Amino acid content of erythrocytes in uremia.

The amino acid content of plasma and erythrocytes in patients with severe renal failure (serum creatinine less than 8 mg/100 ml) treated with selective low-protein diets, in patients on regular hemodialysis, and in a control group of healthy subjects were studied. Most amino acids in erythrocytes of the patients showed the same changes as in plasma with the exception of histidine, serine, and alanine. In spite of low histidine plasma levels, the erythrocytes level is increased as compared with healthy controls.

Toxoplasmosis after renal transplantation.

Infection is the main cause of death following renal transplantation. In the literature 7 fatal cases of toxoplasmosis following renal transplantation have been described. In the present papers a case of reactivated toxoplasmosis is presented where the patient survived.

[Complications and lethality after kidney grafts (author's transl)].

Similarly good survival rates were obtained in 113 patients with kidneys transplanted from deceased persons as with patients on home dialysis. The retrospective study showed that fatal complications were not predominantly caused by septic diseases running fateful courses under immunosuppression, but by risk factors which were not recognized soon enough or were incorrectly treated. In our opinion, with careful preparation and supervision of these patients, even in the still unsatisfactory state of immunosuppressive therapy, the possibility exists of carrying out renal grafting without increased risk of mortality compared with dialysis treatment.