The local inflammatory responses to infection of the peritoneal cavity in humans: their regulation by cytokines, macrophages, and other leukocytes.

Studies on infection-induced inflammatory reactions in humans rely largely on findings in the blood compartment. Peritoneal leukocytes from patients treated with peritoneal dialysis offer a unique opportunity to study in humans the inflammatory responses taking place at the site of infection. Compared with peritoneal macrophages (pMϕ) from uninfected patients, pMϕ from infected patients display ex vivo an upregulation and downregulation of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators, respectively.

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: pharmacokinetics and clinical outcome of paclitaxel and carboplatin treatment.

Purpose: Administration of chemotherapy in patients with renal failure, treated with hemodialysis or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is still a challenge and literature data is scarce. Here we present a case study of a patient on CAPD, treated with weekly and three-weekly paclitaxel/carboplatin for recurrent ovarian cancer.

Experimental: During the first, second and ninth cycle of treatment, blood, urine and CAPD samples were collected for pharmacokinetic analysis of paclitaxel and total and unbound carboplatin-derived platinum.

Posttransplant encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis: a worrying new trend?

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a rare but serious complication in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). We describe a cluster of 13 EPS cases occurring in 2 university hospitals in The Netherlands. Most of these cases were diagnosed after recent kidney transplantation, when the patients developed severe symptoms of bowel obstruction.

Persistent (not intermittent) nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus is the determinant of CPD-related infections.

Background: We investigated the impact of staphylococcal carriage among patients on continuous peritoneal dialysis (CPD) in a university hospital.

Methods: Patients were screened for Staphylococcus aureus carriage and categorized as persistent, intermittent, or non-S. aureus nasal carriers.

Culture-negative peritonitis associated with the use of icodextrin-containing dialysate in twelve patients treated with peritoneal dialysis.

Background: In the first half of the year 2001, an unusually large number of culture-negative peritonitis episodes occurred in Center A. One patient noticed that his culture-negative antibiotic-resistant peritonitis promptly cleared after inadvertently stopping the use of icodextrin-containing dialysate, but recurred immediately after using icodextrin again. This observation led to the recognition of eight contemporaneous cases of icodextrin-induced culture-negative peritonitis in Center A, and identification of three additional cases in Center B.