Publications by authors named "K Kantartzi"

Introduction: This study aimed to describe the clinical course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients with glomerular diseases (GDs) and its impact on the probability of relapse.

Methods: Patients with biopsy-proven GD and positive PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 from glomerular clinics across Greece were studied retrospectively. Those who received the GD diagnosis after the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or ended in ESKD prior to infection were excluded.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is common among hemodialysis (HD) patients. Endoscopic examination of the upper and lower GI tract often fails to identify hemorrhagic lesions in anemic HD patients. The study aims to evaluate lesions of the small bowel mucosa in HD vs non-HD patients with suspected small-bowel bleeding (SSBB) using capsule endoscopy (CE) after negative upper and lower GI endoscopies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients are at increased risk for atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and progression to end stage kidney disease (ESKD). This heavy CVD risk cannot be solely at-tributed to traditional Framingham risk factors. Oxidative stress (OS), defined as the disruption of balance between prooxidants and antioxidants in favor of the former, has emerged as a novel risk factor for CVD and CKD progression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • CPPD arthritis is the second most common crystal-induced arthritis after gout and is typically treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or glucocorticoids.
  • There is currently no effective pharmacological treatment to reduce CPPD crystal levels, making it hard to manage in chronic cases, especially for patients with end-stage renal disease.
  • A study found that treating two patients with chronic CPPD arthritis and end-stage renal disease with the IL-1β receptor antagonist anakinra led to quick resolution of symptoms and allowed them to stop glucocorticoids, suggesting it may be a safe and effective treatment option.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Prior observational studies conducted in the hemodialysis population have suggested a reverse association between dialysis-unit blood pressure (BP) and mortality. The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic association of home versus dialysis-unit BP with all-cause mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: At baseline, 146 patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis underwent assessment of their BP with the following methods: (i) 2-week averaged routine predialysis and postdialysis BP measurements; (ii) home BP monitoring for 1 week that included duplicate morning and evening BP measurements with the use of validated devices.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF