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Biomedical subjects

C Kleinknecht

Publications and source records attributed to C Kleinknecht.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Primary distal tubular acidosis in childhood: clinical study and long-term follow-up of 28 patients.

The long-term follow-up of 28 patients with congenital primary tubular acidosis is described. Ten patients had affected siblings but no history of similar symptoms in the preceding generation. Deafness was associated in 14 patients and developed before 12 years of age. Deafness was present in all familial cases, and patients without deafness showed no familial incidence, suggesting the existence of two different entities. All patients had growth retardation, which was more severe in the older patients and was always markedly improved by alkaline therapy. Rickets was found in some patients but seemed related to vitamin D deficiency. Catch-up growth was limited to the first 2 years of therapy in patients treated before 2 years of age, but sometimes lasted longer in older patients. Of the 12 patients who reached adulthood, those without rickets achieved a normal height but the others did not. We believe that therapy should be continued throughout life because of the risk of nephrocalcinosis.

Acidosis, Renal Tubular

Renal effect of anti-hypertensive drugs depends on sodium diet in the excision remnant kidney model.

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) are believed to protect remnant kidney, but all previous studies used the ligation model which causes severe hypertension, and very few have compared drugs in rats having similar control of blood pressure (BP). We compared rats with uremia obtained by 70% excision of total renal mass, a model which causes mild, late hypertension. Study I compared the effects of enalapril (E), cicletanine (C) and placebo (P) in uremic (U) rats fed a 0.50% (normal-high) Na diet. Study II compared the effects of E, C, P, and guanfacine (G) in U rats fed a diet restricted to 0.25% Na (normal-low). In study I, UP rats developed progressive hypertension (140, 146, 160 and 166 mm Hg at 3, 6, 9 and 12 weeks), proteinuria (240 mg/day at 9 and 12 weeks) which were not affected by E or C. The occurrence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) led to the sacrifice of all rats after three months. All three groups had similar severe renal lesions (over 25% sclerosed glomeruli in 5 of 10 UP, 9 of 14 UE, 7 of 14 UC rats, with huge cystic tubular dilatations). In study II, rats could be sacrificed later (6 months) and had evidence of less severe renal disease. All the drugs tested prevented hypertension throughout the study (P less than 0.001), with lowest values in UE rats. E and G, but not C, reduced proteinuria. Renal damage was reduced with E and G, but not with C, despite similar BP in C and G rats. Thus, in contrast with what was obtained in the ligation model, ACEI affected neither the BP nor the renal lesions of rats made uremic by renal excision and fed a 0.50% Na diet. Moderate Na restriction improved the consequences of nephron loss and restored the anti-hypertensive effect of drugs. However, these drugs had a different effect on renal preservation: it was dramatic with E, good with G, and undetectable with C.

Animals

Nutritional effects of feeding a ketoanalogue mixture in growing and adult uremic rats.

Insufficient protein diets supplemented with ketoanalogue/essential amino acid (KA/EAA) mixtures are proposed to maintain nutrition and to retard renal deterioration. We compared in growing and in adult uremic rats diets containing limited or usual amounts of protein (12%, 20% for growing rats, and 10% and 16% for adult rats) with diets containing 50% or 60% less casein plus a KA/EAA mixture providing KA at an equimolar amount of removed EAA or at higher amounts. The latter supplement caused stunting, the former caused no anorexia, a slight growth deficit when added to the lowest basal casein diets, and almost normal growth when added to higher casein diets. Growth was normal with EAA supplements. The plasma EAA changes were unrelated to intake and to growth. Thus, KA utilization is maximal, provided that basal protein is sufficient and KA are not in excess.

Amino Acids, Branched-Chain

Supplemented low-protein diets protect the rat kidney without causing undernutrition.

Low-protein diets supplemented with keto-analogues and essential amino acid (KA-EAA) mixtures or with EAA have been widely used to retard renal deterioration without affecting nutrition. These assumptions have recently been challenged in clinical studies and rest on little or no experimental data. The effects of EAA and KA-EAA supplementations have not been compared. We compared three groups of rats with subtotal nephrectomy that were fed (1) a 16% casein reference (R) diet, (2) a 6% casein plus EAA (A) diet, or (3) a 6% casein plus KA-EAA (K) diet with KA as amino acid salts. The three diets had the same energy and mineral contents, and they induced comparable growth. The two supplements had the same nitrogen content. The only difference found until month 3 was higher proteinuria and plasma urea levels in group R rats. Renal biopsies performed at month 3 showed more severe glomerular sclerosis and tubular changes in R rats than in A and K rats. From months 3 through 7, R rats developed higher plasma creatinine levels than did A and K rats (final median values: 167, 106, and 83 mumol/L; p < 0.04), had more proteinuria (232, 56, and 84 mg/day), and showed greater mortality rates. At the time the rats were killed, 2 R, 6 A, and 5 K rats had survived while receiving the diets. Examination of the remnant kidneys, regardless of time of death, showed that renal lesions were significantly worse in R than in A and K rats, with sclerosis affecting more than 50% of the glomeruli in 7 of 13 R, 4 of 14 A, and 4 of 15 K rats, and less than 25% glomeruli in 2 of 13 R, 10 of 14 A, and 10 of 15 K rats (A and K vs R: p < 0.03). In conclusion, restriction of nonessential amino acids compensated by EAA or by KA-EAA mixtures retards renal damage without affecting growth, but no real benefit of KA or EAA has been observed.

Amino Acids, Essential

Severity of chronic metabolic acidosis and growth of rats with chronic uremia.

To determine what levels of chronic metabolic acidosis affect growth in uremia, we compared two groups of uremic rats receiving a 30% protein diet. This diet induced acidosis in A rats (n = 52; pH: 6.9-7.35) which was prevented by the addition of NaHCO3 in the diet of B rats (n = 52; pH: 7.38-7.46). A rats were separated into five groups by increasing severity of acidosis and were matched with B rats of similar renal function. Comparison between A and B rats showed: (1) no difference in food intake; (2) a reduction of weight gain only for severe acidosis with pH around 7.20 or less; (3) a reduction of length gain which was observed for less severe acidosis than reduction of weight gain, but which did not exist for marginal acidosis (pH > 7.25).

Acidosis

Protein synthesis and growth in uremic rats with and without chronic metabolic acidosis.

The effects of uremia-induced chronic acidosis on fractional protein synthesis rate (FSR), degradation (FDR) and protein tissue growth (FRG) in skeletal muscle were examined in young rats fed a 30% protein diet. This diet induced acidosis in UA rats, which was corrected by NaHCO3 supplementation in UB rats. Blood pH and plasma HCO3- were 7.22 +/- 0.01 and 15.2 +/- 0.8 mmol/l in UA rats vs. 7.41 +/- 0.01 and 25.8 +/- 0.9 in UB rats. Both UA and UB groups had similar renal function and food intake. Acidosis impaired weight gain (4.0 +/- 0.3 vs. 5.0 +/- 0.4 g/day, p < 0.05) and length gain (0.31 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.42 +/- 0.02 cm/day, p < 0.001). UA and UB rats showed similar muscle FSR (10.4 +/- 0.5 vs. 10.8 +/- 0.5%/day) and RNA content (6.3 +/- 0.2 vs. 6.2 +/- 0.2 micrograms/g protein). UA rats had lower FGR than UB rats (3.9 +/- 0.8 vs. 5.9 +/- 0.6%/day, p < 0.05). Therefore, muscle FDR was increased in UA rats (6.30 +/- 0.99 vs. 5.10 +/- 0.7%/day).

Acidosis

Changes in thickness and anionic sites of the glomerular basement membrane after subtotal nephrectomy in the rat.

Rats progressively develop proteinuria and glomerular sclerosis with age. These physiologic and histologic changes are accelerated by subtotal renal mass ablation. Alterations in the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), such as thickening and decreased anionic site density, occur during senescence. This study examines the ultrastructural alterations of the GBM affecting remnant glomeruli. Six week-old male Wistar rats underwent a subtotal nephrectomy (70%) and were compared with sham operated rats. Rats were fed a standard diet, and physiologic measurements were performed every 3 weeks. Rats were killed 6 and 12 weeks after surgery. Anionic sites were labeled by polyethyleneimine perfusion before killing. Kidneys were processed for light and electron microscopy. Nephrectomized rats had higher protein-uria than the controls and developed glomerular sclerosis. The GBM of nephrectomized rats were significantly thinner and anionic sites were less numerous 12 weeks after nephrectomy, especially in the lamina densa (LD) of the GBM. The number and distribution of anionic sites were similar to those observed in sham operated rats killed 6 weeks after surgery. These results indicate that glomerular sclerosis and GBM thickening are unrelated phenomena. They also suggest that the number and density of anionic sites in LD are not a prominent factor for increasing proteinuria after subtotal nephrectomy.

Aging

Growth, free plasma and muscle amino-acids in uraemic rats fed various low-protein diets.

The nutritional effects of low-protein diets are difficult to assess in humans. Normal and uraemic growing rats were therefore fed: a moderately low-protein (12%) reference diet (diet R), two 5% casein diets, one supplemented with essential amino acids (AA) (diet A) and the other with their keto acids (diet K), and a 7% casein diet isonitrogenous with diet K (diet L). Appetite and growth of both uraemic and control rats were identical on diets R and A and were reduced on diets K and L. Stunting was prominent in rats fed diet L and more severe than in those on diet K. Diet K induced marked anorexia in controls. This effect was smaller in uraemic rats, which were all anorectic, regardless of the diet. Plasma essential AA were similar in rats on diets R and A but low in control rats fed diets L and K. In particular, diet K did not improve the branched-chain AA levels although it produced better growth than diet L. Plasma and muscle threonine were surprisingly elevated in rats on the semi-synthetic diets A and K, despite identical or lower consumptions. Regardless of the diet, uraemia resulted in unchanged or increased plasma essential AA, despite reduced appetite and stunting. Uraemia caused a marked rise in some non-essential AA. Muscle essential AA, except for threonine, were essentially unaltered and did not correlate with growth or uraemia.

Amino Acids, Essential

Contribution of experimental studies on the nutritional management of children with chronic renal failure.

A few of the many reports of experimental chronic renal failure have been summarized. Anorexia and food selection have been studied in experimental uremia and the findings are comparable with those observed in uraemic children. The optimal dietary protein content for growth is close to the minimal requirement for "optimal" growth. Protein excess leads to growth retardation and renal deterioration in uraemic rats, at least with the commonly used dry diets. The increased water requirement may be more critical for growth than the blood urea level or acidosis, although this requires further investigation. Reduction of the dietary protein by 50% and supplementation with essential amino acids (EAA) results in growth similar to that of the 100% protein diet. There is no growth improvement despite low blood urea levels, but the renal parenchymal is preserved. Supplementation with nitrogen-free analogues is more frequently associated with defective growth; the optimal mixture remains to be defined, and to date, when nutrition is identical, nitrogen-free analogues offer no benefit for renal preservation compared with EAA. Sucrose-rich diets have adverse effects on uraemia. These effects are associated with fructose intolerance and with reduced energy storage in the liver. The precise metabolic alteration remains to be defined.

Amino Acids, Essential

[Experimental approach to nutritional problems in chronic renal insufficiency].

The many published studies of experimental chronic renal failure (CRF) include a few findings which are similar to those reported in children with the naturally occurring disease. Experimental CRF has proved a useful model for investigating changes in eating behaviors: lack of appetite for sweet foods and selection of foods with high protein contents was comparable to behaviors exhibited by children. Optimal protein intake was found to be close to the minimum recommended intake for "optimal" growth (different from maximum growth in rats). Excessive protein intake had detrimental effects on renal function and growth with conventional dehydrated feeds, but water intake may have a greater impact than blood urea nitrogen and acidosis. A 50% reduction in protein intake with adequate amounts of essential amino acids ensured normal growth and slowed progression of renal lesions. Replacement of protein by mixtures of ketoanalogs was more likely to be responsible for growth failure; where similar growth rates were achieved, there was no evidence of a beneficial effect on renal lesions. Diets with high sucrose contents were poorly tolerated by CRF rats and were associated with fructose "intolerance" and reduced liver energy stores.

Amino Acids, Essential

Renal functional reserve in children with reduced renal mass: study by two dietary periods.

It has been suggested that the "renal functional reserve" (RFR) defined by the rise in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) after a protein load could disappear in patients with severe nephron loss but with a normal GFR. This study compared, in 17 children, inulin clearance (Cin) measured by the plasma inulin plateau at the end of two 14-day randomized periods differing in protein intake: 100% (low protein, LP), or 200% (high protein, HP) of recommended dietary allowances (RDA). Diets were aimed at maintaining food habits and energy intake. Compliance was assessed by records of the last 3-4 days, an interview with the dietician and by urinary nitrogen measurements. Mean actual protein intake was 109% (56%-139%) RDA for the LP period and 220% (163%-319%) RDA for the HP period. Cin did not change in 14 children with GFR below (n = 7) or within (n = 7) the normal range. Cin was higher in the HP period than in the LP period (+32, 50, 63%) in 3 children who had a 50% (single kidneys) or a 25% (sclerosed glomeruli) nephron loss. Non-responding children had a GFR below 105 ml/min per 1.73 m2. Nephron loss (70% sclerosed glomeruli) was estimated in only 1 child with no RFR. The results suggest that GFR measurement after prolonged dietary stimulation could help in evaluating the severity of nephron loss in children with normal or borderline GFR. The prognostic value of this test has to be confirmed by long-term follow-up.

Adolescent

Optimal dietary substitution of racemic ketoanalogues for isoleucine in growing normal and uremic rats.

Dietary ketoanalogues (KAs) were shown to replace their essential amino acids with a 50% efficiency for valine and leucine. We determined the optimal concentration of the racemic KA of isoleucine (KMVA) in uremic and control rats: nutrition responses were compared between a diet containing optimal isoleucine concentration and diets containing various KMVA concentrations. Isomolar replacement of isoleucine produced anorexia, stunting, and poor nitrogen balance. Doubling KMVA partially improved these indices. Tripling KMVA lessened urea production and improved growth up to that obtained with the isoleucine diet in uremic but not in control rats (20% lower). A further KMVA increase produced no further benefit. Among plasma branched-chain amino acids, only alloisoleucine was affected; it increased with increasing KMVA concentration, being maximum after tripling KMVA. Racemic KMVA could replace isoleucine with a 35% efficiency but supported no growth acceleration in uremic rats and no maximal growth in control rats. Plasma alloisoleucine rose without adverse nutrition effects.

Amino Acids, Essential

Adverse effects of sucrose-rich diets on uraemic rats.

The nature of carbohydrate may affect the tolerance and progression of uraemia. The effects of three diets differing only in their carbohydrate source: namely corn starch (C), glucose (G) or sucrose (S) were examined. Study 1 examined the effects of the three carbohydrate diets on unilaterally nephrectomised control rats and severely uraemic rats. The three carbohydrates produced similar nutritional effects in uninephrectomised rats, whereas sucrose rapidly induced anorexia, stunting and slightly accelerated renal damage in uraemia. Study 2 examined the long-term effects of the three carbohydrates in moderate uraemia under conditions of high and identical carbohydrate intakes. Hyperphagic Zucker uraemic rats (F rats) received a daily allotment of each diet plus pure carbohydrate. Lean uraemic rats (L rats) received the same dietary allotment without the carbohydrate supplement. The F rats fed sucrose showed greater morbidity and mortality but little renal deterioration. Their plasma triglycerides increased dramatically. The L rats fed sucrose had the greatest urinary protein, the least creatinine clearance and the most severe renal damage. Thus, sucrose-rich but not glucose-rich diets have two adverse effects in uraemia: a deterioration in nutritional status, perhaps related to abnormal fructose utilisation, and a long-term effect on the kidney, resulting in accelerated renal deterioration.

Animals

[Kidney functional reserve. Studies in humans].

The glomerular filtration rate (GF) of each nephron can vary, with increases being caused by stimuli such as nephron reduction and ingestion of proteins. This "functional reserve" (FR), detectable by protein load tests, may be lost in extensive renal destruction where the remaining nephrons are in a permanent state of maximal stimulation. If this hypothesis is true, FR determinations would be of greater value than baseline GFR measurements for evaluating the condition of the remaining parenchyma. A very large number of studies have addressed the FR in normal subjects and have used either diets containing variable amounts of proteins or acute loads given orally (approximately 1 g/kg cooked meat) or intravenously (amino acids). All these studies have evidenced increases in the GFR after the load, regardless of its type, but with major variations across studies and patients. Subjects with a single healthy kidney seem to retain a FR whose magnitude is equal to or smaller than the FR in normal subjects. Conflicting data have been reported in more extensive destruction of the parenchyma, where the FR has been shown to either disappear or persist with no change in percentage. Thus, the practical value of GFR determinations after protein loads has not as yet been established and should be specified using better standardized methods that do not rely on creatinine clearance, at least during oral load tests where serum creatinine levels increases and is no longer stable.

Child

[Kidney functional reserve. An experimental study].

The renal functional reserve (RFR), the increase in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) induced by a protein load, seems to be diminished or even lost in renal failure. Our experimental study was undertaken to determine whether the RFR is lost beyond a given level of nephron reduction, using different protein loads. In the first two studies, RFRs were evaluated during an oral protein load consisting in a high-protein diet (30% casein) compared to a low-protein diet (7% casein). Each diet was given to SD rats (200 g) either for three weeks immediately after nephrectomy (Nx) or for four days one month after Nx. Nx was subtotal and consisted in removal of 65 to 85% of the mass of the renal parenchyma. The GFR evaluated by inulin clearance measurements increased considerably after a prolonged (+188%) or short-lived (+35%) oral protein load if less than 70% of the renal mass had been removed. Beyond this threshold of nephron amputation, the high-protein diet had no effect on the GFR, despite an increase in the residual renal mass (+200% in moderate and severe Nxs). In a third study, the GFR was measured one month after Nx and the effects of an infusion of amino acids (vamine) or of a placebo were compared, each rat serving as his own control. Extent of Nx was 0%, 50%, 65-70%, and 80%. Regardless of the extent of nephron reduction, the GFR increased under vamine, but interindividual variations in each group were marked (+5 to +70%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acids

Perceptions of and preferences for sweet taste in uremic children.

Uremic children have low energy intakes, with little appetite for sweet foods. Likewise, sucrose-rich diets are poorly accepted by uremic rats, which suggests that uremia causes a relative aversion for sucrose. Hemodialyzed children (no. = 39, mean age = 160 mo) and healthy controls (no. = 25, mean age = 122 mo) were compared for perception of sweet taste intensity in two familiar foods (soft white cheese and apple sauce) and for preference for sweetness. The food stimuli were prepared in five sucrose concentrations: 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% for cheese; 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 60% for apple sauce. Children were presented with pairs of stimuli of adjacent concentrations and asked, in a forced choice, to identify the sweeter stimulus and to express their preferences. The hemodialyzed children made more mistakes (19%) than the controls (5%) when asked to rank sweetness in the soft cheese (i.e., with low concentrations). Both groups made an equal number of mistakes when asked to rank sweetness in the apple sauce. Preferences for sweetness were markedly different. In cheese, the highest sucrose concentration was preferred by 21.9% of the hemodialyzed children vs 41% of the controls. The lowest sucrose concentration was selected by 15.6% of the hemodialyzed children vs 4.6% of the controls. Similar preference trends were observed for apple sauce. We conclude that abnormally low preferences for sweet foods can contribute to insufficient caloric intake in uremic children.

Adolescent