Association of Handgrip Strength and Nutritional Status in Non-Dialysis-Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: Results from the KNOW-CKD Study.

Handgrip strength (HGS) is suggested as an indirect assessment of nutritional status in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, but evidence is limited for non-dialysis-dependent CKD (NDD-CKD) patients. This cross-sectional study included 404 patients from the Phase II KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcome in Patients With CKD. HGS, measured twice in each hand, was the exposure, and malnutrition status was defined by a malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS) of 6 or higher.

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index as a Prognostic Factor for Renal Progression in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) is associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). In total, 1100 patients with type 2 DM with a follow-up duration > 1 year were included in this longitudinal study. The risk of CKD progression was assessed according to GNRI quartiles.

Risk factors for overcorrection of severe hyponatremia: a post hoc analysis of the SALSA trial.

Background: Hyponatremia overcorrection can result in irreversible neurologic impairment such as osmotic demyelination syndrome. Few prospective studies have identified patients undergoing hypertonic saline treatment with a high risk of hyponatremia overcorrection.

Methods: We conducted a post hoc analysis of a multicenter, prospective randomized controlled study, the SALSA trial, in 178 patients aged above 18 years with symptomatic hyponatremia (mean age, 73.

Effects of the route of erythropoietin administration on hemoglobin variability and cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients.

Introduction: Despite of the routine use of erythropoietin in hemodialysis patients to correct anemia, its administration route's effects on hemoglobin variability and cardiovascular events remain elusive. Herein, we determined different erythropoietin administration routes' effects on hemoglobin variability in hemodialysis patients and the associated factors of hemoglobin variability and cardiovascular events.

Methods: This is a post hoc analysis of a prospective, controlled, randomized, unblinded study with 78 Korean hemodialysis patients receiving intravenous (n = 40) or subcutaneous (n = 38) erythropoietin therapy.

Association between copeptin levels and treatment responses to hypertonic saline infusion in patients with symptomatic hyponatremia: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Copeptin is secreted in equimolar amounts as arginine vasopressin, main hormone regulating body fluid homeostasis. A recent study reported a copeptin-based classification of osmoregulatory defects in syndromes of inappropriate antidiuresis that may aid in prediction of therapeutic success. We investigated usefulness of copeptin for differentiating etiologies of hyponatremia and predicting efficacy and safety of hypertonic saline treatment in hyponatremic patients.

Changes in duplex ultrasound parameters during maturation according to arteriovenous access types in incident hemodialysis patients.

Background: Little is known about the changes in hemodynamic parameters during arteriovenous (AV) access maturation using duplex ultrasound according to radiocephalic fistula (RCF), brachiocephalic fistula (BCF), and AV graft (AVG) in incident hemodialysis (HD) patient. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes and differences in brachial artery flow rate (BAFR) and related parameters affecting maturation by duplex ultrasound in incident HD patients according to access type.

Methods: This study was an observational study conducted from March 2019 to October 2020.

Malnutrition, inflammation, progression of vascular calcification and survival: Inter-relationships in hemodialysis patients.

Background And Aims: Malnutrition and inflammation are closely linked to vascular calcification (VC), the severity of which correlate with adverse outcome. However, there were few studies on the interplay between malnutrition, inflammation and VC progression, rather than VC presence per se. We aimed to determine the relationship of malnutrition, inflammation, abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) progression with survival in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Serum alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyl transferase in acute pyelonephritis.

Background: Elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (AP) and γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT) are commonly observed in patients with acute pyelonephritis. The goal of this study was to examine the clinical significance of elevated serum AP and γ-GT levels and to explore the mechanisms underlying these changes.

Methods: We examined serum AP and γ-GT levels in 438 patients with acute pyelonephritis.

Effects of aspirin resistance and mean platelet volume on vascular access failure in hemodialysis patients.

Background/aims: Maintaining the patency of vascular access (VA) in hemodialysis (HD) patients is important and can be life-saving. We investigated the effects of aspirin resistance and mean platelet volume (MPV) on VA failure in HD patients.

Methods: We enrolled 163 patients on maintenance HD.

Seropositive rate of the anti-hepatitis A immunoglobulin G antibody in maintenance hemodialysis subjects from two hospitals in Korea.

Background/aims: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a self-limiting infectious disease, but 1% of subjects develop fulminant hepatitis. The prevalence of the anti-HAV immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody in hemodialysis subjects in Korea remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the seropositive rate of anti-HAV antibody among hemodialysis subjects in two hospitals according to age group.

Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion (SIADH) Associated with Mediastinal Schwannoma.

Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) is the most common cause of euvolemic hypo-osmotic hyponatremia. There are several etiologies of SIADH including neuroendocrine tumor, pulmonary disease, infection, trauma, and medications. Here, we report a case of SIADH associated with a schwannoma involving the mediastinum in a 75-year-old woman who presented with nausea, vomiting, and general weakness.

Extracellular Fluid/Intracellular Fluid Volume Ratio as a Novel Risk Indicator for All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: In hemodialysis patients, fluid overload and malnutrition are accompanied by extracellular fluid (ECF) expansion and intracellular fluid (ICF) depletion, respectively. We investigated the relationship between ECF/ICF ratio (as an integrated marker reflecting both fluid overload and malnutrition) and survival and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the context of malnutrition-inflammation-arteriosclerosis (MIA) complex.

Methods: Seventy-seven patients from a single hemodialysis unit were prospectively enrolled.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in Korea.

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare syndrome characterized by micro-angiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury. The major pathogenesis of aHUS involves dysregulation of the complement system. Eculizumab, which blocks complement C5 activation, has recently been proven as an effective agent.

Optimization of Semitransparent Anode Electrode for Flexible Green and Red Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

In this paper, we demonstrated thin film semitransparent anode electrode using Ni/Ag/Ni (3/6/3 nm) on green and red phosphorescent OLEDs, which have basically high efficiency and good optical characteristics. Moreover, we applied this semitransparent anode on flexible green and red phosphorescent OLEDs, which were then optimized for possible applications on flexible substrates. First, we studied optimization using various conditions of Ni/Ag/Ni electrodes via transmittance and sheet resistance.

Effect of Stepwise Doping on Lifetime and Efficiency of Blue and White Phosphorescent Organic Light Emitting Diodes.

We investigated a light emission mechanism of blue phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (PHOLEDs), using a stepwise doping profile of 2, 8, and 14 wt.% within the emitting layer (EML). We fabricated several blue PHOLEDs with phosphorescent blue emitter iridium(III) bis[(4,6-difluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C2]picolinate doped in N,N'-dicarbazolyl-3,5-benzene as a p-type host material.

Effect of post-voiding urine volume on progression of renal function decline in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Diabetic bladder dysfunction (DBD) is a common complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The association between DBD and progression of diabetic nephropathy has not been clarified. In this study, we investigated the relationship between post-voiding residual urine (PVR) with decline in renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Performance improvement of green phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes with partial bulk heterojunctioned emitting layer.

Green phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) were developed using a mixed layer system. They were fabricated with 4,4'-N,N'-dicarbazolyl-biphenyl (CBP) and typical charge transporting materials, which are 4,4'-bis[N-(naphthyl)-N-phenylamino]biphenyl (NPB) as a hole transporting material and 1,3,5-tris(N-phenylbenzimidazole-2-yl)benzene (TPBi) as an electron transporting material, mixed at each interface in a stacked organic layer to reduce the hole injection barrier and extend the recombination zone. We introduced a mixed layer for the hole transporting layer side, the electron transporting layer side, and on both sides to make a bulk heterojunction.

Semitransparent Ni/Ag/Ni electrode for use as anode in flexible red phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes.

We suggested that Ni/Ag/Ni semitransparent electrodes for the exchange of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrode, which is the most commonly used as a transparent electrode in spite of the structural defects, limited supply of indium, and toxic, could be apply on flexible Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs). Red phosphorescent OLEDs (PHOLEDs) using different types of electrodes as ITO and various conditions of Ni/Ag/Ni electrode were fabricated and analyzed. The electrical and optical properties of device using Ni/Ag/Ni electrode were improved than that of devices on ITO glass substrate at the 10,000 cd/m2 criterion due to the micro-cavity effect even though their transmittance has lower than ITO glass.

Phosphorescent white organic light-emitting diodes by electron transporting layer engineering.

The authors describe the fabrication of white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs) with dual electron transporting layers (D-ETL) using 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanhroline/ 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BPhen) and bis-(2-methyl-8-quinolinolate)-4-(phenylphenolato) aluminum/BPhen. Stepwise D-ETL easily transports electrons easily to the emitting layer and reduces the leakage of electrons. Therefore, WOLEDs with D-ETL show higher external quantum efficiency (EQE) when compared to a control WOLED with a single ETL device.

Improved efficiency of red phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes with combination of heterojunction and mixed host structure.

We report an improvement of efficiency in red phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs) based on a combination of heterojunction (HJ) structure and mixed host (MH) system using a phosphorescent red emitter: bis(2-phenylquinolinato)-acetylacetonate iridium III [Ir(pq)2(acac)] doped in 4,4,N,N'-dicarbazolebiphenyl (CBP) of hole transport type host material and 1,3,5-tris(N-phenylbenzimidazole-2-yl)benzene (TPBi) of electron transport type host material. This combination device resulted in an effective electron and hole balance and distribution of the recombination zone. Therefore, highly efficient red PHOLEDs with maximum luminous efficiency and external quantum efficiency of 21.

The effect of a charge control layer on the electroluminescent characteristic of blue and white organic light-emitting diodes.

We investigated blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with a charge control layer (CCL) to produce high efficiency and improve the half-decay lifetime. Three types of devices (device A, B, and C) were fabricated following the number of CCLs within the emitting layer (EML), maintaining the thickness of whole EML. The CCL and host material, 2-methyl-9,10-di(2-naphthyl)anthracene, which has a bipolar property, was able to control the carrier movement with ease inside the EML.

The association between an abnormal post-voiding urine volume and a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with type 2 diabetes with no voiding symptoms.

Background/aims: Diabetic cystopathy is a frequent complication of diabetes mellitus. This study assessed the association between the post-voiding residual (PVR) urine volume and diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetics with no voiding symptoms.

Methods: This study investigated 42 patients with type 2 diabetes who were followed regularly at our outpatient clinic between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009.

The prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy by simultaneous hemofiltration during coronary angiographic procedures: a comparison with periprocedural hemofiltration.

Background: Periprocedural (6 h pre- and 24 h post-angiography) hemofiltration appears to effectively prevent contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing coronary angiography. However, this procedure over-uses medical resources, and the cessation of hemofiltration during coronary angiography results in persistent renal injury. In comparison, simultaneous hemofiltration performed only during coronary angiography requires fewer medical resources and can provide instantaneous protection against CIN.

Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury associated with hypothyroidism and statin therapy.

Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome involving the breakdown of skeletal muscle that causes myoglobin and other intracellular proteins to leak into the circulatory system, resulting in organ injury including acute kidney injury. We report a case of statin-induced rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury that developed in a 63-year-old woman with previously undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Untreated hypothyroidism may have caused her hypercholesterolemia requiring statin treatment, and it is postulated that statin-induced muscle injury was aggravated by hypothyroidism resulting in her full-blown rhabdomyolysis.