Biomedical subjects

G A Porter

Publications and source records attributed to G A Porter.

148 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Urinary biomarkers: recommendations of the Joint European/United States Workshop for future research.

The session concluded on a positive note with enthusiasm on the part of participates to become involved in one of the proposed joint protocols. Left to be answered was whether or not individual urinary biomarkers can be tailored to be disease specific or will there always be a need for a panel of biomarkers to insure interpretable results? It was agreed that proposals for three studies would be prepared. The first study will take advantage of the fact that field studies are currently being organized by both European and American groups. European scientists are working with the World Health Organization to investigate lead exposure in a region of China. At the same time, scientists in the United States are implementing a surveillance program in a population exposed to lead and other heavy metals in Kellogg, Idaho. These efforts provide an excellent opportunity for the sharing of samples and the study of a biomarkers panel that would contain both standard and candidate biomarkers. It was agreed that the parties interested in participating would alert the workshop organizers. The second study will expand upon a protocol developed by Dr. Debroe that has as its subjects non-transplant patients being treated with cyclosporine. An additional complimentary study of tacrolimus (FK-506) nephrotoxicity will also be developed. This protocol will be designed to follow the loss of renal function with a urinary biomarkers panel. The third study will follow the lead of Dr. Safirstein who urged the consideration of Cisplatin nephrotoxicity as a singular model for analyzing the usefulness of various biomarkers as measures of both acute and chronic nephrotoxicity.

Biomarkers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term minoxidil therapy in patients with refractory hypertension and renal disease.

Minoxidil, an orally effective vasodilator, was successful in lowering blood pressure in 22 patients, followed up for up to 3 yrs, with hypertension refractory to medical management, including both antihypertensive drug combinations and ultrafiltration. In nondialysis patients renal function was preserved and in dialysis patients bilateral nephrectomy was avoided. Although sodium retention and reflex tachycardia were common, they were managed by beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol and diuresis with furosemide.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Distribution of hypertension and renal disease in Oregon.

Expecting to find agreement between the geographic distribution of hypertension and renal disease, we developed regional mortality rates for 1950-72 and prevalence rates for a Selective Service cohort born in 1939-41 and examined during 1957-69. For this purpose the State's counties were grouped into eight geographically homogeneous regions. The general decline in hypertension mortality was most pronounced in Portland, Oregon's major urban center. However, the decline halted during 1968-72 in the southern Cascade region which has become an area of relatively higher risk within the State. During these 23 years nephritis mortality fell, kidney infection mortality was stable, and both syndromes showed peak mortality in other, different regions of the State. The geographic pattern of hypertension prevalence among the draftee cohort resembled the 1963-67 hypertension mortality pattern, but more recent morbidity data are needed to confirm the southern Cascade region's recent change to a high-risk area. Of 529 draftees with diagnosed hypertension, only 35 percent of the cases were previously known, only 7 percent has had any previous treatment, and only 7 percent were associated with known renal conditions. Among 521 registrants with a history of renal disorders, the prevalence of hypertension was increased for all categories of renal disease but was significantly high only for those with a history of glomerulonephritis. To date in Oregon we have found no evidence that renal disorders are major determinants of hypertension morbidity or mortality.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Analgesic nephropathy and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in renal patients: new insight.

Analgesic-associated nephropathy due to analgesic mixtures and possibly due to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs taken over long periods of time represent a preventable cause of chronic renal failure. The exact prevalence of this condition in various countries around the world is still unclear almost 30 years after the original description of this entity. With the advent of specific diagnostic criteria, the prevalence should become much more clear by studying dialysis populations and other patients with chronic renal disease prior to end stage. The effect of analgesics and nonsteroidal drugs on renal disease of other established etiologies is not well-characterized either. Just as blood pressure control is essential in prolonging the course of chronic renal failure, the use of these NSAIDs may be a risk factor for accelerating such clinical courses. It is of interest that recent preliminary epidemiologic data suggest that prolonged and heavy use of illicit drugs can also be a risk factor for chronic renal disease (personal communication). Such risk factors are compatible with a public health approach towards prevention of a disease state in which expensive resources are necessary and for which the affected population is growing at alarming rates worldwide. Pharmaceutical manufacturers should be required to conduct properly controlled safety studies for long-term effects of compounds, particularly when they are to be released for over-the-counter consumption and are to be heavily marketed.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗