Effects of Rheopheresis in dialysis patients with peripheral artery disease and diabetic foot ulcers: A multicentric Italian study.

Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) in hemodialysis (HD) patients has a significant social impact due to its prevalence, poor response to standard therapy and dismal prognosis. Rheopheresis is indicated by guidelines for PAD treatment.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-five HD patients affected by PAD stage IV Lerichè-Fontaine and ischemic ulcer 1C or 2C according to the University of Texas Wound Classification System (UTWCS), without amelioration after traditional medical therapy and/or revascularization, were selected and underwent 12 Rheopheresis sessions in 10 weeks.

The Next Evolution of HemoDialysis eXpanded: From a Delphi Questionnaire-Based Approach to the Real Life of Italian Dialysis Units.

Introduction: Impact assessment of new technologies in chronic hemodialysis (HD) is challenging due to HD patient frailty, the complexity of HD clinical trials and practice variability among countries. Among the most recent HD innovations, medium cut-off (MCO) dialyzers present an optimized membrane geometry that provides enhanced clearances for middle and large molecular weight uremic toxins (UT). These toxins are poorly cleared by available HD techniques and largely contribute to patient morbidity and mortality.

Changes in Cytokines, Haemodynamics and Microcirculation in Patients with Sepsis/Septic Shock Undergoing Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy and Blood Purification with CytoSorb.

Background: Extracorporeal blood purification therapies have been proposed as a strategy to remove inflammatory mediators during sepsis, thus improving outcome.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate changes in cytokines, haemodynamics and microcirculation during blood purification with Cytosorb adsorber in septic patients.

Methods: Prospective observational study on critically ill adult patients with sepsis/septic shock underwent renal replacement therapy (RRT) for acute renal failure and haemoadsorption with Cytosorb as adjunctive therapy for 24 h.

Post-dilution hemodiafiltration with a heparin-grafted polyacrylonitrile membrane.

The aim of this multicenter, prospective study was to explore the possibility of carrying out routine sessions of post-dilution hemodiafiltration with a polyacrylonitrile membrane grafted with heparin (HeprAN) and reduced anticoagulation. Forty-four patients from eight centers were included in the study and treated by means of post-dilution on-line hemodiafiltration with automatic control of TMP, according to three different modalities tested consecutively: phase 1, polyethersulfone filter primed with heparinized saline and anticoagulated with continuous infusion of unfractionated heparin 1000/h; phase 2, HeprAN membrane filter primed with saline without heparin. Anticoagulation: a 1000-unit bolus of unfractionated heparin at the start of session followed by a second one at the end of the second dialysis hour; phase 3, same filter and priming procedure as in phase 2; anticoagulation with nadroparin calcium at the beginning of treatment.

m-TOR inhibitors may be useful in the treatment of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS).

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a rare but serious complication of long-term peritoneal dialysis, often occurring after patients have been shifted to haemodialysis or undergone renal transplantation. EPS is still associated with high morbidity and mortality but, although various treatment modalities have been tried, the optimal therapy is still debated. The present paper reports a 16-year-old patient who developed EPS 6 months after shifting to haemodialysis and, following adhesiolysis, was successfully treated with a combination of steroids, tamoxifen and everolimus, this last drug chosen for its antiproliferative effect through mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition and its ability to block vascular endothelial growth factor and neoangiogenesis.

L-carnitine is an osmotic agent suitable for peritoneal dialysis.

Excessive intraperitoneal absorption of glucose during peritoneal dialysis has both local cytotoxic and systemic metabolic effects. Here we evaluate peritoneal dialysis solutions containing L-carnitine, an osmotically active compound that induces fluid flow across the peritoneum. In rats, L-carnitine in the peritoneal cavity had a dose-dependent osmotic effect similar to glucose.

[Prevention of chronic allograft nephropathy].

Chronic allograft nephropathy, characterized by interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, is one of the main causes of allograft failure in the long term. It may be induced by several factors, immunogical or not in nature, which nephrologists must recognize in order to establish the appropriate treatment strategy and prevent progressive loss of graft function. Extensive use of graft biopsy, whether carried out by protocol or suggested by the clinical setting, is recommended for an accurate diagnosis of renal lesions and prompt identification of calcineurin inhibitor-induced toxicity or signs of immunological activity (i.

[Kidney transplant: a mere stage of CKD?].

At present, renal transplantation is the best treatment for end-stage renal disease but not the cure. The main factors limiting a full recovery after transplantation include the need for lifelong immunosuppressive therapy (which may lead to severe side effects in the long term), and only partial recovery of renal function after grafting. The latter event is not infrequent nowadays due to the increasing age of donors, who frequently die of cerebrovascular accidents and may have subclinical renal vascular lesions despite a GFR >60 mL/min, with increased susceptibility to calcineurin inhibitor toxicity.

[Nephrotic proteinuria with type 2 diabetes mellitus and autoimmune thyroiditis].

This study reports on a 67-year-old man, suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus for 11 years along with arterial hypertension and autoimmune thyroiditis, in whom nephrotic proteinuria was detected together with a mild reduction in GFR. No autoantibodies or monoclonal proteins were detected in blood and urine. Renal biopsy material examined by light microscopy, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy showed AL amyloidosis.

[Controversial issues in the Giornale Italiano di Nefrologia: how to treat patients with focal segmental glomerular sclerosis].

Primary focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS) commonly presents with nephrotic syndrome. Spontaneous remission is rare and persistent nephrotic syndrome is a marker of poor prognosis. For this reason, obtaining remission using drugs with minimal side effects is desirable.

[Renal transplantation from living donor in Italy and Europe].

Renal transplantation from a living donor shows a better graft and patient survival when compared with cadaver donor grafts. Moreover, since surgery can be planned in advance when a living donor is available, the time spent on dialysis while awaiting transplantation can be greatly reduced and dialysis treatment can be completely avoided in some cases. Only few risks for the donor have been reported as a consequence of nephrectomy, both in the short and long term.

[Thin glomerular basement membrane disease].

Thin glomerular basement membrane disease (TBMD) is a hereditary nephropathy characterized by thinning of the glomerular basement membrane evinced by electron microscopy and, clinically, by isolated hematuria without extrarenal manifestations. Familial aggregation is found in 50-60% of cases, with autosomal dominant transmission. TBMD is considered to belong to the type IV collagen spectrum of diseases, since heterozygous mutations of the COL4A3 or COL4A4 gene have been detected in more than 30% of patients.

Wireless capsule endoscopy in the diagnostic of small intestine angiodysplasia in chronic uremic patient.

Gastroenteric bleeding due to angiodysplasia (AD) is a relatively common occurrence in patients with end-stage renal failure. Gastric and colon angiodysplasic lesions can be easily revealed by endoscopic procedures, whereas lesions of the small intestine are more difficult to detect. Imaging modalities used in the diagnostic imaging algorithm for the detection of small-bowel AD, include non-invasive methods like enema-helical computer tomography,(99m)Tc-labelled red blood cell scintigraphy, and angiography, and invasive methods such as intraoperative enteroscopy.