The association between chronic musculoskeletal pain and clinical outcome in chronic kidney disease patients: a prospective cohort study.

Background And Objectives: Chronic musculoskeletal (MS) pain is common in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The association of chronic MS pain and CKD progression has not yet been established.

Method: We conducted a prospective cohort study to evaluate the association of chronic MS pain and CKD progression of pre-dialysis CKD patients.

The association of uremic toxins and inflammation in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in hemodialysis patients and is associated with chronic inflammation. Elevation of uremic toxins, particular protein-bound uremic toxins, is a possible cause of hyper-inflammation in hemodialysis patients. But the association between uremic toxins and inflammatory markers in hemodialysis is still unclear.

Chronic kidney disease stage is a modulator on the association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and coronary vasospastic angina.

The prevalence of coronary vasospasm and also the factors associated with coronary vasospasm in CKD is still unclear. In this cross-sectional study of 859 consecutive CKD patients with angina pectoris received coronary catheterization, we evaluated the factors associated with coronary vasospasm. Patients with vasospasm were older and had higher peripheral blood white cell counts, higher peripheral blood monocyte cell counts, higher haemoglobin levels, higher hs-CRP levels, and lower levels of serum creatinine than patients without vasospasm.

Oral adsorbent AST-120 potentiates the effect of erythropoietin-stimulating agents on Stage 5 chronic kidney disease patients: a randomized crossover study.

Background: Indoxyl sulfate (IS) suppresses erythropoietin (EPO) activity and exerts renal damage. The oral adsorbent AST-120 reduces IS load and has antioxidant and renoprotective properties; however, its roles in the treatment of anemia remain unclear in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.

Methods: Fifty-one Stage 5 predialysis CKD patients with hemoglobin <10 g/dL were randomly assigned to receive two period treatments with AST-120 plus once-monthly administration of continuous EPO receptor activator (CERA, A) and CERA alone (B), with a 4-week washout period in between.

Factors associated with chronic musculoskeletal pain in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Chronic musculoskeletal (MS) pain is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing haemodialysis. However, epidemiological data for chronic MS pain and factors associated with chronic MS pain in patients with early- or late-stage CKD who are not undergoing dialysis are limited.

Method: A cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence of chronic MS pain and factors associated with chronic MS pain in patients with early- and late-stage CKD who were not undergoing dialysis, was conducted.

Association between uremic toxins and depression in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.

Objective: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are undergoing maintenance hemodialysis have a higher prevalence of depression than the general population. The underlying cause of this association is unknown, but may be related to accumulation of uremic toxins. Little is known about the association of accumulation of uremic toxins and depression in hemodialysis patients.

Low plasma DHEA-S increases mortality risk among male hemodialysis patients.

Objective: The incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the rise. CKD patients are at high risk of cardiovascular (CVD) and all-cause mortality. CKD patients have several endocrine disorders, including low levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S).

Association between cold dialysis and cardiovascular survival in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Higher cardiovascular mortality has been noted in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). CKD patients are also known to have impaired energy expenditure but the role of energy expenditure in cardiovascular disease is not yet known. Furthermore, the association between cold dialysis (CD) and clinical outcomes in hemodialysis patients is unclear.

Serum free p-cresyl sulfate levels predict cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in elderly hemodialysis patients--a prospective cohort study.

Background: The mortality rate of elderly hemodialysis (HD) patients is high. Serum p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) and indoxyl sulfate (IS) are associated with cardiovascular (CV) disease and mortality in renal patients. The association between such biomarkers and mortality in elderly HD patients has a high clinical value but remains unclear.

p-Cresyl sulphate and indoxyl sulphate predict progression of chronic kidney disease.

Background: Indoxyl sulphate (IS) and p-cresyl sulphate (PCS) are uraemic toxins that have similar protein binding, dialytic clearance and proinflammatory features. However, only a few prospective studies have evaluated possible associations between these two retained solutes and renal disease progression in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.

Methods: This prospective observational study evaluated independent associations between serum total IS and PCS with renal progression in a selected cohort of patients having different stages of CKD.

Ureteral endometriosis with obstructive uropathy.

Endometriosis is a common disease, but ureteral involvement is rare. The symptoms and signs of ureteral endometriosis mimic those of ureteral malignancy. This case report describes a woman who presented with chronic back pain for 5 years.

Factors associated with mortality from non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia in dialysis patients.

Background: Among dialysis patients, acute mesenteric ischemia is mostly caused by non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI). There is a very high mortality rate associated with this complication, but prognostic factors associated with NOMI are not well-known.

Method: In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the records of dialysis patients to identify prognostic factors associated with mortality from NOMI.

Lack of association between plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels and depression in hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Depression is common in hemodialysis patients. Reduced DHEA-S levels have been shown to be associated with depression in general population. Abnormalities in hormone production and metabolism are found in hemodialysis patients.

Multidisciplinary predialysis education decreases the incidence of dialysis and reduces mortality--a controlled cohort study based on the NKF/DOQI guidelines.

Background: Observational studies have demonstrated that multidisciplinary predialysis education (MPE) improves the post-dialysis outcomes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. However, the beneficial effect of MPE remains unclear in prospective controlled studies.

Methods: All CKD patients who visited the outpatient nephrology clinics at two centres of the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in 2006-07 were enrolled.

Increased expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha in the nasal polyps.

Purpose: The etiology and mechanism of nasal polyps are still not well known. A newly discovered transcriptional factor, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF), is a DNA-binding protein. Hypoxia-inducible factor is demonstrated to associate with various neoplasms.

An outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections related to central venous catheters for hemodialysis.

Objectives: To determine risk factors for hemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infections (HCRBSIs) and investigate whether use of maximal sterile barrier precautions would prevent HCRBSIs.

Setting: Tertiary-care medical center hemodialysis unit.

Design: Open trial with historical comparison and case-control study of risk factors for HCRBSIs.