Ten tips to carry out video consultations in nephrology.

Video consultations have seen increasing use in nephrology since the COVID-19 pandemic with an aim to address constraints in F2F outpatient capacity and also patients' concerns around risks of infection when attending healthcare facilities. Nephrologists have learned through experience to use video consultations for providing routine follow up and also for triage of unwell patients. Advantages of video consultations include convenience, cost savings through avoiding clinic overheads, and reducing the carbon footprint of care.

Ten tips from the Swiss Working Group on Sustainable Nephrology on how to go green in your dialysis unit.

The health-care system and particularly renal replacement therapy has a significant carbon footprint adding to global warming and extreme weather conditions. Improving sustainability has become the focus of national and international working groups. Many reviews underline the need for improvement of sustainability in nephrology, in particular dialysis, and provide recommendations on how to reduce waste, energy, and water consumption.

Rituximab in the treatment of primary FSGS: time for its use in routine clinical practice?

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome and whilst advances have been made in the pathophysiology, diagnostics and management of other podocytopathies, primary FSGS remains the most elusive. It has been assumed for a long time that a circulatory permeability factor exists that mediates podocyte injury, and the potential for autoantibody-mediated disease therefore raises the question as to whether patients may benefit from targeted B-cell therapy with rituximab. The prospective case series of seven patients by Roccatello adds to the limited but growing evidence suggesting that B-cell depletion therapy can be safe and effective in the treatment of primary FSGS.

The hypokalaemia that came from the cold.

While electrolyte disorders are common in nephrologists' clinical practice, hypothermia is a condition that nephrologists rarely encounter. Hypothermia can induce several pathophysiological effects on the human body, including hypokalaemia, which is reversible with rewarming. Despite growing evidence from animal research and human studies, the underlying mechanisms of hypothermia-induced hypokalaemia remain unclear.

Frailty assessment as part of transplant listing: yes, no or maybe?

Frailty, characterized by a decreased physiological reserve and an increased vulnerability to stressors, is common among kidney transplant (KT) candidates and recipients. In this review, we present and summarize the key arguments for and against the assessment of frailty as part of KT evaluation. The key arguments for including frailty were: (i) sheer prevalence and far-reaching consequences of frailty on KT, and (ii) the ability to conduct a more holistic and objective evaluation of candidates, removing the inaccuracy associated with 'eye-ball' assessments of transplant fitness.

COVID - 19 in two dialysis centers situated in two neighbouring states of the Western Balkans.

Background: Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Serbia are countries in the Western Balkans that share parts of their social and political legacy from the former Yugoslavia, such as their health care system and the fact that they are not members of European Union. There are very scarce data on COVID - 19 pandemic from this region when compared to other parts of the world and even less is known about its impact on the provision of renal care or differences between countries in the Western Balkans.

Materials And Methods: This observational prospective study was conducted in two regional renal centres in BiH and Serbia, during the COVID - 19 pandemic.

Wearables in Nephrology: Fanciful Gadgetry or Prêt-à-Porter?

Telemedicine and digitalised healthcare have recently seen exponential growth, led, in part, by increasing efforts to improve patient flexibility and autonomy, as well as drivers from financial austerity and concerns over climate change. Nephrology is no exception, and daily innovations are underway to provide digitalised alternatives to current models of healthcare provision. Wearable technology already exists commercially, and advances in nanotechnology and miniaturisation mean interest is also garnering clinically.

Kidney and combined kidney and pancreas transplantation may be under-utilized in cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem disorder and represents the most common inherited condition leading to death in Western countries. Previous reports of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in CF focus on cases post lung, or other solid organ, transplantation but CKD in CF patients pre transplantation is increasingly recognized as a challenging complication of CF. CKD can evolve as a sequel to acute kidney injury for example after prolonged treatment with aminoglycoside antibiotics during episodes of infection.

Have we missed AINything? Acute interstitial nephritis in SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination.

Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN), defined by the presence of interstitial inflammation accompanied by tubulitis, is an often overlooked cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). It is now well established that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can cause a wide variety of kidney injuries, most commonly acute tubular injury and collapsing glomerulopathy. In comparison, AIN is rarely documented in association with SARS-CoV-2 both anecdotally and in larger series of autopsy or biopsy studies.