Interest and perceived capability of self-care in haemodialysis units.

Aims: To (a) assess patients' interest and perceived capability of participating in haemodialysis; (b) assess nurses' perceptions of patients' interest and perceived capability of participating in haemodialysis; and (c) examine associations between patient characteristics and interest and perceived capability of performing haemodialysis self-care.

Design: Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study.

Methods: Data were collected from dialysis patients and their nurses between October 2018-May 2019.

Comparison of the Functional Outcomes of Lower Limb Amputees with or without End-Stage Renal Disease.

Background: The potential for full rehabilitation following amputation among end-stage renal disease patients is poor.

Objectives: To evaluate the functional outcomes and survival among amputees treated with hemodialysis at the end of the rehabilitation procedure.

Methods: We recruited 46 patients after lower limb amputation.

Unexpected Normal Colloid Osmotic Pressure in Clinical States with Low Serum Albumin.

Background: In clinical states associated with systemic oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), oxidative modifications of serum albumin impair its quantification, resulting in apparent hypoalbuminemia. As the maintenance of oncotic pressure/colloid osmotic pressure (COP) is a major function of albumin, this study examined the impact of albumin oxidation on COP, both in-vivo and in-vitro.

Methods: Patients with proteinuria and patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD) with systemic inflammation and OS were enrolled.

Does Pomegranate intake attenuate cardiovascular risk factors in hemodialysis patients?

Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality among hemodialysis (HD) patients. It has been attributed, among other causes, to hypertension and dyslipidemia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a year-long consumption of Pomegranate juice (PJ), on two traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors: hypertension and lipid profile, as well as on cardiovascular events.

Pomegranate juice intake attenuates the increase in oxidative stress induced by intravenous iron during hemodialysis.

The hemodialysis (HD) procedure induces oxidative stress (OS), which is further aggravated by intravenous (IV) iron administration, aimed at correcting anemia of patients with HD. We have recently shown that 1 year of pomegranate juice (PJ) intake attenuated OS and inflammation in patients with HD. In the current study, we hypothesized that a single dose of PJ can attenuate the enhanced OS and inflammation induced by both the dialysis procedure and IV iron administration during HD session.

Albumin oxidation leads to neutrophil activation in vitro and inaccurate measurement of serum albumin in patients with diabetic nephropathy.

Previous studies suggest that oxidative modifications of serum albumin lead to underestimation of albumin concentrations using conventional assays. In addition, oxidation of serum albumin may cause neutrophil activation and further oxidation of albumin, which may result in a series of reciprocal cyclical processes. Because hypoalbuminemia, systemic inflammation, and oxidative stress are common in diabetic nephropathy patients, the aim of this study was to show that albumin modifications and neutrophil activation underlie these reciprocal systemic processes.

One year of pomegranate juice intake decreases oxidative stress, inflammation, and incidence of infections in hemodialysis patients: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Increased systemic inflammation and oxidative stress are well established as nontraditional key players in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and are also involved in the innate immunity dysregulation in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The study aim was to investigate the effect of 1-year intake of pomegranate juice, an antioxidant source, on oxidative stress, inflammation, and long-term clinical outcomes. A randomized placebo controlled double-blind trial was designed, enrolling 101 chronic HD patients to receive during each dialysis 100 cc of pomegranate juice, or matching placebo, three times a week for 1 year.

Is anemia at hospital admission associated with in-hospital acute kidney injury occurrence?

Background: The effect of acute kidney injury (AKI) on anemia has been well-documented. However, the effect of 'preexisting' anemia on AKI has been less addressed. The aims of the present study were to investigate (1) the association between anemia at hospital admission and AKI occurrence, and (2) the effect of 'preexisting' anemia on the clinical outcomes of AKI.

Contrast-induced nephropathy among Israeli hospitalized patients: incidence, risk factors, length of stay and mortality.

Background: Radiological procedures utilizing intravascular contrast media are being widely applied for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This has resulted in the increasing incidence of procedure-related contrast-induced nephropathy. In Israel, data on the incidence of CIN and its consequences are lacking.

Hospital-acquired acute kidney injury in Israel.

Background: Acute kidney injury remains a common significant clinical problem. Yet there are scant data in Israel on the incidence of hospital-acquired AKI and on diagnosis validity.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of AKI among hospitalized patients in the Western Galilee Hospital, Nahariya, compare discharge summaries to laboratory diagnosis, and investigate the impact of AKI on mortality and length of stay.

Polymorphonuclear leucocyte priming in long intermittent nocturnal haemodialysis patients--is melatonin a player?

Background: The relationships between sleep quality, melatonin circadian rhythm and polymorphonuclear leucocyte (PMNL) priming during the night of dialysis treatment compared with a night without dialysis were studied in a group of nocturnal haemodialysis (HD) patients.

Methods: Twenty-eight long intermittent nocturnal HD patients were included. Sleep quality was assessed by a questionnaire and wrist actigraphy.

Primed peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocyte: a culprit underlying chronic low-grade inflammation and systemic oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease.

This study characterizes the causal relationship between peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMNL) priming, systemic oxidative stress (OS), and inflammation in patients with varying degrees of renal insufficiency (chronic kidney disease [CKD] not on renal replacement therapy [RRT]: continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis [HD]) and healthy control subjects. Rate of superoxide release was measured after stimulation of PMNL with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or zymosan. Priming was estimated by the rate of superoxide release after phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate stimulation.

A rare lung manifestation with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN).

In this unusual case, we report the history of a patient who was hospitalized with pulmonary manifestations presenting as broncholitis obliterance organizing pneumonia (BOOP) associated with ANCA-negative pauci-immune glomerulonephritis. Other known causes for the occurrence of BOOP were excluded. Immediate diagnosis and treatment with a combination of steroids and cytotoxic therapy resulted in a complete remission and prevented eventual dialysis.

Interaction between erythropoietin and peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocytes in continuous ambulatory dialysis patients.

The effect of erythropoietin (EPO) on the oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation caused by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) in end-stage renal failure patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) was investigated in vivo and in vitro. The studies were performed on isolated PMNLs from peripheral blood of CAPD patients before and following 6 weeks of EPO treatment and from healthy controls. OS was expressed by the rate of superoxide release from phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulated isolated PMNLs and the inflammatory state was evaluated by PMNL counts of the enrolled subjects.