The influence of lung volume reduction surgery on ventilatory mechanics in patients suffering from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Recently, lung volume reduction [LVR] removal of about 20% of lung volume), has been performed to treat severe emphysema. Little is known, however, about the mechanism and time course of functional improvement, and the reasons that such patients can be tracheally extubated very early. Therefore, we studied changes in ventilatory mechanics in 12 patients after LVR.

Hemodynamic effects of partial correction of chronic anemia by recombinant human erythropoietin in patients on dialysis.

Eighteen patients on chronic hemodialysis with renal anemia were treated with recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO). Hemodynamic parameters in the resting state were determined before and after successful treatment. Posttreatment cardiac index was decreased (3.

Effect of recombinant human erythropoietin on anterior pituitary function in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

In 7 patients with end stage renal failure, anterior pituitary function was tested by simultaneous application of maximally effective doses of the hypothalamic releasing peptides, corticotropin-releasing hormone, growth hormone-releasing hormone, thyrotropin-releasing hormone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone, and compared to 8 normal controls. In addition to the pituitary hormones, plasma cortisol, thyroxine and testosterone concentrations were measured. To test for possible effects of treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhu-EPO), all patients with chronic renal failure were studied again after partial correction of anemia by treatment with erythropoietin.

[The significance of erythropoietin for nephrology].

The analysis of the structure of erythropoietin and the subsequent production of recombinant human erythropoietin opened a new era in the understanding of the pathogenesis and therapy of renal anaemia. From the diagnostic point of view sufficiently accurate radioimmunoassays are currently available to throw new light on the pathogenesis of renal anaemia, and enable pharmacokinetic studies of the recombinant hormone to be carried on. For the first time a causal therapy is available for renal anaemia.