Compliance with guidelines and predictors of mortality in hemodialysis. Learning from Serbia patients.

Objectives: The aims of the study were to determine the percentage of patients on regular hemodialysis (HD) in Serbia failing to meet KDOQI guidelines targets and find out factors associated with the risk of time to death and the association between guidelines adherence and patient outcome.

Methods: A cohort of 2153 patients on regular HD in 24 centers (55.7% of overall HD population) in Serbia were followed from January 2010 to December 2012.

Associations of GSTM1*0 and GSTA1*A genotypes with the risk of cardiovascular death among hemodialyses patients.

Background: The presence of glutathione transferase (GST) M1 null genotype (GSTM1-null) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is associated with lower overall survival rate in comparison to those with GSTM1-active variants. We examined association between GSTM1 and GSTT1 deletion polymorphisms as well as SNPs in GSTA1/rs3957357 and GSTP1/rs1695 genes with overall and cause-specific cardiovascular mortality in ESRD patients.

Methods: Total of 199 patients undergoing hemodialysis were included in the study.

Glutathione S-transferase A1, M1, P1 and T1 null or low-activity genotypes are associated with enhanced oxidative damage among haemodialysis patients.

Background: Increased oxidative stress is a hallmark of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Glutathione S-transferases (GST) are involved in the detoxification of xenobiotics and protection of oxidative damage. We hypothesized that genetic polymorphism in antioxidant enzymes GSTA1, GSTM1, GSTP1 and GSTT1 is more frequent in ESRD and modulates the degree of oxidative stress in these patients.

Epidemiology of end-stage renal disease and hemodialysis treatment in Serbia at the turn of the millennium.

The study presents the epidemiological features of patients treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Serbia from 1997 to 2009 and compares the results of hemodialysis treatment in 1999 and 2009. Epidemiological data were obtained from the National Registry of RRT patients and data on hemodialysis treatment from special surveys conducted in 1999 and 2009. Within the period 1997-2009 the incidence of patients on RRT increased from 108 to 179 per million population (pmp), prevalence rose from 435 to 699 pmp, while mortality rate fell from 20.

Treatment of lupus nephritis by mycophenolate mofetil.

Background/aims: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been increasingly used for the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN). The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of MMF used with low doses of corticosteroids as maintenance therapy in patients with LN.

Methods: The study covered 35 patients, most of them with proliferative types of LN (5 WHO class III, 26 class IV), while 1 had class V and 3 class VI nephritis.