Effect of Creatine Supplementation Dosing Strategies on Aging Muscle Performance.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the effects of different creatine supplementation dosages, independent of resistance training, on aging muscle performance and functionality. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Using a double-blind, repeated measures design, participants were randomized to one of three groups: Creatine-High (CR-H; n=11; 0.3 g/kg/day of creatine + 0.1 g/kg/day of maltodextrin), Creatine-Moderate (CR-M: n=11; 0.1 g/kg/day of creatine + 0.3 g/kg/day of maltodextrin) or Placebo (PLA; n=11; 0.4 g/kg/day of maltodextrin) for 10 consecutive days. MEASUREMENTS: The primary dependent variables measured at baseline and after supplementation included muscle strength (1-repetition maximum leg press, chest press, hand-grip), muscle endurance (leg press and chest press; maximal number of repetitions performed for 1 set at 80% and 70% baseline 1-repetition maximum respectively), and physical performance (dynamic balance). RESULTS: There was a significant increase over time for muscle strength (Leg press: CR-H pre 161.5 ± 55.1 kg, post 169.2 ± 59.2 kg; CR-M pre 145.2 ± 47.7 kg, post 151.7 ± 45.0 kg; PLA pre 163.7 ± 51.5 kg, post 178.2 ± 65.6 kg, p = 0.001; Chest press: CR-H pre 57.0 ± 26.2 kg, post 58.8 ± 28.0 kg; CR-M pre 54.5 ± 27.9 kg, post 56.8 ± 30.1 kg; PLA pre 55.1 ± 26.9 kg, post 58.5 ± 30.1 kg, p = 0.001) and endurance (Leg press: CR-H pre 17.1 ± 6.0 reps, post 21.0 ± 7.2 reps; CR-M pre 24.1 ± 11.6 reps, post 29.1 ± 17.0 reps; PLA pre 23.8 ± 9.7 reps, post 29.5 ± 11.9 reps, p = 0. 001; Chest press: CR-H pre 15.6 ± 2.7 reps, post 18.9 ± 2.7 reps; CR-M pre 18.0 ± 5.0 reps, post 19.9 ± 7.1 reps; PLA pre 20.5 ± 6.2 reps, post 21.6 ± 5.5 reps, p = 0. 001), with no other differences. CONCLUSION: Short-term creatine supplementation, independent of dosage and resistance training, has no effect on aging muscle performance.

Pharmacokinetics of essential amino acids in chronic dialysis-patients.

Possible disorders of essential amino acid (EAA) metabolism in maintenance dialysis patients (D) were studied by measuring plasma amino acids before and sequentially after administering a mixture of 8 EAA po and iv. The EAA were in a ratio similar to that required for optimal utilization, and the total dose given was within physiological range. Ten D and six normals (N) received 150 mg/kg po as a 10.5 g/dl solution and 117 mg/kg iv as a 5.1 g/dl solution infused at a constant rate of mg/kg per min. Blood glucose and immunoreactive insulin were also measured. Both D and N were postabsorptive and at least 18 hr postdialysis. The fraction of the oral dose appearing in the systemic circulation was variable for each EAA in both N and D. Total body clearance was significantly lower in D (P less than 0.05) for theronine, phenylalanine, valine, leucine, and isoleucine, and this difference could not be explained by changes in renal excretion. The apparent volume of distribution did not differ between N and D for all EAA except for valine and phenylalanine. Blood glucose insulin varied only slightly in both N and D for all EAA except for valine and phenylalanine. Blood glucose and insulin varied only slightly in both N and D. These studies indicate that there are a variety of significant abnormalities in the metabolism of specific EAA in D. Decreased total body clearance of the branched-chain amino acids, since they are primarily metabolized total body clearance of the brnached-chain amino acids, since they are primarily metabolized by muscle, may result from a defect in muscle metabolism in D.

Systemic lupus erythematosus in patients with chronic renal failure.

The clinical courses of 36 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in whom chronic renal failure developed and who required dialysis for more than three months were studied. At the time dialysis was initiated, 14 of 36 patients (38.9 percent) had clinically active SLE, but only three of 24 (12.5 percent) had activity in subsequent years while receiving dialysis therapy. In the majority of patients, however, renal disease progressed to end-stage despite clinical quiescence of SLE. During the follow-up period (mean +/- SD, 36 +/- 39.8 months), eight patients died--six from infections and two from cardiac disease. Actuarial survival rates at one, two, and five years after dialysis treatment were 91.1, 78.8, and 68.9 percent, respectively. This study suggests that the progression of renal disease to end-stage in patients with SLE may be mediated by nonimmunologic mechanisms as well as SLE-related immunologic insults. In most of these patients undergoing long-term dialysis, SLE remains clinically inactive despite persistent serologic abnormalities. Survival of the patients undergoing dialysis is comparable with that of the general dialysis population.

Influence of upright exercise on pulmonary hemodynamics in left heart failure.

Studies in severe chronic stable heart failure (HF) indicate that pulmonary resistance might remain unchanged during exercise and could subsequently contribute to limitation in exercise capacity of these patients. We assessed the possible role of the exercise decreases in mixed venous oxygen tension on this phenomenon in fifteen patients with chronic congestive heart failure (N.Y.H.A. functional classes II to IV) who underwent a symptom-limited treadmill exercise test with hemodynamic monitoring as well as repeated arterial and mixed venous blood gas analysis. For all patients there was an increase in cardiac output (from 3.7 +/- 0.2 to 6.7 +/- 0.5 l/min, p less than 0.001) and pulmonary wedge pressure (from 16 +/- 2 to 31 +/- 3 mm Hg, p less than 0.001) along with exercise with highly significant decrease in total systemic resistance and no significant (from 25.6 +/- 1.5 to 15.8 +/- 1.0 U, p less than 0.001) changes in pulmonary vascular resistances. Arterial blood oxygen tension increased from 86 +/- 3 to 99 +/- 3 mm Hg (p less than 0.001) and mixed venous oxygen tension (PvO2) decreased from 33 +/- 1 to 22 +/- 1 mm Hg (p less than 0.001). Changes in pulmonary vascular resistance during exercise were inversely related to changes in PvO2 (r = -0.61; p less than 0.05). We conclude that the observed decrease in PvO2 might be a determinant of unchanged pulmonary vascular resistance during treadmill-exercise test in severe heart failure patients.

[Activity of the sympathetic nervous system and of the renin-angiotensin system in the acute stage of myocardial infarction]. / Etude de l'activité des systèmes sympathique et rénine-angiotensine à la phase aiguë de l'infarctus myocardique.

We studied sympathetic and renin-angiotensin systems activity in a series of 175 patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction. These two systems were both overactivated especially in the cases complicated by hemodynamically documented left heart failure. The response of these systems to acute heart failure was in the same range for patients younger or older than 65 years and the witness (norepinephrine and plasma renin levels) of sympathetic and renin-angiotensin activities were good independent prognostic factors of in-hospital mortality.

[Allergic granulomatous angiitis in the Churg-Strauss syndrome. Two case reports]. / L'angeite granulomateuse allergique de Churg-Strauss. A propos de deux cas.

The Churg-Strauss Syndrome (CSS) or allergic granulomatosis and angiitis is a relatively unusual disease. It is a subset of the group of systemic necrotizing vasculitis and the clinical manifestations involve multiple organ system. The CSS is characterized typically by three phases, asthma or atopic disease, peripheral eosinophilia and ultimately, vasculitis. The authors report two cases of CSS. The first patient presented allergic rhinitis and asthma for 19 years when she developed acute abdominal pain, mononeuritis of her right leg, pulmonary infiltrates and hypereosinophilia. The lung biopsy showed extravascular granulomas and eosinophilic infiltration. The second patient presented asthma for two years when she developed a mononeuritis of the left leg and then a hypereosinophilia with cutaneous eruption of hands and feet, and a myo-pericarditis. In both cases, treatment with prednisolone produced a dramatic improvement in symptoms and eosinophilia.

Essential amino acid metabolism in maintenance dialysis patients.

Oral and I.V. administration of a mixture of essential amino acids to normal and dialysis patients revealed: 1. First pass metabolism (FPM) occurred for all administered amino acids in both normal and dialysis patients, and was variable in both populations. however, FPM appeared lower for phenylalanine and higher for methionine in the dialysis group. 2. Net metabolic clearance rate was significantly lower (p less than 0.05) for leucine, isoleucine, threonine and phenylalanine, and tended to be lower for valine and lysine in the dialysis group. 3. With the exception of phenylalanine and valine the apparent volume of distribution did not differ between normals and maintenance dialysis patients. 4. These studies indicate the existence of a variety of significant abnormalities in the metabolism of specific essential amino acids, and suggests a defect in muscle metabolism of branched-chain amino acids in maintenance dialysis patients.

The advantage of measurement of intact PTH in the prediction of clinical response and calcium metabolism after subtotal parathyroidectomy for renal osteodystrophy.

As previously reported, the circulating half-life of carboxyterminal PTH is greatly prolonged in renal failure (mean t1/2 33.20 +/- 10.18 hrs), while intact PTH is much less affected (t1/2 less than one hour). Preoperative intact PTH levels were strongly predictive of clinical response to subtotal parathyroidectomy, and may help to differentiate the nature of metabolic bone disease in symptomatic dialysis patients. Intact PTH levels showed strong correlation with postoperative calcium metabolism, allowing prediction of extent of postoperative hypocalcemia. Carboxyterminal PTH levels, influenced by renal function as well as by functional parathyroid state, were poorly predictive of response to parathyroidectomy and not correlated with postoperative calcium metabolism.

Renal transplantation between HLA identical siblings. Comparison with transplants from HLA semi-identical related donors.

We compared 26 HLA-A, B identical sibling kidney-transplant recipients followed for one to 10 years, with 104 HLA-A, B semi-identical kidney recipients from living, related donors to determine clinical differences. Graft-survival rates were significantly better in the HLA identical group at two years (85 per cent identical versus 53 per cent in semi-identical, P less than 0.005); patient-survival rates were high for both (96 per cent in identical and 87 per cent in semi-identical at two years, P less than 0.005). The incidence of complications was similar in HLA identical and semi-identical recipients. Nine of the 26 grafts in HLA identical recipients failed one week to eight years after transplantation. Rejection caused most of the graft failures. Recipients of HLA identical-sibling kidney transplants have a high patient and graft survival, but they also encounter many complications. Immunologic rejection occurs, even with negative mixed lymphocyte culture, suggesting the importance of donor determinants other than the HLAA, B and D other than the HLA-A, B and D.

Improved renal allograft survival using the mixed lymphocyte culture for selection of nonidentical living related donors.

Our results concur with earlier published work, by other groups, showing that LRD-recipient pairs with low MLC stimulation usually have better and more prolonged graft success than do those with higher stimulation. Specific HL-A compatibilities or incompatibilities did not seem to affect these results, nor did the presence of an increased number of common loci, short of increasing the apparent chromosome compatibility. The presence of pre-transplant cytotoxic antibodies, in patients with a high MI, however, may unfavorably affect the LRD transplant. The overall results of our LRD transplant experience is shown in Figure 1, and superimposed upon Figure 2, is the current extrapolation of data showing MLC stimulation and haplotype success. Thus, it appears that graft survival may be improved and more closely approach the levels seen in a full-house, diplotype match, by using the MLC results in considering patients for transplantation. Not all patients with a high MLC, however, (see table) reject their grafts and it is impossible to predict pre-transplant who will develop specific allograft enhancement. Before the MI becomes a specific criteria for transplant selection, additional studies of patient stimulation in MLC should be done. Suppression of stimulation by donor cells in autologous serum, as compared to the response to unrelated controls, might provide pre-transplant clues to the presence of enhancing factors. Such studies could provide an index that would be more meaningful than the MI in AB sera alone. Since overall results from both our series and from the Transplant Registry continue to indicate better long term graft survival for LRD than for cadaver transplants, and since the evidence suggests that a successful transplant offers a patient a better quality of life, as well as decreased morbidity and mortality compared to concomitant time spent on hemodialysis, continued LRD transplants with high MI is warranted in some circumstances with the patient's understanding of the overall outcome and backgrouns. Until in vitro tests can be more predictive of individual rather than statistical graft success, the patient with an LRD and a high MI should be given a complete explanation of the probabilities for success or failure, and he and the donor allowed to make an informed decision. The following are guidelines that we proposed for the selection of LRD transplants: 1. Availability and willingness. 2. Medical and psycho-social clearance. 3. ABO compatibility. 4. Negative direct crossmatch. 5. HL-A diplotype or haplotype. 6. MI less than 10 if possible, with or without HL-A antibodies. 7. MI greater than 10 with no HL-A antibodies, if possible. 8. MI greater than 10, with HL-A antibodies, if both donor and recipient clearly understand the enhanced chance for failure.

Homozygosity and heterozygosity for the transthyretin Leu64 mutation: clinical, biochemical and molecular findings.

Transthyretin gene point mutations cause hereditary amyloidosis with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. The disease usually manifests itself in heterozygous patients, although a few homozygotes have been reported. We describe two unrelated patients carrying the Leu64 mutation, one of whom presents a homozygous genotype (Family B). Homozygosity was confirmed by sequence analysis, RG-PCR and double one-dimensional electrophoresis of the plasma protein. Although the clinical picture of the homozygous patient of Family B was more severe than that shown by the heterozygous members of Family A, the variability often displayed by FAP patients does not allow any firm conclusion about the role of homozygosity in the seriousness of the disease.