Patient and physician perspectives on treatment burden in end-stage kidney disease: a nominal group technique study.

Objectives: The treatment workload associated with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is high. The treatment burdens experienced by patients with ESKD are not well understood. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the most important areas of treatment burden for discussion in a clinical encounter from the perspectives of patients with ESKD and nephrologists.

Outcomes of early versus late nephrology referral in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review.

Background: As late provision of specialist care, before starting dialysis therapy, is believed to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality, a systematic review was undertaken to evaluate clinical outcomes relating to early versus late referral of patients to nephrology services.

Methods: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched up until September 2008 for studies of early versus late nephrology referral in adult (>18 years) patients with chronic kidney disease. Early referral was defined by the time period at which patients were referred to a nephrologist.

Adverse outcome of human islet-allogeneic blood interaction.

Background: A report of inflammatory damage when islets come into contact with allogeneic blood prompted us to confirm the finding.

Methods: Fresh handpicked human islets were incubated in blood group matched, nonsensitized allogeneic blood. Destruction was quantified by assaying the supernatants for proinsulin release and by blood clot histology.