Amelia Bernasconi

Folic acid 5 or 15 mg/d similarly reduces plasma homocysteine in patients with moderate-advanced chronic renal failure.

Background:  Hyperhomocysteinaemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease with a remarkable prevalence in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). Low doses of folic acid (FA) with or without vitamin B6 and B12 has been shown to effectively reduce plasma homocysteine (Hcy). The aim of this study was to compare the short‐term effects of two different oral doses of FA (5 vs 15 mg/d) on plasma Hcy levels in subjects suffering from moderate–severe CRF.

Renal response to an acute protein challenge in pregnant women with borderline hypertension

Background:  The renal reserve (RR), assessed after an oral protein challenge or the intravenous administration of amino acids, is still present in healthy pregnant women (NP), although resting glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) increase progressively throughout normal gestation. No studies have addressed this issue in hypertensive gravidas; the aim of this trial was to evaluate renal response to an acute protein load (PL) in NP and pregnant women with borderline hypertension (HP).

Ca2+Mg3+-ATPase activity in erythrocyte membranes in hypercalciuric nephrolithiasic patients

SUMMARY: Ca2+Mg2+ATPase is an enzyme involved in calcium transport across biological membranes. In order to determine its possible role in the pathogenesis of calcium nephrolithiasis, we assessed Ca2+Mg2+‐ATPase activity in erythrocyte membranes from 18 hypercalciuric (HC) nephrolithiasic patients (nine with absorptive hypercalciuria (AHC), nine with renal hypercalciuria (RHC)) and eight normocalciuric healthy controls (C). Participants took no medication for at least 3 months before the study and remained on a diet containing approximately 25 mmol of calcium per day for 14 days. Pump activity was measured in calmodulin‐free red blood cell membranes and expressed in umol of phosphate released per mg of membrane protein per h. There were statistically significant differences in pump activity between groups (1.43±0.07; 1.93±0.1; 1.65±0.06; C, AHC, RHC, respectively, P < 0.005 (three groups) and P < 0.02 AHC versus RHC. Enzyme activity was positively correlated with 24‐h urinary calcium excretion (r = 0.64, P < 0.01) in HC patients; no such relationship was found in C. In conclusion, erythrocyte membrane Ca2+Mg2+ATPase activity is increased in HC. Differences in enzyme activity between AHC and RHC may reflect different degrees of a single generalized epithelial calcium transport disturbance.