Red cell production in chronic kidney disease is usually too low to maintain a normal haemoglobin, and thus anaemia develops in a large proportion of patients. The ability to stimulate erythropoiesis in the bone marrow by the use of therapeutic agents has only been possible in the last 20 years, initially with recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin), and later darbepoetin alfa. Many new agen...

BACKGROUND Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA; methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta) is a new erythropoiesis-stimulating agent with a prolonged half-life. The objective of this study was to select a starting dose of CERA for the treatment of anemia in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study was an open-label randomized phase II trial con...

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationships among three flexural strengths of recent dental ceramics using 3-point and 4-point bending tests and biaxial flexural test. Three brands of porcelain for veneering (d.SIGN, Supper porcelain AAA, Vintage Hallo), two injectable ceramics (Empress 2, OPC 3G), and one castable ceramic (Crys-Cera) were used. Twenty bar-shaped and 10 d...

Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) is an important mediator of the inflammatory response. Phospho-ceramide analogue-1 (PCERA-1), a synthetic phospholipid-like molecule, was previously reported to modulate pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production. We show here that PCERA-1 inhibited LPS-stimulated PGE(2) production in RAW264.7 macrophages, without affecting COX-2 expression. Furthermore, PCERA-1 ...

Background: New erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) with a longer half-life have been developed for the treatment of anemia as a complication of patients with end-stage renal disease. Objectives: The objective of the present study was to assess the hemoglobin (Hb) stability of a Japanese cohort of hemodialysis (HD) patients who were simultaneously switched from darbepoetin alfa (DA) to epo...

Background. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are very high in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) on selected biomarkers of cardiovascular disease, left ventricle structure, and function in CKD. Material and Methods. Peripheral blood was collected from 25 CKD patients before ...

The journal Cost-Effectiveness and Resource Allocation (CERA) is now in its seventh year, and is an excellent example of how open access publishing can improve dissemination. Now the journal is through its infancy, it is time to reflect on its orientation and to define the strategy for the years to come. Firstly, the journal will pay particular attention to stimulating and publishing studies or...

IMPORTANCE Control of intraocular pressure after implantation of a glaucoma drainage device (GDD) depends on the porosity of the capsule that forms around the plate of the GDD. OBJECTIVE To compare capsular porosity after insertion of 2 different GDDs using a novel implant and measurement system. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS We performed an experimental interventional study at an eye resea...

BACKGROUND The present study is designed to evaluate the validity of the measurement of capillary blood hemoglobin A1c levels in comparison with venous blood hemoglobin A1c. METHODS The data of this cross-sectional study are collected from a sample of 45 Iranian diabetic patients referred to one particular laboratory for the assessment of HbA1c level during a period from April to December 201...

In endothelial cells, erythropoietin receptors (EPORs) mediate the protective, proliferative and angiogenic effects of EPO and its analogues, which act as EPOR agonists. Because hormonal receptors undergo functional changes upon chronic exposure to agonists and because erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are used for the long-term treatment of anemia, it is critical to determine the mechan...