Predictive Value of Coronary Calcifications for Future Cardiac Events in Asymptomatic Patients with Severe Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Coronary calcification is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular events. This retrospective study sought to determine the predictive value of coronary calcification in a specific group of patients with chronic kidney disease.

Methods: We included 1094 asymptomatic patients (724 males, 370 females, age 62 ± 9.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and end-stage renal disease: it is not all about the kidneys!

Introduction: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a powerful biomarker for the early detection of acute kidney injury. However, recent data suggest that NGAL also plays an important role in chronic kidney disease (CKD), reflecting the level of acute kidney damage within the CKD condition. To study whether elevated NGAL levels in CKD are a consequence of damaged tubular cells or rather due to extrarenal production, we investigated NGAL levels in anephric patients on dialysis.

Chronic kidney disease is not associated with a higher risk for mortality or acute kidney injury in transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as a new therapeutic option for surgical high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Many of these patients suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD), which substantially increases the risk for acute kidney injury (AKI), need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) and mortality after surgical aortic valve repair. The impact of pre-existing CKD for the outcome of TAVI is still unclear.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation in dialysis patients.

Background/aims: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as a new therapeutic option for high-risk patients. However, dialysis patients were excluded from all previous studies. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of TAVI for dialysis patients with those for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3 and 4 and to compare TAVI with open surgery in dialysis patients.

Determination of glomerular filtration rate using dynamic CT-angiography: simultaneous acquisition of morphological and functional information.

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of a dynamic CT angiography-protocol in regard to simultaneous assessment of morphology and function.

Method And Materials: Fourteen patients with renal graft dysfunction received a dynamic computed tomography angiography (CTA) using a 128-slice CT-scanner with continuous bi-directional table movement, allowing to cover a scan range of 18 cm within 1.75 seconds.

The DEXD/H-box RNA helicase RHII/Gu is a co-factor for c-Jun-activated transcription.

Tandem affinity purification (TAP) and mass spectrometric peptide sequencing showed that the DEAD-box RNA helicase RHII/Gu is a functional interaction partner of c-Jun in human cells. The N-terminal transcription activation region of, c-Jun interacts with a C-terminal domain of RHII/Gu. This interaction is stimulated by anisomycin treatment in a manner that is concurrent with, but independent of, c-Jun phosphorylation.