Risk factors associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in Spanish incident hemodialysis patients: two-year results from the ANSWER study.

Aims: To identify factors associated with cardiovascular (CV) disease in hemodialysis.

Methods: Multicenter, prospective, 2-year, observational study in 2,310 incident patients (3,496 patient-years). Multivariate Cox models determined baseline characteristics associated with CV disease.

Mortality in incident haemodialysis patients: time-dependent haemoglobin levels and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent dose are independent predictive factors in the ANSWER study.

Background: Although the association between low haemoglobin levels and mortality is well established in haemodialysis patients, data are conflicting regarding levels >12 g/dl. In addition, divergent results have been reported on the relation between erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) and mortality.

Methods: This was a multicentre, observational, prospective, 24-month study, which recruited Spanish incident haemodialysis patients (N = 2310).

Baseline characteristics of an incident haemodialysis population in Spain: results from ANSWER--a multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study.

Background: The ANSWER study aims to identify risk factors leading to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a Spanish incident haemodialysis population. This paper summarizes the baseline characteristics of this population.

Methods: A prospective, observational, one-cohort study, including all consecutive incident haemodialysis patients from 147 Spanish nephrology services, was conducted.

Conversion from calcineurin inhibitors to sirolimus in chronic allograft dysfunction: changes in glomerular haemodynamics and proteinuria.

Background: The study was conducted in order to describe possible intraglomerular haemodynamic changes inducing proteinuria after 14 patients with chronic allograft dysfunction were converted from calcineurin inhibitors (CIs) to sirolimus without changing concomitant immunosuppression or antihypertensive treatment.

Methods: Creatinine, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), proteinuria, renal functional reserve (RFR) and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) were determined before and 8 months after conversion. Intraglomerular pressure (P(G)), afferent arteriolar resistance (AAR) and efferent arteriolar resistance (EAR) were calculated using Gomez's formula.

Modulation of osteoblast activity by serum from diabetic and non-diabetic patients on hemodialysis: a three-dimensional culture study.

Background: The aims of our study were to develop a three-dimensional model based on normal human osteoblasts and to determine, with this method, the osteoblastic response to sera of non-diabetic and diabetic patients on hemodialysis for chronic renal failure.

Methods: A protocol for culture of osteoblastic cells in three-dimensional meshworks of bovine type I collagen was developed. The effect on cultures of sera from three groups of patients was studied: 1) 12 diabetic patients on hemodialysis [age: 65 +/- 5.

Tubular and interstitial expression of ICAM-1 as a marker of renal injury in IgA nephropathy.

Background: The upregulated renal expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) is associated with glomerular and interstitial infiltration of leukocytes.

Aim: To test the hypothesis that renal expression of ICAM-1 may be predictive in the highly variable IgA nephropathy (IgAN).

Methods: ICAM-1 (CD54) in tubular epithelium and interstitial leukocytes, macrophages (CD14), and T cells (CD3) were assessed using avidin-biotin-peroxidase in renal biopsy specimens from 45 patients with IgAN and from 29 patients with no glomerulonephritis.