Relationship between responsiveness to erythropoiesis-stimulating agent and long-term outcomes in chronic hemodialysis patients: a single-center cohort study.

Background: Responsiveness to erythropoietin-stimulating agent (ESA) may be associated with mortality risk in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between responsiveness to ESA and long-term outcome in chronic HD patients.

Methods: Patients on HD therapy for more than 6 months were enrolled in this cohort study.

Additional reduction in serum phosphorus levels by pulverized lanthanum carbonate chewable in hemodialysis patients.

Lanthanum carbonate (LC) is one of the relatively new phosphate binders. The general LC dosage form is a chewable pharmaceutical preparation. This investigation was targeted to subjects who do not chew LC chewable preparations adequately, for the purpose of studying the clinical efficacy of changing to pulverized prescriptions, such as changes in serum phosphorus levels (P levels).

Left atrial volume is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients.

Objective: An enlarged left atrium (LA) has recently been identified as a risk factor for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in various pathologic conditions. However, few studies have evaluated its prognostic value in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Methods: We conducted an observational study to investigate whether an enlarged LA predicted all-cause mortality in 174 HD patients.

Serum osteocalcin levels are useful as a predictor of cardiovascular events in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Backgrounds: Osteocalcin (OC) is a known bone metabolic marker and a regulator of glucose and fat metabolisms. Although bone and energy metabolisms are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in hemodialysis (HD) patients, few studies have examined the correlation between OC and CVD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of serum OC levels on the emergence of new CVD events in HD patients.

Correlation of new bone metabolic markers with conventional biomarkers in hemodialysis patients.

Background: New bone metabolic markers have become available clinically for evaluating chronic kidney disease mineral and bone disorders (CKD-MBD). The aim of this study was to correlate these new bone metabolic markers with conventional markers in regular hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Methods: One hundred forty three HD patients underwent cross-sectional assessment.

Clinical outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease: a 5-year retrospective cohort study at a University Hospital in Japan.

Background: Latent chronic kidney disease (CKD) population appears to be a serious health problem in Japan. The purposes of the present study were to determine risk factors for CKD progression and to evaluate the rate of decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of adult patients with CKD was conducted at a University Hospital in Japan.

Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy studied by a laser-Doppler blood flowmeter in hemodialysis patients.

Objective: Orthostatic hypotension during a hemodialysis (HD) session affects not only the modality but daily quality of life for HD patients because many of them have combined dysfunction of both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Although various non-invasive methods have been applied for the evaluation of autonomic function, no monitor has been devised for measuring the dysfunction during blood purification therapy.

Patients And Methods: We evaluated the usefulness of laser-Doppler blood flowmeter (LDF) for measuring autonomic function of stable 34 regular HD patients and 24 healthy controls.

A case of AL amyloidosis with renal rupture.

We report a 59-year-old woman with AL amyloidosis who presented with massive bleeding from the right kidney, in whom emergency surgery proved to be life saving. The patient had been diagnosed as having AL amyloidosis 16 years previously. After 5 years, hemodialysis had been initiated.

Suppression of renal fibrosis by galectin-1 in high glucose-treated renal epithelial cells.

Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease. We investigated the ability of intracellular galectin-1 (Gal-1), a prototype of endogenous lectin, to prevent renal fibrosis by regulating cell signaling under a high glucose (HG) condition. We demonstrated that overexpression of Gal-1 reduces type I collagen (COL1) expression and transcription in human renal epithelial cells under HG conditions and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) stimulation.