Protein nutrition index as a function of patient survival rate in peritoneal dialysis.

Background/aims: Protein-energy wasting (PEW) is a well-known risk factor of long-term survival in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Serum albumin is a measure of visceral protein, lean body mass is a measure of somatic protein stores and normalized protein nitrogen appearance is a measure of daily protein intake. A protein nutrition index (PNI) that combined these 3 factors was designed and tested as a function of survival in PD patients.

Peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis caused by Gemella morbillorum in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus receiving steroid therapy.

Gemella morbillorum, a Gram-positive coccus, is a natural inhabitant of the human oropharyngeal, upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. Human infections caused by this organism are rare. We describe a case of peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis due to G.

Type B aortic dissection with early presentation mimicking acute pyelonephritis.

Aortic dissection is a life-threatening illness requiring early diagnosis and treatment. Uncommon early presentations mimicking various illnesses can delay diagnosis. This case study describes a 44-year-old woman with type B aortic dissection initially presenting as acute pyelonephritis (APN).

Complications mimicking lupus flare-up in a uremic patient undergoing pegylated liposomal doxorubicin therapy for cervical cancer.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an increased risk for malignancy and end-stage renal disease itself might further augment the risk. Treating uremic patients with cervical cancer by cisplatin-based chemotherapy combined with radiation is hampered by the reduced renal excretion of cisplatin. Doxorubicin, a potential radiosensitizer with an established effect on carcinomas that arise in the ovary, uterine cervix and endometrium, might be applied in these cases.

Upper urinary tract tumor in a duplicated collecting system: report of three cases and review of the literature.

Despite the common anomaly of a duplicated collecting system in the urinary tract, urothelial cancer in a duplicated collecting system is a rare occurrence. Herein, we present 2 cases of renal pelvis tumor and 1 case of a ureter tumor which coexisted with a duplicated collecting system. One of the renal pelvis tumors developed bilateral transitional cell carcinoma within the bilateral duplicated pelvis.

Improvement in clinical outcome by early nephrology referral in type II diabetics on maintenance peritoneal dialysis.

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of early nephrology referral on clinical outcome in type II diabetes mellitus patients on maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Design: This is a retrospective study in a single University Hospital in Taiwan.

Patients: This study analyzed the type II diabetic patients entering our PD program from February 1988 to June 2000.

Improved iron utilization and reduced erythropoietin resistance by on-line hemodiafiltration.

Background: Recent investigation has shown that on-line hemodiafiltration (HDF) can reduce the amount of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) deemed necessary to reach the target hematocrit. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential effect of on-line HDF on rhEPO resistance in relation to iron utilization and anemia-related parameters, when compared to conventional hemodialysis (HD).

Methods: Ninety-two chronic uremic patients were treated with conventional HD and then shifted to on-line HDF.