Performance of methods to assess kidney function in a predominantly overweight sample of patients with liver disease.

The assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with liver disease is necessary to make decisions about organ allocation. Creatinine is widely used as a marker of GFR; however, it is not reliable in patients with liver disease. The aims of this study were to (1) determine if iodine 125-labeled iothalamate ((125)I-iothalamate) clearance calculated using the plasma decay method is equal to renal clearance of (125)I-iothalamate and (2) estimate kidney function using the creatinine-based Cockcroft-Gault and the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equations, a cystatin C-based equation, the urine collection method for creatinine clearance, and plasma clearance of vancomycin (V) and compare these estimates to renal clearance of (125)I-iothalamate in adult patients with liver disease.

Vitamin D and the racial difference in the genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C treatment response.

Background: African Americans with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C attain a sustained virologic response (SVR) at only approximately one-half the rate of whites after peginterferon and ribavirin treatment. The serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] has recently been established as a predictor of treatment response. Therefore, the low serum concentrations of 25(OH)D found among African Americans may contribute to the low response rate; however, to our knowledge, none of the studies of vitamin D in chronic hepatitis C treatment have included a significant number of black patients.