Autologous stem cell transplantation for severe autoimmune diseases: a 10-year experience.

The first autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Europe for a patient with severe refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was performed in Genoa in 1996. Since then, 32 patients with a wide spectrum of autoimmune diseases (ADs) received autologous transplants, 22 of them with multiple sclerosis (MS). There were no fatal adverse events.

ACE inhibitors and persistent left ventricular hypertrophy after renal transplantation: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: Interventional studies of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in renal transplant recipients are scarce and to date evaluated only patients immediately after renal transplantation.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial that assessed the effectiveness of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in regressing persistent LVH after successful transplantation.

Setting & Participants: 70 renal transplant recipients (47 men; age, 30 to 68 years) without diabetes previously randomly assigned to either cyclosporine or tacrolimus therapy, with LVH persisting 3 to 6 months after transplantation.

[Left ventricular hypertrophy in chronic kidney disease].

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk. Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH), together with coronary artery disease, has been considered the main target of intervention. LVH is highly prevalent in CKD even in early stages, as compared to general non-selected population.

Relationship between arterial hypertension and renal damage in chronic kidney disease: insights from ABPM.

Background: To date, few studies have used ambulatory pressure monitoring (ABPM) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) before the start of dialysis treatment. The aim of this study was therefore to ascertain the correlates of arterial hypertension assessed by ABPM in CKD patients at their first referral to a nephrologist.

Methods: We studied 244 (164 men; mean age 63 years) nondiabetic patients with CKD.

Left ventricular hypertrophy in nondiabetic predialysis CKD.

Background: Although left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease, few studies are available before the start of dialysis treatment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and clinical correlates of LVH in nondiabetic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) not yet undergoing renal replacement therapy.

Methods: We investigated 244 nondiabetic patients with CKD; 57 patients (42 men; age, 20 to 78 years) had stages 1 to 2 CKD and 187 patients (122 men; age, 18 to 77 years) had stages 3 to 5 CKD.