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Biomedical subjects

A Colombi

Publications and source records attributed to A Colombi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Patients returning after transplantation].

Numerous reports have dealt with patient survival and prognostic factors after renal replacement therapy. However, few data exist for patients after a failed renal transplant and who start dialysis again. With this purpose, we retrospectively studied 36 patients who returned to dialysis after a mean transplantation time of 42.8 +/- 7.8 months. Actuarial patient survival on dialysis after the failed renal transplant (D2) was 78%, 74%, 69% and 41% at 1, 2, 3 and 5 years after restarting dialysis respectively. In comparison, survival of patients who started dialysis without a previous history of a renal transplant showed rates of 91%, 85%, 79% and 64% at 1, 2, 3 and 5 years respectively. The difference was statistically significant only at one year after beginning dialysis therapy (78% vs. 91%, p < 0.025). There were no differences in plasma urea concentration by the time of starting both first (D1) and second (D2) dialysis treatments (37.4 +/- 1.9 and 38.8 +/- 2.9 mmol/L respectively). Instead, a statistically significant difference was found between corresponding serum creatinine values (1100.1 +/- 47.1 and 856.9 +/- 50.0 mumol/L respectively, p < 0.05). When actuarial survival and serum creatinine values at the start of D2 were analyzed, there was a statistically better survival at 1 year for patients with serum creatinine values under 900 mumol/L, as compared with those above 900 mumol/L (85% vs. 52%, p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Inaccuracy quality control in the monitoring of trace metal concentrations in biological fluids.

Quality assurance in trace element analysis requires continual surveillance of the accuracy and precision of results. A review of difficulties encountered in performing quality control programs of trace metal analysis in biological fluids is presented. Examples to clarify the inadequacy of available biological reference materials for quality control in biological monitoring of environmental and occupational low level exposure to metals are reported.

Body Fluids

[Nutrition in kidney diseases].

Three dietary measures are useful for chronic progressive renal failure. In a hypertensive patient, salt restriction is a prerequisite for antihypertensive therapy. Protein restriction to 0.6 g/kg of body weight per day can slow down progression of renal disease with the exception of polycystic disease of the adult type. Ketosteril can be given for prevention of essential amino acid deficiency. A normalization of serum phosphorus is essential for slowing progression of disease as well as bone metabolism. Therefore, a diet reduced in phosphates, supported by phosphate binders is prescribed.

Amino Acids, Essential

Immediate detection of postreconstructive ischaemia by intra-operative Doppler ankle pressure index monitoring during aortic reconstructions.

From March 1980 to February 1988, 368 aorto-iliac or aorto-femoral bilateral reconstructions were performed for aneurysmal or occlusive disease. In order to demonstrate early postreconstructive ischaemic complications, the intra-operative Doppler Ankle Pressure Index (API) was measured immediately before reconstruction (PRE), just after declamping (DEC) and 5, 15, 30 and 45 min thereafter. Each limb of the reconstruction (736) was considered individually and subdivided as follows: Group (A) 705 immediately successful (96% of limbs and 92% of patients); Group (B) 22 (3% of limbs and 5% of patients) in which, on the grounds of API data, an ischaemic complication was regarded as imminent and treated by graft revision or a peripheral thromboembolectomy (intra-operative corrections); Group (C) 9 (1% of limbs and 2% of patients) in which the diagnosis of ischaemic complications was made postoperatively when the patients underwent successful reoperation. All 736 reconstructions were patent and functional at discharge of the patient. By a retrospective analysis the intra-operative APIs were studied and the features (single or associated) suggesting an ischaemic complication examined. These were: (1) no flow at the time of declamping or its disappearance during the operation (10 cases, 1.25% of limbs) all detected and successfully corrected intra-operatively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Ankle

The effect of hemodialysis on omeprazole plasma concentrations in the anuric patient: a case report.

Omeprazole, a drug suppressing gastric acidity secretion was given intravenously at a dose of 40 mg/day to an anuric patient. Pharmacokinetics data indicate that without hemodialysis treatment, the dose can be reduced by 40% without any danger of loss of effectiveness. During hemodialysis however, the full dose must be given. Controlled long-term studies will be required to determine the exact dose for continued treatment.

Adult

[The clinical significance of kidney function tests].

Clearance studies have lost much of their importance in clinical nephrology during the last two decades, having been replaced by percutaneous renal biopsy for diagnostic purposes. Serum creatinine, if increased, is a rather reliable index for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) provided nonrenal factors influencing creatinine values are taken into account. Thus, the necessity of performing endogenous creatinine clearance to assess GFR is confined to the clearance range between 50-120 ml/min. For long-term observation of progressive renal failure the reciprocal of serum creatinine with time has become popular, the relationship usually being linear if obstruction or infection do not disturb the course. Kinking of the straight line towards the baseline means acceleration of progression, while kinking away from the abscissa expresses retardation of the process. Physiologic aging of the kidneys includes a decrease in glomerular filtration rate starting after the age of 20. In a healthy population of 80-years-olds mean GFR is about 50 ml/min.

Aging

Beta-2 microglobulin amyloidosis in a patient on long-term continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).

A 61-year-old female patient with ESRD due to analgesic nephropathy and treated solely with CAPD for 81 months is described. During this period she developed peritonitis 4 times. She eventually died of acute pulmonary edema due to coronary heart disease. The autopsy showed an analgesic nephropathy with contracted kidneys, diffuse peritoneal fibrosis, and articular and periarticular amyloidosis of AB2m-type. This form of amyloidosis is well known after hemodialysis; it was, however, not observed heretofore after sole long-term CAPD.

Abdominal Muscles

[Health risks in the biotechnological industry].

Biotechnology has been defined as the application of biological organisms, systems or processes to manufacturing and service industries. In considering health aspects of biotechnological development it must be underlined that the use of microorganisms in traditional industries, such as the production of food, bread, beer and dairy products, has not added significantly to the more usual industrial hazards. The risk factors encountered in the biotechnology industry can be defined as general, i.e., common to other industrial activities, and specific, i.e., depending on the presence of microorganisms and/or their metabolic products. The specific health risks vary according to the type of process, but can be grouped into three main categories: immunological diseases, toxic effects; pathological effects of microorganisms. Allergic immunological diseases such as bronchial asthma, contact dermatitis, oculo-rhinitis and extrinsic allergic alveolitis are by far the most frequent and well known diseases occurring among workers employed on biotechnological production. Toxic effects were observed among workers employed on the production of antibiotics and hormones or single cell proteins, where absorption of endotoxins has been described. Infectious diseases may arise from uncontrolled dissemination of pathogenic microorganisms through aerosols, dusts, aqueous and semisolid sludge effluents from biotechnological plants. The greatest risks occur in the production of antiviral vaccines, in research laboratories and in waste-water treatment plants. Risk of pathogenic effects has also been speculated from exposure to engineered microorganisms in laboratory and environmental or agricultural applications. Safety precautions consisting of protective measures, and effective barriers of containment (both physical and biological) have to be advised according to the hazardous characteristics of the organisms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biotechnology

[Creatinine as an adjustment parameter in urinary excretion of vanadium and nickel].

Urinary creatinine is used as an adjustment factor of the concentration of metabolites excreted in urinary random samples. The usefulness of this practice is longtime disputed. The aim of this study, made in 94 workers, is to estimate if the creatinine-adjustment of V and Ni urinary concentrations brings a true advantage in his capacity to predict the amount of metal excreted in 24 hours. The results shown this practice is pointless and that also in case of urinary samples at anomalous dilution. A greater accuracy in expression of analytical results of V and Ni excretion may be obtained collecting the urinary samples with a known amount, that is to say more representative of the daily diuresis.

Adult

[Acquired cystic renal changes--a clinically relevant problem in long-term dialysis].

While dialysis patients survive renal failure for years and even decades, multiple morphologic alterations take place in their kidneys. One of these (so to speak) "postmortem" changes is the formation of secondary renal cysts. A patient with end stage renal failure due to amyloidosis is described who was dialysed at home for 9 years. Intravenous pyelography and renal biopsy in the predialysis period likewise documented the presence of amyloidosis and the absence of cystic disease. Ultrasonography of both kidneys, a suspicious increase in hematocrit and the autopsy finding of numerous large cysts also showed the presence of acquired cystic disease. The frequency and complications of this newly recognized disease in longterm dialysed patients are discussed. Recommendations are given concerning follow-up of these patients, with a view to early detection of tumor development within the cysts.

Amyloidosis

Urinary excretion of 2,5-hexanedione and peripheral polyneuropathies workers exposed to hexane.

Forty shoe factory workers who were exposed to hexane were investigated to see if there was a correlation between electroneuromyographic changes indicative of neuropathy and urinary excretion of 2,5-hexanedione. Urinary samples were analyzed for the presence of the metabolic products of n-hexane and its isomers. Electrodiagnostic examination was carried out following the urinary sampling. A rating scale was used to obtain a cumulative numeric index of electrodiagnostic findings. 2,5-Hexanedione and gamma-valerolactone were discovered in all cases, while 2-hexanol was found in 11 cases. 2,5-Hexanedione was the main metabolite in most cases (39 of 40). Only in 1 case was a low level of 2-methyl-2-pentanol detected; 3-methyl-2-pentanol was never detected. Metabolic products of cyclohexane were present in about one-fifth of the cases, while trichloroethanol, a metabolic product of trichoroethylene, was nearly always present, all at very low concentrations. Electromyographic abnormalities significant for early detection of toxic polyneuropathy were found in 14 cases. A statistically significant correlation of the electroneuromyographic scoring on the urinary concentrations of measured metabolites was observed only with 2,5-hexanedione and gamma-valerolactone, both derived from n-hexane. Since gamma-valerolactone is probably not a true metabolite of n-hexane, our results support the hypothesis that polyneuropathies in shoemakers are due to 2,5-hexanedione. For practical purposes the urinary concentration of 2,5-hexanedione can serve as a predictive measurement for early detection of neurotoxic lesions at preclinical states.

Adolescent