Respiratory involvement in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitides: a retrospective study based on POLVAS registry.

Objectives: The study aimed to characterise the Polish population of (ANCA)-associated vasculitides (AAV) with respiratory involvement (RI), in comparison to the subgroup without lung manifestations and the other cohorts.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of the Polish population of AAV with RI was conducted, based on data from the POLVAS registry. Standard descriptive statistics, χ2 test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used to perform comparisons.

The Length of Leukocyte and Femoral Artery Telomeres in Patients with Peripheral Atherosclerosis.

The length of telomeres (TLs) that protect chromosome ends may reflect the age of cells as well as the degree of genetic material damage caused by external factors. Since leukocyte telomere length is associated with cardiovascular diseases, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether leukocyte TL reflects femoral artery wall telomeres of patients with atherosclerosis and lower limb ischemia. Samples of femoral artery wall and blood were collected from 32 patients qualified to surgical revascularization.

Multisystem Amyloidosis in a Coal Miner with Silicosis: Is Exposure to Silica Dust a Cause of Amyloid Deposition?

The over-secretion of monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains by clonal B cells followed by the aggregation and extracellular deposition of fibrillar deposits are responsible forthe clinical course AL amyloidosis. It is well documented that silica significantly increases the number of immunoglobulin-secreting cells. In the present paper, we report on a coal miner with silicosis and fast progressing primary amyloidosis with predominantly heart, kidney, and lung manifestations.

Anti-ETAR and suPAR as markers of disease activity in renal ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Purpose: In anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), there is a lack of reliable biomarkers of disease activity. The aim of the study was to evaluate soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) and anti-endothelin-1 type A receptor (anti-ETAR) antibodies levels in active phase and remission of AAV.

Patients And Methods: We enrolled 60 patients (median age 63.

A randomized multicenter trial on a lung ultrasound-guided treatment strategy in patients on chronic hemodialysis with high cardiovascular risk.

Lung congestion is a risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients on chronic hemodialysis, and its estimation by ultrasound may be useful to guide ultrafiltration and drug therapy in this population. In an international, multi-center randomized controlled trial (NCT02310061) we investigated whether a lung ultrasound-guided treatment strategy improved a composite end point (all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, decompensated heart failure) vs usual care in patients receiving chronic hemodialysis with high cardiovascular risk. Patient-Reported Outcomes (Depression and the Standard Form 36 Quality of Life Questionnaire, SF36) were assessed as secondary outcomes.

The efficacy of single suture for exit site wound closure and stabilization of hemodialysis central tunneled catheter.

Introduction: The majority of the end-stage renal disease patients begin hemodialysis with the central tunneled catheter as a permanent or bridge vascular access. The procedure of central tunneled catheter insertion can be complicated by exit site bleeding, prolonged tunnel healing, and infection. The study aimed at evaluating whether the catheter exit site wound closing with a single-suture method is equally effective as the double suture method, which is most frequently applied.

The Impact of the Introduction of Innovative REDS Scale for the Evaluation of Central Tunnelled Catheter (CTC) Exit Site on Infection Prevention in Long-Term Haemodialyzed Patients.

Central tunneled catheter (CTC)-related infections are a leading cause of a catheter loss, thus being the source of significant morbidity and mortality. The study aims at evaluating the impact of the implementation of the innovative redness, edema, discharge and tenderness, symptoms (REDS) scale (devised by the authors) for the description of the tunnel condition on the frequency of infection in long-term catheter users. The same cohort of the 40 patients was observed for 4 years altogether: 2 years before and 2 years after REDS application.

Telomeres and telomerase in risk assessment of cardiovascular diseases.

Telomeres are repetitive nucleoprotein structures located at the ends of chromosomes. Reduction in the number of repetitions causes cell senescence. Cells with high proliferative potential age with each replication cycle.

Subphenotypes of ANCA-associated vasculitis identified by latent class analysis.

Objectives: ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV) are a heterogeneous group of rare diseases with unknown aetiology and the clinical spectrum ranging from life-threatening systemic disease, through single organ involvement to minor isolated skin changes. Thus, there is an unmet need for phenotype identification, especially among patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) seem to be clinically much more uniform.

The switch from proteasome to immunoproteasome is increased in circulating cells of patients with fast progressive immunoglobulin A nephropathy and associated with defective CD46 expression.

The proteasome to immunoproteasome (iPS) switch consists of β1, β2 and β5 subunit replacement by low molecular weight protein 2 (LMP2), LMP7 and multicatalytic endopeptidase-like complex-1 (MECL1) subunits, resulting in a more efficient peptide preparation for major histocompatibility complex 1 (MHC-I) presentation. It is activated by toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists and interferons and may also be influenced by genetic variation. In a previous study we found an iPS upregulation in peripheral cells of patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN).

Non-invasive tunnelled catheter reposition (NTCR): A simple and safe method to restore central tunnelled catheter function for haemodialysis.

Despite all efforts, still many end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients are dialysed using a central tunnelled catheter (CTC) as vascular access. When the CTC blood flow becomes ineffective, a number of protocols are advised. However, all of them are time- and cost-consuming.

Tunnelled Haemodialysis Catheter Removal: An Underappreciated Problem, Not Always Simple and Safe.

Background: Optimal care of patients treated with a central tunneled catheter (CTC) as vascular access for hemodialysis requires a number of procedures. One of them is CTC removal, usually carried out using mostly the cut-down method (CDM) and the traction method (TM). The procedure seems to be simple and safe; however, occasionally, serious complications may occur.

Treatment and its side effects in ANCA-associated vasculitides - Study based on POLVAS registry data.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to present the treatment modalities and associated side effects in a Polish nation-wide ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV) patients' cohort.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed with AAV between 1990 and 2016, included in the POLVAS registry was performed. Standard descriptive statistic methods were used with an emphasis on the treatment modalities.

Inflammation is an amplifier of lung congestion by high lv filling pressure in hemodialysis patients: a longitudinal study.

Introduction: Since inflammation alters vascular permeability, including vascular permeability in the lung, we hypothesized that it can be an amplifier of lung congestion in a category of patients at high risk for pulmonary oedema like end stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients.

Objective And Methods: We investigated the effect modification by systemic inflammation (serum CRP) on the relationship between a surrogate of the filling pressure of the LV [left atrial volume indexed to the body surface area (LAVI)] and lung water in a series of 220 ESKD patients. Lung water was quantified by the number of ultrasound B lines (US-B) on lung US.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in adult renal transplant recipients: case series and review of literature.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is serious life-threating complication of transplantation. The clinical picture differs from lymphomas observed in the general population, with different manifestation, histopathology, higher aggressiveness with involvement of sites beyond the primary lymph node, and poorer outcome. The objective of the study was to present nine cases of PTLD observed in our centre among the kidney transplant recipient population and discuss the results with up-to-date literature.

Post-transplant Alternative Complement Pathway Activation Influences Kidney Allograft Function.

The complement system is one of the crucial pathophysiological mechanisms that directly influence the function of a transplanted kidney. Since the complement pathways' activation potential can be easily determined via their functional activity measurement, we focused on fluctuation in the cascade activity in the early post-transplant period. The aim of the study was to relate the kidney transplantation-induced complement system response to allograft outcome.

Are Females More Prone Than Males to Become Obese After Kidney Transplantation?

BACKGROUND Being overweight for kidney transplant recipients can cause serious side effects. Weight gain affects two-thirds of kidney transplant recipients and has been attributed to a more liberal diet after transplantation, recovery of appetite due to lack of uremic toxicity, corticosteroid use, and inadequate lifestyle changes. The aim of this study was to assess gender-dependent profile of body mass index (BMI) changes after kidney transplantation (KTx).

Kidney Transplant Outcome Is Associated with Regulatory T Cell Population and Gene Expression Early after Transplantation.

Successful long-term kidney allograft survival with parallel reduction of complications resulting from prolonged immunosuppressive treatment is a goal in kidney transplantation. We studied the immune changes in cell phenotypes and gene expression induced by kidney transplantation. Our goal was to find a phenotypic and/or transcriptional pattern that might be considered prognostic for the kidney transplant outcome.

Mortality predictor pattern in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in diabetic patients.

An excessive mortality in dialysis programs is the result of cardiovascular injuries and immune deficiency caused by uremic toxins. The vulnerability of dialysis patients is still increasing due to the growing number of diabetics, elderly and patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) offer similar effectiveness during the first 2 years of the treatment.

Nutritional assessment of patients with end-stage renal disease using the MNA scale.

Background: Patient malnutrition is a significant problem in the process of rehabilitation and treatment. One of the tools that can reveal the risk of malnutrition is a series of standardized nutritional questionnaires.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the nutritional status of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) by means of the minimal nutritional assessment (MNA) scale.

The impact of symptoms on health-related quality of life in elderly pre-dialysis patients: effect and importance in the EQUAL study.

Background: Quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Patients feel that symptoms are an important determinant of QoL. However, this relation is unknown.

Uraemic symptom burden and clinical condition in women and men of ≥65 years of age with advanced chronic kidney disease: results from the EQUAL study.

Background: The epidemiology and prognosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) differ by sex. We aimed to compare symptom prevalence and the clinical state in women and men of ≥65 years of age with advanced CKD receiving routine nephrology care.

Methods: The European QUALity study on treatment in advanced chronic kidney disease (EQUAL) study follows patients from six European countries of ≥65 years of age  years whose estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) dropped to ≤20 mL/min/1.

Autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in dialysis-dependent multiple myeloma patients-DAUTOS Study of the Polish Myeloma Study Group.

Introduction: Dialysis-dependent (DD) multiple myeloma patients (MM) have a poor prognosis and high tumour burden, thus may benefit from autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT), however, these patients have an increased risk of toxicity.

Aims: To evaluate the outcomes (toxicity, PFS, OS) of high dose therapy followed by auto-PBSCT during an observational study and after propensity score matching.

Patients And Methods: Between 2004-2015, 24 DD patients, (aged 38-67 years), ISS 3, treated with auto-PBSCT, requiring dialysis at diagnosis and auto-PBSCT were evaluated, matched and compared to 55 normal renal function MM patients (NRF) with ISS 3 for outcomes of interest.