Digital Impressions Versus Conventional Impressions in Prosthodontics: A Systematic Review.

The accuracy of definitive impressions has a significant impact on the quality of the final prosthesis. Elastic impression materials are commonly used in the traditional approach to replicate anatomical structures while indirectly fabricating prostheses. Digital impression has gained increasing popularity due to its various advantages, including three-dimensional previsualization, cost-effectiveness, and reduced time consumption.

Oxidative stress in kidney transplant biopsies.

Objectives: Kidney allograft biopsies are performed after kidney transplant to determine graft dysfunction. We aimed to define and measure the oxidative stress occurring in these biopsies and compared these biopsies with donor pretransplant biopsies.

Materials And Methods: The biopsy procedure was done according to the unit protocol.

Characterisation of the expression of the Renin-Angiotensin system in primary and immortalised human renal proximal tubular cells.

Background/aims: Angiotensin II (AngII) is pivotal in the pathogenesis of progressive kidney disease. We have recently shown that AngII induced an increase in markers of oxidative stress, adaptive responses and upregulated stress-related gene expression in immortalised human proximal tubular (HK-2) cells. However, these observed effects of AngII were not mediated solely via AngII type 1 receptor (ATR1).

Cardiovascular effects of growth hormone in adult hemodialysis patients: results from a randomized controlled trial.

Background/aims: The high morbidity and mortality rates in hemodialysis (HD) patients are due, at least in part, to their increased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). This prospective study evaluated the effect of growth hormone (GH) on a number of CVD risk markers in adult patients on HD.

Methods: 139 HD patients were randomized to one of three GH doses or to placebo.

Randomized controlled trial: lisinopril reduces proteinuria, ammonia, and renal polypeptide tubular catabolism in patients with chronic allograft nephropathy.

Background: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in native nephropathies reduce proteinuria and delay progression to renal failure. Data in renal transplantation remain limited. A negative effect on glomerular filtration rate was concluded in a recent systematic review.

Successful pregnancy in a patient with Landesman's Group C autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Background: A female with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease was followed up over the course of four pregnancies. Her first three pregnancies were unsuccessful. Her fourth pregnancy resulted in a live birth, but at what expense?

Investigations: The diagnosis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease was confirmed by ultrasound imaging.

Lack of shedding of the RIX4414 live attenuated rotavirus vaccine administered to adult volunteers.

Ten adult volunteers were given the RIX4414 rotavirus vaccine; one volunteer shed a small amount of virus antigen but not live virus. This suggests that parents of vaccinated children are unlikely to spread the vaccine.

Albumin overload induces adaptive responses in human proximal tubular cells through oxidative stress but not via angiotensin II type 1 receptor.

Proteinuria is pathogenic to proximal tubular cells (PTC) and linked with progression to renal failure. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of human serum albumin (HSA) overload on the changes in gene and protein expression stimulated by oxidative stress in PTC and any interaction with ANG II that is pivotal in disease pathogenesis. Markers of oxidative stress, antioxidant defences, transcription factor activation, and the expression of stress-related genes were measured in human PTC (HK-2 cells) overloaded with either globulin-free fatty acid free (GF/FAF) HSA or globulin-free (GF) HSA.

Clinical outcome of cadaveric renal allografts contaminated before transplantation.

This analysis was performed to define the incidence of pretransplant microbial contamination of donor kidneys, and to assess the resultant morbidity including infections requiring therapy, and graft loss. Case records of all 638 renal allograft recipients patients transplanted in our centre during the period June 1990 to October 2000 were studied. All the recipients were given a single dose of intravenous antibiotics at the time of induction of anaesthesia.

Calcineurin inhibitors and proximal renal tubular injury in renal transplant patients with proteinuria and chronic allograft nephropathy.

Background: Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) is commonly associated with proteinuria. In native nephropathies, proteinuria is linked with proximal renal tubular damage. This study uses regression analysis to link proteinuria with urinary N-acetyl-beta-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) as a marker of tubular injury or hyperfunction in renal transplant patients.

Whole-blood cultures from renal-transplant patients stimulated ex vivo show that the effects of cyclosporine on lymphocyte proliferation are related to P-glycoprotein expression.

Background: Cyclosporine (CsA) is a substrate for the MDR-1 gene product P-glycoprotein (P-gp). CsA efficacy may be modulated by lymphocyte P-gp expression levels. In this study, CsA inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation in whole-blood cultures ex vivo has been related to (1) lymphocyte P-gp expression and (2) the C3435T polymorphism in the MDR-1 gene, which has been reported to alter P-gp function.

Utility of serial Doppler ultrasound scans for the diagnosis of acute rejection in renal allografts.

This study aims to explore the utility of serial duplex scanning and to compare its results with those of single time-point scans of renal allografts in the diagnosis of acute rejection (AR). A retrospective analysis of 6017 serial duplex scans (mean: 9.8 scans per patient, 5.

Oxidative stress in a novel model of chronic acidosis in LLC-PK1 cells.

Chronic metabolic acidosis occurs commonly in chronic renal failure (CRF). The proximal renal tubular cell is the site in the kidney of high oxidative metabolic activity and in CRF is associated with adaptive hypertrophy and hypermetabolism. We hypothesised that chronic acidosis may lead to increased generation of reactive oxygen species due to increased oxidative activity.

Acute renal failure from complete uterine prolapse: role of polycystic kidney disease.

A 48-year-old female developed acute renal failure from obstruction caused by a complete uterine prolapse. She had polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) with previously stable mild renal impairment. She presented with rapidly declining renal function and oliguria which reversed following manual reduction of the prolapse and insertion of a ring pessary.

Renal tubular peptide catabolism in chronic vascular rejection.

Chronic vascular rejection (CR) is the commonest cause of renal transplant loss, with few clues to etiology, but proteinuria is a common feature. In diseased native kidneys, proteinuria and progression to failure are linked. We proposed a pathogenic role for this excess protein at a tubular level in kidney diseases of dissimilar origin.

Pregnancy does not adversely affect renal transplant function.

Women with functioning transplanted kidneys often become fertile again. Indeed, renal function, endocrine status and libido rapidly improve after renal transplantation, and 1:50 women of childbearing age become pregnant. However, there is concern regarding the haemodynamic changes of pregnancy, which could lead to a decline in graft function (temporary or permanent).