Evaluating chronic kidney disease in rural South Africa: comparing estimated glomerular filtration rate using point-of-care creatinine to iohexol measured GFR.

Objectives: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease is rising rapidly in low- and middle-income countries. Serum creatinine and estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) are critical diagnostic tools, yet access to centralised laboratory services remains limited in primary care resource-limited settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate point-of-care (POC) technologies for serum creatinine measurement and to compare their performance to a gold standard measurement using iohexol measured GFR (mGFR).

Branched-chain and aromatic amino acids and cardiometabolic risk in Black African and Asian Indian populations.

Introduction: Studies have shown that systemic levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and aromatic amino acids (AAAs) are elevated in cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) in populations resident in high income countries. However, little is known about the association of BCAAs and AAAs with metabolic syndrome and its components in Asian Indian (AI) and Black African (BA) populations.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the association of BCAAs and AAAs with the metabolic syndrome, its individual components and insulin resistance in AI and BA populations.

Hepcidin and GDF-15 are potential biomarkers of iron deficiency anaemia in chronic kidney disease patients in South Africa.

Background: Anaemia is a common presenting feature among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and it is associated with poor clinical outcomes and quality of life. It is not clear if growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) or hepcidin are useful as early markers of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) among non-dialysis CKD patients. We therefore evaluated the diagnostic validity of GDF-15 and hepcidin as biomarkers of IDA among non-dialysis CKD patients in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Role of Inflammation in the Development of GDM and the Use of Markers of Inflammation in GDM Screening.

Gestational diabetes mellitus is a hyperglycaemic state first recognised in pregnancy. GDM affects both mother and child. Women with GDM and their new-borns are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.