Efficacy and safety of low-dose heparin in hemodialysis.

Introduction: The dose of unfractionated heparin (UFH) administered during hemodialysis (HD) varies widely. This prospective study evaluated the safety and efficacy of UFH dose de-escalation.

Methods: Sixty-six prevalent patients on HD receiving UFH per standard-dose protocol (load dose [LD] 50-75 units/kg, maintenance dose [MD] 500-1000 units/hour) had heparin prescription converted to low-dose protocol (start LD 15 units/kg and MD 500 units/hour; dose adjusted in small increments based on assessments of extracorporeal blood circuit).

Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in HIV-associated nephropathy: A focus on the MYH9 nephropathy susceptibility gene.

HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is a leading cause of ESRD in African Americans. The HIV-1 virus infects podocytes, cells integral to formation of the glomerular filtration barrier, often leading to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. HIVAN is typically a complication of late-stage HIV infection, associated with low CD4 cell counts and elevated serum HIV RNA levels.

Cardiovascular disease in chronic kidney disease.

The presence of kidney disease, manifested by low glomerular filtration rates (GFR) and/or large amounts of protein in the urine, is independently associated with increased rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The severity of kidney disease is associated with graded increases in risk for CVD and death. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) should be recognized and treatment initiated early to maximize the chances for slowing nephropathy progression and reducing proteinuria.

Kidney volume associations with subclinical renal and cardiovascular disease: the Diabetes Heart Study.

Background: The prognostic significance of total kidney volume (TKV) in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is unknown.

Methods: One hundred and seventy unrelated Caucasians with T2DM underwent multidetector-row computed tomography of the neck, chest, and abdomen to measure calcified plaque in the coronary artery (CorCP), carotid artery (CarCP), and infrarenal aorta (AorCP). Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were used to assess associations between TKV and subclinical renal and cardiovascular disease.

Complement mediates nephrin redistribution and actin dissociation in experimental membranous nephropathy.

Background: The onset of proteinuria in passive Heymann nephritis, (PHN), a rat model of human membranous nephropathy (MN), is complement-dependent and is associated with altered podocyte slit diaphragm integrity and dissociation of nephrin from the actin cytoskeleton. These studies examined if complement is responsible for these podocyte changes.

Methods: PHN was induced with sheep anti-Fx1A.