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Biomedical subjects

I Rychlík

Publications and source records attributed to I Rychlík.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

An unusual cause of renal amyloidosis secondary to gout: the first description of familial occurrence.

BACKGROUND: AA amyloidosis caused by the chronic inflammation accompanying gouty arthritis is extremely rare and familial occurrence has not been described so far. CASE REPORT: We present the case of two brothers (47 and 44 years old) with 7- and 10-year history of hyperuricaemia and chronic tophaceous gout with polyarticular involvement. The enzymatic assay performed in their erythrocytes proved the partial hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase deficiency (Kelley-Seegmiller syndrome), the genetic defect of purine metabolism. Later on they developed proteinuria and chronic renal insufficiency /CRI/. Renal biopsy disclosed the combination of AA amyloidosis and gouty nephropathy in both the cases. Despite the standard treatment the older brother progressed to chronic renal failure. On the contrary, the younger one being longterm treated with oral colchicin have stabilized CRI. CONCLUSIONS: Only several cases of AA renal amyloidosis until recently, secondary to gout have been reported. Our case represents the first report of familial occurrence of this extremely rare disease.

Adult↗

[Correlation of 99mTc-dTPA renal scintigraphy with ACE inhibitor and ultrasound findings in screening for renal artery stenosis].

BACKGROUND: ACE inhibitor renal scintigraphy is widely accepted as a useful test in screening of unilateral renal artery stenosis. Another screening examination is ultrasonography, which detects haemodynamic changes with evaluation of resistive index (RI). The aim of the present study was correlation of 99mTc-DTPA captopril renography and duplex ultrasound findings in diagnosis of renal artery stenosis before angiography, that is used as "gold standard". Angiography was performed in 35 patients and their findings were correlated with scintigraphy and ultrasonography. METHODS AND RESULTS: 93 patients (49 male and 44 female) aged 27 to 84 years were examined. Ultrasonography was performed in all patients with evaluation of RI. Estimation of scintigraphy was performed in accordance with interpretative criteria of 99mTc-DTPA captopril renography, which were established at the 9th Symposium of radionuclides in nefro-urology (Santa Fé 1995) and Guideline for diagnosis of renovascular hypertension (1998). 1) Agreement positive and negative findings on scintigraphy and ultrasonography were in 61/93 patients (66%). 2) Within the group of 35 patients with angiography, the correlation between scintigraphy and ultrasonography findings was found in 27 patients (77%). 3) When scintigraphy and angiography were correlated, the correctly diagnosed renal artery stenosis was found in 27 patients with sensitivity (77%). 4) When sonography and angiography were correlated, the correctly sonographicaly diagnosed renal artery stenosis was found in 26 patients with sensitivity (74%). CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of our results and according to our experience with both examinations we can conclude, that screening of unilateral renal artery stenosis with using these nonivasive methods can help to select better the indicated patients for angiography.

Adult↗

[Diabetes mellitus and chronic renal insufficiency].

In the nineties of the 20th century diabetic nephropathy has become the leading cause of regular dialysis treatment (RDT) in developed countries. In particular type 2 diabetics are involved. A similar trend can be observed also in the Czech Republic which holds in this respect the first place among countries of the former eastern block (33% patients with RDT) suffer from diabetes. The cause of the increase of patients with diabetic nephropathy and renal failure caused by diabetes is not only the rising prevalence and incidence of type 2 diabetes in the population but in particular the better care provided to patients with type 2 diabetes which enables them to survive macro- and microvascular complications incl. diabetic nephropathy. It is estimated that diabetic nephropathy affects 4-8% patients attending diabetic clinics. With regard to the increasing number of diabetics in RDT, moreover associated with their high polymorbidity, this is a serious medical and economic problem. The main factors which influence in the diabetic patients the risk of development of diabetic nephropathy are long-term control of glycaemia, genetic (ethnic) factors, age and sex. The decisive factor influencing in patients with diabetic nephropathy the progression of chronic renal insufficiency is control of the blood pressure. Including diabetics in RDT is not associated only with medical problems but also with socio-economic issues. The quality of life of diabetics is much lower and the survival of diabetics treated within the framework of RDT is still almost half as compared with the survival of non-diabetic patients. Decision on the selection of the dialysis method is not easy. Medical differences are well defined but should not be considered absolute. It is important to consider also which method is preferred by the patient. Optimally the decision is taken during the period of dispensarization. Both dialyzation methods have comparable results and survival although for diabetics under 50 years of age a more favourable prognosis of peritoneal dialysis is reported. However, the risk of "failure of the method" is in general higher in peritoneal dialysis.

Diabetic Nephropathies↗

[Clinical and economic significance of iron replacement in anemia treated with recombinant human erythropoietin in patients on hemodialysis].

BACKGROUND: Anaemia is a common phenomenon encountered in patients on hemodialysis. Although treatment with rHuEPO therapy is effective, it may fail even at high doses. As rHuEPO efficacy depends on the bioavailability of iron, we monitored the effect of consistent iron supplementation on hematocrit levels and rHuEPO dosage. METHODS AND RESULTS: 24 patients of our outpatient dialysis centre were included in this study. The mean age was 59 years. The age group over 60 included 14 patients. The mean duration of dialysis treatment was 23.8 months. The patients were followed for 6 months according to the NKF-DOQI (National Kidney Foundation Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative) recommendations for the treatment of anaemia. Following values were examined monthly: hematocrit, transferin saturation (TSAT) and ferritin. Iron and rHuEPO dosage was adjusted accordingly. Genetic tests for haemochromatosis were conducted in 4 patients with the highest value of TSAT and ferritin. TSAT increased from a mean of 15.9% to 35.9% (p < 0.001). In 23 patients (96%) TSAT levels were within the recommended range after the treatment. Hematocrit increased from 27.7% to 35.7% (p < 0.001). The recommended value of 33% was achieved in 18 patients (75%). The weekly dose of eHuEPO fell from 3958 IU (International Unit) to 2042 IU (p < 0.001), i.e. 1857 IU of rHuEPO were saved per week, per patient. The average dose of iron administered was 157 mg per week. The average level of ferritin rose from 457 micrograms/k to 1387 micrograms/l (p < 0.001). All results were comparable, even in the group of the senior's selected cases. Genetic testing for haemochromatosis showed mutation H63D in heterozygous state of HFE gene in 2 of 4 patients with the highest value of TSAT and ferritin. Sufficient iron supplementation leads to a significant rise in hematocrit and a concomitant decrease of required rHuEPO doses. TSAT, and not ferritin, is a good marker of iron bioavailability. CONDITIONS: The financial savings due to decreased rHuEPO requirements are 20 times higher than the costs related to iron supplementation, calculated in relation to prices valid for the Czech Republic in 1999. Cause and effect of increased level of ferritin should be carefully studied.

Adult↗

Blood pressure in diabetic nephropathy--current controversies.

Hypertension has been recognized as an early and constant feature of diabetic nephropathy, but recent studies also suggest that a genetic predisposition to hypertension is an important risk factor for diabetic nephropathy. Antihypertensive treatment attenuates progression in diabetic nephropathy, but there is increasing evidence that very early treatment and very low target blood pressures should be implemented. There is also evidence for local activation of the renin system in the kidney as a result of hyperglycaemia. Apart from blood pressure, proteinuria should be monitored and dosing of ACE inhibitors should be guided, also by reduction of protein excretion.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

Transjugular renal biopsy. Our experience with 67 cases.

BACKGROUND: Transjugular renal biopsy (TJRB) is still a novel technique of renal tissue sampling exploiting the transjugular route. TJRB should be performed particularly in situations when the percutaneous route is precluded, i.e. especially in patients with clotting disorders. In the past, only a few papers reported the experience with larger numbers of patients. The goal of this paper is to analyze our experience with TJRB. METHODS AND RESULTS: From 1993 to 1999, 67 patients, mean age 49.8 years (SD +/- 10.2), male/female ratio 40/27, underwent TJRB. Fifty-two patients (78%) suffered from renal insufficiency and 19 of them (28%) were on dialysis treatment at the time of TJRB. Arterial hypertension was recorded in 42%. The combined kidney and liver biopsy (46%) and clotting disorders (39%) were the most frequent indications for performing TJRB. Renal tissue was yielded in 53 patients (79%) but a sample sufficient for histological diagnosis was taken in 49 (73%), reaching on average 10.8 glomeruli. Altogether 19 different histological entities were disclosed and out of them, vascular nephrosclerosis (12%), necrotizing and crescentic glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and amyloidosis (three latter per 10%) represented the most frequent diagnoses. TJRB was combined with liver biopsy in 31 patients (46%) and/or hepatic vein catheterization in 22 patients (33%) confirming portal hypertension in 8. The clinically significant liver histology was found in 20 patients, of them cirrhosis/fibrosis in 8, chronic hepatitis in 4 and steatosis in 5. Among those 20 patients, IgAN was disclosed as the most common renal diagnosis (6). Clinically symptomatic complications were recorded in 12 cases (18%) but 9 of them suffered from clotting disorders. Complications included development of subcapsular hematoma in 6 cases, macroscopic hematuria in 4 cases, and hypovolemic hemorrhagic shock in 2. One patient had to undergo surgical treatment. Dividing the patients into a subgroup with or without clotting disorders, the complication rate was 34 vs. 7%. CONCLUSIONS: TJRB is a new diagnostic method, which, looking at its indications, facilitates the diagnosis of glomerulopathies in patients who could not be considered for percutaneous renal biopsy, particularly due to clotting disorders. The technical aspect of this procedure plays a fundamental role in the final risk/benefit ratio but if done correctly it involves acceptable risk and is well tolerated.

Adult↗

[Plasma leptin levels in patients with kidney diseases of various etiologies].

BACKGROUND: Leptin is a new hormone influencing food intake, energy expenditure and body weight. This protein is produced by adipocytes, exerts its effects on brain, endocrine pancreas and other organs by activating transmembrane receptors and is cleared from plasma mainly by the kidneys. The aim of our study was to compare plasma concentrations of leptin in our nephrological out-patients and controls. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined 36 diabetic patients with various stages of nephropathy, 12 males with nephrotic syndrome due to membranous nephropathy, 15 dialysis patients and 11 controls. Leptin was assessed in plasma by ELISA. There was a significant difference between plasma levels of leptin in males and females (7.7 +/- 11.4 vs 17.6 +/- 17.3, p < 0.001) and in dialysis and non-dialysis patients (19.6 +/- 16.5 vs 10.7 +/- 14.5, p < 0.05). There was also a difference between dialysed and non-dialysed men (15.1 +/- 16.2 vs 5.9 +/- 9.2, p < 0.05). We found no difference between men with and without nephrotic syndrome and between BMI or age. There was a positive correlation of leptin with diabetic and non-diabetic women. There was positive correlation of P-leptin with serum creatinine in non-dialysed women (r = 0.68, p < 0.001) and a negative correlation with S-albumin in nephrotic men (r = -0.65, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Women have higher plasma leptin concentrations than men and dialysis patients have higher concentrations than non-dialysed patients. Apart from the positive correlation with S-creatinine in non-dialysed women. There was positive correlation with S-albumin in nephrotic men there were no correlations with renal function, BMI, age, S-cholesterol, S-triglycerides and S-albumin.

Adult↗

End-stage renal failure in type 2 diabetes: A medical catastrophe of worldwide dimensions.

The incidence of patients with end-stage renal failure and diabetes mellitus type 2 as a comorbid condition has increased progressively in the past decades, first in the United States and Japan, but subsequently in all countries with a western lifestyle. Although there are explanations for this increase, the major factor is presumably diminishing mortality from hypertension and cardiovascular causes, so that patients survive long enough to develop nephropathy and end-stage renal failure. This review summarizes the striking differences between countries against the background of a similar tendency of an increasing incidence in all countries. Survival on renal replacement therapy continues to be substantially worse for patients with type 2 diabetes. A major reason for this observation is that patients enter renal replacement programs with cardiovascular morbidity acquired in the preterminal phase of renal failure. It is argued that the challenge for the future will be better patient management in earlier phases of diabetic nephropathy to attenuate or prevent progression, as well as cardiovascular complications.

Cross-Cultural Comparison↗

Rapid detection of Salmonella in field samples by nested polymerase chain reaction.

A simple and universal protocol for the rapid detection of Salmonella spp. in various samples using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed. The protocol takes advantage of the rapid purification and concentration of Salmonella by centrifugation onto a layer of 60% sucrose solution. DNA was released by treatment with proteinase K and Triton X-100. Even without pre-enrichment, the detection limit for the nested PCR was 10(5) CFU g-1 of faeces. After pre-enrichment, it was possible to detect Salmonella in faeces where their original concentration was approximately 10(2) CFU g-1 of faeces and in meat samples, it was possible to detect Salmonella in samples where their original concentration was less than 10 cells g-1 of minced meat.

Animals↗

[Properties of Salmonella isolates in the Czech Republic].

Based on a grant project "Use and importance of epidemiological markers in Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium in the spread of salmonelloses in children under two years of age" implemented in 1995 to 1997, the authors investigated epidemiological markers in 1,186 salmonella isolates; the strains were isolated from faeces of 838 sick children, from 266 faeces of their contacts, from 49 specimens of incriminated foods and from 33 smears from the children's environment. Of 1,186 Salmonella isolates 999 were strains of S. enteritidis, 39 strains of S. typhimurium and 148 strains were not identified. The markers of Salmonella isolates were investigated from the aspect of biotyping--98% S. enteritidis were formed by the biovar Jena. 2% by biovar Essen; sensitivity to antibiotics--94.5% Salmonella strains were sensitive to 12 selected antibiotics, 2.9% were resistant and in 2.6% the resistance was in the intermediate zone; phagotyping--in 808 strains of S. enteritidis PT 8--88% predominated, in S. typhimurium DT 104 and DT 141; assessment of plasmid profiles--in strains of S. enteritidis plasmid 55 kb predominated, in three strains of S. typhimurium a plasmid size 95 kb; virulence--was compared in 43 strains isolated from hospitalized children with a severe clinical course with 39 strains from children treated at home. In vitro tests revealed that hospitalization of affected children was associated with virulence of the strains (SE phagotype 8) and not with age. The presented results are discussed with regard to the epidemiological situation in the Czech Republic and in the world.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Antioxidant stobadine and neurobehavioural development of the rat offspring.

Stobadine (STO) is a potential neuro- and cardioprotective drug with high antioxidative properties. The presented study investigated the effects of oral STO administration (5, 15 and 50 mg/kg/d) during pregnancy and lactation to dams on neurobehavioural development of their offspring (body growth and maturation, sensory functions, neuromotor and reflex development, levels of activity and emotional reactivity, memory and learning processes). The results of our experiments showed that long-term administration of STO had no adverse effects on the course of pregnancy and lactation in dams and on the neurobehavioural development of offspring.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

A new bacteriophage typing scheme for Proteus mirabilis and Proteus vulgaris strains. 3. Analysis of lytic properties.

The lytic properties of 21 bacteriophages constituting a new typing set for Proteus were examined in 507 Proteus mirabilis and 29 P. vulgaris strains isolated from patients and healthy subjects. Comparison of their morphological, serological, genetic and lytic properties showed that, in the Myoviridae and Podoviridae families, some phages were so closely related that the presence of all of them in the set was redundant. Analysis of the lytic properties revealed that some of the bacteriophages were not active enough to facilitate the differentiation of Proteus strains. The size of the final typing set was reduced from 21 to 12 phages but it was suggested that, in order to improve the differentiation capacity of the set, new phages should be included.

Bacteriophage Typing↗

Restriction fragment length polymorphism and virulence of Czech Toxoplasma gondii strains.

Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of chromosomal DNA from 22 strains of Toxoplasma gondii were characterised using SalI and PstI restriction endonucleases and the TGR1E specific repetitive sequence as a probe. Two virulent strains, RH and P-CZ, had previously been isolated from humans, the remaining 20 strains were isolated from animals in the Czech Republic in 1994 and 1995. Among the 20 recently isolated strains, 19 belonged to an avirulent lineage and only one strain from the wild cat Felis silvestris belonged to a virulent lineage.

Animals↗

Left ventricular hypertrophy in renal failure.

In patients with terminal renal failure, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is extremely common. It is found in approximately 60 to 80% of patients starting renal replacement therapy. The main causes of LVH are increased preload from hypervolemia and increased afterload from increased peripheral resistance, giving rise to a mixture of eccentric and concentric hypertrophy, but other factors (high cardiac output from anemia and arteriovenous (A-V) fistula, altered compliance of central arteries, and activation of local systems such as renin and endothelin) also play a role. The clinical importance of LVH derives from the fact that LVH is a predictor of cardiac death in dialyzed patients independent of blood pressure. LVH is accompanied by microvascular disease and by marked interstitial fibrosis (more than seen in non-renal patients with similar degrees of hypertension). Recent findings suggest that LV remodeling starts early and is seen even in normotensive patients with glomerulonephritis when GFR is still normal. The strategies to reduce LVH include reduction of hypervolemia, (near) normalization of hemoglobin and lowering of blood pressure, particularly by administration of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors.

Humans↗

Cytokines and adhesion molecules in renal vasculitis and lupus nephritis.

BACKGROUND: Plasma levels of some pro-inflammatory cytokines and soluble adhesion molecules have been suggested to be useful parameters to assess the activity of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-positive vasculitis and lupus nephritis. We hypothesized that the renal activity of these diseases is better reflected by the urinary excretion and fractional excretion of these molecules. METHODS: Plasma levels and urinary excretion of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and the soluble cell adhesion molecules sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 14 patients with ANCA-positive renal vasculitis (eight active, ANCA-A; six in remission, ANCA-R), six patients with active lupus nephritis (LN), 15 patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and nine healthy subjects. Fractional excretion of selected cytokines and adhesion molecules was also calculated. RESULTS: Patients with ANCA-A had increased urinary excretion and fractional excretion of TNF-alpha (9.27 +/- 3.19% vs 0.58 +/- 0.02%, P < 0.01), IL-6 (120.79 +/- 65.83% vs 1.89 +/- 0.34%, P < 0.01) and increased fractional excretion of IL-8 (23.34 +/- 6.38% vs 2.56 +/- 1.07%, P < 0.01) and sVCAM-1 (0.81 +/- 0.33% vs 0.03 +/- 0.02%, P < 0.01) compared with controls. Urinary excretion of TNF-alpha and IL-6 and fractional excretion of TNFalpha, IL-6 and IL-8 were higher in ANCA-A than in ANCA-R. Patients with LN had increased plasma TNF-alpha (20.52 +/- 2.01 pg/ml vs 12.33 +/- 0.23 pg/ml, P < 0.05) and sVCAM-1 (1537.88 +/- 276.36 ng/ml vs 692.26 +/- 44.42 ng/ml, P < 0.05) and increased urinary excretion of TNF-alpha (2.81 +/- 0.51 microg/mol creat vs 0.98 +/- 0.05 microg/mol creat, P < 0.01), IL-8 (35.78 +/- 14.03 microg/mol creat vs 12.46 +/- 5.19 microg/mol creat, P < 0.05) and sVCAM-1 (48.98 +/- 20.20 microg/mol creat vs 2.92 +/- 1.35 microg/mol creat, P < 0.01) compared with controls. Patients with IgAN had, in comparison with controls only increased plasma TNF-alpha (18.10 +/- 0.57 pg/ml vs 12.33 +/- 0.23 pg/ml, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary excretion and fractional excretion, but not plasma levels, of selected pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-8) were increased in patients with active ANCA-positive renal vasculitis, but not in ANCA positive vasculitis in remission. These parameters may be useful to monitor the activity of this disease.

Adult↗

The drama of the continuous increase in end-stage renal failure in patients with type II diabetes mellitus.

Type II diabetes mellitus has become the leading cause of end-stage renal failure in many countries of Western Europe. In all European countries, even in those with a relatively low prevalence of diabetic nephropathy, the number of patients with type II diabetes mellitus admitted for renal replacement therapy has recently increased continuously. Survival and medical rehabilitation of patients with type II diabetes on renal replacement therapy is significantly worse than in non-diabetic patients. It is obvious that in order to stem the tide, intense efforts are necessary (i) to inform the medical community about the renal risk of type II diabetes and the striking effectiveness of preventive measures, (ii) to provide better care for diabetic patients, and (iii) to reduce the high prevalence of diabetes in the population by modification of the Western life style.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2↗