The role of mineral metabolism and inflammation on dialysis vascular access failure.

Thrombosis of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the leading cause of vascular access (VA) loss usually due to silent stenosis. Therefore, assessment of relevant risk factors of VA monitoring may provide insight into potential therapeutic targets for stenosis and thrombosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of cardiovascular risk factors (including inflammation and mineral metabolism dysfunctions) on the failure of internal AVF in HD patients.

Dialock: a new vascular access device for extracorporeal renal replacement therapy. Preliminary clinical results.

Background: Vascular access, a vital tool for end-stage renal disease patients, remains a weak component of extracorporeal renal replacement therapy (RRT) and the first cause of morbidity. Permanent catheters proposed as an alternative to permanent AV fistulae are associated with a significant risk of infection. A subcutaneously implantable chamber connected to permanent catheter appears highly desirable to reduce such hazards.

Precise quantification of dialysis using continuous sampling of spent dialysate and total dialysate volume measurement.

The "gold standard" method to evaluate the mass balances achieved during dialysis for a given solute remains total dialysate collection (TDC). However, since handling over 100 liter volumes is unfeasible in our current dialysis units, alternative methods have been proposed, including urea kinetic modeling, partial dialysate collection (PDC) and more recently, monitoring of dialysate urea by on-line devices. Concerned by the complexity and costs generated by these devices, we aimed to adapt the simple "gold standard" TDC method to clinical practice by diminishing the total volumes to be handled.

Poliomyelitis eradication and its impact on primary health care in the Philippines.

Since 1992, the Philippines has conducted four national immunization days (NIDs) for polio eradication. Surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) began in 1992. Through good routine immunization, the incidence of paralytic polio had decreased to low levels in the Philippines even before the NIDs were initiated.

Protein catabolic rate determination from a single measurement of dialyzed urea.

Protein catabolic rate (PCR, in g protein/kg/day) for anuric patients can be accurately determined without blood sampling by equating urea generation over 7 days to the urea dialyzed in the three dialyses of this period as measured by partial dialysate collection (PDC) or with a urea monitor. The feasibility of determining the week's dialyzed urea from measurement of urea dialyzed in a single session, obviating the need to monitor three consecutive dialyses, was examined in a steady-state simulation of 540 anuric patients spanning the full range of dialysis parameters. It was found that the first, midweek, and last dialyses account for nearly constant fractions (37.