Impact of Parathyroidectomy Versus Oral Cinacalcet on Bone Mineral Density in Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis With Advanced Secondary Hyperparathyroidism: The PROCEED Pilot Randomized Trial.

Rationale & Objective: Parathyroidectomy and calcimimetics have been used to reduce fracture risk in patients with kidney failure and advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), but direct comparisons of these treatment approaches have not been implemented. This pilot study compared their effects on bone mineral density (BMD) in this patient population.

Study Design: A prospective pilot open-label randomized trial.

Parathyroidectomy versus oral cinacalcet on cardiovascular parameters in peritoneal dialysis patients with advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism (PROCEED): a randomized trial.

Background: This trial aimed to evaluate oral cinacalcet versus total parathyroidectomy (PTx) with forearm autografting on cardiovascular surrogate outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures in dialysis patients with advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT).

Design: In this pilot prospective randomized trial conducted in two university-affiliated hospitals, 65 adult peritoneal dialysis patients with advanced SHPT were randomized to receive either oral cinacalcet or PTx. Primary endpoints were changes in left ventricular (LV) mass index by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and coronary artery calcium scores (CACS) over 12 months.

Long-Term Effects of Sevelamer on Vascular Calcification, Arterial Stiffness, and Calcification Propensity in Patients Receiving Peritoneal Dialysis: The Randomized Pilot SERENE (Sevelamer on Vascular Calcification, Arterial Stiffness) Trial.

Rationale & Objective: There is a concern regarding increased risk of vascular calcification with the use of calcium-based phosphorus binders. This study aimed to compare the effects of sevelamer used as a second-line, low-dose therapy with calcium-based phosphorus binders with those of sevelamer used as a first-line, high-dose therapy on coronary artery and heart valve calcification, aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), and calcification propensity over 2 years in patients with hyperphosphatemia receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Study Design: A 2-year-long prospective, multicenter, open-label, randomized pilot study.

Skin autofluorescence associates with vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between tissue advanced glycation end products, as reflected by skin autofluorescence, and vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease.

Approach And Results: Three hundred patients with stage 3 to 5 chronic kidney disease underwent multislice computed tomography to estimate total coronary artery calcium score (CACS) and had tissue advanced glycation end product assessed using a skin autofluorescence reader. Intact parathyroid hormone (P<0.

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography true fusion imaging in clinical head and neck oncology: early experience.

Purpose: Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is a new imaging modality that provides simultaneous functional and anatomic information. Its application in head and neck oncology is still evolving.

Materials And Methods: Five illustrative cases who were scanned with this technique are presented.

Application of intravenous contrast in PET/CT: does it really introduce significant attenuation correction error?

Unlabelled: The current perception of using contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) for attenuation correction (AC) is that of caution, as it might lead to erroneously elevated (18)F-FDG uptake on the PET scan. This study evaluates in vivo whether an intravenous iodinated contrast agent produces a significant AC artifact in the level of standardized uptake value (SUV) changes in PET/CT.

Methods: Fifty-four patients referred for whole-body (WB) PET/CT scans were enrolled and subdivided into 2 groups.