[Aetiological spectrum of hyperferritinemia].

Unlabelled: Serum ferritin levels may be increased in many conditions: renal diseases, liver diseases, human immunodeficiency virus infection. The purpose of this study was to assess the aetiological spectrum of high serum ferritin levels in a 1200-bed university hospital, to compare our results with the data already published and to assess a potential association between aetiology and ferritin levels.

Patients And Methods: Patients with a serum ferritin level higher than 600 microg/l were retrospectively included between 15 November 2003 and 15 January 2004, and their medical records were reviewed.

A targeted approach significantly increases the identification rate of patients with undiagnosed haemochromatosis.

Objective: To determine the optimal means of identifying patients with undiagnosed haemochromatosis.

Design: Case-control study where cases are defined by the presence of specific clinical diagnoses or symptoms.

Setting: Primary care patients were recruited from three Oxfordshire practices and secondary care patients were recruited from those patients attending specialist clinics in Amiens University Hospital.

Renal ostodystrophy during the developing stage of maintenance dialysis in Transylvania. Early development of periarticular calcifications and beta 2 microglobulin amyloidosis in spite of a relatively good prevention of secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Background: Dialysis facilities have been introduced only recently in Transylvania with many limitations, in particular a standard high calcium dialysate, Al(OH)3 as phosphate binder and pharmacological doses of native vitamin D2, but neither CaCO3 nor 1 alpha hydroxylated vitamin D. Rheumatological complaints and metastatic calcifications were frequent, leading to suspect either overt hyperparathyroidism, adynamic bone disease or beta 2 microglobulin amyloidosis.

Aims Of The Study: Evaluate the prevalence of radiological osteitis fibrosa, amyloid osteoarthropathy and periarticular calcification and their link with PTH secretion, phophocalcic disorders, acidosis, bone turn over, aluminum and beta 2 microglobulin accumulation in the dialysis population of Sibiu (Transylvania).

Contrasting effects of excess ferritin expression on the iron-mediated oxidative stress induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide or ultraviolet-A in human fibroblasts and keratinocytes.

Iron and/or ferritin accumulation are known to occur under pathological conditions in many inflammatory skin diseases or in human skin chronically exposed to UV light. Under such conditions, ferritin is believed to play an effective protective role in accommodating and 'deactivating' excess 'free' iron produced by the inflammatory process or the UV illumination. The present study compares the relationship between ferritin over-expression and effects of an oxidative stress induced chemically by tert-butyl hydroperoxide or photochemically by UV-A radiation.

[Relative depletion in native vitamin D: a potential risk factor in Algerian hemodialysis patients with radiological evidence of hyperparathyroidism and osteomalacia independent of calcitriolemia].

Looser striae on the ischio-pubian branches and subperiosteal resorption of the phalanges were looked for in 113 chronic hemodialysis patients at the University Hospital of Annaba (Algeria) and were found in respectively 14 and 48 patients. Comparison of patients with and without radiological complications showed no significant difference in their age, sex ratio, nature of initial kidney disease and duration on dialysis. The patients with Looser striae had lower plasma levels of 25OHD3 than those without striae, whereas all other plasma parameters were similar.

Glucose-enriched medium enhances cell-mediated low density lipoprotein peroxidation.

A 1 week preculture of endothelial or smooth muscle cells in glucose-enriched (11.2 to 44.8 mM) media resulted in a marked enhancement of the subsequent ability of cells to oxidize low density lipoprotein, as assessed by the lipid peroxidation end product and conjugated diene content of the particle, its relative electrophoretic mobility and its degradation by macrophages.

Determination of aluminum in bone in haemodialyzed patients, using inductively coupled argon plasma emission spectrometry.

We propose a new method for measuring aluminium in bone tissue, using argon plasma emission spectrophotometry. The detection limit in the bone nitric digestion liquid was 0.015 mumol/l (corresponding to 0.

Indirect clinical evidence that 1 alpha OH vitamin D3 increases the intestinal absorption of aluminum.

In a previous study we showed that 1 alpha OH vitamin D3 [1 alpha (OH)3] given to 16 hemodialyzed patients taking Al(OH)3 at a constant dose increased their plasma concentrations of aluminum [Demontis et al. 1986]. In order to choose between 2 possible mechanisms explaining this increase (increased intestinal absorption or decreased tissue storage of aluminum), we gave, in the present study, 1 alpha (OH)3 the same dose (6 micrograms per week) for the same period (4 weeks) to 15 stable hemodialyzed patients after their Al(OH)3 had been discontinued for 6 weeks.

[Indirect evaluation of the effect of 1 alpha-hydroxyvitamin D3 on intestinal absorption of aluminum].

In a former study we have shown that 1 alpha OH vitamin D3 given to hemodialyzed patients taking A1(OH)3 at a constant dose increased their plasma concentrations of aluminium. Two mechanisms can explain this increase: increased intestinal absorption or decreased tissue storage of aluminium. We have, in the present study, given 1 alpha(OH)3 at the same dose (6 micrograms per week) and during the same duration (4 weeks) to 15 stable hemodialyzed patients after aluminium hydroxide has been discontinued 6 weeks before.

Magnesium hydroxide as a complementary aluminium-free phosphate binder to moderate doses of oral calcium in uraemic patients on chronic haemodialysis: lack of deleterious effect on bone mineralisation.

To control hyperphosphataemia without hyperaluminaemia, A1(OH)3, which was given in addition to high doses of oral calcium, was replaced by Mg(OH)2 for 6 months in 20 haemodialysed patients and for 20 months in 12. The treatment during the control period was 110 +/- 91 mmol/day of oral calcium element given as CaCO3 and/or Calcium Sorbisterit and 1.05 +/- 1.

Rapid determination of iron in urine, in the presence of deferoxamine, by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry.

Using a spectrometer with an argon plasma source coupled to a high-frequency magnetic field, we developed a direct method for determining iron in urine of patients being treated with deferoxamine. The detection limit for iron was 75 nmol/L; added iron was satisfactorily recovered; and we observed no interference from deferoxamine at its most commonly used concentrations. Values for between-run and within-run precision (CV) was less than 5%.

Comparative evaluation of bone aluminum content and bone histology in patients on chronic hemodialysis and hemofiltration.

In order to compare hemofiltration (HF) and hemodialysis (HD) in connection with the risk of aluminum overload and renal osteodystrophy, double bone biopsies after double tetracycline labeling and a desferrioxamine test were performed in 12 patients on HF and 15 patients on HD. The aluminum concentration was low (less than 0.6 mumol/l) both in the dialysate and the substitution fluid.

Magnesium renal wasting in calcium stone formers with idiopathic hypercalciuria contrasting with lower magnesium:calcium urinary ratio.

Plasma magnesium (PMg) and urinary calcium (UCaV) and magnesium (UMgV) were measured after four days of calcium-restricted diet in 60 controls and 82 patients classified according to their calcium excretion in three groups: normo-calciuric (NCa), dietary hypercalciuria (DH) and idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH). When compared to controls, higher UMgV (4.26 +/- 0.

Influence of biochemical and hormonal factors on the bone histomorphometric features of uraemic patients.

A multidimensional analysis was used to evaluate, the influence on bone histology of various biochemical and hormonal factors in 20 uraemic patients on chronic haemodialysis or haemofiltration. A positive relationship (p less than 0.1) was found between PTH and osteoclastic and osteoblastic surfaces but not with mineral apposition and bone formation rates.

The desferrioxamine test predicts bone aluminium burden induced by A1(OH)3 in uraemic patients but not mild histological osteomalacia.

Desferrioxamine (DFO), a chelating agent of aluminium was administered to 27 uraemic patients on chronic haemodialysis or haemofiltration with a minimal parenteral exposure to aluminium but taking various amounts of A1(OH)3 for about two years. All these patients had a double bone biopsy for measurement of their aluminium content and histomorphometric evaluation. Bone aluminium of our patients were 10 times greater than in our uraemic controls.

[Characterization of L-threonine deaminase activity of guinea pig liver induced by a high protein diet].

In a foregoing paper, we demonstrated that under equilibrated diet conditions, guinea pig liver L-threonine deaminase activity should be allocated to two distinct enzymes: a specific L-threonine deaminase without activity toward L-serine and a L-serine deaminase having a secondary activity toward L-threonine. In the present work, we observed that a high protidic diet caused an elevation of total threonine deaminase activity. Thus purification of guinea pig liver L-threonine deaminase was attempted, using ultracentrifugation, salt precipitation, heat treatment, ion exchange chromatography on DEAE Sephacel, Sephadex G 200 molecular sieve, 2 amino-2 methyl-1 propanol linked CH 4B Sepharose chromatography.

[Guinea pig liver cytosol has an L-threonine deaminase activity distinct from L-serine deaminase].

Using sodium sulfate precipitation, "Sephadex G200" gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, a L-threonine desaminase was demonstrated in the Guinea-Pig liver cytosol. This enzyme was separated from the guinea pig liver L-serine desaminase possessing an auxiliary activity on L-threonine substrate described by us in a previous work. The optimals for pH (7,1) and temperature (+ 55 degrees C) and the apparent molecular weight (134,000 + 20,000) were established.

[Determination of blood iron and the total fixation capacity of transferrin by a simple automatic technic without dialysis].

An automated method without dialysis for determining serum iron is described. It is an adaptation of the Lauber procedure to the Technicon Auto Analyser I: serum iron is split from its protein combination by exposure to an acetate pH 5.8 buffer, in the presence of a detergent (Teepol 710) which prevents any precipitation of proteins.