Serum erythropoietin concentration in chronic renal failure: relationship to degree of anemia and excretory renal function

By use of the fetal mouse liver cell assay, serum erythropoietin (SEp) concentration was measured in 135 patients at various stages of chronic renal failure and in 59 healthy subjects. In patients with creatinine clearances (CCr) ranging from 2 to 40 ml/min/1.73 sq m, endocrine renal function was found to deteriorate in parallel to excretory renal function. The known negative correlation between SEp and hematocrit (Hct) was not apparent, probably because of the loss of renal mass accompanying progress of anemia and renal insufficiency. In contrast, in patients with minimal variation of residual excretory renal function, as in individual patients investigated repeatedly within a short period of time, changes of Hct were always accompanied by opposite changes of corresponding SEp concentrations. Thus, patients with chronic renal failure have a sustained regulatory feedback mechanism between Hct and SEp, which probably works at a lower level.</jats:p

Serum erythropoietin concentration in chronic renal failure: relationship to degree of anemia and excretory renal function

Abstract By use of the fetal mouse liver cell assay, serum erythropoietin (SEp) concentration was measured in 135 patients at various stages of chronic renal failure and in 59 healthy subjects. In patients with creatinine clearances (CCr) ranging from 2 to 40 ml/min/1.73 sq m, endocrine renal function was found to deteriorate in parallel to excretory renal function. The known negative correlation between SEp and hematocrit (Hct) was not apparent, probably because of the loss of renal mass accompanying progress of anemia and renal insufficiency. In contrast, in patients with minimal variation of residual excretory renal function, as in individual patients investigated repeatedly within a short period of time, changes of Hct were always accompanied by opposite changes of corresponding SEp concentrations. Thus, patients with chronic renal failure have a sustained regulatory feedback mechanism between Hct and SEp, which probably works at a lower level.</jats:p

Cifose torácica e músculos isquiotibiais: correlação estético-funcional Thoracic kyphosis and hamstrings: an aesthetic-functional correlation

OBJETIVO: Os autores discutem a correlação existente entre a cifose torácica aumentada, em pacientes portadores de Dorso Curvo Postural (DCP) ou Doença de Scheuermann (DS), e a contratura dos músculos isquiotibiais. Esta relação é pouco estudada na literatura. MÉTODOS: No período de junho a dezembro de 2003, foram analisados 38 pacientes. Dentre os pacientes, 26 (68,4 %) eram do sexo masculino e 12 (31,6%) do sexo feminino. A idade mínima foi de 10 anos e a máxima de 20 anos, com média de 15,36. Encontramos 20 (52,6%) pacientes portadores de Doença de Scheuermann e 18 (47,4%) com Dorso Curvo Postural. RESULTADOS: De todos os 38 pacientes estudados, 32 (84,2%) apresentaram contratura dos isquiotibiais, o que foi estatisticamente significante (p<0,001). Analisando apenas pacientes com DS encontramos 85% de contratura e 83,3% nos com DCP. CONCLUSÃO: Não houve diferença estatística, da porcentagem de contratura dos isquiotibiais na DS em relação ao DCP (p=0,61).<br>OBJECTIVE: The authors discuss the existent correlation between augmented thoracic kyphosis in patients with juvenile Kyphosis or Scheuermann`s disease and hamstrings contraction. This correlation is marginally addressed by existing studies. METHODS: Between June and December 2003, 38 patients belonging to the Spine Group at the Department of Orthopaedics from Santa Casa de São Paulo, Brazil, were analyzed. Among them, 26 (68.4%) were males and 12 (81.6%) were females. The youngest age was 10 and the oldest one was 20 years, with an average of 15.36. Twenty (52.6%) patients presented with Scheuermann&acute;s disease and 18 (47.4%) with juvenile Kyphosis. RESULTS: From all 38 patients under study, 32 (84.2%) presented hamstring contracture, which was statistically significant (p<0.001). 85% of patients presenting only Scheuermann`s disease and 83.3% of patients with only juvenile Kyphosis had contracture. Conclusion: There was no statistically significant difference between contraction percentage in Scheuermann`s disease patients versus juvenile Kyphosis patients (p=0.61)