NT-proBNP as predictor of major cardiac events after renal transplantation in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Background: For the improvement of outcome after renal transplantation it is important to predict future risk of major adverse cardiac events as well as all-cause mortality. We aimed to determine the relationship of pre-transplant NT-proBNP with major adverse cardiac events and all-cause mortality after transplant in patients on the waiting-list with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Patients And Methods: We included 176 patients with end-stage renal disease and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction who received a kidney transplant.

Pre-transplant serum Beta Trace Protein indicates risk for post-transplant major cardiac adverse events.

Background: Beta Trace Protein (BTP) is a biomarker for residual kidney function which has been linked to cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in haemodialysis patients. Following renal transplantation, recipients remain at increased risk for cardiovascular events compared with the general population. We aimed to determine the relationship of pre-transplant BTP to major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients following kidney transplantation.

Association of serum globulin with all-cause mortality in incident hemodialysis patients.

Background: Serum globulin is a major component of total protein and can be elevated in inflammatory disease states. While inflammation is common in hemodialysis patients and associated with mortality and morbidity, the association between serum globulin and mortality has never been examined in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort of 104 164 incident hemodialysis patients treated by a large dialysis organization from 2007 to 2011, we explored the association between baseline serum globulin, albumin: globulin (A:G) ratio and serum protein levels and all-cause, cardiovascular and infection-related mortality with adjustments for demographic variables and laboratory markers of malnutrition and inflammation using Cox proportional hazards models.

Association of pre-ESKD hyponatremia with post-ESKD outcomes among incident ESKD patients.

Background: Hyponatremia is one of the most common electrolyte disturbances in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients, and has been shown to be associated with higher mortality risk. However, the relationship between hyponatremia during late-stage CKD and the risk of poor outcomes after ESKD transition is unknown.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including 32 257 US veterans transitioning to ESKD from 1 October 2007 to 30 March 2015.

Association of Pre-ESRD Serum Bicarbonate with Post-ESRD Mortality in Patients with Incident ESRD.

Background: Serum bicarbonate or total carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations decline as chronic kidney disease (CKD) progresses and rise after dialysis initiation. While metabolic acidosis accelerates the progression of CKD and is associated with higher mortality among patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD), there are scarce data on the association of CO2 concentrations before ESRD transition with post-ESRD mortality.

Methods: A historical cohort from the Transition of Care in CKD (TC-CKD) study includes 85,505 veterans who transitioned to ESRD from October 1, 2007, through March 31, 2014.

Beta-trace protein as a potential biomarker of residual renal function in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Residual renal function is closely linked to quality of life, morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients. Beta-trace protein (BTP), a low molecular weight protein, has been suggested as marker of residual renal function, in particular in patients on hemodialysis. We hypothesized that BTP also serves as a marker of residual renal function in pertioneal dialysis patients.

Association of lactate dehydrogenase with mortality in incident hemodialysis patients.

Background: Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) plays a role in the glucose metabolism of the human body. Higher LDH levels have been linked to mortality in various cancer types; however, the relationship between LDH and survival in incident hemodialysis (HD) patients has not yet been examined. We hypothesized that higher LDH level is associated with higher death risk in these patients.

TGR(mREN2)27 rats develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-associated portal hypertension responsive to modulations of Janus-kinase 2 and Mas receptor.

Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing. Resulting fibrosis and portal hypertension, as a possible secondary event, may necessitate treatment. Overexpression of mouse renin in the transgenic rat model, TGR(mREN2)27, leads to spontaneous development of NAFLD.

Seasonal variation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parameters of bone and mineral disorder in dialysis patients.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is common among dialysis patients and may impact blood concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Seasonal variation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations has been well established for the general population; however, less is known about circannual variation in 25(OH)D as well as other parameters of mineral and bone disorder among dialysis patients.

Method: Based on 57,500 serum 25(OH)D measurements collected over two years from January 2009 to December 2010 among 25,025 dialysis patients, we evaluated the circannual variations in serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, calcium, phosphorus, iPTH, and ALP by a linear regression model with a cosinor function for the time period (month).

Association of Pre-End-Stage Renal Disease Serum Albumin With Post-End-Stage Renal Disease Outcomes Among Patients Transitioning to Dialysis.

Objective: Serum albumin is a marker of malnutrition and inflammation and has been demonstrated as a strong predictor of mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Yet, whether serum albumin levels in late-stage CKD are associated with adverse outcomes after the transition to ESRD is unknown. We hypothesize that lower levels and a decline in serum albumin in late-stage CKD are associated with higher risk of mortality and hospitalization rates 1 year after transition to ESRD.

Mean Corpuscular Volume and Mortality in Incident Hemodialysis Patients.

Background/aims: Anemia is common in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). A proportion of patients present with macrocytic anemia, manifested by elevated mean corpuscular volume (MCV), which has been associated with worse outcomes in CKD patients. However, it is unknown whether elevated MCV is associated with higher mortality risk in incident hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Obesity Paradox.

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and worse survival in the general population. However, in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), higher body mass index and indexes of body fat and muscle are associated with better survival. Furthermore, these associations, which some have described as the obesity paradox, are more consistent in African American patients being treated with hemodialysis when compared with other racial-ethnic groups.

Precision Medicine and Personalized Management of Lipoprotein and Lipid Disorders in Chronic and End-Stage Kidney Disease.

Precision medicine is an emerging field that calls for individualization of treatment strategies based on characteristics unique to each patient. In lipid management, current guidelines are driven mainly by clinical trial results that presently indicate that patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (CKD) should be treated with a β-hydroxy β-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor, also known as statin therapy. For patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) being treated with hemodialysis, statin therapy has not been shown to successfully reduce poor outcomes in trials and therefore is not recommended.

Obesity Paradox in Advanced Kidney Disease: From Bedside to the Bench.

While obesity is associated with a variety of complications including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and premature death, observational studies have also found that obesity and increasing body mass index (BMI) can be linked with improved survival in certain patient populations, including those with conditions marked by protein-energy wasting and dysmetabolism that ultimately lead to cachexia. The latter observations have been reported in various clinical settings including end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and have been described as the "obesity paradox" or "reverse epidemiology", engendering controversy. While some have attributed the obesity paradox to residual confounding in an effort to "debunk" these observations, recent experimental discoveries provide biologically plausible mechanisms in which higher BMI can be linked to longevity in certain groups of patients.

Association of Pre-End-Stage Renal Disease Hemoglobin with Early Dialysis Outcomes.

Background: Incident hemodialysis patients have a high mortality risk within the first months after dialysis initiation. Pre-end-stage renal disease (ESRD) factors like anemia management may impact early post-ESRD outcomes. Therefore, we evaluated the impact of pre-ESRD hemoglobin (Hgb) and pre-ESRD Hgb slope on post-ESRD mortality and hospitalization outcomes.

Successful Therapy of a Multidrug-Resistant Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing and Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Salmonella enterica Subspecies enterica Serovar Typhi Infection Using Combination Therapy of Meropenem and Fosfomycin.

We report a traveler who acquired a Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi strain with resistance against β-lactams, cephalosporins (extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing type SHV-12), and quinolones (plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance gene qnrB7). After clinical deterioration using meropenem monotherapy, treatment success was achieved after commencement of fosfomycin in conjunction with high-dose meropenem. The case illustrates clinical challenges of multidrug-resistant S.