Estimate of renal function in oldest old inpatients by MDRD study equation, Mayo Clinic equation and creatinine clearance.

Background: Patients older than 85 years are increasingly admitted to hospital care settings. Despite this, the clinical employment of equations for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) has been scarcely investigated so far in this age group. Our study compared 2 commonly employed equations to estimate GFR, as well as measured 24-hour creatinine clearance (CrCl), in patients aged >or=85 years.

Hepatitis C virus RNA quantitation in hepatic veins and peripheral blood in patients with liver cirrhosis: evidence for low level intrahepatic hepatitis C virus replication in advanced liver disease.

Background: Very few data exist concerning the level of hepatitis C virus replication within the cirrhotic liver and its relationship to disease severity and progression.

Aims: To quantitate hepatitis C virus RNA in hepatic vein blood and peripheral blood in patients with cirrhosis, to evaluate the correlation of hepatitis C virus levels in paired blood samples, and to compare the results with clinical features.

Patients: A series of 25 patients with hepatitis C virus-related liver cirrhosis undergoing hepatic vein catheterization were studied: 11 belonged to Child Pugh class A, 8 to class B and 6 to class C.

Topographic diagnosis and surgical treatment of insulinoma.

Aim: Controversy continues to reign with regard to the need for preoperative localization of insulinomas and to which are the most sensitive and accurate diagnostic imaging modalities. Our aim was to determine the role of diagnostic procedures and suggest which of them are really useful.

Methods: Over a 12-year period 34 patients underwent several preoperative diagnostic procedures to localize the insulinoma: ultrasonography (US) in 20 cases, computed tomography (CT) in 26, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 28, selective angiography in 8, arterial stimulation venous sampling (ASVS) in 23 and Octreoscan in 26.

Expression of insulin/IGF-I hybrid receptors is increased in skeletal muscle of patients with chronic primary hyperinsulinemia.

The insulin receptor (IR) shares structural and functional homology with the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR). Hybrid receptors composed of an IR alphabeta-heterodimer and an IGF-IR alphabeta-heterodimer are formed in tissues expressing both molecules. Hybrids behave as IGF-IR rather than IR with respect to ligand binding affinity, receptor autophosphorylation, and hormone internalization and degradation.