Conflicting results have been reported regarding the efficacy of intermittent versus continuous administration of 1,25(OH)2D3 in renal secondary hyperparathyroidism. To address this issue we examined sham-operated control rats and hyperparathyroid rats with subtotal (5/6) nephrectomy (Nx). The Nx animals (20 to 22 animals per group) were subjected to three treatment protocols: (i) solvent treatment (Nx-solvent); (ii) two i.p. injections of 35 pmol 1,25(OH)2D3 on days 0 and 4 (Nx-bolus); and (iii) continuous infusion of 70 pmol 1,25(OH)2D3 over six days via osmotic minipump (Nx-infusion). All measurements were performed six days after start of treatment. As compared to sham-operated controls, the pre-pro-PTH/beta-actin mRNA ratio was 2.04-fold higher in Nx-solvent. Both modes of administration of 1,25(OH)2D3 resulted in inhibition of PTH mRNA concentrations relative to Nx-solvent. The pre-pro-PTH/beta-actin mRNA ratio was, however, significantly lower (P < 0.05) in Nx-bolus than in Nx-infusion (Nx-bolus 1.26 higher than sham-operated controls; Nx-infusion 1.65 higher than sham-operated controls). Aminoterminal PTH (N-PTH) serum concentrations were higher in Nx-solvent (52 +/- 4 pg/ml) than in sham-operated controls (32 +/- 3 pg/ml, P < 0.01). N-PTH concentrations in Nx-bolus (38 +/- 4 pg/ml) were significantly lower than in Nx-solvent (P < 0.01) and in Nx-infusion (46 +/- 4 pg/ml, P < 0.05). Parathyroid gland weight (microgram/g body wt) was higher in Nx-solvent (1.30 +/- 0.08 pg/ml) than in sham-operated controls (0.79 +/- 0.04 pg/ml, P < 0.02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In spite of the special anatomical conditions in patients with RAM the biometric formulas as modified by Haigis produced reliable IOL power calculations. The best accuracy was achieved when aiming at a target refraction in the range of +/-2 dptr.