Partial recovery of SARS-CoV-2 immunity after booster vaccination in renal transplant recipients.

The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has been especially detrimental to patients with end-stage renal disease. History with other vaccines suggests that patients with renal disease may not respond adequately to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The aim of this study is to evaluate the immunity to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in renal patients. Post SARS-CoV-2 vaccination first, and after the booster dose, antibodies and cellular immunity were studied in patients on hemodialysis (N = 20), peritoneal dialysis (N = 10) and renal transplantation (N = 10). After the two doses of vaccine, there was an effective immunity in dialysis patients, with 100% seroconversion and 87% detection of cellular immunity (85% in hemodialysis and 90% in peritoneal dialysis). In contrast, in renal transplant recipients there was only 50% seroconversion and cellular immunity was detected in 30% of patients. After the booster dose, all dialysis patients achieved a cellular and antibody immunity, whereas in transplant patients, despite improvement, 20% did not produce antibodies and in 37.5% cellular immunity could not be detected. The mRNA vaccine plus booster performs excellently in dialysis patients, whereas in kidney transplant recipients, despite the booster, complete immunization is not achieved.

[Atheroembolic renal disease: analysis of clinical and therapeutic factors that influence its progression]. / Enfermedad renal ateroembólica: un análisis de los factores clínicos y terapéuticos que influyen en su evolución.

Cholesterol embolism is a disease caused by distal showering of cholesterol crystal released from disintegration of arterial atheromatous plaques. It may occur spontaneously or more often after invasive vascular procedures or thrombolytic/anticoagulant agents. Forty five cases were diagnosed between 1989 and 2005 in three Spanish hospitals. The diagnosis was confirmed by histology or diagnostic ophthalmoscopic findings. The majority were male (93.3%), elder (55.5% were older than 70 years), smoker (91.1%), had hypertension (95.6%), with high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. At the time of diagnosis all patients presented acute renal failure. Mean serum creatinine at diagnosis was 4.3+/- 2.4 mg/dl. The acute renal failure was accompanied with eosinophilia (64.4%) and cutanous lesions (57.7%). 20% of cases occur spontaneously and 46.7% after endovascular manipulation (coronary angiography/arteriography) and only 8% after changes in anticoagulant treatment. After a follow-up of 12 +/- 16.3 months the 55.6% of patients need chronic dialysis, 64.4% died, 8 of them after the beginning of dialysis. Nine patients recovered renal function, with a mean creatinine of 3 +/- 1.7 mg/dl at the end of follow-up. The cardiovascular comorbididy and the clinical severity of the embolism don t have impact in the renal or patient survival. Renal survival (Kaplan-Mier) were better in spontaneous than in iatrogenic cholesterol embolism. Fifteen of 45 patients were treated with steroids. In treated patients we observed a high incidence of death (73.3% versus 60%) and fewer recovery of renal function (13.3% versus 23%), without statistical significance. The mean time to dialysis was shorter in treatment patients (p= 0.017). Statins treatment was not associated with outcome (renal or individual). In summary, atheroembolic renal disease represents an acute renal failure with special characteristics. Renal and individual outcome is poor, but some patients have spontaneous recovery of renal function. Renal survival was significantly better in spontaneous disease. We don t observe beneficial effect of steroid treatment.

[Comorbidity, anemia and response to erythropoiesis stimulating agents in chronic hemodialysis]. / Relación entre comorbilidad, anemia y respuesta a derivados eritropoyéticos en pacientes incluidos en programa de hemodiálisis periódicas.

INTRODUCTION: Patients treated with haemodialysis have a high prevalence of co-morbidity that induces a elevate mortality risk. On the other hand, these patients have anaemia whose treatment is based in erythropoiesis stimulating agents. To date there are not enough studies to determine if co-morbidity alters erythropoietin response and the relationship between co-morbidity, response to treatment of anaemia and resistance to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. OBJECTIVES: We have the following objectives: i) to study the prevalence of associated diseases in patients treated with haemodialysis in our Hospital Unit and to evaluate the co-morbidity Charlson Index, ii) to know the degree of anaemia control, dose and response to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, and iii) to determine the relationship with co-morbidity and anaemia treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We designed a retrospective study in stable haemodialysis treated patients. We calculated the Charlson co-morbidity index adjusted to age and we analysed levels of haemoglobin in the 6 months before study, dose of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and its resistance index defined as doses of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents/weight (kg)/week/haemoglobin (g/dL). The different variables included in Charlson index were considered as independent variables and the index to repose to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents as a dependent variable, using bivariant and multivariate statistical analysis. RESULTS: We included 58 patients (31 males and 27 females), median age of 69.5 years (range 24-88), mean haemodialysis 83.7 months. Mean Charlson index was 7.4 +/- 2.8 (range 2-13). Comorbidity-age Charlson index was 2 in 3.4% of patients; 10.3% had 3 or 4 points; 43.2% between 5 and 7 and 43,1% 8 or more. Mean haemoglobin levels was 11,7+/-1,2 g/dL. Mean erythropoiesis-stimulating agents dose was 163.7+/-114.5 IU/kg/week and resistance index 14.1+/-9.7. Most of patients (57%) had a IRE value higher than 10. Fourteen patients (24%) had haemoglobin less than 11 g/dL, and 3 of them (5.1%) received erythropoiesis-stimulating agents more than 300 IU/kg/week. Nine subjects (15.5%) was treated with high dose of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (>300 IU/kg/week): 3 of them had Hb>or=11 g/dL and 6 had Hb<11 g/dL. We did not found that the intensity of Charlson index is related with the degree of anaemia control or response to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. CONCLUSIONS: Although the co-morbidity index is high and the response to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents is inadequate. In our study there is not relationship between these conditions.

[Acute renal failure and hypertension]. / Fracaso renal agudo en paciente hipertenso.

Ischemic nephropathy could be complicated with hypertension and acute worsening of chronic renal failure secondary to ACE inhibitors or AT receptor antagonist treatments and arterial occlusion. We describe a patient with bilateral renal artery stenosis and hypertension treated with ATI receptor antagonist (valsartan) that developed rapid worsening of renal function that required dialysis. Percutaneous transluminal renal artery angioplasty and stenting, complemented with hydratation and valsartan suppression achieves rapid and sustained recovery of renal function.

[Membranous nephropathy and crescentic glomerulonephritis]. / Síndrome nefrótico e insuficiencia renal aguda por nefropatía membranosa y proliferación extracapilar.

The most frequent causes of glomerular diseases whose main clinical syndrome are nephrotic syndrome and acute renal failure may have several causes: acute tubular necrosis, thrombosis of renal veins, acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. Infrequently, the association between primary glomerular disease (membranous nephropathy and others) and crescentic glomerulonephritis can cause this clinical picture. We describe a young woman without systemic disease with nephrotic syndrome and acute renal failure secondary to membranous nephropathy and superimposed crescentic glomerulonephritis. She received steroids and cyclophosphamide with stabilization of renal function after two months of follow-up.

Concordance of estimated glomerular filtration rates using Cockcroft-Gault modification of diet in renal disease, and chronic kidney disease epidemiology in renal transplant recipients.

INTRODUCTION: Various equations have been used to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in renal patients, including kidney transplant recipients. Controversy exists concerning which equation is more precise to determine kidney failure. AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze the concordance (bias, variability, and exactness) of GFR estimated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD4) and the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology (CKD-EPI) equations using the Cockcroft-Gault (CG) method as the reference. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This observational, cross-sectional study included 153 clinically stable patients who underwent kidney transplantation between 2007 and 2009. The GFR was estimated at 12 months after the transplantation using the MDRD and CKP-EPI formula, using CG as the reference. RESULTS: The mean GFR for the various methods was as follows: CG = 65.6 ± 23.3 mL/min/1.73 m(2), MDRD4 = 54.9 ± 19.3 mL/min/1.73 m(2), and CKD-EPI = 55.8 ± 19.6 mL/min/1.73 m(2). Good correlations were found between CG-MDRD4 (r = 0.84; P < .001), CG-CKD-EPI (r = 0.87; P < .001), and MDRD4-CKD-EPI (r = 0.98; P < .001). The analysis of concordance detected a bias (normal difference) of -10.6 ± 12.7 versus -9.8 ± 11.3 mL/min/1.73 m(2) (P = .006), a variability (percent difference) of 14.5 ± 15.4% versus 13.6 ± 14.5% (P = .031), and an exactness (P30) of 81.7% versus 86.9% (P < .001) of CG-MDRD4 versus CG-CKD-EPI, respectively. For a GFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) the exactness was 75.3% versus 83.5% (P < .001) for CG-MDRD4 versus CG-CKD-EPI, and for a GFR ≤ 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) it was 89.7% versus 91.2% (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In our population the CKD-EPI method most approached the CG values, particularly when the GFR was >60 mL/min/1.73 m(2).