Relationship between intraperitoneal pressure and the development of hernias in peritoneal dialysis: confirmation for the first time of a widely accepted concept.

Background: Intraperitoneal pressure (IPP) in peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an individual characteristic that can be modified by posture and intraperitoneal volume (IPV). It is considered one of the predisposing factors for complications in the abdominal wall, such as the appearance of hernias. No studies to date have confirmed this.

[Prognostic significance of hemoperitoneum in peritoneal dialysis].

According to previous reviews, hemoperitoneum episodes appear in 6.1-8.4% of the peritoneal dialysis patients, and they are severe in a 20% of them.

[Secondary amyloidosis (AA-type) due to localized cutaneous vasculitis].

We report a case of a 49 year old man, diagnosed soon after the outcome of casual proteinuria, of AA-type amyloidosis in relation to small and medium vessel cutaneous vasculitis without systemic involvement. This combination is a rare entity and only two cases of cutaneous hypersensibility vasculitis complicated with AA-type amyloidosis had been reported. We describe the results of the use of several immunosuppressive drugs during four years follow up with temporally total remission of the disease.

[Choosing not to dialysis in chronic renal failure in stage V (Renal Failure). Evolution of the characteristics of patients between 1992-1995 and 2000-2003].

Background: The incidence of chronic renal failure increase with the age. The selection of patient to dialysis has been increasing in spite of the high comorbidity. Moreover, in our clinical practice the aged patient is not contraindicated to dialysis.

Sevelamer hydrochloride in peritoneal dialysis patients: results of a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Sevelamer hydrochloride is a phosphate binder widely employed in hemodialysis patients. Until now, information about its efficacy and safety in peritoneal dialysis patients has been scarce.

Patients And Methods: In September 2005 a cross-sectional study of demographic, biochemical, and therapeutic data of patients from 10 peritoneal dialysis units in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, Spain, was conducted.

Measuring surface topography by scanning electron microscopy. II. Analysis of three estimators of surface roughness in second dimension and third dimension.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is widely used in surface studies and continuous efforts are carried out in the search of estimators of different surface characteristics. By using the variogram, we developed two of these estimators that were used to characterize the surface roughness from the SEM image texture. One of the estimators is related to the crossover between fractal region at low scale and the periodic region at high scale, whereas the other estimator characterizes the periodic region.

Measuring surface topography with scanning electron microscopy. I. EZEImage: a program to obtain 3D surface data.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is widely used in the science of materials and different parameters were developed to characterize the surface roughness. In a previous work, we studied the surface topography with fractal dimension at low scale and two parameters at high scale by using the variogram, that is, variance vs. step log-log graph, of a SEM image.

[Renal involvement in amyloidosis. Clinical outcomes, evolution and survival].

Background: Systemic amyloidosis is a disease resulting from extracellular deposition of fibrillar protein in various organs. Main systemic amyloidosis are: primary (AL) and Secondary (AA). The kidney is usually involved, conferring and adverse prognosis.

[Assessment of long-term bone metabolism in patients with relative hypoparathyroidism after changing the calcium concentration of the dialyzate to 3mEq/L].

The existence of a low-bone turnover, non-aluminium related, has been more prevalent in recent years. Factors involved include the increasing number of older and diabetic patients initiating dialysis. Also higher intake of calcium salts and the widespread use of vitamin D derivates may play a role.

[Patients with end-stage chronic renal insufficiency on programmed withdrawal from dialysis].

Unlabelled: The voluntary discontinuation of dialysis by patients is a common mode of death in dialysis programmes. Unfortunately the Spanish experience has not been related in the nephrological literature. Initiation of, and withdrawal from, dialysis pose ethical questions for medicine in the 21st century.

Nursing protocol for manipulation of haemodialysis catheters.

This study looked at the incidence of infection complications, in relation to central vein catheterisation as a provisional HD access, by means of the establishment of a nursing protocol for the handling of these catheters. Central vein catheterisation is a classical technique in Nephrology.

Hepatitis C virus infection among kidney transplant recipients.

The extent of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among kidney recipients was investigated in 67 patients by testing for anti-HCV paired serum samples, collected at time of transplantation and during follow-up (average 32 +/- 20 months). Prevalence of anti-HCV at transplant time was 48%, and was related to the time on dialysis and to the amount of blood transfusions. Following transplantation, nine (28%) seropositive patients lost anti-HCV and five (14%), previously seronegative, seroconverted.

[Diagnosis of renal carcinoma in acquired cystic renal disease. Usefulness of echography in detection during subclinical phase].

Background: The patients with end-stage renal disease on periodic hemodialysis often develop acquired cystic renal disease, and they have renal tumours more commonly than the normal population.

Methods: To evaluate the usefulness of echography for the evaluation of these lesions and the prevalence of acquired cystic renal disease and occult renal tumours in patients treated with hemodialysis during years, a prospective ultrasonographic study was carried out. To this end, renal echographic studies were performed in 43 asymptomatic patients treated with periodic hemodialysis during 5 years or more.

[Disseminated mucormycosis in a hemodialyzed female patient treated with deferoxamine].

A case is presented of a patient affected of chronic renal failure caused by multiple myeloma who was under a chelating treatment with Depreroxamine as a consequence of iron intoxication and suffered a disseminated mucormycosis. We performed a literature search of previous cases and discuss the probable relation between this opportunistic infection and depheroxamine treatment.

Hepatic fibrin-ring granulomas in a patient with hepatitis A.

Hepatic fibrin-ring granulomas were found in a 30-year-old patient with serologically confirmed hepatitis A. Other causes associated with the presence of fibrin-ring granulomas in the liver, such as Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, cytomegalovirus infection, visceral leishmaniasis, and consumption of allopurinol, were ruled out. It is suggested that hepatitis A must be included in the differential diagnosis of a patient with hepatic fibrin-ring granulomas.

Treatment of hyperkalaemia in renal failure with salbutamol inhalation.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether beta-2-adrenergic stimulation with inhaled salbutamol is therapeutically useful in hyperkalaemia. Ten patients with renal failure and hyperkalaemia (serum potassium concentration greater than 6 mmol l-1) were given 15 mg salbutamol via a nebulizer over a 30-min period. Serum potassium was measured 30, 60, 180 and 360 min thereafter.