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Renal tubular acidification function was studied in 12 patients treated with cyclosporine (Cy) for idiopathic uveitis (IU) and in 5 patients with IU not treated with Cy. After intravenous bicarbonate loading fractional bicarbonate excretion was similar in both groups indicating normal proximal tubular acidification function. Plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone and transtubular potassium gradient were similar in both groups. Distal hydrogen ion secretion evaluated by the ability to increase urine-blood (U-B) pCC₂ in a highly alkaline urine was impaired in Cy-treated patients (31.8 ± 3.2 mm Hg) as compared to controls (47.9 ± 0.5 mm Hg) (p < 0.005). We conclude that Cy therapy is associated with a distal acidification defect with a low U-B pCO₂ gradient during sodium bicarbonate loading. Because none of our Cy-treated patients spontaneously developed overt metabolic acidosis one could classify them as having an incomplete form of distal tubular acidosis.

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Fine JM, Lambin P, ). Serum neopterin and bz-microglobulin concentrations in monoclonal gammopathies. Acta Med Scand 1988; 224: 179-82.Serum neopterin and B,-microglobulin concentrations were investigated in 46 patients with multiple myeloma and in 28 patients with asymptomatic monoclonal gammopathy followed for long periods (median 9.6 years) and showing an absence of evolution. Seventy-two per cent of the patients with multiple myeloma showed µglobulin concentrations higher than 3 mg/l with a mean of 6.84 mgil, whereas all the patients with asymptomatic monoclonal gammopathies had concentrations lower than 3 mgA with a mean of 1.64 mgA. Concerning serum neopterin concentrations, 91% of the patients with multiple myeloma had values with in pathological limits (>8 nmol/l) with a mean of 34 nmoV1, whereas all but one of the patients with asymptomatic monoclonal gammopathy had normal values with a mean of 5.19 nmoV1. The differences thus observed in these two groups of patients are highly significant (p