L-carnitine treatment in incident hemodialysis patients: the multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled CARNIDIAL trial.

Background: L-carnitine levels decrease rapidly and steadily with duration of hemodialysis, and carnitine depletion can impair response to recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO). The study hypothesis was that L-carnitine supplementation during the first year of hemodialysis would improve this response.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: From October 2006 through March 2010, this multicenter, randomized, double-blinded study assigned 92 incident hemodialysis patients to receive placebo or 1 g of intravenous L-carnitine after each dialysis session for 1 year.

[Facial volume and its global position in vestibular orientation, in adults and during growth].

Two sagittal surfaces were defined on the dry skull of 96 youngs and 51 adults Caucasian subjects in vestibular orientation. The surface of the face and the surface of the "total face" (by including the buccodental and mandibular surfaces) were measured with a planimeter. From the longest maxillary and zygomatic distances, the volume of two ellipsoids were calculated.

[Myocardial function of the chronic hemodialysed patient. Evaluation by measurement of systolic time intervals].

Study of myocardial function in chronic haemodialysis patients by the measurement of systolic time intervals reveals an alteration in left ventricular performance. These results are in favour of the hypothesis of a multifactorial cardiomyopathy associated with chronic haemodialysis. In the absent of long standing or severe hypertension, blood pressure levels have no significant influence on systolic interval times, this also applying to the degree of anaemia.