Patients on haemodialysis (HD) and patients with type 2 diabetes are at high-risk for coronary artery calcification (CAC). The coronary artery calciumscore (CACS), quantified by computed tomography, cannot be completely explained by traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. CAC was measured in 45 non-diabetic chronic kidney disease patients on HD and in 45 matched type 2 diabetes patients without diabetic nephropathy. Serum calcium, phosphate, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), alkaline phosphatase, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), fetuin-A, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), albumin, homocysteine, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and femoral neck bone mineral density were also measured. No differences were observed in patient distribution across the CACS risk categories between the two groups. Significant differences were observed in serum calcium, phosphate, 25(OH)D, alkaline phosphatase, iPTH, fetuin-A, hsCRP, homocysteine and triglycerides between the two patient groups. Further research into the diverse, numerous and often interlinked factors that influence CAC in different groups of patients is warranted.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3995711
Vitamin D deficiency, which is a recognized problem in haemodialysis (HD) patients, has been associated with higher all-cause mortality. There are no guidelines concerning vitamin D supplementation in HD patients. This study aimed to assess the effects of once-monthly supplementation with high-dose cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) in HD patients. Patients with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels below 75 nmol/l received 40 000 IU of cholecalciferol once-monthly for 3 months in succession. Every 4 months, 25(OH)D levels were measured and, based on the findings, cholecalciferol therapy was continued for another cycle if necessary. Six cycles were completed in the 24-month study period. The majority of HD patients had mild or severe vitamin D deficiency at baseline. Monthly supplementation with cholecalciferol at 40 000IU was well tolerated, safe and inexpensive. The treatment regime was effective for vitamin D insufficiency but did not prove to be enough to restore 25(OH)D levels in HD patients with mild or severe vitamin D deficiency.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3998015
Background: Osteocalcin (OC) is a non-collagen bone matrix protein that is used as a noninvasive marker of bone formation. It is present in the circulation as an intact molecule and as fragments. The two known methods for OC determination in serum samples differ in the detection antibodies for an intact OC molecule and its N-terminal fragment. The aim of our study was to find out if these two methods give comparable results. Methods: 102 serum samples of hemodialysis patients were analyzed. While 26 patients were receiving calcitriol treatment, the remaining 76 patients were not. The average age of patients was 60 years. The causes of chronic renal failure were: diabetic nephropathy (27), chronic glomerulonephritis (31), polycystic kidney (26), and other (18). OC levels, beta-CrossLaps (CTx) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured. Serum levels of OC were determined by intact-OC and N-MID-OC methods. Following the comparison of results, we assessed the relationships between OC, CTx, and PTH. SPSS 12.1 for Windows was used for statistical analysis. Results: Serum levels of N-MID-OC were 10.6- fold higherthan intact-OC. N-MID-OC and intact-OC levels did not differ between patients with and without calcitriol therapy. The results of both methods correlated well (r = 0.702, p ( 0.001). Conclusions: The differences between osteocalcin serum levels assessed by intact-OC and NMID- OC methods were statistically significant. However, their correlation was good, so we can conclude that their clinical application is comparable.
COBISS.SI-ID: 27862489