Perugia urodynamic method of analysis (PUMA): a new advanced method of urodynamic analysis applied clinically and compared with other advanced methods.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to compare PUMA curves with different pathologic conditions causing bladder dysfunction in 158 men and 83 women. METHODS: PUMA results in terms of bladder outlet obstruction and detrusor contractility were compared in 92 men with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and p(ves) congruent with p(det) (i.e., p(abd) congruent with 0) with the results of the urodynamics operator's opinion, the provisional International Continence Society method, Abrams and Griffith's diagram, urethral resistence factor (URA), Sch?fer's diagram, and Watt factor. PUMA curves correlated reliably with different pathologic conditions such as obstructive BPH, orthotopic bladder, cystocele, the neurological bladder, and bladder diverticulum. Statistical analysis indicated excellent agreement between PUMA and URA; agreement with other methods was good in cases of obstruction and nonobstruction. In doubtful cases, as diagnosed by standard methods, PUMA agreed only with the Abrams and Griffith's diagram. PUMA and Wmax were in good agreement on detrusor con traction force. Agreement between PUMA and Sch?fer's diagram was excellent for patients with detrusor hypercontractility and good for patients with detrusor hypocontractility and normocontractility. PUMA is the only method applicable to women. It is easy to perform. When integrated with other diagnostic tests, it provides realistic data for diagnosis, medical or surgical therapy, and outcome.     

Thrombotic Micro‐Angiopathy with Sirolimus‐Based Immunosuppression: Potentiation of Calcineurin‐Inhibitor‐Induced Endothelial Damage?

Thrombotic microangiopathy is a rare but important finding in the context of organ transplantation. Acute renal insufficiency in the setting of hemolysis and thrombocytopenia, a triad that constitutes 'hemolytic uremic syndrome', can be associated with, or triggered by, conditions such as verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli, viral infections, malignant hypertension, scleroderma, allograft rejection, lupus erythematosus, pregnancy, and medications including mitomycin C, calcineurin inhibitors, and oral contraceptives. After renal transplantation, it can occur, as either a de novo episode, or recurrent disease. Calcineurin inhibitors have long been associated with post-transplantation thrombotic microangiopathy. Sirolimus has been used as a primary immunosuppressant in patients transplanted with a history of earlier hemolytic-uremic syndrome, and also as rescue therapy in patients with calcineurin-inhibitor-associated thrombotic microangiopathy. We describe four cases where there was significant thrombotic microangiopathy in the context of contemporaneous or contiguous calcineurin inhibitor and sirolimus usage. As the intrarenal cyclosporin concentration is thought to be significantly elevated when cyclosporin and sirolimus are used together, this may explain these findings, and mandates caution in their co-administration.     

针刺对肾血管性高血压大鼠的降压效应

目的　探讨针刺对肾血管性高血压大鼠的降压作用及其神经 -内分泌调节机制。方法　采用二肾一夹法制备高血压大鼠模型 ,测定实验各组大鼠血浆内皮素 (ET)、一氧化氮 (NO)含量和心率变异性 (HRV)的动态变化。结果　与模型组相比 ,针刺组血压 (BL 2 3:19.1± 1.1k Pa,ST36:18.1± 2 .5 k Pa)及 ET水平明显下降 (P<0 .0 1) ,其中针刺肾俞组血浆 ET水平 (91.3± 9.45 pg/ ml)较足三里组 (10 8.48± 13.0 6pg/ ml)下降更明显 (P<0 .0 5 ) ;针刺治疗组血浆 NO水平 (BL 2 3:5 0 .3±12 .7μmol/ ml,ST 36:49.71± 8.49μm ol/ m l)显著升高 (P<0 .0 5 )。足三里组针刺后 L F/ HF比值与模型组无明显差异 ,而肾俞组 L F/ HF值 (0 .5 7± 0 .13)明显低于模型组及足三里组 (0 .86± 0 .2 5 )。结论　针刺能降低肾血管性高血压模型大鼠动脉血压 ,肾俞与足三里两穴无明显差异 ,其作用机制可能与自主神经系统、NO及 ET参与的神经内分泌调节作用相关。     

Peritoneal dialysis patient survival: a comparison between a Swedish and a Korean centre.

BACKGROUND: Dialysis patient mortality remains high, and this high mortality may be due to many factors. In peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, old age, co-morbid diseases, malnutrition, low residual renal function (RRF) and a high peritoneal transport rate have been shown to influence survival, but the relative importance of these factors may differ between different patient populations. Besides, centre practice patterns may differ between centres and may influence patient survival. In addition, the literature suggests that dialysis patient survival may be better in Asian than in Caucasian patients. METHODS: The influence of centre and patient characteristics on patient survival was investigated in 132 Korean and 106 Swedish incident PD patients, who underwent initial biochemical measurements and assessment of adequacy of dialysis, nutritional status, RRF and peritoneal transport characteristics. RESULTS: At the start of PD, Korean patients had a higher prevalence of diabetes, peritoneal Kt/V(urea), peritoneal creatinine clearance and peritoneal fluid removal, and lower body mass index, RRF and dialysate to plasma creatinine concentration ratio (D/P Cr) compared with Swedish patients. Significantly more patients from Korea were placed on temporary haemodialysis before PD (100 out of 132) when compared with Swedish patients (21 out of 106). During the follow-up, there was a significantly higher rate of transfer to other units in Korea and a significantly higher rate of kidney transplantation in Sweden. On Kaplan-Meier analysis, overall patient survival did not differ and relative risk for death was also not different between the two centres even after adjustment for age, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, RRF and D/P Cr. On Cox proportional hazards multivariate analysis, age, diabetes, RRF and D/P Cr were found to be independent predictors of mortality in the combined cohort of patients. While age, diabetes and D/P Cr were independent predictors of mortality in Korean patients, age and RRF independently predicted mortality in Swedish patients. CONCLUSION: Although there were significant differences in centre and patient characteristics, we were unable to confirm a survival advantage for Korean over Swedish PD patients. The results of this study suggest that the reported difference in survival between Asian and Caucasian dialysis patients may have been due, in part, to differences in centre and patient characteristics rather than to race as such. The genetic influence on patient characteristics remains, however, to be elucidated.     

氟伐他汀对老年动脉粥样硬化所致肾动脉狭窄的临床疗效观察

目的观察氟伐他汀对老年肾动脉粥样硬化所致肾动脉狭窄(ARAS)的治疗作用及其抗炎机制。方法将在我院门诊及住院的54例老年ARAS患者,随机分为治疗组及对照组,对照组给予常规降压治疗,治疗组每晚加服氟伐他汀40 mg。比较两组治疗前及治疗后尿蛋白排泄率(UAER)、血肌酐(Scr)、C反应蛋白(CRP)及肾脏血管多普勒超声中肾动脉收缩期峰值速度(PSV)、肾动脉血流加速度时间(AT),肾动脉峰值流速与肾动脉开口处腹主动脉流速之比(RAR)等指标。结果观察期间,两组上述指标均呈下降趋势,治疗组UAER,PSV,AT,RAR下降较对照组明显(P<0.05,P<0.01),治疗组CRP下降明显(P<0.05,P<0.01),对照组CRP变化不明显(P>0.05)。而且在两组血脂正常的老年ARAS所致肾动脉狭窄的患者进行比较分析也得出类似结果。结论氟伐他汀因降低CRP的致炎效应而改善肾动脉狭窄,且不依赖氟伐他汀的降血脂作用。     

川芎嗪对肾缺血再灌注时c-fos bcl-2 ICAM-1蛋白表达的影响

目的　探讨大鼠肾缺血再灌注损伤不同时间c -fos、细胞淋巴瘤 /白血病 - 2、细胞间粘附分子- 1蛋白的表达及川芎嗪对其影响。方法　用免疫组化法检测大鼠急性肾缺血再灌注不同时间内及川芎嗪干预后c -fos、细胞淋巴瘤 /白血病 - 2、细胞间粘附分子 - 1蛋白表达的分布及强度变化。结果　c -fos蛋白分布于近曲小管、远曲小管、集合管上皮细胞的细胞核、细胞浆内 ,再灌注后 1h表达明显增强 ,3h达高峰 ,6h锐减。细胞淋巴瘤 /白血病 - 2蛋白主要分布于近曲小管上皮细胞的细胞浆 ,再灌注后 1h表达明显增强 ,6h达高峰 ,2 4h仍有较强表达。细胞间粘附分子 - 1蛋白分布在肾血管、肾小管等部位 ,其中以肾血管为著 ,其表达增强于再灌注后 1h ,直到 2 4h仍有增高趋势。川芎嗪干预后c -fos、细胞间粘附分子 - 1蛋白表达明显下降 (P <0 0 1 )。细胞淋巴瘤 /白血病 - 2表达明显增高 (P <0 .0 1 )。结论　川芎嗪对肾缺血再灌注损伤有较好的保护作用     

还原型谷胱甘肽在预防糖尿病大鼠勃起功能障碍中的研究

目的探讨还原型谷胱甘肽(GSH)在预防糖尿病大鼠勃起功能障碍中的作用。方法通过腹腔注射链脲佐菌素65mg/kg建立糖尿病大鼠模型,然后随机分成DM组和DM+GSH组,DM+GSH组每天肌肉注射GSH200mg/kg。10周后观察大鼠勃起功能,并获取海绵体组织检测其谷胱甘肽、一氧化氮合酶(NOS)与丙二醛(MDA)水平,用TUNEL法检测细胞凋亡。结果成功建立糖尿病大鼠模型。与未注射GSH的DM组相比,DM+GSH组和正常对照组(C组)勃起功能更好,勃起率分别是20%,62.5%和100%。GSH水平DM+GSH组和C组明显比DM组高,其3组含量每克蛋白分别是(75.83±15.62)、(61.47±8.65)和(35.03±12.29)mg(P<0.05);NOS水平在DM+GSH组每毫克蛋白为(133.9±31.9)U,与正常对照组每毫克蛋白为(142.2±31.2)U相当,但较DM组每毫克蛋白为(58.4±18.9)U高(P<0.05);MDA含量在DM组每毫克蛋白为(3.71±0.62)nmol,明显高于正常对照组和DM+GSH组(P<0.05),这两组每毫克蛋白为(2.08±0.34)nmol和(2.44±0.28)nmol;细胞凋亡率在DM组、DM+GSH组和C组的分别是(22.6±3.6)%、(10.8±1.7)%和(7.2±2.1)%(P<0.05)。结论还原型谷胱甘肽对糖尿病大鼠阴茎组织有较好的抗氧化作用,能减少细胞凋亡,对延缓糖尿病性ED的发生有一定的作用。     

应用前列腺素E1注射治疗勃起功能障碍8年经验

目的观察前列腺素E1(PGE1)注射治疗勃起功能障碍(ED)的长期疗效、副作用及预后。方法使用PGE1行阴茎海绵体注射,阴茎硬度检查仪(Rigiscan)连续记录1h,并根据观察结果,调查PGE1注射剂量,确定每例患者合适的注射量,掌握注射方法后回家自行注射。共筛选出ED患者410例,随访患者阴茎勃起情况、药量调整和副作用。结果410例ED患者中,心理性139例,静脉性83例,动脉性36例,神经性78例,混合性74例。对治疗满意的患者有256例(62.44%),其中21例(5.1%)在使用PGE15次后停用,并能达到满意的性生活而治愈。293例(71.46%)患者自述注射时有胀痛感。171例(43.17%)因疼痛(105例)、操作不便(25例)、副作用顾虑(37例)和其他原因(4例)而于6个月后放弃治疗。204例(49.76%)患者使用时间已超过1年,24例(5.85%)患者使用时间已超过5年,7例(1.7%)使用已有8年。未发现阴茎异常勃起和阴茎海绵体纤维化。注射损伤阴茎表面血管致瘀斑者有20例。有27例患者失访。结论PGE1是治疗ED的一种安全有效的药物,可以长期使用。其最常见的副作用是阴茎疼痛。Rigiscan能帮助确定PGE1的注射剂量。     

Tacrolimus Exposure and Evolution of Renal Allograft Histology in the First Year After Transplantation

Tacrolimus has a narrow therapeutic window and is characterized by a large inter-individual variability in bioavailability. The impact of tacrolimus exposure on subclinical evolution of graft histology has not been studied in renal recipients. This analysis included 239 protocol biopsies (obtained at implantation, 3 and 12 months) of 120 consecutive kidney recipients treated with tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and corticosteroids. Biopsies were scored according to the Banff 2001 criteria and a chronicity score was calculated. Prospective pharmacokinetic data were included in the analysis (5544 tacrolimus predose blood concentrations and tacrolimus AUC(0-12) at 3 and 12 months). Higher donor age and higher number of human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) mismatches were independent predictors of subclinical acute rejection at 3 months, present in 8.7% of patients. The number of HLA-DR mismatches was independently associated with biopsy-proven clinical acute rejection. Biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes and low mean tacrolimus exposure were independently associated with higher increase in chronicity scores between 3 and 12 months after transplantation. This observational study suggests that rejection phenomena and immune-mediated mechanisms remain important in the early progression of chronic allograft pathology. Tacrolimus doses or systemic exposure were not associated with lesions of calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, suggesting that other factors determine susceptibility to tacrolimus nephrotoxicity.     

Body Mass Index and Glomerular Hyperfiltration in Renal Transplant Recipients: Cross-Sectional Analysis and Long-Term Impact

Obesity is a risk factor for renal graft loss. Higher body mass index (BMI) in native kidneys is associated with glomerular hyperfiltration. Whether higher BMI in renal transplants is associated with hyperfiltration is unknown. We investigated the impact of BMI on renal hemodynamics 1 year post-transplant. We analyzed glomerular filtration rate (GFR, (125)I-iothalamate) and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF, (131)I-hippurate) in 838 kidney transplants. Data were analyzed for all patients and for the subpopulation without diabetes. Long-term impact of BMI and renal hemodynamics were explored by Cox-regression. With higher BMI GFR and filtration fraction (FF) increased significantly. Multivariate analysis supported impact of BMI on GFR (adjusted r(2) of the model 0.275) and FF (adjusted r(2) of the model 0.158). This association was not explained by diabetes mellitus. On Cox-regression analysis, lower GFR and higher FF were independent determinants of overall graft loss and graft loss by patient mortality. Lower GFR and higher BMI were determinants of death-censored graft loss, with borderline contribution of higher FF. In renal transplants higher BMI is independently associated with higher GFR and FF one year posttransplant, suggesting glomerular hyperfiltration with altered afferent-efferent balance. Mechanisms underlying the long-term prognostic impact of hyperfiltration deserve further exploration.