A National Registry for People With All Stages of Kidney Disease: The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Patient Network.

Rationale & Objective: The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) launched the first national US kidney disease patient registry, the NKF Patient Network, that is open to patients throughout the continuum of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The Network provides individualized education and will facilitate patient-centered research, clinical care, and health policy decisions. Here, we present the overall design and the results of a feasibility study that was conducted July through December 2020.

Variants of Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotype 14 from Papua New Guinea with the Potential to Be Mistyped and Escape Vaccine-Induced Protection.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) is a human pathogen of global importance, classified into serotypes based on the type of capsular polysaccharide produced. Serotyping of pneumococci is essential for disease surveillance and vaccine impact measurement. However, the accuracy of serotyping methods can be affected by previously undiscovered variants.

IMMUNOGENICITY AND IMPACT ON NASOPHARYNGEAL CARRIAGE OF A SINGLE DOSE OF PCV10 GIVEN TO VIETNAMESE CHILDREN AT 18 MONTHS OF AGE.

Background: This study investigated the immunogenicity and impact on nasopharyngeal carriage of a single dose of PCV10 given to 18-month-old Vietnamese children. This information is important for countries considering catch-up vaccination during PCV introduction and in the context of vaccination during humanitarian crises.

Methods: Two groups of PCV-naïve children within the Vietnam Pneumococcal Project received PCV10 (n=197) or no PCV (unvaccinated; n=199) at 18 months of age.

A Systematic Approach To Promoting Home Hemodialysis during End Stage Kidney Disease.

Home dialysis has garnered much attention since the advent of the Advancing American Kidney Health initiative. For many patients and nephrologists, home dialysis and peritoneal dialysis are synonymous. However, home hemodialysis (HHD) should not be forgotten.

Interlaboratory Comparison of the Pneumococcal Multiplex Opsonophagocytic Assays and Their Level of Agreement for Determination of Antibody Function in Pediatric Sera.

Opsonophagocytic assays are used to measure functional antibodies important in protection against pneumococcal capsular antigens. There have been efforts to standardize these methods, as the assays are commonly used to measure vaccine immunogenicity. We report here the results from three international laboratories using their own methods, based on the recommended WHO standard method.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Vitamin D on Human Immune Cells in the Context of Bacterial Infection.

Vitamin D induces a diverse range of biological effects, including important functions in bone health, calcium homeostasis and, more recently, on immune function. The role of vitamin D during infection is of particular interest given data from epidemiological studies suggesting that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of infection. Vitamin D has diverse immunomodulatory functions, although its role during bacterial infection remains unclear.

Time savings of weekly versus three-times-per-week administration of erythropoiesis stimulating agents in United States dialysis patients.

Objective: Previous research suggests that erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA) administration in dialysis is a time-consuming task and switching to less frequently dosed ESAs may offer operational efficiencies. Our objective was to describe and measure the time spent on tasks in the ESA administration process in US dialysis centers, and to estimate potential efficiency gains of using weekly (QW) administration vs three-times-per-week (TIW) administration.

Methods: We conducted a time and motion study of staff time required to prepare, administer and document ESA doses.

Survey of home hemodialysis patients and nursing staff regarding vascular access use and care.

Vascular access infections are of concern to hemodialysis patients and nurses. Best demonstrated practices (BDPs) have not been developed for home hemodialysis (HHD) access use, but there have been generally accepted practices (GAPs) endorsed by dialysis professionals. We developed a survey to gather information about training provided and actual practices of HHD patients using the NxStage System One HHD machine.

Altered carnitine metabolism in dialysis patients with reduced physical function may be due to dysfunctional fatty acid oxidation.

Background: It has been reported that hemodialysis patients have elevated plasma acylcarnitine concentrations, which correlates to reduced red blood cell integrity. It has also been reported that the supplementation of L-carnitine for these patients improves anemia, glucose metabolism and muscle function, but the mechanism of these relationships remains unknown. We hypothesized that the cause of increased plasma acylcarnitines is incomplete fatty acid oxidation and the underlying disturbance of metabolism reduces muscle function, resulting in decreased ability to function and quality of life, and glucose availability, resulting in decreased red blood cell integrity and worsened anemia.

Effect of daily hemodialysis on depressive symptoms and postdialysis recovery time: interim report from the FREEDOM (Following Rehabilitation, Economics and Everyday-Dialysis Outcome Measurements) Study.

Background: Clinical depression and postdialysis fatigue are important concerns for patients with kidney failure and can have a negative impact on quality of life and survival.

Study Design: The FREEDOM (Following Rehabilitation, Economics and Everyday-Dialysis Outcome Measurements) Study is an ongoing prospective cohort study investigating the clinical and economic benefits of daily (6 times per week) hemodialysis (HD). In this interim report, as part of an a priori planned analysis, we examine the long-term impact of daily HD on depressive symptoms, measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) survey, and postdialysis recovery time, measured using a previously validated questionnaire.

Building the chronic kidney disease management team.

The need to be efficient and the demands for performance-based service are changing how nephrologists deliver care. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) occurs in patients with complex medical and social problems. CKD management requires that multidisciplinary professionals provide patient education, disease management, and psychosocial support.

Acute tubular necrosis associated with chromium picolinate-containing dietary supplement.

Objective: To report a case of acute tubular necrosis associated with the use of a chromium picolinate-containing dietary supplement.

Case Summary: A 24-year-old white male who had been ingesting a dietary supplement (Arsenal X) for 2 weeks during his workout sessions developed acute renal failure. Radiologic investigation showed the presence of a solitary right kidney, and an open renal biopsy confirmed features of acute tubular necrosis.

Carnitine treatment improved quality-of-life measure in a sample of Midwestern hemodialysis patients.

Background: Previously, we demonstrated that selected groups of hemodialysis patients might be more likely to have abnormalities of carnitine metabolism. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of carnitine therapy in these selected groups of hemodialysis patients on quality-of-life measures and erythropoietin dose.

Methods: This was a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, in which 50 hemodialysis patients were treated with either 2 g i.

Serum carnitine concentrations correlated to clinical outcome parameters in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Carnitine metabolism and the therapeutic use of carnitine has been a major area of interest in dialysis patients. The purpose of this study was to determine whether any correlations exist between carnitine status and selected clinical parameters in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This study was an observational study of data from patients receiving HD at a Midwest dialysis center.

Stop, look, listen, and think? What young children really do when crossing the road.

This study sought to provide basic information about children's behaviour in realistic traffic situations. Most literature in this area has focused on children's knowledge about road safety or has assessed their behaviour in simulated traffic environments. However, until more is known about what children actually do in traffic environments, our ability to identify the important elements for inclusion in educational programmes remains limited.

Multistate outbreak of hemolysis in hemodialysis patients traced to faulty blood tubing sets.

Background: Hemolysis associated with hemodialysis is rare. The most frequent causes of hemodialysis-associated hemolysis are chemical contamination, heat, or mechanical injury of erythrocytes from occluded or kinked hemodialysis blood lines. When patients in three states developed hemolysis while undergoing hemodialysis between May 13 and 23, 1998, an investigation was initiated.

Survival benefit of hyperthermia in a prospective randomized trial of brachytherapy boost +/- hyperthermia for glioblastoma multiforme.

Purpose: To determine if adjuvant interstitial hyperthermia (HT) significantly improves survival of patients with glioblastoma undergoing brachytherapy boost after conventional radiotherapy.

Methods And Materials: Adults with newly-diagnosed, focal, supratentorial glioblastoma < or = 5 cm in diameter were registered postoperatively on a Phase II/III randomized trial and treated with partial brain radiotherapy to 59.4 Gy with oral hydroxyurea.