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by a wide variety of autoantibodies, some of which are pathogenic. In recent years it has become more evident that the polyclonal B cell activation in SLE is T-cell dependent. The stimulation of the autoantibody producing B cells is likely mediated by the TH2 subtype of T cells producing IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL- 10, whereas the TH1 subtype secreting IL-2 and IFN-gamma predominates in cell-mediated immune response.

Tissue transglutaminase: a mediator and predictor of chronic allograft nephropathy?

Background: The precise mechanisms underlying the development of chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) and the associated renal fibrosis remain uncertain. The protein-crosslinking enzyme, tissue transglutaminase (tTg), has recently been implicated in renal fibrosis. METHODS.