A Systematic Review of the Acute Effects of Hemodialysis on Skeletal Muscle Perfusion, Metabolism, and Function.

Introduction: The underlying mechanisms of skeletal muscle wasting in hemodialysis patients are complex. We performed a systematic review to summarize evidence on whether hemodialysis has acute effects on skeletal muscle perfusion, metabolism, and function.

Methods: The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (Registration number CRD42018103682).

Do clinical trials reflect reality? A systematic review of inclusion/exclusion criteria in trials of renal transplant immunosuppression.

Renal transplant recipients and donors are becoming increasingly more marginal, with more expanded criteria (ECD) and donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors and older recipients. Despite this, high-risk donors and recipients are often excluded from clinical trials, leading to uncertainty about the generalizability of findings. We extracted data regarding inclusion/exclusion criteria from 174 trials of immunosuppression in renal transplant recipients published over a 5-year period and compared criteria with those specified in published trial registries.

Quality and consistency of outcome reporting in clinical trials of immunosuppression in renal transplantation.

Interpretation, comparison, and combination of results of clinical trials are reliant on accurate and complete reporting of outcomes. This study aimed to assess the quality and variability in outcome reporting in immunosuppression trials following renal transplantation. All randomized controlled trials comparing immunosuppressive interventions in renal transplant recipients published over a 5-year period were included.

Variability in the reporting of renal function endpoints in immunosuppression trials in renal transplantation: time for consensus?

Early measures of graft function are increasingly used to assess efficacy in clinical trials of kidney transplant immunosuppression. This study aimed to assess the variability and quality of reporting of these endpoints in contemporary trials. Data regarding renal function endpoints were extracted from 213 reports from randomized controlled trials comparing immunosuppressive interventions in renal transplant recipients published between 2010 and 2014.

Role of the Timed Up and Go Test in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Purpose: The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is a measure of functional mobility. It is a short test and requires minimal space. We determined the potential role of TUG test as a measure of function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and compared with controls.

Target renal damage: the microvascular associations of increased aortic stiffness in patients with COPD.

Background: Although renal impairment has been described in COPD, there is opportunity to evaluate further to determine nature and consider optimal management. Increased aortic stiffness, as seen in COPD, leads to reduced buffering of pulsatile flow. We hypothesised that urinary albumin creatinine ratio (UACR) would reflect glomerular damage related to aortic stiffness.

Weight patterns and perceptions among female university students of Karachi: a cross sectional study.

Background: Body weight and its perception play an important role in the physical and mental well-being of a person. Weight perception is found to be a better predictor of weight management behaviour as compared to actual weight. In Pakistan, studies have been done on the prevalence of weight status but weight perception is still unexplored.

Persistence of pneumolysin in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with pneumococcal meningitis is associated with mortality.

Poor prognosis in Pneumococcal meningitis may be associated with high pneumolysin levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In patient samples we showed that pneumolysin levels in CSF remained high after 48 hours in nonsurvivors of meningitis compared with survivors. Selective antipneumolysin treatment may present a novel therapeutic option.