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Biomedical subjects

R Palla

Publications and source records attributed to R Palla.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

A controlled clinical trial on the effect of heparin infusion and two regimens of urokinase in acute pulmonary embolism.

A comparison of the effects of two regimens of urokinase infusion not associated to heparin and of continuous heparin infusion was made assessing the rate of emboli and arterial hypoxemia resolution in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. Twenty-nine patients with acute pulmonary embolism, each one diagnosed by means of perfusion lung scan and selective pulmonary arteriography, were admitted to the study and randomly allocated to three treatment groups: A, 10 patients, urokinase: 800,000 CTA units/day for three days followed by oral anticoagulants; B, 9 patients, heparin: mean daily dose 30,000 units for seven days followed by oral anticoagulants; C, 10 patients, urokinase: 3,300,000 CTA units in 12 hours followed by oral anticoagulants. Pulmonary lung scan and PaO2st (PaO2 standardized to PaCO2 of 40 mmHg) were repeated at 1, 3, 7, and 30 days in all the groups of treatment. The mean daily rate of improvement, assessed from both the perfused lung segments and the PaO2st increment, in group C was highest in the first 24 hours and lowest from the first to the third day of treatment. However, from the third to the seventh day of treatment and onwards the mean daily rate of improvement was roughly the same in all the groups. After one month, lung perfusion and the PaO2st had considerably improved, but had not attained full recovery in any of the treatment groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute Disease↗

Effect of captopril on renal function in patients with essential hypertension.

The glomerular filtration rate (creatinine clearance), glomerular permeability (qualitative and quantitative proteinuria), tubular reabsorption (k-lambda chains of immunoglobulins and lysozyme) and indexes of tubular cell lysis (alpha-glucosidase and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase) were measured in the urine of 10 patients with moderate, uncomplicated essential hypertension during placebo therapy and after captopril given at increasing doses of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg twice daily, the first three doses being given for 3 days and the last one for 4 weeks in all patients and for an additional 6 months in 5 patients. During placebo therapy, proteinuria was absent in eight patients and detectable (glomerular and selective) in two; selective proteinuria appeared in two and a decrease in selectivity was observed in two patients with previous proteinuria after 4 weeks of captopril therapy. No proteinuria was detectable in the five patients followed up to 6 months, not even in the one in whom a decrease in glomerular selectivity had occurred after 4 weeks. The glomerular filtration rate was unchanged as were lysozyme and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase values, while light chains were always undetectable. Alpha-glucosidase showed some increase; however, increments were transient and always much lower than those observed with known tubular toxic drugs. These data show that under our experimental conditions captopril caused no evident changes in glomerular and tubular function.

Adult↗

Echocardiographic hemodynamic study during ultrafiltration sequential dialysis.

4 patients on regular dialysis were studied by the echocardiographic method during ultrafiltration and dialysis performed sequentially according to two different protocols. Blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, stroke volume, systolic and diastolic dimension of the left ventricle, systolic and diastolic volumes of the left ventricle, ejection fraction, shortening fraction and total peripheral vascular resistance index were measured. During ultrafiltration there is an increase of the total peripheral vascular resistance index. Myocardial contractility improves only during dialysis. Physiopathologic implications are discussed.

Adult↗

Acute hemodynamic effects of Brescia-Cimino arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis.

In ten uremic patients, who were not yet undergoing periodic hemodialysis and in whom we were creating a 1 cm, distal, side-to-side arteriovenous fistula of Brescia-Cimino type for hemodialysis, the acute hemodynamic changes of the systemic and pulmonary circulations were studied immediately after the opening of the fistula. An increase in cardiac output (Q) was observed in one patient, the other patients showing either no change or a slight reduction. In the four patients in whom the Q decreased there was a significant reduction of total blood volume (TBV) and stroke volume (SV) and an increase in systemic vascular resistance (SVR) (p less than 0.05, p less than 0.05, p less than 0.01 respectively). At the level of pulmonary circulation, in these patients a decrease in pulmonary blood volume (PBV) (mean = 20%) and a significant increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were also observed. In five patients who had been on chronic hemodialysis and who presented the clinical picture of cardiac failure, the acute hemodynamic changes following temporary closure of the fistula (by a sphygmomanometer) were studied: a significant decrease (p less than 0.05) in Q, TBV and SV was observed. The difference between the two values of Q (i.e. fistula open and closed) was considered to indicate the magnitude of the flow across the fistula.

Adult↗

[Echocardiographic study of left ventricular function in 2 different procedures].

Four patients on regular dialysis were studied by echocardiographic method during ultrafiltration sequential dialysis performed according to two different protocols: procedure 1: ultrafiltration alone (1 hour) followed by diffusive dialysis (3 hours); procedure 2: dialysis (3 hours) followed by ultrafiltration alone (1 hour). Blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, stroke volume, systolic and diastolic dimension of the left ventricle, systolic and diastolic volumes of the left ventricle, ejection fraction, shortening fraction and total peripheral vascular resistance index were measured. During ultrafiltration there is an increase of the total peripheral vascular resistance index. Myocardial contractility improves only during dialysis. Physiographic and therapeutic implications are discussed.

Adult↗

Coagulation factor XIII in patients with acute and chronic renal disease.

The behavior of coagulation factor XIII (fibrin-stabilizing factor, FSF) was studied in patients with renal disease. Specific antiserum against the active subunit (FSFA) was employed to set up a method for the direct measurement of the active fraction in plasma, according to the electroimmunodiffusion technique. The plasma FSFA levels were measured in the following patients: (I) 31 patients with chronic renal disease and serum creatinine not higher than 1.5 mg/dl; (II) 41 patients with chronic renal failure on conservative therapy; (III) 53 uremic patients on maintenance hemodialysis; (IV) 10 patients with acute renal failure. FSFA concentration (93.3 +/- 17.6% of a reference plasma in a group of 15 healthy controls) was found to be significantly higher than normal in the patients with chronic renal disease and serum creatinine lower than 1.5 mg/dl (127 +/- 39.8%, p less than 0.005). The FSFA levels were similarly increased in the 41 patients with chronic renal failure on conservative management (134.9 +/- 35.8%, p less than 0.001), and in the 53 end-stage uremics on maintenance hemodialysis (132.8 +/- 29.5%, p less than 0.001). Whereas, FSFA concentration was found to be markedly reduced in the 10 patients with acute renal failure (35.8 +/- 14.6%, p less than 0.001). In the patients with chronic renal disease (groups I, II, and III) plasmatic FSFA higher in those patients with serum triglycerides above the upper normal limit, and a significant positive correlation was found between serum triglycerides and FSFA plasma levels.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Evaluation of new membranes for hemodialysis: preliminary studies with a polycarbonate membrane.

A synthetic polycarbonate (PC) membrane supplied by C.R. Bard Inc. was assessed as to its clinical usefulness and suitability to regular use with artificial kidney. The permeability of the PC membrane to 11 solutes of increasing molecular volumes (Na+, Ca++, K+, Cl-, HPO4-, urea, creatinine, uric acid, glucose, BSP, cyanocobalamine) was measured in vitro by rotating dialysis cells, as compared to that of Cuprophan PT 150. The evaluation of the PC membrane in vivo was carried out during a regular hemodialytic treatment in 5 patients using a Kiil dialyzer. The dialysance of 6 solutes (HPO4-, urea, creatinine, uric acid, hypaque, cyanocobalamine) across the PC membrane was measured at 200 ml/min blood flow rate. Both in vitro and in vivo the PC membrane showed permeability and dialysance coefficients to small molecules approximately the same than standard PT 150; the ultrafiltration rate of the PC membrane was also superimposable to that of PT 150. On the contrary, larger molecules were removed much more efficiently by the polycarbonate membrane than by PT 150. These data suggest that the membrane evaluated in this study possesses some peculiar features which could possibly result in an improvement of the quality of regular hemodialysis.

Animals↗

Angiotensin II metabolism and blood pressure in chronic renal disease.

A direct positive correlation has been found between mean blood pressure (MBP) and angiotensin II metabolic clearance rate (AII MCR) (p is less than 0.001) in 12 hypertensive patients with chronic renal disease (CRD) while it is not discernible in nine normals. A strong positive correlation appears between angiotensin II arterio-venous extraction (AII E) and total peripheral resistance in the two groups when analysed both jointly or separately (p is less than 0.001 in all instances). As MBP equals cardiac output (CO) x TPR and AII MCR equals CO x AII E percent, the only parameter which makes the two groups different in the relation MBP/AII MCR is the impairment of CO autoregulation in CRD cases. AII peripheral extraction and degradation is closely linked to the control of peripheral vascular resistance in the two groups.

Angiotensin II↗

Double isotope measurement of peritoneal clearance of iodide and albumin loss during peritoneal dialysis in man (labelled albumin loss in peritoneal dialysis).

131I-labelled Human Serum Albumin and 125I-sodium iodide were used to measure protein loss from the peritoneum and peritoneal clearance of iodide in a group of 8 uraemic patients, each one being studied after a different number of dialyses. Both albumin loss and iodide clearance reached a maximum at about the 10th dialytic treatment and then tended towards the initial levels. Protein loss as determined isotopically was markedly lower than indicated by direct radioimmunoassay measurements performed in three cases. Fitting experimental points by a model which assumes direct passage of protein from plasma to peritoneal cavity suggests the presence of a "delay" pool between plasma and the peritoneal cavity itself (extravascular sites adjacent to peritoneum?). The shorter retention time of the dialysis solution in the abdomen (4-8 minutes) seemed to us to cause lower protein losses than reported by authors using longer retention times.

Adult↗

C reactive protein in patients with chronic renal diseases.

Base-line serum levels of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) are predictive of future myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death in apparently healthy subjects, suggesting the hypothesis that chronic inflammation might be important in the pathogenesis of atherothrombosis. CRP production is mediated by several inflammatory mediators: interleukin 6 (IL-6) is currently felt to be the major cytokine influencing the acute phase response. CRP and other acute phase proteins are elevated in dialysis patients and cardiovascular diseases represent the single largest cause of mortality in chronic renal failure patients. Little information is available, however regarding CRP and IL-6 plasma levels in pre-dialysis renal failure. Plasma CRP was determined by a modification of the laser nephelometry technique; IL-6 by immunoassay (RD System); and fibrinogen, serum albumin, cholesterol, triglycerides, hematocrit, white blood cell count, erythrocytic sedimentation rate (ESR) and urinary protein levels by standard laboratory techniques. Results were obtained in 102 chronic pre-dialysis patients whose mean age was 53+/-5.8 years with a mean creatinine clearance (C(Cr)) of 52+/-37 mL/min). CRP was greater than 5 mg/L in 25% of the global population. CRP and IL-6 were 4.0+/-4.6 mg/L and 5.8+/-5.6 pg/mL, respectively and were not significantly correlated (r=0.11, p=n.s.). CRP and IL-6 were however related with renal function (CRP versus C(Cr) r=-0.40 p <0.001; IL- 6 versus C(Cr) r=-0.45; p <0.001). When patients were divided in two groups according to renal function, CRP resulted 7.4+/-6.3 mg/L in the group of patients with a C(Cr) lower than 20 mL/min (n=32) and 2.76+/-4.35 in the group of patients with a C(Cr) higher than 20 mL/min (n = 70) (p <0.0001). CRP and IL-6 were positively related with ESR (r=0.32 and 0.46 respectively). Serum albumin levels were not significantly different in the two groups of patients (3.2+/-0.4 versus 3.0+/-0.5 g/dL). CRP and serum albumin were not significantly related (r=0.17). CRP and IL-6 correlated positively with ESR (r=0.32 and 0.46 respectively). In pre-dialysis patients we have demonstrated an increase in both CRP and IL-6 that occurs as renal function decreases. These data provided evidence of the activation - even in the predialysis phase of renal failure - of mechanisms known to contribute to the enhanced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of the uremic syndrome.

C-Reactive Protein↗

Plasma C-reactive protein is linked to backfiltration associated interleukin-6 production.

Bacterial contamination of dialysate may enhance cytokine production in hemodialysis. The authors tested the hypothesis that C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 (IL-6) may be linked in a large group of patients exposed to backfiltration of dialysate over a long period of observation. Plasmas stored in a recently published multicenter study were reevaluated. Plasma C-reactive protein and IL-6 concentrations in patients with chronic uremia undergoing hemodiafiltration, which is known to be associated with backfiltration (Group II, 12 patients), were compared with those found in patients treated with a modified hemodiafiltration modality without backfiltration (Group I, 16 patients), and in patients shifted from one modality to the other (Group III, 27 patients), and in 10 patients on hemodialysis (Group IV) in a 1 year multicenter study. Plasma C-reactive and IL-6 both increased significantly (p < 0.002), but slowly (after 8 months) in Group II compared with I, and during the 4 month period in hemodiafiltration with backfiltration in Group III. Backfiltration of dialysate with a moderate to low degree of contamination may enhance synthesis of cytokine and C-reactive protein in the long term. Thus, the relevance for dialytic strategies aiming at improving dialysate quality or at reducing backfiltration is highlighted.

C-Reactive Protein↗