Fibrinolytic activators and inhibitors in terminal renal insufficiency and in anephric patients.

Fibrinolytic factors were measured before and after DDAVP-infusion in 18 patients on chronic, regular haemodialysis, 11 of whom underwent bilateral nephrectomy, and in 7 patients in whom non-functioning kidneys were still present. Baseline fibrinolytic activity was normal or high in all but two cases. Before haemodialysis, the response to DDAVP-infusion was greatly reduced in the majority of patients as compared with healthy controls, irrespective of the baseline level.

Large-pore hemodialytic procedures in pigs with ischemic hepatic necrosis; a randomized study.

In order to define further the therapeutic role of hemodialytic procedures in acute hepatic failure, 20 pigs with ischemic hepatic necrosis underwent randomized hemodialysis against an electrolyte solution (n = 6), hemofiltration with re-infusion of an electrolyte solution (n = 5), control hemofiltration with re-infusion of autologous ultrafiltrate (n = 4) or no extracorporeal procedure at all (n = 5). Pigs on hemodialytic procedures survived significantly longer (51 +/- 11 hrs) than controls (36 +/- 8 hrs). There were no differences in the duration of survival between hemodialysis and hemofiltration, nor between controls undergoing and those not undergoing an extracorporeal procedure.

The immunochemical determination of apolipoprotein A, total apolipoprotein A-I and 'free' apolipoprotein A-I in serum of patients on chronic haemodialysis.

We have determined by radial immunodiffusion the apolipoprotein A content of undelipidated serum samples from 30 patients on chronic haemodialysis and 28 controls using an antiserum against high density lipoprotein (anti-apolipoprotein A). We found that the patients had lower concentrations of apolipoprotein A than the controls. When an antiserum against apolipoprotein A-I was used and the samples were delipidated prior to radial immunodiffusion there was, however, no difference in the total amount of apolipoprotein A-I between the two groups.

Observations on computerized quantitative bone scintigraphy in renal osteodystrophy.

Skeletal radiotracer (99mTc-HEDP) uptake was quantitated with and without the aid of a computer in 30 chronic dialysis patients with histologic evidence of renal osteodystrophy. Before scintigraphy, elevated soft-tissue activity due to the absence of renal radiotracer excretion was reduced by hemodialysis. The results were compared with those of a normal group and with the results of the biochemical and the bone morphometric studies of these patients.

Incidence of endotoxemia in pigs with ischemic hepatic necrosis treated by hemodialysis. Prevention of endotoxemia with lactulose.

The incidences of endotoxemia and bacteremia were evaluated in 30 pigs with ischemic hepatic necrosis treated by hemodialytic procedures. Prior to induction of hepatic ischemia, ten pigs underwent bowel cleansing by means of an oral dose of magnesium sulfate, and 20 received a combination of magnesium sulfate and lactulose. Endotoxemia and bacteremia seldom occurred during the development of hepatic encephalopathy, but the incidence of both increased markedly shortly before death.