الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Vascular calcification (VC) is common in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), contributes to cardiovascular disease (CVD), and associates with increased mortality. The prevalence of vascular calcification increases as glomerular filtration rate (GFR) declines and calcification occurs years earlier in CKD patients than in the general population Major risk factors for VC in CKD are increasing age, dialysis vintage, and positive net calcium-phosphate balance Experimental and clinical studies show that disorders in mineral metabolisms including calcium and phosphorus homeostasis initiate and promote vascular calcification in patients with CKD A preventive role for vitamin K in vascular calcification has been proposed based on its role in activating matrix Gla protein (MGP), a calcification inhibitor that is expressed in vascular tissue. Knowledge about vitamin K status may propel therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat vascular calcification with high vitamin K supplementation. Subclinical vitamin K deficiency has been reported in CKD patients, but studies linking vitamin K status to calcification outcomes in CKD are needed to clarify whether or not improving vitamin K status is associated with improved vascular health in CKD The aimed of current study to evaluate dp-ucMGP in HD patients and its relation to vascular calcification and the effect of vitamin k1 administration in decreasing the level of dp-ucMGP and hence the degree of vascular calcification. Our study is a prospective, pre-post intervention clinical trial involving 120 hemodialysis patients >18years at dialysis unit in Assiut University Hospital, who received 5 mg of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) three times /week for 6 months after HD session in order to ensure the compliance with the drug. At baseline they were assessed for plasma dp-ucMGP levels and vascular calcification scores (AC-24) and valvular calcification by echocardiography as well as for other laboratory investigation in the form of serum calcium, serum phosphorus, albumin,prothrombin time and concentration and iPTH. Dp-ucMGP levels were measured a second time at 6 months.