Helicobacter pylori infection increases the risk of peptic ulcer bleeding in peptic ulcer disease patients on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aspirin and non-aspirin antiplatelet agents. H. pylori-positive patients on combined antiplatelet therapy carry the highest risk for peptic ulcer bleeding.

Forty three uremic patients on regular hemodialysis treatment (4 hours 3 times/week) were dialyzed for a period of 28.95 +/- 14.46 months with a dialysate sodium concentration (NaD) of 142 mEq/l, similar to their plasma water sodium concentration corrected for the Donnan factor ("physiological" NaD). Blood pressure (BP) and body weight (BW) dropped significantly. During two following periods, lasting 18 and 14 months, with NaD 148 mEq/l, similar to the patients' plasma water sodium concentration ("pharmacologically high" NaD), cardiovascular stability improved and BP did not show significant increase. Using "physiological" and "pharmacologically high" NaD the removal of water and sodium by convection improves the cardiovascular stability and the patients' well being, without bringing about the feared long-term cardiovascular side effects, if an appropriate dry body weight is achieved, because of better correction of the cellular overhydration.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible influence of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) on nerve conduction velocity in patients on intermittent hemodialysis and its relevance to the pathogenesis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The data on 22 patients showed no statistically significant differences in the electrographic parameters considered. This suggests that AVF by the end-to-end method plays no significant part in the alteration of nerve conduction. Possibly radial steal phenomena, which occur with other types of AVF, are at least partly responsible for the reported cases of CTS.

No abstract