title: Acid-base balance in uremic rats with vascular calcification.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Vascular calcification (VC), a major complication in humans and animals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), is influenced by changes in acid-base balance. The purpose of this study was to describe the acid-base balance in uremic rats with VC and to correlate the parameters that define acid-base equilibrium with VC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two rats with CKD induced by 5/6 nephrectomy (5/6 Nx) and 10 nonuremic control rats were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 5/6 Nx rats showed extensive VC as evidenced by a high aortic calcium (9.2 ± 1.7 mg/g of tissue) and phosphorus (20.6 ± 4.9 mg/g of tissue) content. Uremic rats had an increased pH level (7.57 ± 0.03) as a consequence of both respiratory (PaCO2 = 28.4 ± 2.1 mm Hg) and, to a lesser degree, metabolic (base excess = 4.1 ± 1 mmol/l) derangements. A high positive correlation between both anion gap (AG) and strong ion difference (SID) with aortic calcium (AG: r = 0.604, p = 0.02; SID: r = 0.647, p = 0.01) and with aortic phosphorus (AG: r = 0.684, p = 0.007; SID: r = 0.785, p = 0.01) was detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In an experimental model of uremic rats, VC showed high positive correlation with AG and SID.
authors.affiliation: Departamento Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain ; Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua (UNAN-León), León, Nicaragua.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peralta-Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Departamento Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana Isabel
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Raya
authors.affiliation: Departamento Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pineda
authors.affiliation: IMIBIC, Hospital Reina Sofía, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Departamento Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Escolástico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aguilera-Tejero
authors.affiliation: Departamento Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: López
keywords: Acid-base balance; Chronic kidney disease; Rat; Vascular calcification