Comparison of iPTH values in serum and plasma samples depending on the time and temperature in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Renal osteodystrophy is a systemic disorder associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) with abnormal values of biochemical parameters related to bone and mineral metabolism. Assessing renal osteodystrophy subtypes is especially important for diagnostic and therapeutic decision. Management of these disorders includes monitoring of homeostasis of calcium, phosphorus and parathormone (PTH).

Clinical symptoms and complications of pars planitis in childhood.

Unlabelled: Pars planitis is the idiopathic form of intermediate uveitis; it most commonly affects persons between 5 and 40 years of age. In childhood, the disease is largely asymptomatic until in a well advanced stage with markedly reduced vision. Lack of early diagnosis and treatment may lead to permanent visual loss and amblyopia.

Loss of matrix metalloproteinase-9 or matrix metalloproteinase-12 protects apolipoprotein E-deficient mice against atherosclerotic media destruction but differentially affects plaque growth.

Background: Epidemiological and histological evidence implicates proteinases of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family in atherosclerosis and aneurysm formation. We previously indicated a role for urokinase-type plasminogen activator in atherosclerotic media destruction by proteolytic activation of MMPs. However, the role of specific MMPs, such as MMP-9 and MMP-12, in atherosclerosis remains undefined.

The role of somatostatin analogues in complete antiandrogen treatment in patients with prostatic carcinoma.

Somatostatin analogues (SMS-A) have been found to inhibit the growth of experimental tumors, as of prostate cancer, via several mechanisms as antihormonal and direct antimitogenic actions. It was demonstrated also that several SMS-A induce greater prostatic tumor regression with more pronounced histological changes if combined with LHRH analogues or in association with complete androgen blockade (CAB). In a phase II clinical trial we administered, in addition to CAB, SMS-A octreotide in 14 patients with stage D2 (group B) prostate cancer-8 previously hormonally treated (PHT) and 6 without any previous hormone treatment (NPHT); 4 other patients, 3 NPHT and one PHT, were treated with CAB only (group A).

[Blind insertion of a peritoneal catheter in continuous peritoneal dialysis therapy].

Insertion of the peritoneal catheter is most important for peritoneal continual dialysis. Various techniques described in the literature do not indicate an unequivocal preference of methods and the blind method used by the authors makes it possible to perform the procedure safely by a team of experienced well trained nephrologists and specialists in internal medicine.