Ischemic brain injury in hemodialysis patients: which is more dangerous, hypertension or intradialytic hypotension?

Abnormalities of cognitive function and high levels of depression incidence are characteristic of hemodialysis patients. Although previously attributed to the humoral effects of uremia, it is becoming increasingly appreciated that many elements of the overall disease state in CKD patients contribute to functional disturbances and physical brain injury. These factors range from those associated with the underlying primary diseases (cardiovascular, diabetes etc.

Comparison of estimated GFR and measured GFR in prospective living kidney donors.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of three GFR-estimating equations (eGFR) compared with measured GFR (mGFR) in potential living kidney donors.

Methods: We compared the performance of the MDRD, CKD-Epi and Cockcroft-Gault equations with mGFR measured using (51)Cr-EDTA in 508 consecutive potential living kidney donors. Each equation was assessed for bias, precision and accuracy compared with mGFR, and the sensitivity and specificity for the identification of donors with mGFR<80 mL/min/1.

Correction of the slope-intercept method for the measurement of glomerular filtration rate.

Objective: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is frequently assessed using the slope-intercept method by fitting a single exponential to plasma samples obtained 2-5 h after injection. The body surface area (BSA)-corrected one-pool clearance (CO,BSA) overestimates true GFR (CT,BSA) because it fails to sample the full plasma curve, and values of CT,BSA are usually estimated from CO,BSA using the Brøchner-Mortensen (BM) equation. An improved equation, CT,BSA=CO,BSA/(1+fBSA×CO,BSA), with fBSA a fixed constant, was proposed by Fleming, but subsequently Jødal and Brøchner-Mortensen (JBM) reported that fBSA varies with BSA.

The ebbs and flows in the development of cholesterol-lowering drugs: prospects for the future.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing worldwide. Statins are the mainstay of treatment but do not address all aspects of CVD risk. Other lipid-lowering therapies are available but are less effective than statins.

Have we reached the limits for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy?

Introduction: The prevalence of diabetic nephropathy is increasing as a consequence of the global epidemic of diabetes, and the complications of diabetic nephropathy are unsurprisingly legion. Blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) has formed the mainstay of management, but despite this, most individuals will suffer premature cardiovascular events, and many will progress to end-stage renal disease. Given the heterogeneity of pathologies, it is perhaps naïve to hope that blocking a single neurohormonal pathway will protect against the myriad of pathogenetic mechanisms that conspire to cause the injuries seen with diabetes.

Correcting (18)F-fluoride PET static scan measurements of skeletal plasma clearance for tracer efflux from bone.

Objective: The aim of the study was to examine whether (18)F-fluoride PET ((18)F-PET) static scan measurements of bone plasma clearance (Ki) can be corrected for tracer efflux from bone from the time of injection.

Materials And Methods: The efflux of tracer from bone mineral to plasma was described by a first-order rate constant kloss. A modified Patlak analysis was applied to 60-min dynamic (18)F-PET scans of the spine and hip acquired during trials on the bone anabolic agent teriparatide to find the best-fit values of kloss at the lumbar spine, total hip and femoral shaft.

Bone: Strontium ranelate does not have an anabolic effect on bone.

Strontium ranelate, a therapeutic for osteoporosis, was thought to have a dual mode of action, simultaneously stimulating bone formation and reducing resorption. A recent study casts doubt on this explanation, suggesting instead that it has a mild suppressive effect on bone formation with little effect on bone resorption.

The prevalence of electrocardiographic early repolarization in an adult cohort with chronic kidney disease and its impact upon all-cause mortality and progression to dialysis.

Background: Electrocardiographic early repolarization (ER) occurring in <5% of general/atherosclerotic populations, is a marker of sudden cardiac death (SCD). The prevalence of ER in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, in whom SCD is common, is unknown. We aimed to determine the prevalence, contributing factors, and relationship of ER to all-cause mortality and progression to dialysis in CKD patients.

Glomerular filtration rate in prospective living kidney donors.

Purpose: Measurements of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) are frequently interpreted assuming a linear variation with age. Nonlinear relationships may give a better representation of the changes associated with normal ageing.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of 904 subjects (468 women, 436 men; age range 18-84 years) undergoing assessment as prospective living kidney donors.

Cardiovascular disease in chronic kidney disease: untying the Gordian knot.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects around 10-13% of the general population, with only a small proportion in end stage renal disease (ESRD), either on dialysis or awaiting renal transplantation. It is well documented that CKD patients have an extremely high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared with the general population, so much so that in the early stages of CKD patients are more likely to develop CVD than they are to progress to ESRD. Various pathophysiological pathways and explanations have been advanced and suggested to account for this, including endothelial dysfunction, dyslipidaemia, inflammation, left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiac autonomic dysfunction.