Epidemiology of end-stage renal disease and hemodialysis treatment in Serbia at the turn of the millennium.

The study presents the epidemiological features of patients treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Serbia from 1997 to 2009 and compares the results of hemodialysis treatment in 1999 and 2009. Epidemiological data were obtained from the National Registry of RRT patients and data on hemodialysis treatment from special surveys conducted in 1999 and 2009. Within the period 1997-2009 the incidence of patients on RRT increased from 108 to 179 per million population (pmp), prevalence rose from 435 to 699 pmp, while mortality rate fell from 20.

Effect of MCI-196 on serum phosphate and cholesterol levels in haemodialysis patients with hyperphosphataemia: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Hyperphosphataemia in patients on haemodialysis (HD) can lead to, or worsen, secondary hyperparathyroidism (with associated bone disease) and extra-skeletal calcifications associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. MCI-196 is a new, non-absorbed, non-calcium-based phosphate binder. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of three fixed doses of MCI-196, on serum phosphorus level and other parameters relevant to HD patients.

Effects of lowering dialysate calcium concentration on mineral metabolism and parathyroid hormone secretion: a multicentric study.

This prospective study was conducted with the aim of examining the efficacy of lowering dialysate calcium (dCa) in order to: (i) stimulate bone turnover in hemodialysis patients with biochemical signs of adynamic bone disease (ABD) (hypercalcemia, normal alkaline phosphatase and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) <150 pg/mL); and (ii) diminish hypercalcemia in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) (hypercalcemia, high alkaline phosphatase and iPTH > 400 pg/mL), thus permitting the use of calcium-containing phosphorus binders and vitamin D metabolites. Patients were divided into: an ABD-treated group (24 patients), a sHPT-treated group (18 patients), an ABD-control group (12 patients) and a sHPT-control group (11 patients). For the ABD- and sHPT-treated patients, hemodialysis was conducted with dCa 1.