International journal of clinical practice
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Apr 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialExtended-release niacin/laropiprant lipid-altering consistency across patient subgroups.
In patients with primary hypercholesterolemia or mixed dyslipidemia, extended-release niacin/laropiprant (ERN/LRPT) improves key lipid parameters associated with increased atherosclerotic coronary heart disease (CHD) risk. ⋯ Extended-release niacin/laropiprant represents an effective therapeutic option for the treatment of dyslipidemia across a range of patient types.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Apr 2011
Kidney function estimating equations in patients with chronic kidney disease.
The current guidelines emphasise the need to assess kidney function using predictive equations rather than just serum creatinine. The present study compares serum cystatin C-based equations and serum creatinine-based equations in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). ⋯ Our results indicate that serum cystatin C-based equations are reliable markers of GFR comparable with creatinine-based formulas.
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In patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), anaemia is common and associated with impaired long-term survival and quality of life. Whether anaemia is also prevalent in patients with other severe, non-inflammatory respiratory diseases has not yet been systematically tested. ⋯ Anaemia is frequent not only in COPD but also in other severe respiratory diseases combined with CRF. It was associated with advanced age, several comorbidities, impaired nutritional state and elevations of pH and PaO(2) , probably because of hyperventilation. Its prognostic impact has to be elucidated in future studies.