Effect of a contrast agent on long-term renal function and the efficacy of prophylactic hemodiafiltration.

Background: There have been few studies regarding the effect of contrast agent on long-term renal function and, moreover, there are still many uncertainties regarding the efficacy of prophylactic hemodiafiltration (HDF) for contrast-induced nephropathy.

Methods And Results: Patients with heart disease and a serum creatinine level (Scr) of less than 1.2 mg/dl were classified as Group N (20 patients), those with Scr of at least 1.

A novel contrast removal system from the coronary sinus using an adsorbing column during coronary angiography in a porcine model.

Objectives: This study examined the efficacy of a novel system to remove contrast from the coronary sinus (CS) using an adsorbing column during coronary angiography.

Background: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) has become a serious problem for patients with pre-existing renal insufficiency undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: Eight swine were studied to evaluate the efficacy of the contrast removal system.

Effect of a newly developed charging chamber for the treatment of hypotension during hemodialysis.

We developed a new method of hemodialysis using a charging chamber for treatment of hemodialysis patients with hypotension occurring during the latter half of hemodialysis (collapse). The purpose of this method was to recover systolic blood pressure (BP) by returning a part of blood within the chamber into the body circulation when hemodialysis collapse occurred. Using this method, systolic BP recovery (DeltaBP) in ten hemodialysis patients (4 males, 6 females, mean age 66.

Appropriate dosing of pilsicainide hydrochloride in patients on hemodialysis.

Appropriate dosing of pilsicainide hydrochloride, an anti-arrhythmic drug excreted via the kidney, was investigated in patients on dialysis. Ten chronic hemodialysis patients with coexisting severe palpitation of supraventricular premature contractions (SVPC) were treated with 25 mg of pilsicainide hydrochloride before dialysis. All of their plasma concentrations were maintained within the therapeutic range and their mean dialysis rate was 32%.

Heterogeneous expression of nonmuscle myosin heavy chain-B in mesangial cells of patients with Gitelman's syndrome.

Aims: It has been suggested that angiotensin II (Ang II) promotes hypertrophy and hyperplasia of mesangial cells. Nonmuscle myosin heavy chain-B (NMHC-B) and alpha-smooth muscle (SM) actin are considered to be molecular markers for phenotypic change ofproliferative mesangial cells. One of the clinical characteristics in Gitelman's syndrome (GS) is the elevation of plasma Ang II.