UNLABELLED:The currently available treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections includes only antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents. Experience in the management of acute uncomplicated infections using non-antibiotic products is very limited. The aim of this observation was to study to what extent the response to Cystostop Rapid would be more rapid and more effective compared to antibiotic therapy in patients with acute uncomplicated urinary bladder infections. The secondary objective was to determine the time to improvement of cystitis symptoms following the start of treatment, as well as the duration of patients' disablement. A total of 158 female subjects were included, assessed microbiologically, and evaluated for incidence and severity of symptoms, before the start of treatment and after completion of treatment. A visual analogue scale was used for patient self-assessment of the severity of symptoms, the improvement of symptoms, as well as the time to improvement of symptoms.RESULTS:158 females, eligible according to the inclusion criteria of the study, were allocated to one of the two groups according to time of enrollment: Group A included 86 subjects: assigned to Cystostop Rapid for 3 days and administered according to the manufacturer's recommended regimen; and Group B included 72 women: assigned to ciprofloxacin 500 mg twice daily for 3 days according to the Product Registration File with the BDA. The clinical and microbiological effectiveness of Cystostop Rapid was comparable to that of ciprofloxacin, providing a two-fold more rapid improvement of cystitis symptoms, at a mean time to improvement of 24 hours (p < 0.02) versus 46 hours for ciprofloxacin. Clinical improvement within 48 hours of Cystostop Rapid regimen occurred in 97% (p < 0.02) of patients, vs. 65.3% of patients on ciprofloxacin. Improvement of symptoms within 12 hours was reported in 36% of patients on Cystostop Rapid vs. 5.5% of patients in the ciprofloxacin group (p < 0.02). No adverse events or intolerability to the therapy were reported throughout the course of the study.

Assessment of renal function in clinical medicine is of great importance especially in patients with renal transplants. Cystatin C has the characteristics of an ideal marker to assess renal glomerular filtration rate. Forty patients with renal transplants under steady-state post-transplant conditions were included in the study. Steady-state was defined as lack of acute rejection periods during the last 6 months and stable cyclosporin A medication during the past 4 weeks. Gender was balanced with 20 male and 20 female patients, the mean age was 51+/-14 years, time since transplantation was 5+/-3.5 years. Fifteen percent of the patients suffered from diabetes mellitus. Immunosuppression consisted of cyclosporin A, imuran, and prednisolon. To assess renal function cystatin C, creatinine clearance, serum creatinine, and serum beta2-microglobulin were tested. Creatinine was analysed in serum and urine to calculate the creatinine clearance related to 1.73 m(2) body surface. Cystatin C and beta2-microglobulin were determined by using a particle-enhanced turbidimetric assay. Cystatin C correlated best with creatinine clearance (r=0.66), beta2-microglobulin (0.57), and serum creatinine (0.56). The diagnostic accuracy of cystatin C was significantly better than serum creatinine (p<0.05), but did not differ significantly from creatinine clearance (p=0.73), and beta2-microglobulin (p=0.46). Our data show that patients with renal transplants, cystatin C has a similar diagnostic value as creatinine clearance. However, it is superior to serum determination of creatinine and beta2-microglobulin. Cystatin C allows for rapid and accurate assessment of renal function in patients with renal transplants and is clearly superior to the commonly used serum creatinine.

Letters| September 22 2000 Influence of Anemia on Treatment of Malnutrition in Patients on Hemodialysis Subject Area: Nephrology E. Paskalev E. Paskalev Clinical Center of Nephrology, Alexander's University Hospital, Sofia, Bulgaria Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Nephron (2000) 86 (2): 215–216. https://doi.org/10.1159/000045755 Article history Published Online: September 22 2000 Content Tools Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation E. Paskalev; Influence of Anemia on Treatment of Malnutrition in Patients on Hemodialysis. Nephron 1 October 2000; 86 (2): 215–216. https://doi.org/10.1159/000045755 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsNephron Search Advanced Search Article PDF first page preview Close Modal This content is only available via PDF. 2000Copyright / Drug Dosage / DisclaimerCopyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements. You do not currently have access to this content.

Dear Sir,In end-stage renal disease (ERSD) some severe changes in human homeostasis appear. This is well manifested in electrolyte balance. Calcium and Phosphates are often tested, but studies show significant disorders in magnesium homeostasis too. Magnesium metabolism in man is very important. Magnesium is a biological antagonist of calcium in the human body [1]. It stimulates many enzyme systems [2], influences nervous-muscular excitement [3], affects lipid status [4]and suppresses the release of parathyroid hormone from parathyroid glands [3].The normal total plasma magnesium amount is 1% of total magnesium in the human body. It comprises approximately 60% free magnesium (Mg2+), 20% protein bound, and 5–10% complexed to HCO–3, PO43–, and citrate [5]. Total plasma magnesium is a usual objective in research. In ESRD there is hypermagnesemia conditioned by a disturbance in renal function and increased tissue catabolism [6, 7].The object of this study was to analyze the free magnesium level in patients on regular dialysis treatment (RDT). We tested 64 patients (39 women and 25 men, mean age 49.3 ± 12.7 years, and mean duration of hemodialysis 54.5 ± 14.1 months) treated with bicarbonate hemodialysis thrice weekly for 4 h with a magnesium concentration of 0.51 mmol/l in the dialysate. A control group of healthy adults was also tested.We studied free magnesium (determined by an ion-selective electrode) and total serum magnesium. We also tested hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, urea, creatinine, total serum protein, serum albumin, prealbumin, alkaline phosphatase, total serum calcium, ionized calcium, phosphates, and parathyroid hormone (PTH).In the study of total plasma magnesium we observed higher than normal levels in 19 patients (30%) before hemodialysis. Total serum magnesium decreased to normal after hemodialysis. The mean free magnesium level in the healthy adults of the control group was 0.444 ± 0.074 mmol/l.By studying the free magnesium level in patients on RDT we found hypermagnesemia in all of them (100%) before (0.688 ± 0.097 mmol/l) and after the hemodialysis (0.610 ± 0.090 mmol/l). The reduction in free magnesium after hemodialysis was significant (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences between men and women.The correlation of free magnesium with other indexes is presented in table 1. The results showed that the correlation between free magnesium and calcium and phosphates was lower than expected, probably due to the calcium supplements and phosphate binders used. The negative correlation between free magnesium and PTH is most pronounced. It supports the suggestion that hypermagnesemia suppresses the release of PTH from parathyroid glands.While increased total serum magnesium was registered in 30% of the hemodialysis patients, free magnesium was increased in 100% of them, which shows the biological significance of free magnesium disturbances.Our study confirms that free magnesium is an important parameter in patients on RDT. The results suggest severe disturbances in magnesium homeostasis in hemodialysis patients. The decrease in free magnesium at the end of hemodialysis (from 0.688 ± 0.097 to 0.610 ± 0.090 mmol/l) was due to the lower magnesium content of the dialysate.