Function Control In Patients Research Articles

Efficacy of Valsartan vs. Perindopril in pulmonary hypertension and endothelial function control in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: The purpose of this study was evaluation of efficacy of angiotensin-II receptor blocker Valsartan (V) and angiotensin converting enzime inhibitor (ACE) Perindopril (P) in pulmonary hypertension(PH) and endothelial function (EF) control in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Material and methods: There were investigated 31 patients (mean age 52,5±4,14 years), with moderate to severe forms of COPD - initial and after 5 weeks of treatment with V(mean dose 54,5±15,4 mg once-daily) and 31 pacientscu P (mean dose 2,9±1,5 mg), using standard ECG, EcoCG with Doppler, spirometry and ultrasound Duplex (for EF estimation). Results: There were not detected any negative changes on bronchial permeability after treatment with V and P. Considerable significant improvement of endothelial function in parallel with considerable decreasing of pulmonary artery systolic and mean pressure in response to V and P administration were noticed. Conclusions: Thus, V and P are well-tolerated and high effective in PH and EF control in patients with moderate to severe forms of COPD (p=0,002-0,032).

The effect of a self-management program on renal function control in patients with hemodialysis in Taiwan: A longitudinal randomized controlled trial.

This study was designed to investigate the longitudinal effect of participating in a self-management program (SMP) on renal function control in patients receiving hemodialysis. This randomized controlled trial enrolled a total of 58 patients at the hemodialysis center of a teaching hospital in Taiwan. The control group (n = 30) received the usual care and the experimental group (n = 28) received a 4-week SMP intervention. The results of the follow-up on the longitudinal data at 3, 6, and 9 months showed that the renal function indices, potassium and phosphorus levels, and interdialytic weight gain were significantly better than at the pre-test for the experimental group. In terms of the interaction between group and time, the potassium level dropped significantly below the pre-test value only after 3 months (B = -0.31, SE = 0.15, p = .044), suggesting that the post-test potassium level had significantly decreased after 3 months. In terms of the interaction between group and time, the phosphorus level dropped significantly below the pre-test value only after 6 months (B = -0.53, SE = 0.28, p = .050), suggesting that the post-test phosphorus level significantly decreased after 6 months. Finally, the intervention could effectively control the weight change between dialysis sessions for up to 9 months (B = -1.34, SE = 0.30, p < .001). The SMP intervention decreased potassium and phosphorus levels and helped control interdialytic weight gain in patients undergoing hemodialysis.