Case report: First diagnosis of Fabry disease in North Macedonia in a patient presenting with kidney failure on hemodialysis.

Introduction: Fabry disease is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by α-galactosidase A (α-Gal A) deficiency. Reduced or absent enzyme activity causes progressive lysosomal accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (Lyso-Gb3) in various cells throughout the body to trigger inflammation and fibrosis.

Case Description: We present the first familial case of Fabry Disease in North Macedonia identified based on clinical manifestations and confirmed through enzyme, biomarker, and genetic tests.

Association Between the Polymorphism of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Gene and Interleukin-1 Beta Gene and the Response to Erythropoietin Therapy in Dialysis Patients with Anemia.

Introduction: The polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1b) gene could be associated with resistance in the treatment of anemia in dialysis patients with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO). The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between the polymorphism of the ACE and IL-1b genes and the response to rHuEPO therapy in dialysis patients with anemia.

Material And Methods: The study investigated 69 patients on dialysis with anemia treated with recombinant human erythropoietin for 12 months.

Immunotactoid Glomerulopathy: A Rare Glomerular Disease Case Study.

Immunotactoid glomerulopathy (ITG) is a rare glomerular disease with variable responsiveness to the immunosuppressive therapy and with uncertain prognosis. ITG was diagnosed in two patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with nephrotic syndrome and chronic kidney disease. The absence of diabetic retinopathy in the first case and the recent onset of diabetes in the second case accompanied with sudden increase in the 24-hour proteinuria and rapid decline in kidney function, prompted us to perform kidney biopsy.

Comparison of Oxidative Stress Levels in Healthy Children and Children with Allergic Rhinitis.

: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa. Under the influence of exogenous factors - allergens, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are released during cellular metabolism. They induce a series of pathological changes in the mucosa.

The blood flow rate on the first day after arteriovenous fistula creation is a predictor of successful fistula maturation.

Background: The determination of blood flow rate (BFR) is a useful tool for assessing the function of arteriovenous fistula (AVF).

Methods: Eighty patients with a newly created radio cephalic AVF were analyzed. Hemodynamics and morphological characteristics of the blood vessels were assessed by Doppler ultrasound.

Renal X-inactivation in female individuals with X-linked Alport syndrome primarily determined by age.

X-linked Alport syndrome (AS) caused by hemizygous disease-causing variants in primarily affects males. Females with a heterozygous state show a diverse phenotypic spectrum ranging from microscopic hematuria to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and extrarenal manifestations. In other X-linked diseases, skewed X-inactivation leads to preferential silencing of one X-chromosome and thus can determine the phenotype in females.

The ERA Registry Annual Report 2019: summary and age comparisons.

Background: Data on renal replacement therapy (RRT) for end-stage renal disease were collected by the European Renal Association (ERA) Registry via national and regional renal registries in Europe and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. This article provides a summary of the 2019 ERA Registry Annual Report, including data from 34 countries and additional age comparisons.

Methods: Individual patient data for 2019 were provided by 35 registries and aggregated data by 17 registries.

Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Peritonitis: Rate, Clinical Outcomes and Patient Survival.

Peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis remains the major complication and primary challenge to the long-term success of peritoneal dialysis (PD). The study aimed to analyze the peritonitis rate, the cause, the outcomes, and the association of peritonitis with the survival of patients on peritoneal dialysis. Patient data were collected retrospectively from medical charts.

COVID 19 Pneumonia and a Rare Form of Fungal Peritonitis in a Patient Survivor on Peritoneal Dialysis.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) related peritonitis is usually caused by bacteria, but viruses and fungi could also affect the peritoneal membrane and cause cloudy effluent with negative bacterial cultures. We present a case of a PD patient who survived fungal peritonitis caused by (March 2015) and COVID-19 pneumonia (April 2021) with peritonitis probably caused by the virus. The fungal peritonitis followed one episode of exit-site infection and two episodes of bacterial peritonitis treated with a wide-spectrum antibiotic.

The use of AVF.SIM system for the surgical planning of arteriovenous fistulae in routine clinical practice.

Background: The number of patients treated with hemodialysis (HD) in Europe is more than half a million and this number increases annually. The arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the vascular access (VA) of first choice, but the clinical outcome is still poor. A consistent number of AVFs fails to reach the desired blood flow rate for HD treatment, while some have too high flow and risk for cardiac complications.

The ERA-EDTA Registry Annual Report 2018: a summary.

Background: The European Renal Association - European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Registry collects data on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) via national and regional renal registries in Europe and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. This article summarizes the 2018 ERA-EDTA Registry Annual Report, and describes the epidemiology of KRT for kidney failure in 34 countries.

Methods: Individual patient data on patients undergoing KRT in 2018 were provided by 34 national or regional renal registries and aggregated data by 17 registries.

Impact of preoperative arterial and venous diameter on achievement of the adequate blood flow in arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis.

An arteriovenous fistula (AVF) remains the best choice of vascular access (VA) for hemodialysis (HD). The aim of the study was to determine the factors associated with the achievement of adequate blood flow (BF) of AVFs at the 4th week after creation. Created AVFs in 63 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4/5 and CKD stage 5 on hemodialysis (CKD5D) were analyzed in a prospective study.

Narrative Review of Incremental Hemodialysis.

The prescription of hemodialysis (HD) in patients with incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is fundamentally empirical. The abrupt transition from nondialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) to thrice-weekly in-center HD of much the same dialysis intensity as in those with prevalent ESKD underappreciates the progressive nature of kidney disease whereby the decline in renal function has been gradual and ongoing-including at the time of HD initiation. Adjuvant pharmacologic treatment (i.

Primary antiphospholipid syndrome in a hemodialysis patient with recurrent thrombosis of arteriovenous fistulas.

Introduction: The antiphospholipid syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease defined by recurrent vascular and/or obstetrical morbidity that occurs in patients with persistent antiphospholipid antibodies.

Case Presentation: A patient on hemodialysis with a primary antiphospholipid syndrome presented with recurrent vascular access thrombosis, obstetrical complications, and positive lupus anticoagulant. The patient had multiple arteriovenous fistulas that failed due to thrombosis.

Primary Failure of the Arteriovenous Fistula in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 4/5.

Background: An Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a creation of the natural blood vessels. It is a "gate of life" for the patients on hemodialysis.

Aim: The study aimed to analyze the predictors for primary failure of AVF such as gender, age, number and location of AVF, and primary renal disease in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4/5.

Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Kidney Transplant Patients: Current Treatment Options.

Hepatitis C virus infection is highly prevalent among kidney transplant recipients, occurring consequently to their previous treatment with hemodialysis. Hepatitis C virus infection has been associated with lower graft and patient survival compared with that shown in patients without infection. The lower survival has been associated with the posttransplant progression of liver disease and increased risk for development of extrahepatic complications.

Hepatitis C virus infection in maintenance hemodialysis patients: recommendations for diagnostics and treatment.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is highly prevalent among patients treated with maintenance hemodialysis and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. It is necessary to determine the HCV genotype and the viral load to monitor the clinical and laboratory features and to establish an optimal antiviral treatment strategy. Antiviral treatments are presented with a standard interferon-based regimen and new direct-acting antiviral agents.

Genetic predictors of the response to the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection.

The genome-wide association studies have identified a strong association between interleukin 28B (IL28B) gene polymorphisms and the response to treatment in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between three most widely studied IL28B gene polymorphisms and the response to antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis C. We performed the genotyping of the three IL28B gene polymorphisms: rs12979860, rs8099917, and rs12980275 in 72 Caucasian patients with chronic hepatitis C, previously treated with the combination therapy of pegylated interferon alpha (PEGIFN α) and ribavirin (RBV).

Renal Transplantation in Romania: Where Do We Stand?

Introduction: According to the Romanian Renal Registry (RRR), only 8% of patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) in 2012 received a kidney transplant (KTx). As not all transplant centers report to RRR, the outcome of transplanted patients in Romania is not known. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the outcome in patients grafted in one of the largest transplant center in the country as compared to hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients recorded by the RRR.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms near IL28B gene and response to treatment of chronic hepatitis C in hemodialysis patients.

Background: It has been shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the interleukin 28B (IL28B) gene were associated with sustained virological response following standard antivirological treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between SNPs near the IL28B gene and response to the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in hemodialysis patients.

Patients And Methods: The study group included 24 hemodialysis patients with chronic hepatitis C routinely treated with pegylated interferon α-2 a.

Review: Occult hepatitis C virus infection: still remains a controversy.

Occult hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by the presence of HCV RNA in the liver cells or peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the patients whose serum samples test negative for HCV RNA, with or without presence of HCV antibodies. The present study reviews the existing literature on the persistence of occult hepatitis C virus infection, with description of the clinical characteristics and methods for identification of occult hepatitis C. Occult hepatitis C virus infection was detected in patients with abnormal results of liver function tests of unknown origin, with HCV antibodies and HCV RNA negativity in serum, and also in patients with spontaneous or treatment-induced recovery from hepatitis C.

Global assessment of serum antioxidant status in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Since chronic renal failure (CRF) was described as a state of oxidant/antioxidant imbalance augmented after hemodialysis (HD) initiation, we assessed the total antioxidant activity and single antioxidants in sera from uremic patients dialyzed or not, compared to subjects with normal renal function.

Methods: Serum total antioxidant activity (TAA--measured as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity; mmol/L), total plasma free thiols (Pt-SH; micromol/g protein), albumin (g/dL) and uric acid (mg/dL) were determined in 19 hemodialyzed patients, 15 CRF non-dialyzed patients (serum creatinine (Cr) = 4.4 +/- 2.