Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

M R Weir

Publications and source records attributed to M R Weir.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Tolerability, safety, and quality of life and hypertensive therapy: the case for low-dose diuretics.

The safety and tolerability of antihypertensive therapies are an important clinical concern, because the demonstrated benefits of successful blood pressure-lowering depend on long-term compliance with pharmacologic treatments. Thiazide diuretics and beta blockers have been specifically recommended as preferred initial drug therapy by the Fifth Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-V), unless their use is contraindicated by concomitant disease, there is intolerance to these agents, or there is a specific indication for another drug class. These recommendations are a result of the lengthy clinical experience with these drugs and the results of long-term clinical trials that have demonstrated significant reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, data from these same clinical studies have also shown that diuretics (and beta blockers) can cause abnormalities in carbohydrate, electrolyte, and lipid metabolism and also may influence quality of life. The safety of diuretics was evaluated with regard to effects on carbohydrate, electrolyte, and lipid metabolism by seeking references from a MEDLINE search of documents published from 1966 to 1994 based on the search terms "hypertension," "human," and "hydrochlorothiazide" (HCTZ) dosed in a range of 12.5-25 mg daily. Two long-term clinical trials using low-dose (12.5-15 mg/day) chlorthalidone-the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) and the Treatment of Mild Hypertension Study (TOMHS)-were also included. During the course of treatment with HCTZ in these studies, serum potassium was reduced and uric acid was increased in a dose-dependent manner. Although low doses of HCTZ elevated serum glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides, the magnitude of effect was small in most cases and was probably of no clinical significance. Other laboratory parameters were not adversely affected, and subjective reporting of clinical adverse events was generally lower with low-dose HCTZ than with placebo or standard HCTZ dosing. The literature on the effects of low-dose diuretic therapy on quality of life is not large, although the results from the SHEP and TOMHS studies support the concept that diuretics either do not interfere with, or may actually improve, quality of life in hypertensive patients. Low-dose thiazide treatment is a well-tolerated, excellent first-line choice for hypertensive patients, especially older patients. However, diuretics should probably be avoided, whenever possible, in patients with preexisting diabetes, gout, and in men with erectile dysfunction.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1996

Late pancreas allograft rejection. Preliminary experience with factors predisposing to rejection.

A case series of 31 cadaveric pancreas transplant recipients who were insulin-independent at least for one year was analyzed for the factors predisposing to late acute rejection (> 12 months posttransplant). Sixty-two pancreas transplants were performed in 61 patients, of whom 53 had functioning allografts 3 months posttransplant; 31 of these had a follow-up > 12 months. Twenty had no evidence of late rejection, whereas 11 had evidence of acute rejection after 12 months. All patients received quadruple induction immunosuppression. No demographic or clinical factors-including donor age, organ cold time, HLA mismatch, age, sex, or race-could distinguish the late acute rejection group. The presence of acute rejection in the first year posttransplant was similar in the late rejectors (21 episodes in 9 of 11 patients) compared with patients without late rejection (31 episodes in 16 of 20 patients). Antilymphocyte induction therapy type had no influence, but the amount of immunosuppression with prednisone and cyclosporine (CsA) at 3 months posttransplant was significantly lower in those patients who experienced late rejection. After the first year posttransplant, CsA 12-hr trough levels were significantly lower in late rejection months (121 +/- 7 ng/ml) compared with each patient's own stable months (183 +/- 5 ng/ml, P < 0.0001). Neither prednisone nor azathioprine dosages differed between teh two groups after the first year posttransplant. Our preliminary results suggest that early under immunosuppression with prednisone and CsA in the first year and 12-hr trough CsA levels less than approximately 180 ng/ml after the first year posttransplant predispose to late pancreatic rejection.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Isolated pancreas rejection in combined kidney pancreas tranplantation.

The clinical success of pancreas transplantation is limited by the difficulty in diagnosing rejection. In simultaneous pancreas kidney (SPK) transplantation, the diagnosis of pancreatic rejection is particularly difficult in the absence of clinical evidence of kidney rejection. Moreover, patients receiving only pancreas grafts will not have a concomitantly grafted kidney to serve as a "sentinel" for rejection. Percutaneous pancreas graft biopsy has been reported in a few small series but has not been adopted for broad clinical use. We describe the evaluation of 69 consecutive episodes of suspected isolated pancreas allograft rejection by percutaneous pancreas allograft biopsy. These rejection episodes occurred in 41 patients with bladder-drained pancreas transplants (25 SPK, 14 pancrease after kidney transplants [PAK], amd two pancreas transplant alone [PTA]). The indications for percutaneous pancreas biopsy were a twofold or greater increase in serum amylase or lipase, or a sustained 40% to 50% drop in urine amylase in the setting of no evidence of renal allograft dysfunction in SPK transplants. Biopsies were performed with color-flow Doppler ultrasound localization using an 18-gauge automated biopsy needle. Pancreatic tissue adequate for histologic evaluation was obtained in 61 of 69 cases (88%). There were two cases of intraabdominal bleeding, one of which required surgical intervention; the other resolved spontaneously. Histologic assessment of the biopsies demonstrated varying degrees of acute cellular rejection in 48 of 61 specimens (79%). Twelve specimens (20%) were free of histologic evidence of rejection, and one specimen (2%) showed acute pancreatitis. At the time of suspected rejection mean serum amylase and lipase values were increased 3.6 and 8.3-fold, respectively, and urine amylase was decreased by a mean of 45%. We conclude that the commonly used markers for pancreas allograft rejection are only about 80% specific for acute rejection. Percutaneous pancreas allograft biopsy is safe and allows the avoidance of unnecessary antirejection therapy with its attendant side effects and cost.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Comparison of the effects on quality of life and of the efficacy and tolerability of lovastatin versus pravastatin. The Quality of Life Multicenter Group.

This multicenter study compared the effects of lovastatin (40 mg) and pravastatin (40 mg) on quality of life. Men, aged 20 to 65 years old, with primary hypercholesterolemia (types IIa and IIb) were eligible for enrollment if baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol met the first National Cholesterol Education Program adult treatment guidelines. Eligible patients were enrolled into a 6-week diet baseline period, followed by a 6-week diet-plus-placebo period. Patients whose low-density lipoprotein cholesterol still met National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines for drug therapy were randomized into the double-blind, active-treatment period to receive either lovastatin 40 mg or pravastatin 40 mg/day for 12 weeks. Clinic visits were scheduled every 4 weeks and included complete serum lipid profiles, monitoring of adverse experiences, and patient completion of health-related quality-of-life questionnaires. The primary end point of the study was the change in quality of life, as measured by the Nottingham Health Profile (part 1) after 12 weeks of treatment. Secondary end points included responses to a general health question from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, sexual function questions from the Medical Outcomes Study, and stress/life event questions from the National Institutes of Health Post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Study. No significant differences between the 2 groups were observed in tolerability, health-related quality-of-life measures, or changes in lipid profiles.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Angiotensin-II receptor antagonists: a new class of antihypertensive agents.

Pharmacologic agents that attenuate the influence of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system are known to reduce systemic arterial blood pressure through vasodilatory action and enhanced renal clearance of sodium and water. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are known to antagonize the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system through their ability to inhibit conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II. A new class of antihypertensive agents, angiotensin-II receptor antagonists, has recently been developed. These agents specifically block the receptor for angiotensin II, thereby limiting angiotensin II-mediated vasoconstriction and reducing aldosterone secretion. These effects result in a reduction in systemic arterial blood pressure through reduced vascular tone and enhanced sodium and water clearance. Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of these agents in reducing blood pressure. These new antihypertensive agents also have uricosuric actions and are well tolerated, with a low incidence of cough and angioedema, side effects that are seen with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Clinical trials are underway to see if these drugs will be useful in the treatment of diseases other than hypertension, such as congestive heart failure and chronic renal disease.

Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists↗
PubMed1996

Double adult renal allografts: a technique for expansion of the cadaveric kidney donor pool.

BACKGROUND: A major impediment to kidney transplantation is the current shortage of donor organs. Currently approximately 22,500 candidates are awaiting kidney transplantation, while the number of donors remains stable at approximately 3500 each year in the United States. Alternative approaches to traditional organ donor selection are necessary. In this setting we hypothesized that kidneys with reduced nephron mass from adult donors may provide satisfactory renal function if both donor kidneys are placed into a single recipient. METHODS: Eighteen paired adult renal allografts were transplanted into nine adult recipients (DUAL). Recipient graft outcome variables were examined and compared with outcomes from single kidneys transplanted from randomly selected "ideal" donors younger than 50 years of age (CONT < 50) and "expanded" donors older than 60 years of age (CONT > 60) who underwent transplantation at our center. RESULTS: Six-month serum creatinine levels in the three groups, DUAL (n = 9), CONT < 50 (n = 20), and CONT > 60 (n = 12), were 1.6 +/- 0.3, 2.3 +/- 0.3, and 4.1 +/- 0.9 mg/dl, respectively, (p < 0.0001) between CONT > 60 and the other two groups. Mean estimated creatinine clearance (ml/min/1.73 m2) was 43.2 +/- 3.4, 62.5 +/- 5.4, and 24.5 +/- 5.3 (p < 0.02). Graft and patient survival at last follow-up in DUAL was 100% compared with 95% in CONT < 50 and 75% graft and 83% patient survival in CONT > 60. Delayed graft function occurred in one of nine patients (11%) in DUAL group compared with 4 of 20 (20%) in CONT < 50 group and 6 of 12 (50%) in CONT > 60 group. Mean follow-up of patients in DUAL group was 6.6 months (range, 2 to 14 months). CONCLUSIONS: Double adult kidney transplants (DUAL) are associated with acceptable short-term graft function, graft survival, and patient survival when compared with transplanted kidneys from an ideal donor group (CONT < 50). Double renal allografts are a preferred use for donor kidneys with suboptimal nephron mass. Long-term follow-up is required to validate further the proposed approach.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Pancreas transplantation for diabetes mellitus.

Pancreas transplantation has become a viable option for the patient wi th insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with progressive renal failure. The most common type of pancreas transplantation is a simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation performed from a single cadaver donor (SPK). The next most common is pancreas transplantation after successful kidney transplantation (PAK). A few centers are performing pancreas transplantation alone (PTA) in diabetic recipients without renal disease but who have significant complications from their diabetes. Pancreas transplantation is associated with a higher morbidity than kidney transplantation alone. Most pancreas transplantation centers report a significant increase in acute rejection, which can lead to increased hospitalization and risk of opportunistic infection. In addition, the early era of pancreas transplantation was associated with significant surgical complications. However, with bladder drainage of the pancreas exocrine secretions, the surgical complication rate has decreased significantly. Despite medical and surgical complications, the overall results for pancreas transplantation are excellent, with 1 -year graft survival of 75% for SPK transplantations and 48% for PAK and PTA transplant recipients. The effects of a pancreas transplantation on the secondary complications of diabetes have been studied extensively. Most studies have shown a modest improvement in secondary complications with the exception of diabetic retinopathy. The major benefit of pancreas transplantation appears to be enhanced quality of life for patients successfully transplanted. For these reasons, the Kidney-Pancreas Committee of the American Society of Transplant Physicians believes the current results of pancreas-kidney transplantation justify its use as a valid option for insulin-dependent diabetic transplant recipients.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed1996

Significance of the Banff borderline biopsy.

In the Banff classification of kidney transplant pathology the "borderline changes" category falls short of a diagnosis of mild acute rejection, with the recommendation that no treatment is a possible clinical approach. We reviewed the clinical course of patients whose renal allograft biopsies showed "borderline changes" to determine how often these histologic findings actually represented acute rejection. Between January 1992 and June 1994, 351 biopsy specimens were obtained from 170 renal allografts and graded according to the Banff criteria. Eighty-one biopsy specimens were classified as "borderline changes" (23%). Of these, 59 had Banff scores of i1, t1, and vO; the remaining 22 had scores of i2, t1, and vO (i = interstitial infiltrate, t = tubulitis, and v = vasculitis). Medical record review showed that nearly all the "borderline" biopsies had been performed because of an elevated creatinine (Cr; 78 of 81 [96%]), with a mean increase of 1.1 +/- 0.1 mg/dL (+/- SE) over baseline. Most of the patients with "borderline changes" and elevated Cr were treated for acute rejection (61 of 78 [78%]); some with pulse steroids alone (29 of 61 [48%]), the rest with antilymphocyte antibody (32 of 61 [52%]). Among all 61 patients with "borderline" biopsies treated for rejection, 26 had a complete response (43%), 17 had a partial response (28%), and 18 had no response (30%). Interpretation of these changes in Cr, however, was confounded by intercurrent conditions in 28 of the patients. A group of 33 patients was therefore identified in whom a "borderline changes" biopsy was obtained, who were treated for rejection, and in whom all other identifiable causes of elevated Cr other than possible acute rejection had been systematically eliminated from consideration. In this group the mean Cr was 2.0 +/- 0.1 mg/dL at baseline, 3.3 +/- 0.2 mg/dL at the time of biopsy, and 2.2 +/- 0.1 mg/dL 1 month after treatment (P < 0.001 Cr at biopsy v Cr 1 month later). Among these 33 patients, 19 had a complete response (58%), 10 had a partial response (30%), and four had no response (12%). Therefore, the Cr in 88% of the patients in this group was lower 1 month after treatment for rejection than it was at the time of the biopsy. Follow-up biopsies were performed within 1 month of the "borderline" biopsy in 24 cases; these showed "borderline changes" (five of 24 [21%]), mild acute rejection (eight of 24 [33%]), or moderate to severe acute rejection (11 of 24 [46%]). We conclude that in the clinical setting of deteriorating renal graft function with mild elevation of serum Cr, the "borderline changes" biopsy frequently represents acute rejection. Antirejection treatment is therefore appropriate in the majority of cases. The reader should bear in mind that the current study is retrospective, with no control group. The risk of loosely interpreting these data is that some patients will be treated without due cause. Banff "borderline changes" should be used as part of an algorithm, but not the sole criterion, for therapeutic decision making.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1996

Antihypertensive therapy and quality of life. Influence of blood pressure reduction, adverse events, and prior antihypertensive therapy.

Quality of life is an important attribute of antihypertensive therapy. Previous studies have not addressed the importance of a patient's prior pharmacotherapy on quality of life, which may serve as the basis of reference for a new therapy. Nor have previous studies compared commonly used quality of life instruments for consistency, or investigated whether improvement or worsening of quality of life correlates with adverse events or blood pressure reduction. Two hundred eighteen hypertensive patients with diastolic blood pressure (95 to 114 mm Hg) after a 4- to 5-week placebo washout period were enrolled in a randomized double-blind, parallel group dose-escalation trial to compare the effects of amlodipine (2.5 to 10 mg), bisoprolol (2.5 to 10 mg)/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) 6.25, and enalapril (5 to 20 mg) on blood pressure, adverse events, and quality of life. Three quality of life instruments (General Well-Being Index, Vital Signs Quality of Life, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale) were administered during original therapy, after placebo washout, and after 12 weeks of optimally titrated clinical trial pharmacotherapy. Our results demonstrated that removal from prior therapy had no detectable influence on subsequent evaluation of quality of life. The three quality of life instruments were consistent with the changes observed with the three therapies: a trend toward better quality of life with amlodipine and bisoprolol/HCTZ. Adverse events, but not systolic or diastolic blood pressure reduction correlated directly with changes in quality of life.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1996

Insulin resistance and salt sensitivity. A renal hemodynamic abnormality?

Salt has been a staple of the human diet for millennia and has long been known to be a critical factor in blood pressure regulation. The threshold and precise relationship between dietary salt and blood pressure has not been established. Moreover, there is significant variability in blood pressure responses to changes in dietary salt between patients. This variation approximates a Gaussian distribution, is highly reproducible in individual patients, and is persistent over time. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that blood pressure, salt sensitivity and insulin resistance frequently coexist. It is likely that neurohormonal systems, particularly the sympathetic nervous system and the renin-angiotensin system, play a critical role in explaining the interrelationship of salt sensitivity, insulin resistance, and an impaired pressure-natriuresis response.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1996

Salt intake and reductions in arterial pressure and proteinuria. Is there a direct link?

The preponderance of the medical literature supports the concept that modest or moderate dietary salt restriction enhances the blood pressure lowering responses to most antihypertensive medications and may permit either dose reduction or, in a few cases, complete drug withdrawal. Moreover, reduction in salt intake has a permissive action on the antiproteinuric responses of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and nondihydropyridine calcium channel blockers. It does not, however, affect proteinuria in those receiving dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers. The importance of selecting out those individuals who can most benefit from dietary salt modification (the "salt sensitive" groups of hypertensive patients) is important. Prospective randomized clinical studies are needed to assess the correlation between dietary salt intake and renal endpoints, such as time dialysis. This will be particularly important in different demographic groups that may have a greater predisposition to salt sensitivity, such as elderly or obese hypertensives, hypertensives of black or Hispanic descent, and those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1996

Equivalent success of simultaneous pancreas kidney and solitary pancreas transplantation. A prospective trial of tacrolimus immunosuppression with percutaneous biopsy.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the results of solitary pancreas transplantation in a protocol that uses the new immunosuppressant tacrolimus (FK) and liberally applies ultrasound-guided percutaneous pancreas biopsy to diagnose rejection. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Pancreas graft survival in patients who simultaneously receive a kidney transplant (SPK) historically has been 75% to 90% at 1 year, approaching that of cadaveric kidney transplantations. In sharp contrast, graft survival rates in patients who receive a pancreas atone (PA) have remained static over the past decade, with approximately 50% functional at 1 year. It was hypothesized that the results of PA transplantations would improve with newer maintenance immunosuppressants and biopsy techniques. METHODS: Twenty-seven PA recipients prospectively were treated with FK-based immunosuppression (PA-FK). Percutaneous biopsy was performed for hyperamylasemia, hyperlipasemia, hypoamylasuria, or unexplained fever. One year pancreas graft survival in these patients was compared to 15 cyclosporine treated PA cases (PA-CsA) and 113 SPK recipients. RESULTS: The 1-year pancreas graft survival rate of 90.1% in technically successful PA-FK patients was significantly better than the 53.4% rate in PA-CsA recipients (p = 0.002) and no different than the 87.4% rate in SPK recipients. The only graft lost to acute rejection in the PA-FK group was because of acknowledged patient noncompliance. Percutaneous biopsy substantially improved the diagnostic certainty in cases of suspected rejection and was associated with a low complication rate (3/178 = 1.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Modern immunosuppression and biopsy techniques have improved the success of solitary pancreas transplantations to the point where outcome is now equivalent to that of SPKs.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Differing effects of antihypertensive agents on urinary albumin excretion.

Increased urinary albumin excretion is a good predictor of future progression of renal disease in patients with both insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In addition, it is an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with essential hypertension. Whether urinary albumin excretion represents a prognostic indicator for progressive renal dysfunction in patients with normal blood pressure, or essential hypertension and normal renal function, remains to be determined. In patients with diabetic renal disease, urinary albumin excretion is a good predictor for the future development of renal injury, and an effort has thus been made to study the success of antiproteinuric therapies in delaying progression of renal injury. Some antihypertensive agents have demonstrated abilities to reduce urinary albumin excretion either with or without a reduction in systemic arterial pressure. Whether the abilities of these drugs to protect renal function is related to their antihypertensive effects or antiproteinuric effects, or both, is unknown. This review will explore the influence of different antihypertensive agents on urinary albumin excretion in patients with and without essential hypertension, as well as in patients with nondiabetic and diabetic renal disease.

Albuminuria↗
PubMed1996

Insulin resistance, elevated glomerular filtration fraction, and renal injury.

The development of insulin resistance may be an early step in the development of hypertension; however, the mechanism for this process is not known. The worsening of insulin resistance and hypertension could increase both systemic and glomerular capillary pressures and predispose an individual to renal injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of insulin resistance to glomerular hemodynamics and dietary salt intake in 10 older (68 +/- 6 years), obese (body mass index, 31 +/- 4 kg/m2), mildly hypertensive (151 +/- 8/82 +/- 2 mm Hg), sedentary subjects without clinical evidence of diabetes or renal disease. They were studied on separate days with radioisotopic renal clearances (glomerular filtration rate by 99mTc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid urinary clearance; renal plasma flow by 131I-hippuran serum disappearance) and a two-dose (40 and 100 mU/m2 per minute) hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp for measurement of glucose disposal after 2 weeks of a 3-g and 2 weeks of a 10-g sodium diet. Glomerular filtration rate (68.1 +/- 7.7 to 78.0 +/- 6.6 mL/min per 1.73 m2, P = .08) and glomerular filtration fraction (0.21 +/- 0.02 to 0.22 +/- 0.02, P = .5) did not change significantly after dietary salt was increased. During low dietary salt intake, there was an inverse relationship between glomerular filtration fraction and glucose disposal rate (milligrams per kilogram fat-free mass per minute) at both low (r = -.70, P = .04) and high (r = -.83, P = .006) insulin levels. However, these relationships were attenuated during salt loading. This suggests that a greater degree of insulin resistance, not increased dietary salt, may predispose older mildly hypertensive subjects to renal injury by worsening renal hemodynamics through the elevation of glomerular filtration fraction and resultant glomerular hyperfiltration.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1996

Hypertension in African Americans: a paradigm of metabolic disarray.

Hypertensive disease in African Americans manifests itself at an earlier age, tends to be more aggressive and difficult to treat, and is more likely to be associated with renal failure. Abnormalities of carbohydrate metabolism, specifically tissue insulin resistance, may underlie the constellation of clinical and pathophysiological characteristics commonly observed in African American hypertensive subjects. The interrelationships between insulin resistance, salt sensitivity, and vascular hyperresponsitivity to adrenergic stimuli require further clinical study, because this relationship may not only partly explain much of the hypertensive disease observed in African Americans, but may also help identify appropriate therapeutic interventions.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Antilymphocyte induction immunosuppression in the post-Minnesota anti-lymphocyte globulin era: incidence of renal dysfunction and delayed graft function. A single center experience.

Between 4/91 and 12/93, 262 patients received cadaveric (CRT) (n = 205) or living donor (LRT) (non-HLA identical) renal transplants. All patients were treated with the same sequential induction immunosuppression protocol, with the exception of different forms of antilymphocyte sera: either Minnesota antilymphocyte globulin (MALG), antithymocyte globulin (ATG), orthoclone antibody (OKT3), d 1 postoperatively, or OKT3 intraoperatively. With the withdrawal of MALG from the market, we wished to prospectively analyze the influence of these other antilymphocyte therapies on the incidence of delayed graft function (DGF) (the requirement for hemodialysis within the first week postoperatively) and renal function during the first 3 d postoperatively and during the subsequent .6 months post-transplantation and compare that with our MALG experience. Of the 205 CRT, 76 received MALG with a DGF rate of 18.4%, 50 received ATGAM with a DGF rate of 22.0%, 38 received OKT3 postoperatively with a DGF rate of 39.5%, and 41 received OKT3 intraoperatively with a DGF rate of 39%. Of the 57 LRT, only two patients, one receiving intraoperatively OKT3 (secondary to graft thrombosis), and one MALG patient, suffered DGF. Serum creatinine values were obtained from postoperative d 1 through postoperative d 4 for 185 patients. Each of the four groups showed similar mean decrements in serum creatinine. The number of grafts functioning at 1, 2, 3 and 6 months postoperatively and serum creatinine values were not statistically different between the groups. We conclude that induction immunosuppression with MALG and ATGAM is associated with a lower DGF rate than OKT3 given either intraoperatively or postoperatively. However, with 6 months of follow-up, we do not observe any difference in the incidence of rejection or graft function between the therapies. Consequently, we have chosen ATGAM as our preferred inductive therapy in the absence of MALG owing to its lower associated DGF rate.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Access to hypertensive care. Effects of income, insurance, and source of care.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the relationship between income, health insurance, and usual source of care characteristics and screening and management of hypertension. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of data from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey. Adult survey respondents constitute a sample representative of the total adult noninstitutionalized US population. Screening, follow-up care, and pharmacologic treatment for hypertension were examined among low income individuals, the uninsured, those without a usual source of care place, and those without a particular usual source of care physician. RESULTS: The uninsured, individuals without a usual source of care place, and those without a particular usual source of care physician received less screening, follow-up care, and pharmacologic treatment for hypertension. Income did not affect receipt of hypertensive care. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of health insurance and lack of a usual source of care are barriers to hypertensive care. Policies that increase access to health insurance or to usual source of care physicians may enable more individuals to attain control of hypertension.

Female↗