[Homocysteine, folate therapy and outcome in hemodialysis: results from a prospective study]. / Omocisteina, terapia con folati e prognosi in emodialisi: domande e risposte da uno studio prospettico monocentrico.

BACKGROUND: Despite the well-known effectiveness of folate therapy on hyperhomocysteinemia in hemodialysis, its benefits on outcome are still unclear. METHODS: Sixty-five patients on thrice-weekly maintenance hemodialysis lasting more than 3 months were followed up for 1 year after stratification by predialysis homocysteine level (tHcy). Parenteral folate (25 mg quarterly) and cobalamine (1 mg quarterly) therapy was started only if the tHcy levels were > 30 uM/L at baseline or at scheduled retests (every 7 months). End points were overall mortality and new ischemic events (affecting heart, brain, or lower extremities). RESULTS: 58.5% of patients received treatment at baseline and achieved a 60% reduction of tHcy. 38.1% progressed to levels of over 30 tHcy at 6 months and were placed on treatment. No other major changes occurred until the end of the study. An excess of both overall mortality (30.8% versus 12.1%; p = 0.075) and vascular morbidity (38.5% versus 12.1%; p = 0.03) occurred in initially untreated patients,those presenting without baseline intermediate to severe hyperhomocysteinemia. CONCLUSIONS: In undertaking hemodialysis, it appears that treating intermediate to severe hyperhomocysteinemia carries better prognosis for outcome than untreated moderate or absent hyperhomocysteinemia. It is uncertain if the benefit of therapy is valid, or if it is confounded by an association between lower tHhy and hidden malnutrition or concomitant diseases.

[Systemic mucormycosis in dialysis: computed tomography picture and histologic lesions]. / Mucormicosi sistemica in dialisi: quadro tomografico e lesioni istologiche.

Mucormycosis (zygomycosis) is an uncommon mycosis which can be contracted from the environment and which is responsible for rhino-orbital, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, cerebral or disseminated infections. Severe immunodepression, such as that caused by leukemia, lymphomata and organ graft, or treatment by desferrioxamine, may predispose to pulmonary and systemic forms. In the present work the authors describe a case of systemic mucormycosis, with unfavourable outcome, which arose in a pediatric peritoneal dialysis patient, then transferred to hemodialysis, without evident predisposing factors. In particular they refer to the CAT reports and to lymphonodal and peritoneal histological lesions which allowed them to attain the diagnosis.

[Changes in dialysis methods. 10 years' experience]. / Cambi di metodica dialitica. Esperienza di 10 anni.

A retrospective survey has been done on 175 chronic patients who underwent dialysis in one center, between January 1982 and June 1992. The purpose of the work was to evaluate the use of the first treatment and the cause which determined a change of treatment. Diffusive haemodialysis and CAPD were the most frequent first choice techniques, respectively in extracorporeal and peritoneal dialysis, whereas changes were conditioned by the need for a more personalized treatment, especially in the filed of extracorporeal dialysis.

[Evaluation of nutritional status in a group of patients undergoing CAPD]. / Valutazione dello stato nutrizionale in un gruppo di pazienti in CAPD.

The onset of a protein-energy malnutrition represents a real risk for patients on CAPD. In order to verify the nutritional status and the effectiveness of the dietetic surveillance in preventing this complication, dietary intake, anthropometric measurements and biochemical parameters were monitored in 46 patients (27 males, 19 females, mean age: 58.7 +/- 14.8 years), suffering from ESRF and treated with CAPD, for a total observation period of 1731.67 months (mean: 37.64 +/- 25.17 months). The mean glucose concentration in the dialysate was 2.00 +/- 0.36 g/dl, the glucose reabsorption from dialysate per kg of ideal body weight (kg-IBW) was equivalent to 5.1 kcal, the mean dialysate protein loss was 13.08 +/- 5.52 g/day and the incidence of peritonitis episodes was 1 every 30.38 months-patient. The daily total caloric intake (by mouth and dialysate) was 30.8 kcal/kg-IBW with a normal subdivision for each diet component: there were not statistically significant differences in distribution according to age, sex and in the follow-up. The mean daily value of protein intake (PI) evaluated by dietary interviews was 0.99 g/kg-IBW, with a significant increase 1 year since the beginning of CAPD; the PI evaluated from urea nitrogen appearance was 1.22 g/kg-IBW. The PI remained stable later in the follow-up and in patients that made use of dietetic supplements, the mean daily increase by this way was 0.47 g/kg-IBW. Anthropometric measurements showed a statistically significant increase of %RBW after 1 year and of TS and % body fat after 3 years.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[CAPD versus hemodialysis. 7 years' experience at the Centro Dialisi in Alba]. / CAPD versus emodialisi. Sette anni di esperienza del Centro Dialisi di Alba.

The purpose of the study is to compare the survival of the patients and the drop-out for change of the method in 2 groups of patients (pts) undergoing either CAPD (41 pts) or standard hemodialysis (HD) (45 pts) as first treatment, since November 1981 to August 1988. Distribution per sex (24 males and 17 females in the CAPD group vs 32 males and 13 females in the HD group), mean age (61.3 years vs 56.7) and number of risk factors (57 vs 61) were not significantly different. The total period of observation was significantly higher (1305.8 months vs 780.3, P less than 0.01) and the results seemed to be better in the CAPD group, but the life table analysis showed no significant differences in the incidence of death (10 events vs 13) and of drop-out for change of the method (8 events vs 10) respectively in the CAPD and in the HD group. At the end of the study 51.2% of pts on CAPD and 33.3% on HD were still on first treatment; clinical problems (respectively 62.5% and 70.0%) were the most frequent cause of drop-out. The Authors conclude that CAPD in the medium-term is a valuable method of treatment of end-stage renal failure, competitive with standard HD when patient selection is not biased by a negative selection.

Can we obtain a further reduction of peritonitis episodes in CAPD patients already using a Y-set with disinfectant?

A protocol of patient selection and more frequent home visits have significantly reduced peritonitis episodes in CAPD patients using Y-set with Amuchina. However, no change in dropout rates were observed.

CAPD versus hemodialysis (HD): 7 years of experience.

The purpose of this work is to compare survival and drop-out in 2 groups of patients undergoing either CAPD (42 pts) or standard HD (48 pts) as first treatment, from November 1981 to December 1988. Mean age and number of risk factors were not significantly different. At the end of the study 50.0% of pts on CAPD and 37.5% on HD were still on first treatment; clinical problems were the most frequent cause of drop-out. The total period of observation was significantly higher in the CAPD group (1391.0 months vs 850.4), but the life table analysis showed no significant differences in the incidence of death and of drop-out in the two groups. The follow-up of the CAPD group was subdivided into two periods, due to the fact that a scheme for clinical and social survey of patients undergoing dialysis and a policy of more frequent home visits were introduced at the end of 1985. A significant decrease of peritonitis episodes was observed in the second period.