Randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy and safety of oral paricalcitol with oral calcitriol in dialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Aim: The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy and safety of oral paricalcitol with oral calcitriol for treating secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Methods: We conducted the first multicenter open-labelled parallel group randomized controlled trial in 66 patients on dialysis. Patients were randomized to paricalcitol or calcitriol at a 3:1 dose ratio and adjusted to maintain intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level between 150-300 pg/mL, serum calcium ≤2.

An Audit of Diabetes Control and Management (ADCM).

Diabetes is a chronic condition that is one of the major causes of illness, disability, and death in Malaysia. Cost in managing diabetes plus indirect cost of lost work, pain, and suffering have all increased. The optimal management of patients with diabetes require the tracking of patients over time to monitor the progression of the disease, compliance with treatment, and preventive care.

Health issues in dialysis-dependent female patients.

Background: Reproductive health issues in women with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are often neglected. Data on these issues are also limited.

Purpose: We set out to describe the reproductive health issues in women being treated with either hemodialysis (HD) or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).

A randomized, multicenter, open-label trial to establish therapeutic equivalence between the Carex and ultra disconnect systems in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Objective: In the present study, we undertook to establish therapeutic equivalence with respect to peritonitis and technique failure between the Carex disconnect system (B. Braun Carex, Mirandola, Italy) and the standard Ultra system (Baxter Healthcare, Tokyo, Japan) in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).

Design: This multicenter, parallel group, randomized controlled trial involved 363 prevalent CAPD patients from 8 centers.

A randomized, multicenter, open-label trial to determine peritonitis rate, product defect, and technique survival between ANDY-Disc and UltraBag in patients on CAPD.

Background: With the various twin-bag systems available on the market, we decided to conduct a therapeutic equivalence study comparing ANDY-Disc (Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg, Germany) with UltraBag (Baxter, Deerfield, IL) in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) therapy.

Methods: This multicenter, open-label, parallel-group, randomized trial is designed to show the therapeutic equivalence of ANDY-Disc with UltraBag. All CAPD patients from the 6 participating centers who met inclusion/exclusion criteria were enrolled into the trial.

Randomized controlled trial of pulse intravenous cyclophosphamide versus mycophenolate mofetil in the induction therapy of proliferative lupus nephritis.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil in the induction therapy of proliferative lupus nephritis.

Methods: Forty-four patients from eight centres with newly diagnosed lupus nephritis World Health Organization class III or IV were randomly assigned to either mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 2 g/day for 6 months or intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVC) 0.75-1 g/m(2) monthly for 6 months in addition to corticosteroids.