Publications by authors named "Neera Dahl"

Rational & Objective: Data are limited regarding the long-term efficacy of tolvaptan in adults aged 18-35 years with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) at increased risk of rapid progression. We assessed the effects of tolvaptan within a larger population of younger adults and over longer follow-up than individual clinical trials could provide.

Study Design: Pooled database study.

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Article Synopsis
  • Over 50% of individuals with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) will experience kidney failure, making it the 4th leading cause of end-stage kidney disease.
  • ADPKD is a systemic disorder impacting not just the kidneys, but also the liver, heart, and other organs, with some patients facing severe issues like liver enlargement or aneurysm ruptures.
  • Recent advances in genetics, prognosis, and treatment strategies have enabled personalized care that can alter the disease's progression, with the review emphasizing diagnosis, kidney failure risk assessment, treatment options, blood pressure control, and genetic testing.
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Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common monogenic kidney disorder and the fourth leading cause of kidney failure (KF) in adults. Characterized by a reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and increased kidney size, ADPKD exhibits significant variability in progression, highlighting the urgent need for reliable and predictive biomarkers to optimize management and treatment approaches. This review explores the roles of diverse biomarkers-including clinical, genetic, molecular, and imaging biomarkers-in evaluating disease progression and customizing treatments for ADPKD.

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Implementation of clinical genetic testing into the routine diagnostic workup of patients with kidney disorders can improve care when employed with proper patient selection. Due to advances in technology, testing with curated gene panels associated with kidney diseases are commercially available, are relatively inexpensive, and have quick turnaround time. While this may reduce barrier to entry, their adoption into routine nephrology care may be hindered when practitioners do not have comfort and experience ordering or interpreting these tests.

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  • A retrospective study analyzed metabolic differences between pure and impure uric acid kidney stone formers using data from patients at Yale Urology and Nephrology Clinics between 1996 and 2021.
  • Among 722 uric acid stone formers (16.8% of the total), pure stone formers were generally older, heavier, and had a higher incidence of chronic kidney disease.
  • The study found that pure uric acid stone formers had lower urinary pH and citrate levels, along with higher protein intake markers, indicating that adjusting protein consumption might help lower the risk of stone formation, especially in those with kidney issues.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Genetic testing in nephrology is less advanced compared to other medical fields, highlighting the need for better understanding and implementation.
  • * The National Kidney Foundation created a Working Group to develop recommendations for genetic testing and clinical decision-making in kidney diseases, aiming to improve diagnosis and screening through structured guidelines.
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Rationale & Objective: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL) including pain, discomfort, fatigue, emotional distress, and impaired mobility. Stakeholders prioritized kidney cyst-related pain as an important core outcome domain in clinical trials, leading to the development of disease-specific assessment tools.

Study Design: The ADPKD Registry is hosted online with multiple disease-specific patient-reported outcomes modules to characterize the patient experience in the United States.

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Key Points: Kidney stones are common in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease compared with matched controls with CKD. The increase in imaging seen in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease correlates with the kidney stone burden in these patients.

Background: Patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) may have more imaging studies than patients with other forms of CKD.

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Patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease benefit from specialized care over their lifetimes, starting with diagnosis of the condition with ongoing discussion of both the renal course and extra-renal issues. Both renal and extra-renal issues may continue to cause major morbidity even after successful kidney transplant or initiation of RRT, and extra-renal disease aspects should always be considered as part of routine management. In this review, we will focus on updates in pain/depression screening, cardiac manifestations, liver and pancreatic cysts, kidney stone management, and genetic counseling.

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Genetic testing in nephrology is becoming increasingly important to diagnose patients and to provide appropriate care. This is especially true for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) because this is a common cause of kidney failure and genetically complex. In addition to the major genes, PKD1 and PKD2 , there are at least six minor loci, and phenotypic, and in some cases, genetic overlap with other cystic disorders.

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There is a broad phenotypic spectrum of monogenic polycystic kidney diseases (PKDs). These disorders often involve cilia-related genes and lead to the development of fluid-filled cysts and eventual kidney function decline and failure. Preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic (PGT-M) disorders has moved into the clinical realm.

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Significance Statement: Accurate diagnosis of a patient's underlying cause of CKD can influence management and ultimately overall health. The single-arm, interventional, prospective Renasight Clinical Application, Review, and Evaluation study assessed the utility of genetic testing with a 385 gene kidney disease panel on the diagnosis and management of 1623 patients with CKD. Among 20.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a genetic disorder leading to kidney cysts and loss of kidney function, with dietary approaches like caloric restriction and intermittent fasting showing potential in slowing disease progression.
  • - While preclinical studies indicate that dietary interventions may enhance metabolic health and reduce oxidative stress in ADPKD, clinical evidence is limited, and the long-term effects of these diets on patients are uncertain.
  • - Recommendations for ADPKD management include maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet with high fluid intake, low sodium, and limited sweets, as well as exploring supplementation cautiously until further clinical research validates their safety and efficacy.
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Rationale & Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic imposed several changes in the care of patients with kidney failure receiving dialysis. We explored patient care experiences during the pandemic.

Study Design: The study team verbally administered surveys including Likert scale multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions and recorded responses.

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Endovascular therapy has become the first-line treatment for failing hemodialysis arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs). However, open revision remains an important modality for vascular access maintenance and the recommended approach for AVF aneurysms. This case series describes a hybrid approach for aneurysmal access revision.

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Article Synopsis
  • Kidney stone composition varies with factors like age, sex, and renal function, particularly indicated by eGFR, which influences urine chemistry.
  • A study of 811 kidney stone patients from Yale Medicine found that lower eGFR correlates with an increase in uric acid stones and a decrease in calcium stones, along with significant changes in urine parameters like pH and mineral content.
  • The findings suggest that renal function is important in understanding and managing kidney stone risks, indicating that prevention strategies may need to adjust based on a patient's kidney function and available urine or stone analysis data.
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Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common genetic kidney disorder and the fourth leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. ADPKD encompasses a wide range of morbidity in addition to chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease, and its pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. Progress in the management of this condition includes the 2018 FDA approval of tolvaptan as the only mechanism-specific treatment available for individuals at risk of rapid progression.

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In an era of increased accessibility to genetic testing, nephrologists may be able to better understand pathophysiologic mechanisms by which their patients develop specific conditions. In this study, we describe clinical and genetic findings of two patients with kidney cysts, who were found to have variants in , a mitochondrial 4-hydroxy-2-oxoglutarate aldolase enzyme associated with primary hyperoxaluria type 3 and the development of oxalate-containing kidney stones. We describe possible mechanisms by which mutations in this enzyme could result in the kidney cyst formation seen in our two patients.

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Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) manifesting earlier than expected on the basis of family history can identify clinically tolerant alleles with reduced expression. Hypomorphic alleles can cause mild kidney disease or liver cysts in the absence of clinically manifest kidney involvement. The presented data highlight pleiotropic ADPKD clinical presentations and varying severity of kidney disease from allele combinations.

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Article Synopsis
  • Genetic testing is becoming more common for diagnosing kidney diseases as it has become more affordable and accessible for patients.
  • This article discusses cases where kidney gene panels identified specific genetic variants, highlighting both the benefits and limitations of these tests in nephrology.
  • The review aims to aid clinicians in discussing genetic testing with patients, understanding genetic terminology, and is optimistic that with proper training, these tests can improve diagnostics in kidney-related disorders.
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Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common form of inherited kidney disease worldwide. Over the past five years, the therapeutic pipeline for ADPKD has expanded, leading to a growing need for patient enrollment in clinical trials and improved understanding of patient-centered outcomes that can be used in trial design. To advance these goals, the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation (PKDF) established a national web-based ADPKD Registry.

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