Recommendations for the use of icodextrin in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Icodextrin is a starch-derived, high molecular weight glucose polymer, which has been shown to promote sustained ultrafiltration equivalent to that achieved with hypertonic (3.86%/4.25%) glucose exchanges during prolonged intraperitoneal dwells (up to 16 h).

Impact of epoetin alfa on clinical end points in patients with chronic renal failure: a meta-analysis.

Background: Numerous randomized, controlled trials have demonstrated that recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO, epoetin alfa) significantly raises hemoglobin levels, reduces transfusion requirements, and improves quality of life in anemic patients with chronic renal failure. However, this accumulation of data has yet to be systematically examined. The objectives of this meta-analysis were to quantify the effects of epoetin alfa on clinical efficacy, quality of life, hospitalizations, and transfusions by collecting and analyzing the published body of evidence.

Nutritional state correlates with renal function at the start of dialysis.

Objective: To determine the effect of renal function at the commencement of dialysis on nutritional state.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: University tertiary referral hospital.

A tricontinental view of IgA nephropathy.

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyse patients from four centres in three continents to determine if differences in long-term outcome of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) are explained by clinical and laboratory features at presentation.

Methods: The study included 711 adults with biopsy-proven IgAN from Glasgow, UK (n = 112), Helsinki, Finland (n = 204), Sydney, Australia (n = 121) and Toronto, Canada (n = 274). Data collected from time of presentation to a nephrologist were age, gender, 24-h urine protein excretion (UP(0)), mean arterial pressure (MAP(0)) and creatinine clearance (CrCl(0)).

Validity of subjective global assessment as a nutritional marker in end-stage renal disease.

Subjective global assessment (SGA) is a widely available clinical tool established to be of prognostic value in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Although it is reported to reflect a patient's nutritional status, its direct relationship to nutrition has not been determined. The aim of this study is to compare SGA with the gold standard for nutrition, total-body nitrogen (TBN) level, and thus determine the validity of SGA as a marker of nutritional status in patients with ESRD.