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Biomedical subjects

L W Statius van Eps

Publications and source records attributed to L W Statius van Eps.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Urinary creatine: biochemical indicator for evaluation of sickle cell crises.

In a patient with known sickle cell beta 0-thalassemia we measured serum lactate dehydrogenase (LD) activity and 24-h urinary creatine excretion rate as markers to evaluate sickle cell crises. We believe that a distinction based on biochemical findings can be made between hemolytic and painful vaso-occlusive sickle cell crises with muscular involvement. To assess hemolytic crises by objective biochemical measures, we have used assay of LD activity, and to assess painful crises with muscular involvement objectively, the 24-h urinary creatine excretion rate. We conclude that hemolytic crises are characterized by high serum LD activities. Furthermore, we conclude that--at least in this patient--painful crises are accompanied by high 24-h urinary creatine excretion rates. Our findings suggest that muscle involvement may play an important role in painful vaso-occlusive sickle cell crises.

Adult↗

Value of determination of beta 2-microglobulin in toxic nephropathy and interstitial nephritis.

Beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2-m) is a low molecular weight protein of importance in the evaluation of the reabsorptive capacity of the proximal kidney tubule. This is based on the properties of beta 2-m: the daily production is constant and it leaves the body almost exclusively by glomerular filtration; 99.9% of the filtered amount is reabsorbed by the proximal tubule. The urinary excretion of beta 2-m is elevated (greater than 370 micrograms/day) in patients suffering from proximal tubular dysfunction with disturbance of tubular reabsorption. It is of great value as a marker of tubular involvement in toxic nephropathies, interstitial nephritis and the non-invasive method of choice to distinguish between renal and lower urinary tract infections.

Aminoglycosides↗

Comparison of reliability of tests to distinguish upper from lower urinary tract infection.

The results of scintiphotography with gallium-67 (67Ga), renography with technetium-99m diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid, immunofluorescence of antibody coated bacteria, and determination of renal beta 2 microglobulin excretion were compared in 19 patients with upper and 15 patients with lower urinary tract infection. All patients with acute pyelonephritis showed an appreciable unilateral or bilateral uptake of 67Ga and an increased excretion of beta 2 microglobulin, whereas immunofluorescence of antibody coated bacteria yielded positive results in only 10. In patients with lower urinary tract infections excretion of beta 2 microglobulin and uptake of 67Ga were always normal, whereas immunofluorescence of antibody coated bacteria was positive in three cases. Scintiphotography with 67Ga and determination of renal beta 2 microglobulin excretion are currently the most reliable non-invasive methods of detecting acute pyelonephritis.

Adult↗

Azathioprine in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. A three-year prospective study.

In a prospective study, the effect of azathioprine on the clinical course and the anti-dsDNA profile was evaluated in 17 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). During this prospective longitudinal study, exacerbations were never observed. Three periods of continuous anti-dsDNA increases with a doubling time (T2) shorter than 10 weeks were noted. Both the clinical symptoms and the anti-dsDNA levels improved after the administration of azathioprine. These results necessitate a careful double-blind trial for the use of this drug to prevent SLE exacerbations.

Adult↗

The influence of indomethacin on renal acidification in normal subjects and in patients with sickle cell anemia.

Patients with sickle cell nephropathy have been shown to have a distal type of incomplete renal tubular acidosis. We evaluated renal tubular acidification before and after indomethacin administration because prostaglandins have been shown to inhibit the transepithelial potential difference in the collecting tubule and since we previously found indirect evidence of increased prostaglandin synthesis in patients with sickle cell nephropathy. Indomethacin did not change urine pH in the sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients or in the control subjects. It induced, however, an increase in titratable acid excretion particularly in the SCA patients. Ammonium excretion decreased after indomethacin in the SCA patients while it did not change significantly in the control subjects. In the SCA patients, net acid excretion did not rise after indomethacin. In contrast there was an increase in net acid excretion after indomethacin administration in the control subjects. We conclude from our study that the inability of patients with SCA to lower urine pH to a normal extent after ammonium chloride loading is not improved by indomethacin. The decrease in ammonium excretion after indomethacin administration in SCA might be due to an effect of the prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor indomethacin on ammoniagenesis.

Acidosis↗

Determination of the half-life of C3 in patients and its relation to the presence of C3-breakdown products and/or circulating immune complexes.

Measurement of complement components in serum may not accurately assess the degree of activation of the complement system. An alternative approach is the measurement of conversion products of the complement components. The relation between the presence of an increased concentration of C3-conversion products and the metabolism of C3 was investigated. In a group of patients, circulating immune complexes were also measured (Clq-binding test) to see whether the combination of those markers yielded information on the C3 metabolism. In this study it is shown that static measurements of serum C3 levels is of no value for the degree of complement activation. Measurement of C3-conversion products may indicate C3 hypercatabolism (in 8 of the 11 patients with C3-conversion products), but it does not imply depressed C3 synthesis. Detection of circulating immune complexes by the C1q-binding assay did not always indicate a C3 hypercatabolism. Of 12 SLE patients studied, in 9 of them, a C3 hypercatabolism was detected, and 5 of these patients were clinically characterized by the presence of minor disease symptoms. Overall, the results indicated that detection of circulating immune complexes and/or C3-conversion products could not be used as an absolute measure for insight into the C3 metabolism.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗

The influence of indomethacin on renal concentrating and diluting capacity in sickle cell nephropathy.

1. The effects of indomethacin on water excretion during both vasopressin stimulation and inhibition were studied in control subjects and in patients with sickle cell anaemia. 2. In the control group as well as in the group of patients with sickle cell anaemia sodium and urea retention occurred after indomethacin in the water-depleted state. During water loading, indomethacin induced sodium retention without urea reabsorption. 3. In healthy volunteers indomethacin increased urinary osmolality during water deprivation, but not after water loading. In contrast, in patients with sickle cell anaemia indomethacin caused a rise in urinary osmolality during water loading, but not after deprivation. 4. The findings support the view that indomethacin promotes solute reabsorption in the distal tubule. 5. From our observations we conclude that renal prostaglandins are not involved in the urinary concentrating defect of patients with sickle cell anaemia. On the other hand, the normal diluting capacity in sickle cell anaemia appears to depend on renal prostaglandins.

Adolescent↗

Prognostic value of anti-dsDNA in SLE.

In a prospective longitudinal study 130 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were studied at least monthly for a relationship between the anti-dsDNA levels and disease activity. We observed 13 patients who developed 15 periods of exacerbations of their disease. All 15 exacerbations were preceded by a continuous increase of the anti-dsDNA levels. In 13 of the 15 exacerbations studied the exacerbation was preceded by an increase of anti-dsDNA with a doubling time (T2) of less than 6 weeks; in 4 of the 5 other exacerbations the T2 was less than 10 weeks. Four other patients with an increase of the anti-dsDNA levels showed no exacerbation. In these 4 patients the T2 was larger than 10 weeks. The other 113 patients did not show an increase of anti-dsDNA over the 2 years of monitoring and showed no signs of serious disease activity (no major symptoms). These observations suggest that an SLE patient who is followed up frequently and who shows a continuous increase of anti-dsDNA witha T2 shorter than 10 weeks is bound to develop an exacerbation.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗