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Biomedical subjects

G Maschio

Publications and source records attributed to G Maschio.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Renal tubular defects in recurring bilateral nephrolithiasis.

A metabolic study was performed in 28 patients with bilateral recurrent calcium-containing renal staghorn calculi and chronic pyelonephritis ("obstructive nephropathy"). Fourteen had normal GFR and 14 mild renal insufficiency. Ten normal subjects were used as controls. Under basal conditions, polyuria and negative sodium balance were commonly observed in patients with obstructive nephropathy and normal renal function. After an acute acid load (NH4Cl) an acidifying defect, i.e. high values for urine pH and reduced excretion of titratable acid and ammonium, was observed in 64% of patients with normal GFR and in 71.4% of those with renal insufficiency. During intravenous infusion with neutral sodium phosphate, the urine pH changed little but the rate of excretion of titratable acid increased in direct proportion to that of urinary phosphate in both groups of patients. These results, associated with the finding of normal blood pH in almost all patients, lead to the conclusion that an incomplete Type 1 or "distal" renal tubular acidosis is a frequent complication of obstructive nephropathy secondary to bilateral nephrolithiasis. The anatomical abnormalities of renal tubules and collecting ducts and the superimposed interstitial nephritis might be the pathogenetic factors responsible for the acidifying defect and for the impairment in sodium and water conservation.

Acidosis, Renal Tubular↗

Calcium and phosphorus metabolism in chronic uremia.

In chronic uremia, the clinical disorders o calcium and phosphorus metabolism are influenced by the following factors: (1) intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphate, resulting in a negative calcium and phosphate balance at normal dietary intakes; (2) renal handling of calcium and phosphate: the fractional transport of calcium (the isoosmotic reabsorption taking place in the proximal tubule) is not affected by GFR modifications, whereas the Tm-limited reabsorption is severely impaired; the external phosphate balance is kept, even in the presence of a reduced nephron population, by means of a proportional reduction in TmPO4 values; (3) physiochemical state and turnover of body calcium and phosphate: in uremic patients, the distribution spaces, turnover rate of calcium, and accretion rate of bones are increased in comparison with the controls; the calcium infusion test in patients with renal osteomalacia is followed by a regular increase in plasma [PO4], whereas a significant decrease is observed in patients with renal osteitis fibrosa, due to the extreme 'avidity' of bones for calcium phosphate; the role of hyperphosphatemia is critical in keeping the plasma [Ca] lower than the expected values for a given metabolic set; moreover, an increased cell uptake of phosphate could counteract to some extent the reduced renal clearance of phosphate; (4) structural and biochemical modifications of bone tissue: uremic osteodystrophy consists mainly of two components: (a) osteomalacia, with osteoid excess, disappearance of the calcification front, and diffuse pathologic mineralization, and (b) osteitis fibrosa, with severe resorption of normally mineralized bone, slight osteoid excess, and almost normal calcification front; (5) hormonal factors: chronic stimulation of parathyroid glands may result in suppressible or even autonomous hyperparathyroidism. As to vitamin D, it has been suggested that the uremic kidney is not able to synthesize the 1,25-di-OH-cholecalciferol, the active metabolite of vitamin D: this results in an impaired intestinal absorption of calcium. On the contrary, the role of calcitonin in chronic uremia is still uncertain, since low values of plasma [Ca] are usually observed.

Calcium↗

Alterations in renal tubular sodium and water transport in polycystic kidney disease.

Thirty patients with chronic renal diease -10 with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and normal GFR; 10 with PKD and GFR is less than 30 ml+min; 10 with chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) and GFR is less than 30 ml+min -and 10 normal subjects were investigated. The ability to concentrate urine maximally (T-CH2O) after water deprivation and the renal handling of water and electrolytes following hypertonic volume expansion were studied. A defect in T-CH2O was common in PKD patients even with normal GFR. In PKD patients with normal GFR, volume expansion was not followed by a natriuretic effect of the same magnitude as in controls. This ""inadequate natriuresis after volume expansion"" may be explained partly by chronic hyponatremia and partly by a functional defect, i.e. the incomplete arterial vasodilation in the kidney. At comparable degrees of renal insufficiency, T-CH2O was lower in PKD than in CGN patients. It seems likely that in PKD patients the increased endogenous osmotic load has exaggerated the tubular defect in urine concentration already present at normal GFR. Furthermore, volume expansion was followed by a significant increase in fractional sodium excretion only in PKD patients with renal insufficiency.

Adult↗