Low incidence of hyperparathyroidism in diabetic renal failure.

The first study compared two groups on dialysis: 25 patients with diabetes mellitus and 25 matched non-diabetic patients, in relation to the presence of signs of hyperparathyroidism, to assess the reported low incidence of hyperparathyroidism in these patients. The diabetic group showed significantly lower values of PTH, Alk phosphatase, percentage of patients requiring vitamin D treatment, and less evidence of hyperparathyroidism on X-ray and in bone histomorphometry. In the second study 16 patients with chronic renal failure due to diabetic nephropathy were compared to 27 patients with the same degree of renal failure of other origin, the diabetic nephropathy group showed no increase in PTH, with falling creatinine clearance.

Sequential intraperitoneal administration of nitroprusside in patients maintained on peritoneal dialysis.

Clinical studies were made in order to determine the effects of intraperitoneal nitroprusside on the peritoneal clearances according to different frequencies of drug administration. An important increase of urea and creatinine clearances with 3.75 mg of nitroprusside per liter of dialysis solution was observed.

Dialysis pruritus: effect of cimetidine.

The effect of oral Cimetidine compared to a classic antihistaminic and to a placebo was evaluated, under the double hypothesis of its anti-PTH and anti-pruritus action, in a population of patients recently included in Hemodialysis that were asked about the incidence and intensity of pruritus according to a scored questionnaire made for this purpose. No different efficacy of Cimetidine versus the antihistaminic classic and the placebo was observed in our study.

Decreased vascular reactions to permeability factors in experimental diabetes.

Light and electron microscopic studies showed that blood vessels of the cremaster muscle of alloxan-diabetic rats under the local influence of histamine or serotonin presented less labelling by colloidal carbon, previously injected i.v., than vessels of normal rats.