BACKGROUND/AIMS: End-stage renal disease patients on chronic hemodialysis are at risk for both hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Although the prevalence is unknown in hemodialysis patients, occult HBV infection is frequent in subjects with chronic HCV infection. We aimed to investigate (1) the prevalence and clinical impact of occult HBV infection in hemodialysis patients with chronic HCV infection, and (2) the frequency of YMDD variants ...

BACKGROUND: On August 17, 1999 a major earthquake hit the most densely populated area at the eastern end of the Marmara Sea in northwestern Turkey. The number of documented cases of acute renal failure (ARF) following this event exceeded all similar cases previously reported for any single earthquake. The aim of this report was to provide an overview of the morbidity and mortality of all documented patients with ARF, due to crush injury, that were treated in hospitals with dialysis units ...

OBJECTIVE: The survival of patients returning to hemodialysis (HD) following kidney transplant failure is unfavorable. However, the factors responsible for this poor outcome are largely unknown; chronic inflammation due to failed allograft and malnutrition may contribute to morbidity and mortality. We aim to compare the markers of appetite and malnutrition, and their relation with inflammation in HD patients with and without previous kidney transplantation.

METHODS: Fifty-six patients ...

BACKGROUND: Crush syndrome resulting from earthquakes is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, as seen during the catastrophic Marmara earthquake that struck Northwestern Turkey in August 1999. This report analyzes the epidemiological characteristics of the crush syndrome victims of this disaster.

METHODS: In order to analyze the nephrological problems caused by this earthquake, questionnaires were prepared within the first week of the disaster and sent to 35 reference hospitals that ...

In this cross-sectional, controlled study, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, a probable factor in the development of gastrointestinal problems, was investigated in dialysis patients and renal transplant recipients. Forty-seven dialysis patients (22 male, 25 female, mean age of 36.6 +/- 15 yr (range 18-83 yr)), 57 renal transplant recipients (39 male, 18 female, mean age of 36.8 +/- 10 yr (range 19-60 yr)) and 55 healthy individuals (34 male, 21 female, mean age of 33.4 +/- 9.6 ...

BACKGROUND: Chronic allograft dysfunction (CAD), the major cause of the failure of kidney allografts, may be caused by immunological and non-immunological haemodynamic factors. Renin-angiotensin system has been implicated in the development of intraglomerular hypertension and has a central role on progression in chronic renal disease. Polymorphism in 16th intron of the ACE gene has been reported to predict the circulating angiotensin II levels. The aim of this study was to investigate ...

The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of life (QOL) in renal transplantation patients. QOL is one of the important indicators of the effects of medical treatment. In this cross-sectional study, QOL was analyzed in 302 renal transplant recipients compared with 64 hemodialysis (HD) patients, 207 (PD) peritoneal dialysis patients, and 278 normal controls (NC) matched as closely as possible to the grafted patients regarding age, gender, education, and occupation. All groups ...

Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the main cause of death in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, and endothelial dysfunction (ED) is an early sign of vascular pathology. Ghrelin, a gastric peptide with CV actions, has been shown to inhibit proatherogenic changes in experimental models. However, another peptide hormone, leptin, may mediate deleterious effects on the CV system. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between plasma ghrelin and leptin levels, and their association ...

Endothelial dysfunction is of vital importance, as it may cause ischemia and dysfunction in various organs. Despite, this problem has been well documented in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), there is not enough data considering this issue following renal transplantation. One of the potential causes of endothelial dysfunction in renal transplant recipients may be administration of calcineurin inhibitors. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of two different ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Low serum testosterone levels in hemodialysis (HD) patients have recently been associated with cardiovascular risk factors and increased mortality. To confirm this observation, we investigated the predictive role of serum total testosterone levels on mortality in a large group of male HD patients from Turkey.

DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: A total of 420 prevalent male HD patients were sampled in March 2005 and followed up for all-cause ...

Left-ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a bad prognostic sign, is a common finding in hemodialysis patients. The aim of the study was to analyze factors, including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) genotype that may have an effect on the development of LVH in hemodialysis patients. Seventy-nine hemodialysis patients (42 males, 37 females, mean age 37.7 +/- 13.1 years) and 82 age- and sex-matched normotensive healthy controls (40 males, 42 females, mean age 35.6 +/- 5.7 years) were ...

BACKGROUND: Endothelial dysfunction (ED), which is a risk factor for atherosclerosis, has been reported recently in chronic hemodialysis (CHD) patients. In this study, we aim to investigate the association of ED and presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in CHD patients.

METHODS: One hundred four CHD patients (47 men, 57 women; mean age, 45 +/- 12 years) and 49 age- and sex-matched controls were included. Mean time on dialysis therapy was 62 months. Echocardiographic examination ...

BACKGROUND: Major earthquakes are followed by a substantial number of crush syndromes and pigment-induced acute renal failures (ARFs). The natural evolution of this problem rapidly leads to death. Today's possibilities of dialysis therapy enable saving numerous lives that otherwise would be lost. Currently, the primary problem is organizational, if huge catastrophes occur and complex therapeutic options need to be offered to a large number of victims.

METHODS: Following the 1988 Spitak ...

BACKGROUND: The survival of patients returning to hemodialysis (HD) following kidney transplant failure is unfavorable. However, the factors responsible for this poor outcome are largely unknown; chronic inflammation due to failed allograft and malnutrition may contribute to morbidity and mortality. We aimed to compare the nutritional status and its relation with inflammation in patients on HD with and without previous kidney transplantation.

METHODS: Forty-three patients with failed ...

This study analyzes the effects of fluid resuscitation in the crush victims of the Bingol earthquake, which occurred in May 2003 in southeastern Turkey. Questionnaires asking about demographic, clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic features of 16 crush victims were filled in retrospectively. Mean duration under the rubble was 10.3 +/- 7 h, and all patients had severe rhabdomyolysis. Fourteen patients were receiving isotonic saline at admission, which was followed by mannitol-alkaline ...