A novel allocation scheme for deceased donor kidneys to balance equity and utility.

Background: Patients with sensitization and blood type O experience increased waiting times for deceased-donor kidney transplantation (DDKT). While allocation benefits are needed to resolve inequity in DDKT opportunity, whether DDKT has comparable outcomes in this disadvantaged population requires further study. This study assessed these outcomes and developed a new allocation system that balances equity and utility.

Impact of sensitization and ABO blood types on the opportunity of deceased-donor kidney transplantation with prolonged waiting time.

The waiting time to deceased-donor kidney transplantation (DDKT) is long in Asian countries. We investigated the impact of sensitization and ABO blood type (ABO) on DDKT opportunity using two Korean cohorts: a hospital cohort from two centers and a national database. The impact of panel reactive antibody (PRA) based on the maximal PRA% and ABO on DDKT accessibility was analyzed using a competing risks regression model.

Evaluating the Safety and effectivenesS in adult KorEaN patients treated with Tolvaptan for management of autosomal domInAnt poLycystic kidney disease (ESSENTIAL): short-term outcomes during the titration period.

Background: Tolvaptan reduces height-adjusted total kidney volume (htTKV) and renal function decline in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). This study was aimed at investigating the efficacy and safety of tolvaptan in Korean patients with ADPKD during the titration period.

Methods: This study is a multicenter, single-arm, open-label phase 4 study.

The Association between Health-Enhancing Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

We investigate the association between health-enhancing physical activity and the quality of life in patients with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease. We performed data analysis on 1618 of 2238 patients from 2011 to 2016, obtained from the KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcome in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD). Health-related quality of life was measured using the Korean version 1.

Association between serum osteoprotegerin level and renal prognosis in nondialysis patients with chronic kidney disease in the Korean Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (the KNOW-CKD Study).

Background: Osteoprotegerin is an important regulator of bone metabolism and vascular calcification. The association between serum osteoprotegerin level and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression has not been elucidated. We investigated the prognostic value of serum osteoprotegerin levels in nondialysis CKD patients.

Dietary Assessment of Korean Non-dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with or without Diabetes.

Background: Dietary intervention at the early stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is important for preventing progression to the end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, few studies have investigated dietary intake of CKD patients in non-dialysis stage. Therefore, we investigated the dietary intake of Korean non-dialysis CKD patients and aimed to establish baseline data for the development of dietary education and intervention strategies for CKD patients.

Urinary Angiotensinogen in addition to Imaging Classification in the Prediction of Renal Outcome in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Background: Intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is known to play the major role in the development of hypertension and renal progression in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Urinary angiotensinogen to creatinine ratio (AGT/Cr) was suggested as a novel biomarker to reflect intrarenal RAS activity. This study was performed to evaluate urinary AGT/Cr as a predictive biomarker for renal function decline in addition to imaging classification in a prospective ADPKD cohort.

High serum adiponectin as a biomarker of renal dysfunction: Results from the KNOW-CKD study.

High serum adiponectin is noted in several conditions of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is a predictor for end stage renal disease. However, the relationship between adiponectin level and renal disease progression is not well established. This study aimed to determine the relationship between serum adiponectin levels and CKD progression.

Hyperuricemia has increased the risk of progression of chronic kidney disease: propensity score matching analysis from the KNOW-CKD study.

The prevalence of hyperuricemia and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been steadily increasing. The role of hyperuricemia and efficacy of uric acid-lowering agents against CKD progression remain controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of hyperuricemia and uric acid-lowering agents on the progression of CKD.

Baseline characteristics of the autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease sub-cohort of the KoreaN cohort study for outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the baseline characteristics of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in a cohort of Korean patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: From April 2011 to February 2016, patients with CKD stage 1-5 (pre-dialysis) were enrolled as an ADPKD sub-cohort of the KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease. Baseline characteristics, the correlation of kidney and liver volume and kidney function and the factors associated with kidney function were analysed.

Association between vitamin D deficiency and health-related quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease from the KNOW-CKD study.

Vitamin D deficiency is a growing health problem in both the general population and in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and health-related quality of life in CKD is not well established. This study examined the association between vitamin D deficiency and quality of life in pre-dialysis CKD patients.

Discrepancies in Clinic and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Korean Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

Blood pressure (BP) control is considered the most important treatment for preventing chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression and associated cardiovascular complications. However, clinic BP is insufficient to diagnose hypertension (HT) and to monitor overall BP control because it does not correlate well with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). We enrolled 387 hypertensive CKD patients (stages G1-G4, 58.

Cystatin C is Better than Serum Creatinine for Estimating Glomerular Filtration Rate to Detect Osteopenia in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

Purpose: Recent studies have reported that loss of bone mass is associated with renal function decline and increased fracture risks in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the best estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equation to detect osteopenia in CKD patients.

Materials And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, and 780 patients aged 50 years or above were classified into normal bone mass or osteopenia groups according to the -1.

Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral Bone Disorder in Korean Patients: a Report from the KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD).

This study examined the characteristics of biochemical parameters, bone diseases, and vascular calcification in Korean patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) not yet on dialysis. Serum levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25D), and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D); lumbar spine, total hip, and femur neck bone mineral densities; and brachial-to-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) representing vascular calcification were measured at baseline for 2,238 CKD patients in the KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients With CKD (KNOW-CKD). Increases in serum FGF23 and iPTH preceded changes in serum calcium and phosphate, similar to Western populations.

Baseline Cardiovascular Characteristics of Adult Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease from the KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD).

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We report the baseline cardiovascular characteristics of 2,238 participants by using the data of the KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD) study. The cohort comprises 5 subcohorts according to the cause of CKD: glomerulonephritis (GN), diabetic nephropathy (DN), hypertensive nephropathy (HTN), polycystic kidney disease (PKD), and unclassified.

Baseline General Characteristics of the Korean Chronic Kidney Disease: Report from the KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD).

The KoreaN Cohort Study for Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD) was developed to investigate various clinical courses and risk factors for progression of Korean chronic kidney disease (CKD). The KNOW-CKD study consists of nine clinical centers in Korea, and patients aged between 20 and 75 years with CKD from stage 1 to 5 (predialysis) were recruited. At baseline, blood and urine samples were obtained and demographic data including comorbidities, drugs, quality of life, and health behaviors were collected.

Efficacy, safety and albuminuria-reducing effect of gemigliptin in Korean type 2 diabetes patients with moderate to severe renal impairment: A 12-week, double-blind randomized study (the GUARD Study).

Aims: This multicentre, randomized, double-blind study investigated the efficacy and safety of gemigliptin in Korean type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with moderate to severe renal impairment (RI).

Methods: The study comprised a 12-week main part and a 40-week extension. We report here the results from the main part.

KNOW-Ped CKD (KoreaN cohort study for outcomes in patients with pediatric CKD): Design and methods.

Background: The global prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing. In children, CKD exhibits unique etiologies and can have serious impacts on children's growth and development. Therefore, an aggressive approach to preventing the progression of CKD and its complications is imperative.

IL-2/anti-IL-2 complex attenuates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury through expansion of regulatory T cells.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) can suppress immunologic damage in renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), but the isolation and ex vivo expansion of these cells for clinical application remains challenging. Here, we investigated whether the IL-2/anti-IL-2 complex (IL-2C), a mediator of Treg expansion, can attenuate renal IRI in mice. IL-2C administered before bilateral renal IRI induced Treg expansion in both spleen and kidney, improved renal function, and attenuated histologic renal injury and apoptosis after IRI.

Islet allograft rejection in sensitized mice is refractory to control by combination therapy of immune-modulating agents.

Retransplantation is common in allogeneic islet transplantation, and therefore, memory responses in previously sensitized recipients present a distinct obstacle for successful islet transplantation. Given the difficulties in controlling memory responses contributing to allograft rejection, it is worth investigating the effects of new immune-modulating agents against islet allograft rejection in the sensitized recipients. In this study, we investigated immune-modulating agents including 5-azacytidine and IL-2/anti-IL-2 complex to ascertain their suppressive effects on memory responses.

Impact of C-reactive protein and pulse pressure evaluated at the start of peritoneal dialysis on cardiovascular events in the course of treatment with peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Despite a reduced number of infectious complications, cardiovascular (CV) mortality remains unchanged in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and pulse pressure (PP) at the start of PD on the development of CV events (CVEs) in these patients.

Methods: The study population was comprised of 291 patients that started PD between January 2003 and June 2008 and were treated for more than 6 months.

The mildly elevated serum bilirubin level is negatively associated with the incidence of end stage renal disease in patients with IgA nephropathy.

Oxidative stress plays various roles in the development and progression of IgA nephropathy, while bilirubin is known as a potent antioxidant. We therefore hypothesized that serum bilirubin would be associated with renal prognosis in IgA nephropathy. The study subjects comprised 1,458 adult patients with primary IgA nephropathy in Korea.

MCP-1 and RANTES polymorphisms in Korean diabetic end-stage renal disease.

Macrophage infiltration has been observed in the renal biopsy specimens of diabetic nephropathy (DN), and hyperglycemic state stimulates the renal expression of RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted) and MCP- 1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1). Upregulation of RANTES and MCP-1 with infiltrating macrophages may play a crucial role in the development and progression of DN. Genetic polymorphisms of RANTES and its receptors were reported to be independent risk factors for DN.