Fasting urine hydroxyproline / creatinine as estimates of bone resorption in postmenopausal women

Serum level of alkaline phosphatase [as estimate of bone formation] and urinary levels of hydroxyproline/creatinine [HPR/CR] and calcium/creatinine [Ca/CR] ratios [as estimates of bone resorption] together with serum calcium and phosphorus levels were determined in 10 healthy premenopausal females and in 13 postmenopausal women. Serum phosphorus level together with urinary HPR/CR and Ca/CR ratios were significantly increased after menopause, meanwhile serum calcium was decreased, while no significant difference was noticed when the premenopausal and postmenopausal women were compared with respect to serum alkaline phosphatase. Both urinary HPR/CR and Ca/CR ratios were found to be negatively correlated to the duration after menopause. Correlation between HPR/CR and Ca/CR in fasting urine samples of postmenopausal women was of high significance

Erythrocyte deformability in chronic renal failure

Red blood cell [RBC] deformability [DEF] was measured in twenty patients with end stage renal failure [ESRF] before being dialyzed and in eighteen of them after a single session dialysis [nine patients received hemodialysis and the other nine patients received peritoneal dialysis]. RBCDEF was measured by means of a modified nucleopore filter method. Low RBC DEF was found in ESRF patients when compared to that of the control group. Although significant improvement of RBC DEF occurred with a single dialysis session, yet RBC DEF was significantly lower than of the control group. A statistically significant correlation was found between reduced RBC DEF and serum creatinine level in the patients with ESRF and no significant correlation was found between RBC DEF and blood urea level in uremic patients. Both modalities of dialysis can improve RBC DEF in ESRF patients