Basal and yellow fever vaccination-induced 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2',5'A) activity was determined in blood mononuclear cells (peripheral blood lymphocytes [PBLs]) from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and matched control subjects. The live attenuated yellow fever vaccine represented a primary stimulus in all subjects. First, basal 2',5'A activity increased severalfold in response to yellow fever vaccination. In IDDM subjects, this increase was significantly lower (P = .025). Second, the 2',5'A activity increased proportionately to the higher basal 2',5'A activity in IDDM subjects. In control subjects, the increase in 2',5'A activity was not dependent on the basal activity. There was no relationship between basal or stimulated 2',5'A activity and age, sex, duration of IDDM, age at onset of IDDM, metabolic control, or HLA-DQ beta-chain gene polymorphism. There is a direct relationship between 2',5'A activity and latent viral infections associated with the presence of double-stranded RNA and with cellular interferons (IFNs) formed in response to viral infections. The higher basal 2',5'A activity (P = .05) in relation to the stimulated activity may therefore signify a latent infection or the presence of double-stranded RNA in PBLs of IDDM subjects. In vitro stimulation of PBLs showed increased IFN sensitivity in IDDM subjects. Analysis of 2',5'A activity is proposed to be a sensitive measure of the activation of the IFN system and the level of latent infectivity.
Objective The purpose of the present study was to compare the dosage requirements of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) administered subcutaneously (SC) either one or three times weekly. Design A randomized, prospective study. .Setting: The patients were recruited from two university hospitals and five county hospitals. Patients Thirty-three anemic patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) treatment for endstage renal failure completed the study. Interventions Initially, all were treated with rHuEPOSC three times a week until hemoglobin blood levels (Hb) remained constant between 105 and 121 g/L for three months. Following randomization, 17 patients continued the same treatment schedule (group A), while 16 patients received the same dose, but administered only once weekly for three months (group B). Main Outcome Measures The Hb levels and rHuEPO doses at the start and at the end of the three-month study period. Results In group A the median Hb at randomization was 118 g/L (109 -119) (25 -75 percentiles) and, after three months, was 113 g/L (106 -119) (p = 0.13), while in group B the median Hb was 114g/L (108–119) and 114 g/L (106 -120), respectively (p = 0.50). In group A the weekly dose of rHuEPO remained virtually unchanged during the study period, 65 (55 -86) and 66.3 (55 -95) U/kg/week, respectively, while in group B it was increased from 60.2 (46–88) to 77 (60 90) U/kg/week. The 22% increase (p = 0.03) took place during the last two weeks. Conclusions Our findings indicate that a once-weekly SC dosing regimen of rHuEPO in anemic CAPD patients was equally effective in maintaining a stable hemoglobin level as a thrice-weekly dosing regimen.
A boy with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) developed glomerulonephritis at the age of 12 years. The glomerulonephritis progressed to terminal uraemia at age 15 when maintenance haemodialysis was started. The clinical course was complicated by pulmonary aspergillosis and Pseudomonas septicaemia from which he eventually died. The glomerulonephritis was of unknown origin, and a possible relationship between CGD and glomerulonephritis is discussed.
Although further studies are warranted for further clarification, our preliminary data substantiate that FDG PET/CT is a viable modality for assessing VTE, at least for DVT. We believe our results add positively to the limited data on this subject and are promising enough to warrant further larger series.
Five rabbit kidneys were perfused with human blood and another five with their own blood in a re‐circulating oxygenated system at 37°C. The flow decreased to 2 ml/min. within 30 min. in all xenoperfusions, while none of the autoperfused had decreased to this level by 60 min. Endothelial damage, exudation, and IgG deposits along the basement membrane of the glomerular capillaries were the discrimininative features of the xenoperfusion. In these experiments, we were unable to demonstrate any major role of platelets in the process leading to decreased blood flow.
In a dialysis population patients who had been treated merely with haemodialysis (HD) or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) were examined with ultrasound. The occurrence of multicystic transformation of the kidney was 4/15 in HD patients and 8/25 in CAPD patients with no significant difference between the two groups. There was a significant association between the occurrence of multicystic transformation and the patient age while there was no significant association to the duration of dialysis or the duration of the uraemic state. No tumour or any other complication to cystic transformation was found. In 582 persons without renal disease examined as controls we found 44 with cystic change. This material does not support the recommendation of regular ultrasound examination of our dialysis patients. However, until these results can be confirmed by prospective studies we must recommend screening of all maintenance dialysis patients after a longer duration of dialysis.
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