Microalbuminuria and endothelial dysfunction in hypertensive patients with and without cerebral lacunar infarctions

This study included 14 nondiabetic persons with untreated essential hypertension and cerebral lacunar infarctions detected by MRI or CT brain scan, 12 age and sex matched untreated nondiabetic hypertensive patients without infarction and 11 normal controls. Urinary albumin excretion [UAE] was measured photometrically and von Willebrand factor [vWF] as a known marker of endothelial dysfunction was estimated by a platelet aggregation method. UAE was found to be significantly higher in hypertensives with lacunar infarctions compared with those without and to normal control. VWF concentrations were found to be significantly higher in patients with lacunar infarctions compared with those without and with the normal control, but there was no significant difference between its level in hypertensives without lacunae and the normal controls. There was a significant positive linear correlation between vWF and UAE values in hypertensive patients with lacunar infarctions. Increased systolic blood pressure and low HDL correlated with both UAE and vWF in patients with lacunar infarctions

Study of T-cell count in uremic patients with HBs antigenemia

This work was carried out on 10 healthy volunteers who served as a control group [Gl]. and 50 patients with chronic renal failure. The uremic patients were divided into 5 groups, each consisted of 10 patients. Group 2 [G2] comprised patients with negative HBsAg. Group 3 [G3] comprised patients treated with conservative measures who are chronic healthy carrier for HBsAg. Group 4 [G4] comprised patients treated with conservative measures who suffered from chronic active hepatitis due to HBV infection. Group 5 [G5] comprised dialyzed patients who are chronic healthy carrier for HBsAg. Group 6 [G6] comprised dialyzed patients who suffered from chronic active hepatitis due to HBV infection. The following laboratory investigations were performed to all subjects: complete blood picture, counting of T-lymphocytes, HBsAg, blood urea, serum creatinine, serum bilirubin and serum transaminases. Diagnosis of chronic active hepatitis was confirmed by liver biopsy. Our study showed that chronic renal failure as well as haemodialysis decreased significantly both total lymphocytic count and absolute T-cell count. Total lymphocytic count and absolute T-cell count showed significant negative correlation with blood urea, serum creatinine, duration of dialysis, and the age of patients. HBsAg positive uremic patients showed siginificant reduction in absolute T-cell count, but didn't show significant change in total lymphocytic count, when compared with HBsAg negative uremlc patients. No significant difference could be found in both total lymphocytic and absolute T-cell count between chronic active hepatitis uremic patients and chronic healthy carrier uremic patients. Finally, no significant correlation was detected between the biochemical parameters of liver function [total serum bilirubin, SGOT and SGPT] and both total lymphocytic count and absolute T-cell count