A 48-year-old Caucasian male underwent a cadaveric renal transplantation in November 2000 after 15 months of haemodialysis. He was treated by nifedipine (30 mg o.d.) and nisoldipine (20 mg o.d.) for arterial hypertension evidenced more than 20 years before. No laboratory investigation was performed until May 1999, when he was admitted for chest pain. Blood pressure was 185u95 mmHg and serum cre...

occupational exposure to heavy metals, organic solvents and silica is associated with a variety of renal manifestations. improved understanding of occupational renal disease provides insight into environmental renal disease, improving knowledge of disease pathogenesis. silica (sio 2 ) is an abundant mineral found in sand, rock, and soil. workers exposed to silica include sandblasters, miners, q...

An 81-yr-old African-American woman with endstage kidney disease (ESKD) who has been on hemodialysis for 10 yr seeks a consultation with you. Her primary physician obtained a dual-energy xray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan and asked her to discuss the results with her nephrologist for further management. She is diagnosed with osteoporosis based on her T-scores of 5.1 (AP spine), 4.1 (left femoral n...

BACKGROUND Ascites is a common clinical manifestation of advanced liver disease which can be managed with repeated large volume paracentesis. We sought to determine if continuous paracentesis via placement of an indwelling catheter for the management of ascites is safe and effective. METHODS We placed 38 peritoneal drainage catheters in 30 patients for durations ranging from 1-10 days. Patien...

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have shown cardioprotective and renoprotective properties. These agents are recommended as first-line therapy for the treatment of hypertension and the reduction of cardiovascular risk. Early studies pointed to the cardioprotective and renoprotective effects of ARBs in high-risk patients. The ONgoing Telmi...

In the early 1900s, cholesterol deposition in atherosclerosis was considered a passive, degenerative, inevitable and end-stage process of ageing. After decades of research, it is now recognized as an active, regulated, treatable and preventable disorder related to deposition and oxidation of lipoprotein components. Similarly, in the past few decades, vascular calcification also has been conside...