Osteopontin and Clinical Outcomes in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background/objectives: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) are significant public health issues, with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality being the leading causes of death in hemodialysis patients. Osteopontin (OPN), a multifunctional glycoprotein, has emerged as a potential biomarker for vascular disease in CKD due to its role in inflammation, tissue remodeling, and calcification.

Methods: This cohort study included 1124 hemodialysis patients from the PROGREDIRE study, a registry involving 35 dialysis units in Southern Italy.

Incidence of Acute Pulmonary Edema Before and After the Systematic Use of Ultrasound B-Lines.

Introduction: Acute pulmonary edema (APE) due to fluid overload is considered the most feared complication in hemodialysis patients. Various diagnostic tests have been proposed to assess the fluid status in patients with end-stage kidney failure (ESKF); among these, lung ultrasound (measuring the number of B-lines) is emerging as a promising tool to identify pulmonary congestion in this patient population.

Methods: We compared the incidence of APE before and after the implementation of lung ultrasound as a routine practice in our unit.

Impact of Serum Phosphate on Hemoglobin Level: A Longitudinal Analysis on a Large Cohort of Dialysis Patients.

: Phosphate is a macro-element involved in all cellular energetic processes. As about 90% of the phosphate filtered by the glomerulus is excreted by kidneys, the impairment of renal function and the consequent over-secretion of parathyroid hormone and fibroblast growth factor 23 results in the increase in the serum phosphate levels. The association between phosphate and hemoglobin is controversial, as both direct and indirect relationships have been reported.

Common mistakes in biostatistics.

Biostatistics plays a pivotal role in developing, interpreting and drawing conclusions from clinical, biological and epidemiological data. However, the improper application of statistical methods can lead to erroneous conclusions and misinterpretations. This paper provides a comprehensive examination of the most frequent mistakes encountered in the biostatistical analysis process.

Plasma levels of myeloperoxidase and resistin independently predict mortality in dialysis patients.

Background: In patients with kidney failure (KF) undergoing dialysis, neutrophils are dysfunctionally activated. Such chronic activation does not correspond to increased protection against infections and is thought to cause direct vascular damage accounting for the higher incidence of cardiovascular (CV) events. We hypothesized that circulating levels of neutrophil degranulation products (i.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) and clinical outcomes in dialysis patients.

Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a factor accelerating the degradation of LDL receptors, was associated with a gender-dependent risk for cardiovascular (CV) events in the general population and with all-cause and CV mortality in two relatively small studies in black Africans and South Korean haemodialysis patients. The effect modification by gender was untested in these studies.

Methods: The study enrolled 1188 dialysis patients from the Prospective Registry of The Working Group of Epidemiology of Dialysis Region Calabria (PROGREDIRE) cohort.

Home Pulse Pressure Predicts Death and Cardiovascular Events in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.

Increased arterial hypertension represents a prevalent condition in peritoneal dialysis patients that is often related to volume expansion. Pulse pressure is a robust predictor of mortality in dialysis patients, but its association with mortality is unknown in peritoneal patients. We investigated the relationship between home pulse pressure and survival in 140 PD patients.

Monitoring Risk Factors and Improving Adherence to Therapy in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (Smit-CKD Project): Pilot Observational Study.

Background: Chronic kidney disease is a major public health issue, with about 13% of the general adult population and 30% of the elderly affected. Patients in the last stage of this disease have an almost uniquely high risk of death and cardiovascular events, with reduced adherence to therapy representing an additional risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Considering the increased penetration of mobile phones, a mobile app could educate patients to autonomously monitor cardiorenal risk factors.

Fundamentals and Applications of the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve Analysis in the Research of Endothelial Dysfunction in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Endothelial dysfunction (ED) starts early in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is the hallmark of atherosclerosis in these patients. During recent years, numerous markers have emerged, aiming to predict the onset of ED in CKD patients. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate and assess the discriminatory ability (or diagnostic accuracy) of such a marker (i.

A machine learning-based approach for predicting the outbreak of cardiovascular diseases in patients on dialysis.

Background And Objective: Patients with End- Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) have a unique cardiovascular risk. This study aims at predicting, with a certain precision, death and cardiovascular diseases in dialysis patients.

Methods: To achieve our aim, machine learning techniques have been used.