Urinary beta-2 microglobulin increases whereas TIMP-2 and IGFBP7 decline after unilateral nephrectomy in healthy kidney donors.

Early kidney injury may be detected by urinary markers, such as beta-2 microglobulin (B2M), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and/or neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Of these biomarkers information on pathophysiology and reference ranges in both healthy and diseased populations are scarce. Differences in urinary levels of B2M, TIMP-2, IGFBP7, KIM-1 and NGAL were compared 24 h before and after nephrectomy in 38 living kidney donors from the REnal Protection Against Ischaemia-Reperfusion in transplantation study.

Hypertension and diabetes, but not leptin and adiponectin, mediate the relationship between body fat and chronic kidney disease.

Purpose: Obesity may promote kidney damage through hemodynamic and hormonal effects. We investigated the association between body mass index (BMI), total body fat (TBF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) and whether hypertension, diabetes, leptin and adiponectin mediated these associations.

Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study, 6671 participants (45-65 y) were included.

Cerebrovascular reactivity to hypercapnia in patients with migraine: A dual-echo arterial spin labeling MRI study.

Objective: This study aimed to compare cerebrovascular reactivity between patients with migraine and controls using state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.

Background: Migraine is associated with an increased risk of cerebrovascular disease, but the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. Impaired cerebrovascular reactivity has been proposed as a link.

Urinary Kidney Injury Biomarkers Are Associated with Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Severity in Kidney Allograft Recipients.

Background: We explored the potential of emerging and conventional urinary kidney injury biomarkers in recipients of living donor (LD) or donation after circulatory death (DCD) kidney transplantation, patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and individuals from the general population.

Methods: Urine samples from kidney allograft recipients with mild (LD; n = 199) or severe (DCD; n = 71) ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) were analyzed for neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP2), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), chemokine C-X-C motif (CXCL9), solute carrier family 22 member 2 (SLC22A2), nephrin, and uromodulin (UMOD) by quantitative multiplex LC-MS/MS analysis. The fold-change in biomarker levels was determined in mild and severe IRI and in patients with CKD stage 1-2 (n = 127) or stage ≥3 (n = 132) in comparison to the general population (n = 1438).

Serum Potassium and Risk of Death or Kidney Replacement Therapy in Older People With CKD Stages 4-5: Eight-Year Follow-up.

Rationale & Objective: Hypokalemia may accelerate kidney function decline. Both hypo- and hyperkalemia can cause sudden cardiac death. However, little is known about the relationship between serum potassium and death or the occurrence of kidney failure requiring replacement therapy (KRT).

Effect of residual kidney function and dialysis adequacy on chronic pruritus in dialysis patients.

Background: Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is common in dialysis patients, and is associated with lower quality of life and increased risk of death. We investigated the association between residual estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), dialysis adequacy or serum phosphate level and CKD-aP in incident dialysis patients.

Methods: A total of 1256 incident hemodialysis (HD) and 670 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients (>18 years) from the Netherlands Cooperative Study on the Adequacy of Dialysis (NECOSAD) study were included (1997-2007) and followed until death, transplantation or a maximum of 10 years.

Symptom Burden before and after Dialysis Initiation in Older Patients.

Background And Objectives: For older patients with kidney failure, lowering symptom burden may be more important than prolonging life. Dialysis initiation may affect individual kidney failure-related symptoms differently, but the change in symptoms before and after start of dialysis has not been studied. Therefore, we investigated the course of total and individual symptom number and burden before and after starting dialysis in older patients.

Association Between Lipophilic Beta-Blockers and Depression in Diabetic Patients on Chronic Dialysis.

Background: Depression is associated with lower quality of life and increased risk of mortality. The prevalence of depression in chronic dialysis patients, as well as in patients with diabetes, is more than 20%. It is debated whether use of beta-blockers increases the risk of depression.

Reference intervals of urinary kidney injury biomarkers for middle-aged men and women determined by quantitative protein mass spectrometry.

Background And Aims: There is an ongoing need to recognize early kidney injury and its progression in structural chronic pathologies. The proteins neutrophil-gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP2), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), C-X-C motif chemokine 9 (CXCL9), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1), solute carrier family 22 member 2 (SLC22A2), nephrin, cubilin, and uromodulin (UMOD) have been proposed as early kidney injury biomarkers. To guide clinical interpretation, their urinary concentrations should be accompanied by reference intervals, which we here establish in a representative Dutch middle-aged population.

Quality of Life before and after the Start of Dialysis in Older Patients.

Background And Objectives: In older people with kidney failure, improving health-related quality of life is often more important than solely prolonging life. However, little is known about the effect of dialysis initiation on health-related quality of life in older patients. Therefore, we investigated the evolution of health-related quality of life before and after starting dialysis in older patients with kidney failure.

Depression, anxiety and quality of life of hemodialysis patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To investigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on mental health in hemodialysis patients, we assessed depression, anxiety and quality of life with valid mental health measures before and after the start of the pandemic.

Methods: Data were used from 121 hemodialysis patients from the ongoing prospective multicenter DIVERS-II study. COVID-19 related stress was measured with the Perceived Stress Scale - 10, depression with the Beck Depression Inventory - second edition (BDI-II)), anxiety with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and quality of life with the Short Form - 12 (SF-12).

Environmental factors and mobility predict COVID-19 seasonality in the Netherlands.

Background: We recently showed that seasonal patterns of COVID-19 incidence and Influenza-Like Illnesses incidence are highly similar, in a country in the temperate climate zone, such as the Netherlands. We hypothesize that in The Netherlands the same environmental factors and mobility trends that are associated with the seasonality of flu-like illnesses are predictors of COVID-19 seasonality as well.

Methods: We used meteorological, pollen/hay fever and mobility data from the Netherlands.

Internet-based treatment for depressive symptoms in hemodialysis patients: A cluster randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of a guided internet-based self-help intervention for hemodialysis patients with depressive symptoms.

Method: Chronic hemodialysis patients from nine Dutch hospitals with a depression score on the Beck Depression Inventory - second edition (BDI-II) of ≥10, were cluster-randomized into a five modules guided internet-based self-help problem solving therapy intervention or a parallel care-as-usual control group. Clusters were based on hemodialysis shift.

Itching in dialysis patients: impact on health-related quality of life and interactions with sleep problems and psychological symptoms-results from the RENINE/PROMs registry.

Background: Itching (pruritus) is common in dialysis patients, but little is known about its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), sleep problems and psychological symptoms. This study investigates the impact of itching in dialysis patients by looking into the persistence of itching, the effect of itching on the course of HRQOL and the combined effect of itching with sleep problems and with psychological symptoms on HRQOL.

Methods: Data were obtained from the RENINE/PROMs registry and included 2978 dialysis patients who completed patient-reported outcome measures between 2018 and 2020.

Serum Potassium and Mortality Risk in Hemodialysis Patients: A Cohort Study.

Rationale & Objective: Both hypo- and hyperkalemia can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias. Although predialysis serum potassium level is a known modifiable risk factor for death in patients receiving hemodialysis, especially for hypokalemia, this risk may be underestimated. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between predialysis serum potassium level and death in incident hemodialysis patients and whether there is an optimum level.

Variation in glucocorticoid sensitivity and the relation with obesity.

Increasing evidence points to a relation between increased glucocorticoid (GC) exposure and weight gain. In support, long-term cortisol measurements using hair analysis revealed that many individuals with obesity appear to have cortisol values in the high physiological range. The mechanisms behind this relationship need to be determined in order to develop targeted therapy to reach sustainable weight loss in these subgroups.

Neuroimaging Findings in Retinal Vasculopathy with Cerebral Leukoencephalopathy and Systemic Manifestations.

Retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy and systemic manifestations is caused by mutations. High-quality systematic follow-up neuroimaging findings have not been described in presymptomatic and symptomatic mutation carriers. We present MR imaging findings of 29 mutation carriers (20-65 years of age) and follow-up of 17 mutation carriers (30-65 years of age).

Comparable seasonal pattern for COVID-19 and flu-like illnesses.

Background: During the first wave of COVID-19 it was hypothesized that COVID-19 is subject to multi-wave seasonality, similar to Influenza-Like Illnesses since time immemorial. One year into the pandemic, we aimed to test the seasonality hypothesis for COVID-19.

Methods: We calculated the average annual time-series for Influenza-Like Illnesses based on incidence data from 2016 till 2019 in the Netherlands, and compared these with two COVID-19 time-series during 2020/2021 for the Netherlands.

Lower gastrointestinal bleeding in a patient receiving sevelamer: Case report.

Phosphate binders such as sevelamer are widely used in patients with chronic kidney disease to lower serum phosphate levels. We present a case of a 67-year-old woman with lower gastrointestinal bleeding after 9 days of using sevelamer carbonate (Renvela). Sigmoidoscopy revealed multiple deep ulcers (diameter 10-15 mm) and mucosal oedema.

Plasma fatty acids and kidney function decline in post-myocardial infarction patients of the Alpha Omega Cohort.

Background And Aims: Age-related kidney function decline is accelerated in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). CHD and chronic kidney disease may share common etiologies. We examined plasma fatty acids (FAs) as novel biomarkers of kidney function decline after myocardial infarction (MI).

Cerebrovascular reactivity in retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy and systemic manifestations.

Retinal Vasculopathy with Cerebral Leukoencephalopathy and Systemic manifestations (RVCL-S) is a small vessel disease caused by mutations. RVCL-S is characterized by retinal vasculopathy and brain white matter lesions with and without contrast enhancement. We aimed to investigate cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) in RVCL-S.

The predictive value of TIMP-2 and IGFBP7 for kidney failure and 30-day mortality after elective cardiac surgery.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important risk factor for chronic kidney disease, renal replacement therapy (RRT), and mortality. However, predicting AKI with currently available markers remains problematic. We assessed the predictive value of urinary tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease-2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) regarding the need for RRT, and 30-day mortality, in elective cardiac surgery patients.

Can pollen explain the seasonality of flu-like illnesses in the Netherlands?

Current models for flu-like epidemics insufficiently explain multi-cycle seasonality. Meteorological factors alone, including the associated behavior, do not predict seasonality, given substantial climate differences between countries that are subject to flu-like epidemics or COVID-19. Pollen is documented to be allergenic, it plays a role in immuno-activation and defense against respiratory viruses, and seems to create a bio-aerosol that lowers the reproduction number of flu-like viruses.