BACKGROUND Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Although the plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels may be a strong marker of long-term mortality in HD patients, what plasma BNP levels reflect is not well known in this setting. Therefore, we examined the relationship between plasma BNP levels and the presen...

BACKGROUND Haemodialysis (HD) with cuprophan (CU) dialysers leads to a severe transient granulocytopenia. In the present study, we challenge the hypothesis that granulocytes sequester within the pulmonary vasculature simply because this is the first vascular bed encountered. This hypothesis is based upon experiments in which activated plasma or complement fragments were infused into animals, an...

BACKGROUND An important advantage of convective therapies is improved vascular reactivity. However, it is not well known whether the vascular response during convective therapies remains superior when compared to haemodialysis (HD) with an adjusted temperature of the dialysate. It has also been suggested that convective therapies may impair small electrolyte removal through an effect on the Don...

PURPOSE To explore modifications in signal mechanisms involving CD11b and leukocyte adhesion in patients under haemodialysis (HD). METHODS Samples were obtained from uremic patients at baseline, 15 and 120 min of HD from both arterial and venous lines. CD11b expression was studied by flow cytometry. To study signalling mechanisms, CD11b was immunoprecipitated using a specific antibody. Immuno...

BACKGROUND A proinflammatory environment characterized by the continuous activation of the innate immune system is thought to contribute to the markedly elevated mortality in haemodialysis (HD) patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The presence of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been demonstrated as biomarker in many pathologies. METHODS We evaluated the occurrence of cfDNA in H...

There is little information about the serologic survey for control of hepatitis C by using third-generation assays among chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients, and no analysis of costs has been made to this end. A serologic survey for control of hepatitis C was performed in 190 HD patients attending a single dialysis unit, using second- and third-generation assays. Costs of both serologic surveys...

AGEs (advanced glycation end products) accumulate markedly in the plasma of human subjects with renal failure. We investigated the efficiency of removal of AGEs from the circulation by PD (peritoneal dialysis) and HD (haemodialysis) therapy. Free AGEs were measured by LC-MS/MS in blood plasma before dialysis, in dialysis fluid effusate after a 2-12 h dwell time in the peritoneal cavity of PD su...

BACKGROUND Immunologic alterations have been reported in chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients. Some HD patients may have, therefore, an inability to produce detectable amounts of serum antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). Previous studies have shown the presence of HCV viraemia in anti-HCV-negative HD patients (ranging from 1 to 15%). However, the universal epidemiologic impact of these c...

AIM to look for differences in clinical characteristics, and differences in the role of mineral metabolism disorders and inflammation in diabetic and non diabetic patients. METHODS subjects were 127 patients on maintenance haemodialysis: 46 with DM and 81 without. Vascular calcification of the aortic arch and peripheral artery were recorded qualitatively using x-ray of the chest and lower ext...

BACKGROUND Recently a new human virus (GBV-C/HGV) was identified. With the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) the possibility of a high prevalence of the GBV-C/HGV infection in haemodialysis patients was demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to use a combination of the PCR and a new diagnostic test for antibodies to the viral envelope protein E2 to assess the prevalence of the ...