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Six cases of tubular disorder of antenatal onset responsible for biological manifestations characteristic of Bartter syndrome and severe hypercalciuria are reported. In all six cases, severe hydramnios occurred during pregnancy between the 26th and 28th week after the last menstrual period. All six patients were born prematurely; gestational age ranged from 20 to 35 weeks. Major polyuria with dehydration occurred immediately after birth. The amounts of water and sodium needed to compensate urinary losses ranged from 280 to 370 ml/kg/day and 25 to 43 mmol/kg/d, respectively, during the first two postnatal months. Decreased serum potassium levels and increased plasma levels of renin and aldosterone were seen in all six patients. Increased urinary excretion of calcium was evidenced during the first postnatal week in three cases. Urinary calcium excretion in the six patients ranged from 15 to 30 mg/kg/d. Nephrocalcinosis developed in all six patients and two patients developed urinary lithiasis. One patient died at one month of age from necrotizing enteropathy. The five remaining patients gradually developed severe growth failure with measurements between 4 and 5.5 SDs below the mean. These five patients had evidence of hyperparathyroidism including increased serum levels of parathyroid hormone (5/5), increased serum alkaline phosphatase activity (4/5), and roentgenographic bone changes (1/5). Ionized calcium assays performed in three of the five patients disclosed low values (range 1.25-1.47 mmol/l; mean = 1.35; normal values = 1.42-1.62), although total serum calcium levels were normal or high (range 2.16-2.98 mmol/l; mean 2.61; normal values = 2.45-2.65) probably as a result of chronic dehydration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Indirect evidence suggest that volume overload is the major determinant of plasma atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) elevation in hemodialysis patients. Correlations between plasma ANF levels and extracellular volume (ECV) were investigated by simultaneously measuring both parameters in 30 pediatric hemodialysis patients (aged 1 to 17.5 years; 18 M, 12 F) 24 hours after a dialysis session. Plasma ANF was determined using a commercially available RIA (Amersham) after plasma extraction (SEP-Pack C18); ECV was estimated by determining the volume of distribution of inulin and expressing the result as the % of body weight. In hemodialysis children, ANF levels ranged from 43 to 427 pg/ml (versus 30-70 pmoles/ml in age-matched controls) and EVC ranged from 17 to 33% BW. A significant positive correlation was found between plasma ANF levels and ECV (r = 0.66; p less than 0.001). Patients who exhibited falls in blood pressure during the dialysis session had lower mean ANF and ECV values (133 +/- 90 pg/ml and 23 +/- 3% BW, respectively) than those who did not (211 +/- 123 pg/ml and 26 +/- 4% BW, respectively). Conversely, patients who needed chronic antihypertensive therapy had higher mean plasma ANF and ECV values (204 +/- 122 pg/ml and 26 +/- 4% BW, respectively) than those who did not (149 +/- 100 pg/ml and 23. 5 +/- 4.5% BW, respectively). In a small subgroup of patients who had repeated determinations, individual plasma ANF and ECV changes were closely matched and both parameters were well correlated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Serum intact parathormone (PTH 1.84) and osteocalcin levels were evaluated as early markers for secondary hyperparathyroidism in a group of pediatric patient treated with chronic hemodialysis. PTH 1.84 levels which were more closely related with alkaline phosphatase levels than PTH 53.84 levels, allowed to identify a group of children without biologic or roentgenographic evidence of hyperparathyroidism and with a normal residual hormone level. PTH 1.84 levels seem to be a reliable indicator of parathormone secretion than conventional assays and may be used as a routine test for monitoring children under chronic hemodialysis. Conversely, the plasma osteocalcin level measured by radioimmunoassay was increased in all studied patients regardless of parathyroid status and seemed to be of little value for monitoring renal osteodystrophia. Lumbar vertebral plate bone density studies disclosed abnormalities of bone mineralization in half the children with renal failure. Dialyzed or non dialyzed. Patients with decreased bone mineralization presented, in most of cases, a history of previous steroid treatment. A group of children with very severe renal failure had increased bone mineralization. The interpretation of this abnormality remains to be determined.

The glomerular filtration rate (GF) of each nephron can vary, with increases being caused by stimuli such as nephron reduction and ingestion of proteins. This "functional reserve" (FR), detectable by protein load tests, may be lost in extensive renal destruction where the remaining nephrons are in a permanent state of maximal stimulation. If this hypothesis is true, FR determinations would be of greater value than baseline GFR measurements for evaluating the condition of the remaining parenchyma. A very large number of studies have addressed the FR in normal subjects and have used either diets containing variable amounts of proteins or acute loads given orally (approximately 1 g/kg cooked meat) or intravenously (amino acids). All these studies have evidenced increases in the GFR after the load, regardless of its type, but with major variations across studies and patients. Subjects with a single healthy kidney seem to retain a FR whose magnitude is equal to or smaller than the FR in normal subjects. Conflicting data have been reported in more extensive destruction of the parenchyma, where the FR has been shown to either disappear or persist with no change in percentage. Thus, the practical value of GFR determinations after protein loads has not as yet been established and should be specified using better standardized methods that do not rely on creatinine clearance, at least during oral load tests where serum creatinine levels increases and is no longer stable.