Mortality, health-related quality of life, and depression symptoms in younger and older men and women undergoing hemodialysis.

Background And Objective: Some studies on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients report a longer survival, albeit with poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and more depression symptoms in women than in men. Whether these gender differences vary with age is uncertain. We tested the associations of gender with mortality, depression symptoms, and HRQoL in MHD patients of different age groups.

Race and Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients in Brazil.

Rationale & Objective: Studies in the United States and United Kingdom generally report better survival for Black than White patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis, a finding not explained by differences in sociodemographics or comorbid conditions. It is not clear if such findings can be generalized to other countries. We investigated the association between race and mortality among a Black, White, and Mixed-Race sample of maintenance hemodialysis patients in Salvador, Brazil.

Vascular calcification by conventional X-ray and mortality in a cohort of predominantly African descent hemodialysis patients.

Background/objective: There is a lack of studies describing the prevalence of vascular calcification (VC) and its association with mortality in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients of African descent. We investigated if a VC score based on the number of calcified vascular beds was associated with mortality in MHD patients.

Methods: We analyzed data from 211 MHD patients enrolled from January 2010 to January 2011 in the prospective cohort study, "The Prospective Study of the Prognosis of Chronic Hemodialysis Patients (PROHEMO)," developed in Salvador, BA, Brazil.

Position statement from the Brazilian Society of Nephrology regarding chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine drug dose adjustment according to renal function.

Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have shown promising preliminary results and have been discussed as therapeutic options for patients with Covid-19. Despite the lack of robust evidence demonstrating the benefits and justifying the use of one of these drugs, the final decision is the responsibility of the attending physician and should be individualized and shared, whenever possible. This position statement recommends dosage adjustment for these drugs in the context of renal impairment.

Good Practice Recommendations from the Brazilian Society of Nephrology to Dialysis Units Concerning the Pandemic of the New Coronavirus (Covid-19).

Dialysis units are environments potentially prone to the spread of Covid-19. Patients cannot suspend treatment, and they often have comorbidities, which assigns them a higher risk and worse prognosis. The Brazilian Society of Nephrology prepared this document of good practices, whose technical recommendations deal with general measures that can be implemented to reduce the risk of transmission and prevent the spread of the disease in the unit.

Recommendations from the Brazilian Society of Nephrology for approaching Covid-19 Diagnostic Testing in Dialysis Units.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought several challenges to the healthcare system: diagnosis, treatment and measures to prevent the spread of the disease. With the greater availability and variety of diagnostic tests, it is essential to properly interpret them. This paper intends to help dialysis units concerning the use of clinical criteria and diagnostic tests for decision making regarding the discontinuation of isolation of patients with suspected or confirmed Covid-19, as well as the return to work activities for employees with suspected or confirmed Covid-19.

Hepatitis C in Hemodialysis Units: diagnosis and therapeutic approach.

According to data from the last census of the Brazilian Society of Nephrology (SBN), the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Brazilian hemodialysis units (HU) is 3.3%, about three times higher than what is reported for the Brazilian general population. Often, professionals working in HU are faced with clinical situations that require rapid HCV diagnosis in order to avoid horizontal transmission within the units.

A 3-day diary of dietary protein and calorie intake by serum phosphate concentration and binder use in hemodialysis patients.

Introduction: The use of phosphate binders to control hyperphosphatemia may allow diets less restricted in protein and calories for maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. The study compared intakes of protein, calorie and phosphate among MHD patients with different serum phosphate concentrations, taking into account binder use. The hypothesis was that low serum phosphate would be associated with low intakes of protein and calories only in patients not on binders.

Associations of physical activity energy expenditure with nutritional-inflammatory markers in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Sedentariness, high inflammation status and malnutrition are highly prevalent in end-stage kidney disease patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). This study investigated associations of weekly physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) with clinical and anthropometric markers of nutrition and inflammation.

Methods: The analysis was performed using baseline cross-sectional data of 640 patients enrolled in the prospective cohort "The Prospective Study of the Prognosis of Patients Treated Chronically by Hemodialysis" (PROHEMO) developed in Salvador, BA, Brazil.

Prevalence and risk factors for Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) among maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Background: Infection with the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), although asymptomatic in most cases, can lead to potentially grave consequences, such as adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy / tropical spastic paraparesis. Its prevalence varies widely across different populations and geographic regions. A population-based study in the city of Salvador, located in the Northeast region of Brazil, showed an overall prevalence of HTLV-1 seropositivity of 1.

Potentially modifiable factors associated with non-adherence to phosphate binder use in patients on hemodialysis.

Background: Despite the evidence that phosphate binder (PB) is associated with improved outcomes many hemodialysis patients do not adhere to prescribed PB regimen. Therefore, barriers to PB adherence should be identified and eliminated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate PB adherence among hemodialysis patients and to explore potentially modifiable factors associated with low PB adherence.

Neuropathic pain--neurochemical aspects.

Background And Objectives: Neuropathic pain is caused by damage or inflammation of the nervous system. It is a complex syndrome and its biological mechanisms, involving inflammatory and immunologic theories, are not clear. The objective of this review was to describe the main biologic factors associated with neuropathic pain, making a logical association between hypotheses suggested in the literature.