Health-care Professionals' Perspectives on Ultrasound Evaluation of Arteriovenous Hemodialysis Fistula: A Narrative Review.

Arteriovenous hemodialysis fistulas play a critical role in maintaining life on hemodialysis. With the growing use of Doppler ultrasound in nephrology, its utility has expanded to improve the prognosis and quality of life of patients receiving hemodialysis. On a fistula care team, different health-care professionals, including nephrologists, dialysis technicians, and surgeons or vascular interventionalists, require different information.

Juan Bi Tang, a traditional Chinese medicine, for alleviating pain related to arteriovenous fistula in maintenance hemodialysis patients: An interventional pilot study with brief review.

Myofascial pain around an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) during hemodialysis (HD) can affect a patient compliance with HD and quality of life. Prolonged use of analgesics is often associated with increased adverse events. Juan Bi Tang (JBT) is an ancient decoction of Chinese traditional medicinal plants commonly used to treat spasms and pain in the shoulder and upper arm, and it is popularly believed to have favorable outcomes in Asian populations.

Denosumab Is Superior to Raloxifene in Lowering Risks of Mortality and Ischemic Stroke in Osteoporotic Women.

Both osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share similar pathways in pathophysiology and are intercorrelated with increased morbidity and mortality in elderly women. Although denosumab and raloxifene are the current guideline-based pharmacological treatments, their impacts on cardiovascular protection are yet to be examined. This study aimed to compare mortality rate and cardiovascular events between denosumab and raloxifene in osteoporotic women.

Clinical effectiveness of molnupiravir in patients with COVID-19 undergoing haemodialysis.

Background: Molnupiravir is an essential oral antiviral agent against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, its real-world effectiveness has not been evaluated in patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD).

Methods: This multi-centre retrospective study, involving 225 patients undergoing HD with initially mild or asymptomatic COVID-19, was conducted to compare the risks of 30-day COVID-19-related acute care visits between patients receiving and not receiving molnupiravir. Patients who received molnupiravir were stratified by rapid antigen detection (RAD) test results on day 7 after disease onset to assess whether rapid molnupiravir introduction accelerated viral clearance.

Ultrasonography Measurement of Renal Dimension and Its Correlation with Age, Body Indices, and eGFR in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Patients: Real World Data in Taiwan.

Background: Assessment of renal size is clinically significant for the screening, diagnosis, and follow-up of renal diseases as the basis of clinical decisions. However, the relationship of renal dimension with age, body indices, and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) has rarely been reported in the Chinese type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) population.

Methods: A total of 220 T1DM patients were retrospectively analyzed from the Chang Gung Research Database in Taiwan.

The Waxing, Waning, and Predictors of Humoral Responses to Vector-Based SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Hemodialysis Patients.

Hemodialysis (HD) patients are vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and have a high mortality rate. We evaluated the anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody (ACOV2S) levels in 385 HD patients before and 4 and 8 weeks after the second dose of vector-based ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. For study control, week 4 ACOV2S levels after the second vaccination dose were measured in 66 healthcare workers (HCWs).

Trajectory of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with chronic kidney disease and its association with cardiovascular disease.

Background: The role of longitudinal temporal trends in LDL-C in cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes is unclear. This study categorized the long-term LDL-C trajectory and determined its association with the incidence of atherosclerotic CVD in patients with CKD according to diabetes status and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Methods: The risk of atherosclerotic CVD was estimated in 137,127 Taiwanese patients with CKD using six LDL-C trajectory classes determined by the latent class mixed model as optimal, near optimal, above optimal, borderline, sustained high, and declined high over 5 years.

Comparative Adverse Kidney Outcomes in Women Receiving Raloxifene and Denosumab in a Real-World Setting.

Both osteoporosis and kidney diseases are common and intercorrelate to increase morbidity and mortality in elderly women. This study aimed to compare adverse kidney outcome between women initiated with denosumab and a matched group of raloxifene initiators using propensity score matching methods in a large healthcare delivery system in Taiwan. The risks of adverse kidney outcomes were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression and the change in kidney function over time was analyzed using the linear mixed model.

Comparison of Adverse Kidney Outcomes With Empagliflozin and Linagliptin Use in Patients With Type 2 Diabetic Patients in a Real-World Setting.

To compare the effects of empagliflozin and linagliptin use on kidney outcomes of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in a real-world setting. The study involved a propensity score-matched cohort comprising new users of empagliflozin or linagliptin with T2DM between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2018 from a large healthcare delivery system in Taiwan. Clinical outcomes assessed: acute kidney injury (AKI), post-AKI dialysis, and mortality.

Apixaban vs. Warfarin in Atrial Fibrillation Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease.

Real-world evidence of apixaban treatment in patients with chronic kidney disease remains scarce. This study aimed to compare the relative risk of stroke or systemic embolism (SE) and major bleeding between apixaban and warfarin in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with different degrees of kidney function. We evaluated newly diagnosed AF patients between 2004 and 2018, who were receiving apixaban or warfarin.

Short-term heart rate variability as a predictor of long-term survival in patients with chronic hemodialysis: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV), a non-invasive measurement of the sympathetic-vagal balance, has been demonstrated as a predictor of long-term survival in various patient populations. However, its predictive value in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has not been evaluated in a long-term follow-up study.

Methods: Prospective data collected for 41 patients with chronic hemodialysis (age 59 ± 10 years, men 51.

Impact of dialysis dependence on prognosis in patients with myocardial infarction: An 11-year population-based study.

In this study we aimed to directly compare the short and long-term prognosis of nondialysis patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), dialysis patients, and patients with preserved renal function after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).AMI in patients with CKD is a catastrophic event associated with high medical expenditures and dismal survival. However, there is little research comparing post-AMI outcomes between patients with CKD who were and were not receiving dialysis.

Acute kidney injury in patients with pulmonary embolism: A population-based cohort study.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is overlooked in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Risk factors for and long-term outcomes of this complication remain unknown. This study evaluated the predictors and prognosis of AKI in patients with PE.

Prognosis of critically ill cirrhotic versus non-cirrhotic patients: a comprehensive score-matched study.

Background: Cirrhotic patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) have high mortality rates. The present study compared the characteristics and outcomes of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU with and without cirrhosis using the matched Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III (APACHE III) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed at the medical ICU of a tertiary-care hospital between January 2006 and December 2009.

Society of Thoracic Surgeons score predicts kidney injury in patients not undergoing bypass surgery.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an established indicator of all-cause mortality in a coronary care unit (CCU), and evaluating the risks of renal dysfunction can guide treatment decisions. In this study we used the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score to predict the incidence of AKI in CCU patients who had not undergone coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) after a cardiac angiogram.

Methods: The study cohort comprised 126 patients diagnosed with 2 or 3 coronary vessels disease who did not receive CABG during their hospital course.