[Health-related quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease]. / Qualita' della vita nei nefropatici.

Assessment of quality of life in patients with different degrees of chronic kidney disease is an important issue because of its impact on clinical decisions and financial resource management in the health-care system. The aim of this study was to assess whether a generic instrument like the SF-36 questionnaire is able to discriminate three different populations of patients with different degrees of renal disease (pre-ESRD, ESRD, TxR). Five hundred sixty-three patients from 12 Italian nephrology units completed the SF-36 scales by themselves. The results from these samples were compared with those from the general population. Univariate analysis and multivariate regression were used. The generic SF-36 questionnaire proved to be a powerful instrument to discriminate populations with different degrees of chronic renal failure. The quality of life of patients on dialysis is significantly worse than that of the normal population and other patients with less severe renal function impairment.

Duplex scanning exploration of the ophthalmic artery for the detection of the hemodynamically significant ICA stenosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The North American and the European Carotid Endarterectomy Trials demonstrated a significant benefit of surgery in preventing stroke for patients with symptomatic hemodynamically significant internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. Because the 3 angiographic methods of measuring carotid stenosis provide discrepant results, the indication for surgery depends on the method used for the evaluation of the angiogram. The goal of this study was to verify whether color duplex scanning of the ophthalmic artery alone might be reliable for detection of the extracranial hemodynamically significant ICA stenosis. METHODS: Three groups of patients (351 total patients) with transient ischemic attack or minor stroke referred for possible carotid endarterectomy were examined by means of color duplex scanning of the ICA, transcranial Doppler, color duplex scanning of the ophthalmic artery, and angiography of the ICA. RESULTS: In the first group (n=31) the comparison of findings from each method and the direct measurement of the residual lumen of plaque removed "en bloc" showed that the findings of the ophthalmic artery color duplex scanning, subdivided into 5 categories--NP (normal positive), LP (low positive), NF (no flow), REV (reverse flow), PP (pathological positive)--were associated with the best overall agreement (96.7%). The accuracy of the various categories of the ophthalmic artery color duplex scanning signals was studied in the second group of patients (n=200). The results pointed out that all but low positive categories were associated with high diagnostic accuracy. Finally, the results obtained in the third group (n=120) showed that a significant increase in the specificity of the low positive signal could be obtained by processing this signal in terms of pulsatility index and of transmission of pulsatility index. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the diagnostic capacity of color duplex scanning for the detection of ICA critical stenosis can be appropriately increased if it is performed also at the level of the ophthalmic artery and if the Doppler signals are processed on the basis of criteria we applied.

Is there any relationship between cold-induced vasodilatation and vasomotion?

There are many analogies between cold-induced vasodilatation (CIV) and vasomotion (VM), but the demonstration of any relationship between these two microvascular homeostatic reactions is to date lacking. In a group of seven controls and seven patients with Raynaud phenomenon in the vasomotor stage of the disease, we studied, by means of laser Doppler fluxmetry, the fingertip flow at room temperature (15 min), during hand immersion into cold water (0-6 degreesC, 30 min), and at room temperature again (15 min). The Fourier spectral analysis of the laser Doppler signal revealed in both groups two different patterns of the fingertip flow oscillations: the first was characterized by continued oscillations with small amplitude and median frequency of 2-8 cycles/min occurring both at room temperature and during cold stimulation. The second was characterized by continued oscillations of high amplitude and median frequency of 1 cycle/4-6 min occurring during cold stimulation only. The first pattern of flow oscillations still occurred during the second. The high-frequency oscillations are similar to the waves of vasomotion and the low-frequency oscillations are similar to the waves of cold-induced vasodilatation. Because 90-98% of the fingertip flow passes through arteriolar-venular anastomosis (AVAs), our results suggest that the CIV flow oscillations may be an expression of the AVA's VM.

Chronic leg ulcerations resembling vasculitis in two siblings with prolidase deficiency.

Two cases of prolidase deficiency in two siblings are presented. The patients complained of the typical clinical symptoms of the disease, including chronic leg ulcerations resembling vasculitis. They were mentally retarded, had typical facial characteristics, splenomegaly, and haematologic anomalies. Biochemical and morphological investigations confirmed the diagnosis. In these cases, alterations of the peripheral nervous system and decreased IgA levels were demonstrated for the first time.

Effects of methylprednisolone on sputum biochemical components in asthmatic bronchitis.

Nineteen patients with chronic mucus hypersecretion and reversible airway obstruction were studied during an acute exacerbation. One group of patients was treated with antibiotics and aminophylline, the other, additionally, with gradually decreasing doses of methylprednisolone, starting with 80 mg/day. The sputum specimens were collected on the day of admission and 2 weeks later. In whole sputum, we examined macromolecular components both transudated from serum and locally secreted: albumin, fucose, N-acetylneuraminic acid, total protein, IgA, IgM, IgG. At the end of the second week albumin (marker of serum transudate), and fucose (marker of mucus glycoproteins), were significantly lower in the group treated with corticosteroids. IgG and albumin behaved in the same way suggesting a marked IgG serum exudation. IgM was partially reduced by corticosteroids while IgA remained unchanged.