Sarcopenia, an overlooked diagnosis in kidney transplant recipients.

Most studies of sarcopenia in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) have been hampered by a lack of standardization in the definitions of sarcopenia. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia and the associated factors in RTRs using the recently proposed criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2018 (EWGSOP2), which included a standardized definition of sarcopenia. We examined 93 consecutive adult RTRs, 46 chronic kidney disease patients, and 46 healthy controls. We assessed the muscle strength with a hand grip test using a dynamometer and with a chair stand test. We used bioimpedance analysis to estimate appendicular skeletal mass using the Sergi formula. Finally, we conducted a 2-minute walking test to assess endurance. Sarcopenia and probable sarcopenia were determined according to the revised criteria of the EWGSOP2. Probable sarcopenia was found in 29 RTR patients (31.2%), of them 14 (15.1%) were diagnosed with sarcopenia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that presence of diabetes mellitus, increased uric acid level, and statin use were risk factors for probable sarcopenia. On the other hand, longer dialysis vintage was a risk factor for sarcopenia in RTRs. We found that probable sarcopenia and sarcopenia were highly prevalent in our relatively young RTRs. We recommend active screening for the presence of sarcopenia in RTRs, especially in the cadaveric ones. Furthermore, caution seems warranted regarding the myopathic side effects in RTRs who use statins.

Bibliometric analysis of 100 most influential papers related to septic arthritis of native joints.

Aim: Bibliometric studies have gained popularity since they are able to define the characteristics of articles on specific subjects. The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of 100 most-cited papers related to septic arthritis of the native joints. Methods: Web of Science database was analyzed and 100 most-cited articles about septic arthritis were determined. The characteristics of the articles including publication year, country, journal, study type, and sponsorship were recorded and investigated for any possible relationship with citation numbers. The visualization of the most commonly used keywords was made by software. Results: The highest citation number and density were 309 and 21.6, respectively. The highest contribution was from the USA with 44 articles. The most common study type was case series with 26 articles. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases journal had the highest number of articles with 8 papers. Fifteen studies were funded. The average citation density of review articles was significantly higher than in clinical and basic science studies (p < 0.001). Citation density was positively correlated with publication year and institution number, while it was negatively correlated with the level of evidence. Conclusion: This study summarizes the general characteristics and research trends of the 100 most influential septic arthritis papers. Citation density and level of evidence performance were better in more recent articles. Additionally, citation density was higher in papers that included contributions from multiple institutions and papers with a high level of evidence. However, a high level of evidence is lacking indicating the need for better study design in future research.