Association of vitamin intake with health-related quality of life in hemodialysis patients.

Background: It is still uncertain whether vitamin intake is associated with better quality of life in hemodialysis patients. This study aims to assess the association between the quantity of supplemented vitamins and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in this population.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study included all patients on chronic hemodialysis from three units.

Association of renal resistive indices with kidney disease progression and mortality.

Background: Renal resistive indices (RRI) have been shown to predict the progression of kidney disease. This study aims to evaluate the association of RRI with mortality and dialysis initiation after adjustment to therapeutic and life style interventions.

Methods: This is a retrospective study that included all chronic kidney disease patients followed for at least two years in three nephrology clinics between 2006 and 2019 and who had a RRI level in their files.

Where do you live and what do you do? Two questions that might impact your kidney health.

In many cases the social determinants of health need to be assessed through their interaction with environmental factors. This review looks at the impact of physical location and occupation of individuals on their kidney health. It examines the effect of living at high altitude on kidney function and the relationship between extreme cold or hot temperatures and the incidence of kidney injury.

Stroke in hemodialysis patients and its association with CHADS-VASC and HAS-BLED scores: a retrospective study.

Background: In the general population, the CHADS-VASC and the HAS-BLED scores are helpful to predict cerebrovascular events and hemorrhage in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, their predictive value remains controversial in the dialysis population. This study aims to explore the association between these scores and cerebral cardiovascular events in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Anemia biomarkers and mortality in hemodialysis patients with or without diabetes: A 10-year follow-up study.

Background: Many studies have assessed the association between anemia and mortality in hemodialysis but few compared patients with and without diabetes. Our study aims to investigate the impact of hemoglobin and iron parameters on mortality in hemodialysis patients with or without diabetes.

Methods: This is a two-center retrospective study that included all adult patients who started hemodialysis between February 2012 and February 2020, followed until January 2021.

Routine laboratory testing in hemodialysis: how frequently is it needed?

Background: Hemodialysis patients are followed by routine laboratory testing. There is uncertainty whether these tests always lead to a change in decision-making. This study aims to discover the number of yearly interventions/changes in prescription based on these tests and depict the group of patients who would benefit from reduced or increased laboratory blood tests.

Cost of illness of chronic kidney disease in Lebanon: from the societal and third-party payer perspectives.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the 12 leading cause of death worldwide. Cost-of-illness studies of CKD are scarce in developing countries. This study aims to estimate the cost of illness of all stages of CKD in Lebanon, from early stages until dialysis and kidney transplantation.

Erythropoietin in Acute Kidney Injury (EAKI): a pragmatic randomized clinical trial.

Background: Treatment with erythropoietin is well established for anemia in chronic kidney disease patients but not well studied in acute kidney injury.

Methods: This is a multicenter, randomized, pragmatic controlled clinical trial. It included 134 hospitalized patients with anemia defined as hemoglobin < 11 g/dL and acute kidney injury defined as an increase of serum creatinine of ≥ 0.

Occupational Heat Exposure as a Risk Factor for End-Stage Kidney Disease: A Case-Control Study.

Objective: More patients are reaching end-stage kidney disease without evident cause. This study aims to explore occupational risk factors associated with hemodialysis.

Methods: A multicenter matched case-control study included dialysis patients and age, sex, and diabetes-matched controls (normal kidney function).

Effects of Caffeinated and Decaffeinated Coffee on Hemodialysis-Related Headache (CoffeeHD): A Randomized Multicenter Clinical Trial.

Objectives: Historically, headache was reported in up to 76% of hemodialysis patients. Some authors suggested that headache resulted from caffeine withdrawal. This study aims to compare the incidence of headache and hypotension between patients drinking regular or decaffeinated coffee during dialysis.

Age and multimorbidities as poor prognostic factors for COVID-19 in hemodialysis: a Lebanese national study.

Background: Hemodialysis patients with COVID-19 have been reported to be at higher risk for death than the general population. Several prognostic factors have been identified in the studies from Asian, European or American countries. This is the first national Lebanese study assessing the factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Effective treatment with Tocilizumab in a COVID-19 patient on maintenance hemodialysis: A case report.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly spreading infective disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus (SARS-CoV-2). The management of this disease remains a challenge particularly in certain subgroups of patients such in hemodialysis patients who have higher exposure rates due to the nature of their in-hospital care, and higher mortality due to their burden of comorbidities. We report a case of a 52-year-old patient with Von Hippel Lindau syndrome and end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis who contracted COVID-19 infection.

Exploring the knowledge gap of immune checkpoint inhibitors in chronic renal failure: A systematic review of the literature.

Targeting the immune system with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) to treat cancer has been lately adopted with a significant improvement of patients' survival. In parallel, the incidence of malignancy in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is increasing, but solid evidence concerning the efficacy and safety of ICI in this population is lacking. Moreover, the use of these agents as immunity boosters in kidney graft recipients treated with immunosuppressors is still controversial.

A formula predicting the effective dose of febuxostat in chronic kidney disease patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia based on a retrospective study and a validation cohort .

Aim: Febuxostat is initiated in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients to lower uric acid but without any renal dosing scheme. This study aimed to determine a formula that predicts the effective dose of febuxostat in patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min and asymptomatic hyperuricemia.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 100 CKD patients treated with febuxostat for asymptomatic hyperuricemia in two private Lebanese clinics.

Duchenne Smile is Associated with Quality of Life and Survival in Hemodialysis Patients.

Hemodialysis is the most used renal replacement modality for end-stage renal disease patients. Dialysis patients are usually assessed for quality of life (QoL) but smiling was never studied. Duchenne smile is a genuine expression of joy, associated with better survival in some groups of the general population.

Musculoskeletal disorders in hemodialysis patients: different disease clustering according to age and dialysis vintage.

Musculoskeletal disorders remain a major problem in hemodialysis patients. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal manifestations in hemodialysis patients and identify disease cluster profiles. We performed a cross-sectional study including all adult patients in the hemodialysis unit at Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital.

How do Lebanese patients perceive the ideal doctor based on the CanMEDS competency framework?

Background: During their training, Lebanese medical students develop a high medical expertise but are not focusing on other competencies such as communication, collaboration, erudition, professionalism, leadership and health promotion. There is also insufficient data about patients' preference for these skills. This study describes the different weights patients attribute to these physician's competencies.

Evaluation of chronic kidney disease in cancer patients: is there a preferred estimation formula?

Background: The evaluation of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cancer patients seems to rely mostly on the Cockcroft-Gault (CG) formula or the creatinine levels to adjust treatment dosages which is a practice refuted by internists.

Aims: We evaluate the overall agreement of the CG, modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) and CKD-epidemiology collaboration equations (CKD-EPI) equation with the newly devised Janowitz and Williams' (JW) equation.

Methods: The renal function was estimated in 235 cancer patients according to the CG, MDRD, body surface area (BSA)-adjusted MDRD, CKD-EPI, BSA-adjusted CKD-EPI and JW formulae.

Reduction of intracerebral hemorrhage in hemodialysis patients after reducing aspirin use: A quality-assurance observational study.

There is so far no international consensus concerning the prescription of antithrombotic agents in hemodialysis patients. It is not clear yet why they cause more bleeding in some patients and are beneficial in others. We therefore tried to find out what triggers bleeding in this population.

High Dephosphorylated-Uncarboxylated MGP in Hemodialysis patients: risk factors and response to vitamin K, A pre-post intervention clinical trial.

Background: Vascular calcifications are highly prevalent in hemodialysis patients. Dephosphorylated-uncarboxylated MGP (dp-ucMGP) was found to increase in vitamin K-deficient patients and may be associated with vascular calcifications. Supplementation of hemodialysis patients with vitamin K (menaquinone-7) has been studied in Europe with a maximum 61% drop of dp-ucMGP levels.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors renal side effects and management.

The choice of immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer has improved the prognosis of many patients affected by various malignancies. The high expectations foreseen with immunotherapy have led to fast approvals despite the incomplete understanding of the toxicity profiles in the different organs, including the kidneys. The high prevalence of chronic kidney disease in cancer patients complicates the issue further and requires a better knowledge of the renal safety profile to ensure an optimal safe treatment.