Kidney Replacement Therapies in Advanced Heart Failure: Timing, Modalities and Clinical Considerations.

Acute kidney dysfunction is commonly encountered in patients with advanced heart failure (HF), and it carries significant prognostic implications, often leading to poorer outcomes and increased mortality rates. It can alter the course of decision making for left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and cardiac transplantation candidacy. Kidney replacement therapies (KRTs) offer a critical intervention in this context but require careful consideration of timing, various types of KRT modalities and individual patients' preferences and circumstances.

Contemporary Monoclonal Antibody Utilization in Glomerular Diseases.

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have been one of the fastest growing drug classes in the past 2 decades and are indicated in the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders, solid organ transplantation, and glomerular diseases. The Food and Drug Administration has approved 100 MAbs between 1986 and 2021, and MAbs account for 20% of Food and Drug Administration's new drug approval every year. MAbs are preferred over traditional immunosuppressive agents because of their high specificity, reduced number of drug-drug interactions, and low toxicity, which make them a prime example of personalized medicine.

Advances in hemodialysis therapy.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) continues to be a disease process with a high rate of hospitalization and mortality. There has been little innovation in nephrology over the last few decades compared to revolutionary high-tech advancements in other areas like oncology and cardiovascular medicine. Kidney transplantation, the only available alternative to renal replacement therapy, is limited in its availability.

The Impact of Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir in Reducing Hospitalizations Among High-Risk Patients With SARS-CoV-2 During the Omicron Predominant Era.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant morbidity and mortality in high-risk populations. Several therapeutics have been developed to reduce the risk of complications related to COVID-19, hospitalizations, and death. In several studies, nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (NR) was reported to reduce the risk of hospitalizations and death.

Renal Autologous Cell Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes with Late Stage 4 Diabetes-Related Chronic Kidney Disease: Trial Design and Early Analysis.

Introduction: Cell-based therapies potentially delay the trajectory toward end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in late stage 4 diabetic chronic kidney disease (DKD). We describe the trial design, baseline patient characteristics, and early results of an IRB-approved phase II multicenter clinical trial, utilizing Renal Autologous Cell Therapy (REACT) in adults with pre-ESKD due to type 2 DKD. The trial objectives were safety and tolerability of REACT by assessment of the procedure, product administration, and renal-specific adverse events in addition to evaluate the impact on renal function following injection.

Renal Considerations in COVID-19: Biology, Pathology, and Pathophysiology.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged into a worldwide pandemic of epic proportion. Beyond pulmonary involvement in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a significant subset of patients experiences acute kidney injury. Patients who die from severe disease most notably show diffuse acute tubular injury on postmortem examination with a possible contribution of focal macro- and microvascular thrombi.

Chronic kidney disease unawareness and determinants using 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data.

Background: Although chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 15% of the United States (US) population, <10% of the US CKD population is aware of their disease. This is significant as untreated CKD can progress to end-stage renal disease which would require dialysis or transplantation. This study aimed to provide updated information regarding US CKD unawareness.

Multicenter Clinicopathologic Correlation of Kidney Biopsies Performed in COVID-19 Patients Presenting With Acute Kidney Injury or Proteinuria.

Rationale & Objective: Kidney biopsy data inform us about pathologic processes associated with infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We conducted a multicenter evaluation of kidney biopsy findings in living patients to identify various kidney disease pathology findings in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their association with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Study Design: Case series.

Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis in Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia.

Renal involvement in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is a rare manifestation. Although most renal involvement is due to monoclonal immune deposits, pathology can also be unrelated to it. Here, we describe a 68-year-old female with a history of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia who presented with generalized edema and nephrotic range proteinuria.

Renal replacement therapy in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: a single-center retrospective study.

Background: Patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who develop acute kidney injury have increased mortality and frequently require renal replacement therapy (RRT). The optimal timing for initiation of RRT after onset of ARDS to improve survival is not known.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinical data on patients admitted to our health system over a 2-year period.

Peritonitis: An Extremely Rare Complication of Peritoneal Dialysis.

Bacterial peritonitis is a common complication of peritoneal dialysis, but fungal peritonitis is unusual and is mostly due to species. Peritonitis due to is rare and we report one such case. A 63-year-old female presented with progressively worsening abdominal pain, fever, and altered mental status.

Leukocyte Cell-Derived Chemotaxin 2-Associated Renal Amyloidosis: A Case Report.

Amyloidosis is a disorder characterized by the deposition of abnormal protein fibrils in tissues. Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2-associated amyloidosis is a recently recognized entity and is characterized by a distinctive clinicopathologic type of amyloid deposition manifested in adults by varying degrees of impaired kidney function and proteinuria. There are only a limited number of cases reported in the literature.

Role of tolvaptan in the management of hyponatremia in patients with lung and other cancers: current data and future perspectives.

Hyponatremia is the most frequently observed electrolyte abnormality in clinical practice, and its frequency is almost double in hospitalized cancer patients. As a subset of cancer, hyponatremia is quite common in lung cancer patients, and it is often coupled with the diagnosis of syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion. The presence of hyponatremia is consequential in that its presence adversely affects cancer patients' prognosis and outcomes.

Early Posttransplant Isolated v1 Lesion Does Not Need to Be Treated and Does Not Lead to Increased Fibrosis.

Acute vascular rejection (AVR) is characterized by intimal arteritis in addition to tubulitis and interstitial inflammation. It is associated with a poorer prognosis compared to tubulointerstitial rejection (AIR) and AVR is associated with a higher rate of graft loss than AIR. The prognosis and treatment of arteritis without tubulitis and interstitial inflammation (isolated v1 lesion) are still controversial.

Epidemiology of Glomerular Disease in Southern Arizona: Review of 10-Year Renal Biopsy Data.

Glomerulonephritis stands third in terms of the etiologies for end-stage kidney disease in the USA. The aim of this study was to look at the patterns of biopsy-proven glomerulonephritis based on data from a single center.Kidney biopsy specimens of all patients above the age of 18 years, over a 10-year period, who had diagnosis of nondiabetic glomerular disease, were selected for the study.

Membranous nephropathy with crescents associated with levamisole-induced MPO-ANCA vasculitis.

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is the most common cause of crescentic rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (GN). Levamisole used as an adulterant in cocaine is increasingly recognized as a cause of AAV. We report the case of a 50 year old woman with atypical anti-MPO AAV associated with cocaine use and exposure to levamisole.

Allergic Interstitial Nephritis Manifesting as a Striated Nephrogram.

Allergic interstitial nephritis (AIN) is an underdiagnosed cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). Guidelines suggest that AIN should be suspected in a patient who presents with an elevated serum creatinine and a urinalysis that shows white cells, white cell casts, or eosinophiluria. Drug-induced AIN is suspected if AKI is temporally related to the initiation of a new drug.

Improvement in Gemcitabine-Induced Thrombotic Microangiopathy with Rituximab in a Patient with Ovarian Cancer: Mechanistic Considerations.

Gemcitabine is a potent and widely used anticancer drug. We report a case of gemcitabine-induced thrombotic microangiopathy (GCI-TMA), a known but not widely recognized complication of gemcitabine use, and our experience of treating GCI-TMA with rituximab. A 74-year-old woman was referred to our clinic for an evaluation of worsening renal function.

Improvement in glomerular filtration rate may decrease mortality among type-2 diabetics with chronic kidney disease lacking proteinuria: A retrospective study.

Twenty percent of patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus without albuminuria progress to chronic kidney disease (CKD). The various factors related to development of CKD, the natural course of renal dysfunction as well as mortality in this sub-group of diabetics has not been studied in detail. The medical records of 121 patients (all males) above the age of 40 years with type-2 diabetes mellitus and CKD, and without proteinuria, were reviewed in this retrospective study.

Outcome of patients on combined extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and continuous renal replacement therapy: a retrospective study.

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a lifesaving therapy used in the management of cardiopulmonary failure. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is often added to the treatment for the correction of fluid and electrolyte imbalance in patients with acute kidney injury. Most of the literature on the use of combined ECMO and CRRT has been on pediatric patients.