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.     

Fat and water separation in balanced steady-state free precession using the Dixon method.

In this work the feasibility of separating fat and water signals using the balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) technique is demonstrated. The technique is based on the observation (Scheffler and Hennig, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2003;49:395-397) that at the nominal values of TE = TR/2 in SSFP imaging, phase coherence can be achieved at essentially only two orientations (0 degrees and 180 degrees ) relative to the RF pulses in the rotating frame, under the assumption of TR < T2, and independently of the SSFP angle. This property allows in-phase and out-of-phase SSFP images to be obtained by proper choices of the center frequency offset, and thus allows the Dixon subtraction method to be utilized for effective fat-water separation. The TR and frequency offset for optimal fat-water separation are derived from theories. Experimental results from healthy subjects, using a 3.0 Tesla system, show that nearly complete fat suppression can be accomplished.     

Distinct osteogenic mechanisms of bones of distinct origins

Mammalian bones have three distinct origins (paraxial mesoderm, lateral plate mesoderm, and neural crest) and undergo two different modes of formation (intra-membranous and endochondral). Bones derived from the paraxial mesoderm and lateral plate mesoderm mainly form through the endochondral process. During this process, hypertrophic chondrocytes play a vital role in inducing both osteogenesis and angiogenesis. One of the essential osteogenic factors secreted from hypertrophic chondrocytes is Indian hedgehog (Ihh). In contrast, bones derived from the neural crest mainly form through the intramembranous pro-cess and do not require Ihh. Thus, depending on their origin, bones have distinct signaling properties, which need to be considered in the research and application of bone biology.Presented at the 18th Annual Research Meeting of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association, Kitakyushu, Japan, October 17, 2003     

Long-acting beta 2-adrenoceptor agonists: a new perspective in the treatment of asthma.

New long-acting beta 2-adrenoceptor agonists, formoterol and salmeterol, may soon appear in several European countries for treatment of asthma. This review examines currently available information and compares the basic pharmacology and describes the clinical effects of these new drugs. The long duration of bronchodilation seen in clinical studies seems to be similar, whereas in isolated tissues there might be a difference in the binding characteristics to the beta 2-adrenoceptor. Long-acting beta 2-agonists could have an inhibitory effect on inflammatory events related to asthma, but the clinical relevance of these effects is not clear at present. Long-term studies up to one year with both new drugs have not shown any unexpected side-effects, and no tachyphylaxis to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation has been reported. Patients appear to strongly prefer the new drugs compared to the short-acting beta 2-agonists. The potential place for these drugs in the treatment of asthma is discussed and some pitfalls pointed out. It is likely that the long-acting beta 2-agonists will be beneficial to many asthmatic patients.     

L-2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate as a cysteine precursor: efficacy for growth and hepatic glutathione synthesis in chicks and rats

Chick and rat experiments were conducted to determine the efficacy of L-2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylate (OTC) as a cysteine (Cys) precursor for growth and hepatic glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis. Isosulfurous graded increments of OTC and Cys were added to Cys-free purified amino acid diets that were adequate in methionine. Curvilinear responses to both Cys and OTC for chicks and rats were obtained. Hepatic GSH accumulated in chicks only at dietary Cys levels above 0.10%. In rats, hepatic GSH increased linearly as dietary Cys content increased from deficient to adequate and from adequate to excessive. Utilization of OTC by chicks was as efficacious as isosulfurous levels of Cys for growth and hepatic GSH biosynthesis. In rats, OTC was slightly inferior to Cys for growth and hepatic GSH biosynthesis. Exponential regression slope-ratio growth efficacy values for OTC were 78.5% for chicks and 70.2% for rats; multiple linear regression slope-ratio GSH biosynthesis efficacy values were 80.3% for chicks and 83.7% for rats. It is concluded that orally administered OTC is active as a Cys precursor.     

Conjunctival involvement of lymphomatoid granulomatosis

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is an angiocentric and angiodestructive lympho-proliferative disorder involving multisystems but rarely conjunctiva. We present a 62-year-old Chinese female with lymphomatoid granulomatosis who had an ulcerative conjunctival nodule. Conjunctival biopsy revealed pathological findings important for diagnosis and indicating progression of disease severity. To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate pathological findings characteristic of lymphomatoid granulomatosis with conjunctival involvement.