Impact of Arteriovenous Fistula on Cardiac Size and Function in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Retrospective Evaluation of 5-Year Echocardiographic Outcome.

Objectives: The effect of a functioning arteriovenous fistula on cardiac function in kidney transplant recipients has not been thoroughly investigated.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated cardiac function in 99 renal transplant recipients using transthoracic echocardiography, with available follow-up at baseline and 2 and 5 years posttransplant. Patients were divided into 2 groups: a control group (n = 47) with no functioning arteriovenous fistula immediately after transplant and an arteriovenous fistula group (n = 52) with a functioning arteriovenous fistula for at least 5 years after transplant.

Circulating anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibodies as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in Greek patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy - a retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Circulating autoantibodies against phospholipase A2 receptor (anti-PLA2R) are recognized as key elements in the pathogenesis of idiopathic membranous nephropathy. In current clinical practice, they are increasingly gaining attention as novel tools for diagnosis and disease monitoring. We investigated the diagnostic and prognostic utility of anti-PLA2R antibody measurements in Greek patients with biopsy-proven membranous nephropathy.

IgA nephropathy in Greece: data from the registry of the Hellenic Society of Nephrology.

Background: Natural history, predisposing factors to an unfavourable outcome and the effect of various therapeutic regimens were evaluated in a cohort of 457 patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and follow-up of at least 12 months.

Methods: Patients with normal renal function and proteinuria <1 g/24 h as well as those with serum creatinine (SCr) >2.5 mg/dL and/or severe glomerulosclerosis received no treatment.

T helper (Th)-cytokines in the urine of patients with primary glomerulonephritis treated with immunosuppressive drugs: Can they predict outcome?

Background: Glomerulonephritides (GNs) represent common causes of chronic kidney disease associated with a wide spectrum of clinical and histological features. Various factors that activate the inflammatory cascade are involved in the development of kidney injury. The aim of this study was to estimate the urinary excretion of pro-inflammatory (IL-2, INF-γ, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β1) cytokines, as well as the chemokine MCP-1 in patients with various types of GN treated by immunosuppressive drugs and to identify any prognostic value of excreted cytokines for future renal function.

Treatment of IgA nephropathy based on the severity of clinical and histological features.

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (IgAN) represents a common glomerular disease treated by various therapeutic regimens. We studied 50 IgAN patients to determine the effect of different regimens selected according to severity of the disease on the clinical outcome of patients over a follow-up period of five years. Patients with normal renal function and proteinuria <1 g/24-h received no treatment (Group A, n = 6).