AIM To compare the dimensions of quality of life in the stages of chronic kidney disease and the influence of sociodemographic, clinical and laboratory data. INTRODUCTION The information available on the quality of life of patients on conservative treatment and the relationship between the quality of life and glomerular filtration rate is limited. METHODS 155 patients in stages 1-5 of chron...

Background: Morphological examinations of urinary erythrocytes can be of diagnostic value in initial evaluation of hematuria. Dysmorphic urinary red blood cells are known to indicate a glomerular origin of bleeding. We examined the clinical usefulness of this test in a population complained of hematuria by use of three different methods: light microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, and Wright s...

INTRODUCTION Assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the best index of kidney functions. We aimed to determine the accuracy of El-Minia equation for estimation of GFR in different stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the El-Minia population of CKD patients, in comparison to other proposed equations. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 320 isotopic GFR measurements by 99m-T...

BACKGROUND Chronic kidney disease is the primary cause of end-stage renal disease in the United States. The purpose of this study was to understand the natural history of chronic kidney disease with regard to progression to renal replacement therapy (transplant or dialysis) and death in a representative patient population. METHODS In 1996 we identified 27 998 patients in our health plan who h...

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, for which effective therapy to prevent the progression at advanced stages remains to be established. There is also a long debate whether diabetic glomerular injury is reversible or not. Lipoatrophic diabetes, a syndrome caused by paucity of adipose tissue, is characterized by severe insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and fatty...

Over the past 40 years, a number of seemingly unrelated mechanisms have been implicated in the early stages of glucose-mediated damage responsible for diabetic complications. Starting in 2000, a series of publications showed that each of these mechanisms reflects a single hyperglycemia-induced process: overproduction of superoxide by the mitochondrial electron transport chain. This discovery cr...

BACKGROUND 5/6 nephrectomy (Nx) in susceptible animals causes glomerular sclerosis and interstitial fibrosis in the remnant kidney. Oxidative stress, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and the de novo synthesis of collagen seem to contribute to this process. However, these factors might also be required for tissue repair without fibrosis. METHODS We examined dynamic changes after nep...

Glomerular endothelial cells (GEC) are strategically situated within the capillary loop and adjacent to the glomerular mesangium. GEC serve as targets of metabolic, biochemical, and hemodynamic signals that regulate the glomerular microcirculation. Unequivocally, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and the local renin-angiotensin system partake in the initiation and progression of diabetic nephropathy...

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a frequent and severe complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). Its diagnosis in incipient stages may allow prompt interventions and an improved prognosis. Towards this aim, biomarkers for detecting early DN can be used. Microalbuminuria has been proven a remarkably useful biomarker, being used for diagnosis of DN, for assessing its associated condition-mainly cardiov...