The effect of active vitamin D administration on muscle mass in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Muscle wasting is common and insidious in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Loss of muscle quantity and quality reduces quality of life and increases mortality in ESRD patients. Additionally, secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) causes muscle atrophy.

A case of acute kidney injury with marked hyperuricemia during mizoribine administration.

A 52-year-old woman was diagnosed with Blau syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis and was treated with prednisolone and methotrexate. Joint pain and skin ulcers were poorly controlled; therefore, mizoribine (MZ; 150 mg/day) was administered once daily from March 2011. In early July 2011, the patient was hospitalized because of acute kidney injury (AKI) and acute pancreatitis.

Identification of a novel mutation and prevalence study for fabry disease in Japanese dialysis patients.

Fabry disease--a genetic disorder characterized by the accumulation of globotriaosylceramide in cell lysosomes resulting from an X-linked deficiency of α-galactosidase A activity--presents with multiorgan manifestations, including progressive renal disease. Recently, its prevalence has been reported to be higher in hemodialysis (HD) patients than in the general population. We, therefore, examined patients on maintenance dialysis living in the Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, to clarify the prevalence of Fabry disease.

Serum pro-hepcidin level and iron homeostasis in Japanese dialysis patients with erythropoietin (EPO)-resistant anemia.

Background: Resistance to EPO therapy in hemodialysis (HD) patients is ascribed to inflammation and iron deficiency. Hepcidin, an antimicrobial peptide, is a key regulator of iron metabolism and synthesis of hepcidin is regulated by iron status and inflammation. The role of hepcidin in the pathogenesis of EPO-resistant anemia was assessed through measurement of serum pro-hepcidin in HD patients.

Plasma concentrations of adrenomedullin and ghrelin in hemodialysis patients with sustained and episodic hypotension.

Sustained and/or episodic hypotension during hemodialysis (HD) is an important clinical issue. Plasma adrenomedullin (AM) is increased in HD patients with sustained hypotension, but little is known about its implications for episodic hypotension. Ghrelin may also contribute to the pathophysiology of hypotension in HD patients.