Low dialysis potassium bath is associated with lower mortality in end-stage renal disease patients admitted to hospital with severe hyperkalemia.

Background: Hyperkalemia is a modifiable risk factor for sudden cardiac death, a leading cause of mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The optimal treatment of hyperkalemia in hospitalized end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is nonexistent in literature, which has prompted studies from outpatient dialysis to be extrapolated to inpatient care. The goal of this study was to determine if low-potassium dialysate 1 mEq/L is associated with higher mortality in hospitalized ESRD patients with severe hyperkalemia (serum potassium >6.

Natural antibody and complement activation characterize patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and minimal change disease (MCD) are common forms of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. The causes of these diseases are incompletely understood, but the response of patients to immunosuppressive therapies suggests that their pathogenesis is at least in part immune mediated. Preclinical and clinical research indicates that activation of the classical pathway of complement contributes to glomerular injury in FSGS.

Gender differences in peritoneal dialysis initiation in the US end-stage renal disease population.

Background: Overall, a disproportionately small number of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients start peritoneal dialysis (PD) in the United States compared to hemodialysis. Little is known about whether gender has an effect on the initial modality of renal replacement therapy utilized by patients; however, prior studies have demonstrated gender disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of various other health conditions, including kidney disease.

Methods: Using data from the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), we estimated the proportion of patients utilizing PD as their initial dialysis modality between 2000 and 2014, adjusting estimates to the mean value of all covariates and compared these estimates for women and men.

Infant Death Following Home Birth: A Case Report of Fatal Neonatal Hypoglycemia.

Infants born to diabetic mothers are at increased risk for symptomatic hypoglycemia and death after birth. A 36-year-old G4P3 mother with a history of gestational diabetes and newly diagnosed type II insulin-dependent diabetes gave birth at home, in the care of a midwife, to a macrosomic infant girl (10 lbs.).

The association of acute rejection vs recurrent glomerular disease with graft outcomes after kidney transplantation.

Background: It has been shown that glomerulonephritis (GN) recurrence affects graft survival more than acute rejection. Thus, we assessed allograft survival after biopsy-confirmed diagnosis of acute rejection or recurrent GN in current era of immunosuppression.

Methods: Allograft survival following a biopsy diagnosis of acute rejection or recurrent GN was determined in adult kidney transplant recipients from 1994 to 2013.

Cause of End-Stage Renal Disease Is Not a Risk Factor for Cytomegalovirus Infection After Kidney Transplant.

Background: Cytomegalovirus infection (CMV) after kidney transplantation leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Whether the cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) influences the risk of CMV infection post-transplant is not known.

Methods: We analyzed data from 2741 adult kidney transplant recipients from January 1993 through December 2014.

Intravenous acetaminophen vs saline in perioperative analgesia with laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Background: Opioids are effective for the treatment of postoperative pain but can cause nausea and are associated with dependency with long-term use. Nonopioid medications such as acetaminophen offer the promise of decreasing these nondesirable effects while still providing patient comfort.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare intravenous acetaminophen with placebo and to evaluate postoperative pain control and opioid usage after laparoscopic hysterectomy.

The Impact of Intracranial Tumor Proximity to White Matter Tracts on Morbidity and Mortality: A Retrospective Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

Background: Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in neurosurgical planning allows identification of white matter tracts and has been associated with a reduction in postoperative functional deficits.

Objective: This study explores the relationship between the lesion-to-tract distance (LTD) and postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients with brain tumors in order to evaluate the role of DTI in predicting postoperative outcomes.

Methods: Adult patients with brain tumors (n = 60) underwent preoperative DTI.

Development and Validation of a Laparoscopic Simulation Model for Suturing the Vaginal Cuff.

Objective: To create a novel surgical simulation model for training laparoscopic suturing of the vaginal cuff and to present evidence regarding its validity as a training and assessment tool.

Methods: The three phases of this study included model construction, validity and reliability testing, and evaluation of the model as an assessment tool. The model was created using corduroy, quilt batting, and neoprene.

A novel approach to prevent post-operative ileus after continuous-flow left ventricular assist device implantation: A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: Patients with postoperative ileus (POI), a common post-surgical event, experience intense discomfort. Various treatments targeting prevention of POI have shown to have an unpredictable effect. We introduced a novel postoperative bowel management protocol in patients implanted with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD).

Nutrition support in pancreatitis.

Nutrition support is especially important in patients who have pancreatitis, as these patients have high metabolic needs and are usually unable to ingest sufficient calories from an oral diet because of pain or intestinal dysfunction. Clinicians must assess severity of the disease carefully, as initiation and timing of nutrition support are crucial. Depending on the severity, early nutrition support may be unnecessary, while late support ultimately may lead to worse outcomes.

Patient-related barriers to pain management: the Barriers Questionnaire II (BQ-II).

Patients' beliefs can act as barriers to optimal management of cancer pain. The Barriers Questionnaire (BQ) is a tool used to evaluate such barriers. Here, the BQ has been revised to reflect changes in pain management practices, resulting in the Barriers Questionnaire-II (BQ-II), a 27-item, self report instrument.

Hyperreninemic hypertension secondary to a subcapsular perinephric hematoma in a patient with polyarteritis nodosa.

Page kidney is the name ascribed to a rare syndrome of hyperreninemic hypertension caused by unilateral compressive perinephritis. Blood or fluid that accumulates in the perinephric subcapsular space compresses the renal parenchyma leading to ischemia. This syndrome is analogous to the description of cellophane-induced perinephritis by Page in 1939.

Binocular field expansion in adults after surgery for esotropia.

Objectives: To determine how frequently adults with long-standing esotropia will experience an expansion of their binocular visual field after surgical correction of their strabismus and to determine if the postoperative expansion of binocular fields in esotropic adults correlates with the type of esotropia (infantile vs acquired), duration of the deviation, visual acuity in the deviating eye, or a history of satisfactory alignment in early childhood.

Design: Preoperative and postoperative binocular visual fields were measured in a consecutive series of 37 adults undergoing surgery for esotropia. The fields were obtained and graded by masked observers.