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Multicenter trial of L-carnitine in maintenance hemodialysis patients. I. Carnitine concentrations and lipid effects
Plain-language guide to PMID 2266674 (1990): double-blind randomized controlled trial study of L-Carnitine in 44 patients.
Key Facts
- PMID
- 2266674
- Journal
- Kidney international
- Year
- 1990
- Study type
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Authors
- Golper TA et al. (9 authors)
- DOI
- 10.1038/ki.1990.289
What This Study Did, in Plain Language
What Was Tested
The paper reports a study of L-Carnitine, published as a randomized controlled trial.
The researchers therefore performed a four center, double-blind placebo controlled trial to evaluate the effects of post-hemodialysis intravenous injection of L-carnitine in ESRD patients on maintenance hemodialysis.
Why It Was Studied
Previous studies have reported conflicting results of carnitine supplementation on plasma lipids in patients with chronic renal failure.
In both groups of patients, baseline pre-dialysis plasma and red blood cell total carnitine levels were normal, but pre-dialysis plasma-free carnitine concentrations and free/total ratios were subnormal, and plasma acyl levels were elevated.
Who Took Part
The study group was 44 patients.
PubMed indexes the participants as middle-aged adults, both men and women.
How the Study Was Run
The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.
The patients were allocated by chance, so the L-Carnitine group and the comparison group should start out alike.
As a double-blind L-Carnitine study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.
Some patients received a placebo instead of L-Carnitine, giving a reference point.
The timeline in the abstract includes six months.
What Was Measured
In both groups of patients, baseline pre-dialysis plasma and red blood cell total carnitine levels were normal, but pre-dialysis plasma-free carnitine concentrations and free/total ratios were subnormal, and plasma acyl levels were elevated.
PubMed files the paper under topics including Carnitine, Kidney Failure, Chronic, Lipids and Renal Dialysis.
What This Means in Plain Language
The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of L-Carnitine in 44 patients over six months.
The publication is from 1990 (Kidney international), a journal based in United States.
More context: the L-Carnitine compound page, all human trials.
Our Notes on the Compound
L-Carnitine: An amino acid derivative that carries fatty acids into mitochondria for energy production.
Related Pages
Source: PubMed record. This explanation is written by PeptideWhiz from the public record. For research and education only. Not medical advice; no dosing information is given.