Kidney replacement therapy trends in end-stage kidney disease patients in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background/aims: The corona virus disease 2019 posed a major risk for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) cases. Our study aimed to assess changes in kidney replacement therapy (KRT) trends and healthcare access for these patients during the pandemic.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed nationwide data from July 2017 to June 2022 to assess changes in KRT and ESKD incidence.

COVID-19 infection in patients with end-stage kidney disease undergoing renal replacement therapies in Korea.

Background: The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) at heightened risk owing to their vulnerability to infections. Our study focused on patients with ESKD, examining COVID-19 incidence, hospitalization, and mortality in relation to their renal replacement therapy (RRT) type and identifying factors influencing COVID-19 hospitalization.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using health insurance claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service for patients with ESKD between July 2017 and June 2022.

Antibody response in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis post-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination: A prospective observational study.

Vaccination is important for patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection since they are more vulnerable. However, they exhibit a weak response to vaccines, underscoring the importance of understanding whether antibodies are sufficiently produced and their durability post-COVID-19 vaccination. This prospective observational study assessed the antibody response of Korean patients undergoing HD for 1 year.

Antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

Purpose: Since patients on hemodialysis (HD) are known to be vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many studies were conducted regarding the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in HD patients in Western countries. Here, we assessed antibody response of HD patients for 6 months post-vaccination to identify the duration and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Asian population.

Materials And Methods: We compared antibody response of the COVID-19 vaccine in HD patients with healthy volunteers.

Applicable Machine Learning Model for Predicting Contrast-induced Nephropathy Based on Pre-catheterization Variables.

Objective Contrast agents used for radiological examinations are an important cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). We developed and validated a machine learning and clinical scoring prediction model to stratify the risk of contrast-induced nephropathy, considering the limitations of current classical and machine learning models. Methods This retrospective study included 38,481 percutaneous coronary intervention cases from 23,703 patients in a tertiary hospital.

Exploring the Impact of Appetite Alteration on Self-Management and Malnutrition in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A Mixed Methods Research Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Framework.

Hemodialysis (HD) patients face a common problem of malnutrition due to poor appetite. This study aims to verify the appetite alteration model for malnutrition in HD patients through quantitative data and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework. This study uses the Mixed Method-Grounded Theory (MM-GT) method to explore various factors and processes affecting malnutrition in HD patients, create a suitable treatment model, and validate it systematically by combining qualitative and quantitative data and procedures.

Self-care Through Dynamic Appetite Alteration: A Grounded Theory Study of Patient Experience on Maintenance Hemodialysis.

Hemodialysis (HD) patients can experience appetite alterations that affect meals and nutritional status. Few qualitative studies have assessed the chronic impact of HD on the everyday diet. This study aimed to characterise comprehensively the experiences of HD patients adapting to appetite alteration.

The importance of muscle mass in predicting intradialytic hypotension in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis.

Background: Patients undergoing hemodialysis are susceptible to sarcopenia. As intracellular reservoirs of water, skeletal muscles are important contributors to intradialytic hypotension. This study was designed to determine the role of skeletal muscle mass in intradialytic hypotension.

Characteristics of fracture in patients who firstly starts kidney replacement therapy in Korea: a retrospective population-based study.

The incidence of fractures in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is high which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Since fractures are preventable diseases to some extent, epidemiologic studies are needed a lot. The aim of this study is to explore the epidemiology of fractures by modality of kidney replacement therapy (KRT).

Mental illness in patients with end-stage kidney disease in South Korea: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: The limited literature on mental illness in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients suggests that this disease is common and burdensome but underrecognized in clinical practice. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of mental illness in ESKD patients.

Methods: We assessed the prevalence and patterns of mental illnesses in a nationwide cohort of patients diagnosed with ESKD between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2017.

Characterization of Medication Trends for Chronic Kidney Disease: Mineral and Bone Disorder Treatment Using Electronic Health Record-Based Common Data Model.

Chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD) is the most common complication in CKD patients. Although there is a consensus on treatment guidelines for CKD-MBD, it remains uncertain whether these treatment recommendations reflect actual practice. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the CKD-MBD medication trend in real-world practice.

Preexisting comorbidities are associated with the mortality rate as well as the predialysis adverse events in incident dialysis patients.

Background: Optimal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to start maintenance dialysis is controversial. Observational studies have reported that initiation of dialysis at high eGFRs is associated with worse postdialysis survival.

Methods: We retrospectively investigated 1,038 incident dialysis patients who started maintenance dialysis during 2010-2015.

Epidemiological characteristics of cancers in patients with end-stage kidney disease: a Korean nationwide study.

Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) have been reported to have an increased risk of cancer. However, the epidemiological characteristics of cancer in ESKD patients remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of cancer in ESKD patients and the differences based on the renal replacement therapy provided.

Trends in the Incidence, Prevalence, and Mortality of End-Stage Kidney Disease in South Korea.

Knowledge of the epidemiologic characteristics of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients is essential. The trends in the prevalence, incidence, and mortality rates of ESKD were analyzed retrospectively using the Korean National Health Insurance ServiceNational Sample Cohort database between 2006 and 2015. From 2006 to 2015, the incidence of ESKD decreased from 28.

Risk of fracture according to glucocorticoid use after renal biopsy: a nationwide population-based study.

Few data are available regarding fracture risk in patients treated with glucocorticoids, including patients with kidney disease. A population-based retrospective cohort study was performed using Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database, a South Korean nationwide cohort set. This study identified 44,702 patients with diagnosis code of kidney diseases who received a renal biopsy between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2017.

Trabecular bone score may indicate chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) phenotypes in hemodialysis patients: a prospective observational study.

Background: In the general population, the trabecular bone score (TBS) represents the bone microarchitecture and predicts fracture risk independent of bone mineral density (BMD). A few studies reported that TBS is significantly reduced in dialysis patients. Chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) are accompanied by increased fracture risk, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality.

Changes in Medical Students' Self-Assessments of Clinical Communication Skills after Clinical Practice and Standardized Patient Feedback.

Objective: In this study, the authors aimed to analyze the effects of clinical practice and Standardized Patient (SP) feedback on medical students' self-assessments of their clinical communication skills (CCS).

Methods: The authors analyzed questionnaire responses from 43 fifth-year medical students enrolled in the Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea, in 2019, and used the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) scale to measure the study's variables. A descriptive statistical analysis and paired t test focused on the distribution of and changes in CCS before and after clinical practice and after receiving SP feedback.

Intakes of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and non-fried fish in relation to incidence of chronic kidney disease in young adults: a 25-year follow-up.

Purpose: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing rapidly in many countries and has become a major public health concern. Although intakes of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCω3PUFA) and its food source-fish-may have renal protective effects, little is known about the longitudinal association between these dietary factors and CKD incidence.

Methods: A total of 4133 healthy individuals of black and white race aged 18-30 at baseline (1985-1986) from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study were enrolled and followed up over 25 years.

Effects of sarpogrelate on microvascular complications with type 2 diabetes.

Background Diabetes is a major cause of microvascular complications. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone blockers have been known to have the benefits of delaying onset and progression of diabetic complications including nephropathy. Objective To evaluate the effect of sarpogrelate, an antiplatelet agent, on the new onset diabetic complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

High variability of teicoplanin concentration in patients with continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration.

Introduction: Continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) may alter teicoplanin pharmacokinetics and increase the risk of incorrect dosing. The objective of this prospective observational study was to assess the effect of CVVHDF on the pharmacokinetics of teicoplanin as maintenance therapy.

Methods: Blood, urine, and dialysate samples were collected to measure teicoplanin levels.

Can we predict when to start renal replacement therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease using 6 months of clinical data?

Purpose: We aimed to develop a model of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression for predicting the probability and time to progression from various CKD stages to renal replacement therapy (RRT), using 6 months of clinical data variables routinely measured at healthcare centers.

Methods: Data were derived from the electronic medical records of Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, South Korea from October 1997 to September 2012. We included patients who were diagnosed with CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] < 60 mL·min-1·1.

Comparison of creatinine index and geriatric nutritional risk index for nutritional evaluation of patients with hemodialysis.

Introduction: Malnutrition is prevalent in hemodialysis (HD) patients, and the risk of mortality is strongly correlated with malnutrition. Current methods of nutritional evaluation are mostly subjective, time-consuming, and cumbersome. Creatinine index (CI) and geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) are very simple and objective methods to assess the nutritional status of HD patients.