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Background. Renal function affects thyroid function and adipocytokines in many ways. We aimed to assess the adipocytokines adiponectin and leptin in relation to thyroid function in patients with chronic renal failure treated conservatively, in haemodialysed patients and in kidney allograft recipients.Methods. The study was performed on 33 patients with chronic renal failure, 64 haemodialysed patients, 54 kidney allograft recipients and 38 healthy volunteers. Thyroid volume was estimated sonographically, thyroid hormones were determined by Micropartide Enzyme Immunoassay (MEIA), and serum adiponectin and leptin were assessed by radioimmunoassay.Results. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free T4 and free T3 were within the normal range. Adiponectin correlated significantly with free T3, haematocrit, haemoglobin, platelet count, body mass index (BMI) and urea in kidney allograft recipients. In haemodialysed patients, adiponectin correlated with free T4 and TSH, whereas leptin correlated with free T3. Multiple regression analysis showed that adiponectin was independently related only to the serum concentration of free T3 and urea in kidney transplant recipients and to free T4 and adequacy of dialysis in haemodialysed patients. In univariate analysis in patients with chronic renal failure, adiponectin correlated with free T3 and platelet count, and in healthy volunteers adiponectin correlated only with free T3 and triglycerides, and leptin correlated with BMI.Conclusions. We described novel relationships between adiponectin and thyroid hormones in patients with kidney diseases. However, possible pre-existing thyroid dysfunction prior to transplantation (during dialysis therapy) and immunosuppression after transplantation make all these findings relatively complex. Therefore, the relationships between adiponectin and the thyroid axis in patients with chronic renal failure, in haemodialysed subjects or in kidney transplant recipients merit additional studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a multi-functional cytokine that presents as a mediator of the heparins pleiotropic action. In this cross-over study, we compared the effects of enoxaparin and unfractionated heparin (UFH) used as anticoagulants during haemodialysis (HD) on plasma TGF-β1 levels and some platelet activation markers: platelet-derived growth factor–AB (PDGF-AB), β-thromboglobulin (β-TG) and platelet factor-4 (PF-4). Methods. Plasma immunoreactive markers (in 22 chronically HD patients) were quantified at the start, at 10 and 180 min of HD session. Enoxaparin was administered as a single dose of 0.67 ± 0.14 mg/kg at the onset of HD, while UFH was given as a bolus of 1500 (500–3500) IU followed by an infusion of 2750 (1500–6500) IU. The time of evaluation for each heparin was 3 months. Results. Pre-dialysis, TGF-β1 levels tended to be lower in patients anticoagulated with enoxaparin compared with UFH [6.9 (3.3–21.9) ng/ml vs 8.4 (3.8–30.2) ng/ml, respectively; P = 0.05]. Overdialysis, TGF-β1 levels showed a significant 44.8% increase to 10.0 (2.9–28.0) ng/ml after 10 min (P = 0.002) and to 9.32 (5.3–23.7) ng/ml after 180 min (P = 0.016) of enoxaparin–anticoagulated HD and remained stable during UFH administration [9.4 (3.9–25.3) ng/ml after 10 min, 8.1 (4.1–21.9) ng/ml after 180 min; P = 0.385]. The 35% increase in plasma TGF-β1 after 180 min of HD positively correlated with the enoxaparin dose/kg (r = 0.553, P = 0.008) and, interestingly, negatively with the baseline level of the cytokine (r = −0.544, P = 0.009). Despite a positive correlation between TGF-β1 and PDGF-AB during HD, there were no associations between TGF-β1 and β-TG or PF-4 regardless of the type of anticoagulation. Conclusion. Enoxaparin, compared with UFH, induces a rapid overdialytic but not sustained increase in plasma TGF-β1 levels. The effect is closely dose-dependent and may reflect systemic activation of this multi-potential cytokine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]