Conclusion. Short-term treatment with alfacalcidol did not induce regression of LVH; however, left ventricular function became hyperdynamic but less effective in patients with CKD. This could be problematic in the long term.”
“Effective malaria control requires information on both the geographical

distribution of malaria risk and the effectiveness of malaria interventions. The current standard for estimating malaria infection and impact indicators are household cluster surveys, but their complexity and expense selleck inhibitor preclude frequent and decentralized monitoring. This paper reviews the historical experience and current rationale for the use of schools and school children as a complementary, inexpensive framework for planning, monitoring and evaluating malaria control in Africa. Consideration is given to (i) the selection GDC-0941 price of schools; (ii) diagnosis of infection in schools; (iii) the representativeness of schools as a proxy of the communities they serve; and (iv) the increasing need to evaluate interventions delivered through schools. Finally, areas requiring further investigation are highlighted.”
“Objective. Kidney biopsy is an important diagnostic tool in assessing glomerular damage. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of glomerular disease during the past decade at a single centre, to assess potential changes in the structure

of primary glomerulopathies over time, and to define gender-and age-related differences. Material and methods. A total of 578 consecutive native kidney biopsies during the period 2000-2010 was retrospectively reviewed at Tartu University Hospital, Estonia. Biopsies were evaluated according to clinical data with standard histological methods. Results. The patients’ mean age was 39.9 +/- 17.9 (range 4-87) years. Less than half of informative kidney biopsies

(n = 547) comprised primary glomerulopathies (45.4%), the patients’ mean age was 38.7 +/- 17.7 (4-79) years and the predominant Selleck VX-689 group comprised male patients. Secondary glomerulopathies made up 22.3%, tubulointerstitial diseases 8.2% and other conditions 24.1%. Among primary glomerulopathies, inflammatory damage to glomeruli dominated (63.4%), whereas immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy was the most common disease (35.5%). Non-inflammatory diseases of glomeruli made up 34.6%, among which the most common was focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (16.1%), followed by minimal change disease (14.1%). Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis was a rare form of glomerular damage among primary glomerulopathies (7.7%). Comparison between male and female cases in the primary glomerulopathies group revealed a statistically significant difference in their frequency (p = 0.01). Conclusions. Inflammatory glomerulopathies mostly prevailed in the spectrum of primary glomerulopathies. IgA nephropathy was the most common glomerulopathy.