Heart rate variability in advanced chronic kidney disease with or without diabetes: midterm effects of the initiation of chronic haemodialysis therapy.

Background: Previous studies in different clinical settings have established heart rate variability (HRV) as a significant independent risk factor for higher mortality and cardiac death. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of chronic haemodialysis therapy on time- and frequency-domain parameters of HRV in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: We studied 25 patients with stage 4 CKD and type 2 diabetes mellitus (CKD4+DM), 25 patients with stage 4 CKD without diabetes (CKD4), 25 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and 25 healthy subjects (HS).

Pseudohyperkalemia in serum: a new insight into an old phenomenon.

Pseudohyperkalemia, a rise in serum potassium concentration with concurrently normal plasma potassium concentration, is an in vitro phenomenon that was first described 50 years ago. It was originally attributed to the release of potassium from platelets during platelet aggregation and degranulation, and a significant correlation between pseudohyperkalemia and platelet count was established. During the last decade, new data were added to this phenomenon.

Severe rhabdomyolysis with hypoglycemia in an adult patient with carnitine palmitoyltransferase II deficiency.

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT2) deficiency is an inherited disorder associated with rhabdomyolysis. The adult form of CPT2 deficiency is usually "benign", characterized by episodes of rhabdomyolysis without extramuscular manifestations and with a good outcome, while the infantile type characteristically presents with severe metabolic symptoms such as hypoketotic hypoglycemia. We present here a case of severe rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure and hypoglycemia in an adult patient with CPT2 deficiency.

Changes of liver and muscle enzymes activity in patients with rigor.

Aim: We investigated whether changes of liver and muscle enzymes activity are associated with rigor of several causes and have any prognostic significance.

Methods: Seventy-five patients with rigor were prospectively evaluated. Serum enzymes were measured at the onset of rigor and during the three following days.

Liver involvement in acute vaso-occlusive crisis of sickle cell disease: prevalence and predisposing factors.

Objective: To study the prevalence and predisposing factors of liver involvement in sickle cell disease (SCD) of patients with acute vaso-occlusive crisis.

Material And Methods: We prospectively evaluated 41 consecutive patients (44% M, median age 39 years, range 16-56 years) with homozygous (HbSS; 12 cases) or sickle cell-beta thalassemia (HbSbeta-thal; 29 cases), admitted to our Medical Department in the period 2002 to 2004. Severity of crisis was graded by in-house-modified APACHE score; presence of asplenia or functional hyposplenism was also considered.