Herbal Nephropathy.

This column is supplied by Amita Jain, MD, and Juan Jose Olivero, MD. Dr. Jain completed an internal medicine residency at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, and recently joined a primary care practice in Delaware.

Lipids and Renal Disease.

The column in this issue is supplied by Anita Shah, M.D., and Juan Jose Olivero, M.

Venous Thrombosis in Nephrotic Syndrome.

The column in this issue is supplied by Whitney Sharp, D.O., and Juan Jose Olivero, M.

Continuous Venous-Venous-Hemodialysis versus Intermittent-Hemodialysis in Critically Ill Patients.

The column in this issue is supplied by Juan Jose Olivero, M.D., a nephrologist at Houston Methodist Hospital and a member of the hospital's Nephrology Training Program.

Gadolinium-Induced Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis.

The column in this issue is supplied by Anita H. Shah, M.D.

Ferric citrate controls phosphorus and delivers iron in patients on dialysis.

Patients on dialysis require phosphorus binders to prevent hyperphosphatemia and are iron deficient. We studied ferric citrate as a phosphorus binder and iron source. In this sequential, randomized trial, 441 subjects on dialysis were randomized to ferric citrate or active control in a 52-week active control period followed by a 4-week placebo control period, in which subjects on ferric citrate who completed the active control period were rerandomized to ferric citrate or placebo.

Acute kidney injury after cardiovascular surgery: an overview.

Acute kidney injury is a complication of open-heart surgery that carries a poor prognosis. Studies have shown that postoperative renal function deterioration in cardiovascular surgery patients increases in-hospital mortality and adversely affects long-term survival. Identifying individuals at risk for developing AKI and aggressive early intervention is extremely important to optimize outcomes.

Nephrogenic calcific arteriopathy.

Vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is extremely common and contributes to significant morbidity and mortality among these patients. The pathogenesis is complex and involves multiple factors, including elevated calcium x phosphorus product as well as deficiencies in circulating or locally produced inhibitors of calcification, parathyroid hormone, hyperlipidemia and inflammation. Similarly, valvular heart calcifications as well as myocardial and pulmonary calcifications of fatal consequences can also occur, presumably related to the same pathogenetic factors (Figures 1, 2).

Chronic kidney disease: a marker of cardiovascular disease.

The risk of developing CVD is high among CKD patients and, as a result, cardiovascular-related complications account for high morbidity and mortality. Multiple factors contribute to CVD in CKD patients, including hypertension, anemia, inflammation, hyperlipidemia, calcium-phosphorus-parathyroid hormone imbalance, and hyperuricemia. Each one of these complications needs to be identified and treated in an attempt to improve survival.