losartan-potassium and ferric-chloride

To explore the efficacy of oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation for anemia and oxidative stress in hemodialysis (HD) patients.. Of the eligible patients (n = 325) in an outpatient HD unit, 49 received NAC 200 mg orally thrice a day during the first 3 months, while the other 276 patients not receiving NAC were observed.. During the 4-month study, 11 patients receiving NAC withdrew but had no severe adverse effects, while 49 patients not receiving NAC had negative confounding events. Thus only the data of the remaining patients, 38 taking NAC and 227 not taking NAC, were analyzed for efficacy. The demographic and laboratory data of both groups were similar at baseline. When the erythropoietin dosage was stable throughout, only the NAC group had a significant increase in hematocrit, accompanied with a decrease in plasma levels of 8-isoprostane and oxidized low-density lipoprotein. Analyzed as a nested case-control study, NAC supplementation was also found to be a significant predictor of positive outcomes in uremic anemia.. Oral NAC supplementation may be a promising therapy for uremic anemia and oxidative stress in HD patients.

Topics: Acetylcysteine; Administration, Oral; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anemia; Antioxidants; Case-Control Studies; Chlorides; Dinoprost; Erythropoietin; Female; Ferric Compounds; Hematocrit; Humans; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Lipoproteins, LDL; Male; Middle Aged; Oxidative Stress; Recombinant Proteins; Renal Dialysis

Anaemia is a common and serious complication in patients with end-stage renal disease. Iron therapy is crucial in managing anaemia and maintenance of haemodialysis (HD) patients. This study investigated the efficacy of both oral and intravenous (i.v.) therapies, and the possible factors deleteriously affecting patient response to iron therapy. Forty patients on maintenance HD from a single institution were enrolled in this 6-month retrospective study. Group I (n = 20) received i.v. two ampoules of atofen (ferric chloride hexahydrate 193.6 mg) per week for a total of 6 weeks (total dosage, 960 mg). Group II (n = 20) received oral ferrous sulphate S.C. Tab (ferrous sulphate 324 mg) one pill three times daily (total dosage, 63,000 mg). Patients whose haematocrit (Hct) level increased at minimum 3% within the period were classified as responders. Iron i.v. ferric chloride (960 mg) was more effective than oral ferrous sulphate (63,000 mg) in correcting anaemia in HD patients with iron deficiency. In group I, serum triglyceride (TG) levels were significantly lower in patients responding to i.v. iron therapy than in patients with no response. In group II, serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level was significantly lower in patients responding to oral iron therapy than patients with no response. The i.v. ferric chloride is more effective than oral ferrous sulphate in treating anaemia in HD patients with iron deficiency. Serum hs-CRP and TG levels may be parameters for predicting hyporesponsiveness to oral and i.v. iron therapies, respectively.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency; C-Reactive Protein; Chlorides; Erythropoietin; Female; Ferric Compounds; Ferritins; Ferrous Compounds; Hematinics; Hematocrit; Humans; Infusions, Intravenous; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Male; Middle Aged; Renal Dialysis; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome

Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections are widely used in laboratory animal experiments. This technique has a failure rate that is typically reported to be of the order of 10-20%. It is not apparent that failures of i.p. injection and their consequences for the experimental results are as widely recognized as the use of the technique. We illustrate the consequences of i.p. injection failure for the analysis and interpretation of several bioassays. We suggest approaches to data analysis that should be considered, and emphasize the need to recognize and allow for the possibility of i.p. injection failure in the analysis and interpretation of laboratory animal experiments involving this technique.

Topics: Animal Experimentation; Animals; Biological Assay; Botulinum Toxins; Chlorides; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Erythropoietin; Ferric Compounds; Histamine; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Medication Errors; Mice; Pertussis Toxin; Pertussis Vaccine; Polycythemia; Reference Standards; Reproducibility of Results