Dialysis modality choice in elderly patients with end-stage renal disease: a narrative review of the available evidence.

The number of elderly patients on maintenance dialysis has rapidly increased in the past few decades, particularly in developed countries, imposing a growing burden on dialysis centres. Hence, many nephrologists and healthcare authorities feel that greater emphasis should be placed on the promotion of home dialysis therapies such as peritoneal dialysis (PD) and home haemodialysis (HD). There is currently no general consensus as to the best dialysis modality for elderly patients with end-stage renal disease. In-centre HD is predominant in most countries, although it is widely recognized that PD has several advantages over HD, including the lack of need for vascular access, continuous slow ultrafiltration, less interference with patients' lifestyle and lower costs. Comparisons of outcomes between elderly patients on PD and HD rely on observational studies, as randomized controlled trials are lacking. The results of these studies are variable. However, most of them suggest that survival rates are largely similar between the two modalities, except for elderly patients with diabetes and/or beyond 1-3 years from dialysis initiation, in which cases HD appears to be superior. An equally important aspect to consider when choosing dialysis modality, particularly in this age group, is the quality of life, and in this regard most studies found no significant differences between PD and HD. In these circumstances, we believe that dialysis modality selection should be guided by patient's preference, based on comprehensive and unbiased information. A multidisciplinary team should review elderly patients starting on dialysis, aiming to identify possible barriers to PD and home HD, including physical, visual, cognitive, psychological and social problems, and to overcome such barriers by adequate care, education, psychological counselling and dialysis assistance.

Changes in the histological spectrum of glomerular diseases in the past 16 years in the North-Eastern region of Romania.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe the findings of renal biopsies from a large nephrology center in Iasi, Romania, performed between 2005 and 2010. We compared these findings with our previous ones, from 1995 to 2004, as well as with similar reports. METHODS: We studied retrospectively 239 renal biopsies. The indications for renal biopsy were categorized into: nephrotic syndrome, acute nephritic syndrome, asymptomatic urinary abnormalities, acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology. RESULTS: During the past 16 years, a gradual increase in the annual number of renal biopsies/per million population (p.m.p.)/year was observed, although this incidence remained lower than in other European countries. Nephrotic syndrome was the indication for renal biopsy in over 50% of cases. Glomerulonephritis (GN) was the main histological diagnosis in 91% of cases, of which 56% were primary GN and 35% were secondary GN. The frequency of various types of primary GN was: membranoproliferative GN (MPGN) - 29.3%, membranous nephropathy (MN) -27.5%, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) - 17.2%, mesangial GN (including IgAN) -13.7%, crescentic GN - 9.4%, and minimal change disease (MCD) - 2.5%. Compared to the previously reported period (1994-2004), we observed a significant decrease in the frequency of MPGN and significant increases in the frequency of FSGS and, particularly MN - which more than doubled. CONCLUSION: We report significant changes in the histological spectrum of GN in North-Eastern Romania in 2005-2010, compared to the previously reported 10-yrs. These changes seem to be following a trend that has also been observed in Western countries a few decades ago, and which may have a socioeconomic explanation.

Nutritional status evaluation and survival in haemodialysis patients in one centre from Romania.

BACKGROUND: Protein-energy wasting is a common complication and an important predictive factor for mortality in chronic dialysis patients. Therefore, nutritional status needs to be regularly assessed in these patients, by using several methods, and, if malnutrition is present, its possible causes should be thoroughly searched for and properly treated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 149 prevalent haemodialysis patients (82 men, mean age 53.9 +/- 13.7 years), we evaluated the nutritional status by anthropometrics [post-dialysis height (H), body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), tricipital skin-fold thickness (TST), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC), corrected mid-arm muscle area (cMAMA) and three-category subjective global assessment score (SGA)], biochemical tests [protein equivalent of nitrogen appearance (nPNA), and pre-dialysis serum albumin, creatinine, total cholesterol, bicarbonate and haemoglobin (Hb) levels] and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to estimate body composition [percent body fat (%BF), fat-free mass (%FFM), body cell mass (%BCM), extracellular mass (%ECM) and the phase angle (PhA)]. RESULTS: Age was found to be positively correlated with BMI (P = 0.001), and inversely correlated with %BCM (P = 0.013). Patients with A-category SGA were significantly younger (50.1 versus 63.7 years) than those with B-category SGA. Patients with diabetes had lower %BCM (32.9 versus 35.9%; P = 0.035) and PhA (5.5 versus 6.9 degrees ; P = 0.0007) than those without diabetes. The presence of heart failure was associated with significantly reduced nPNA (1.17 versus 1.34 g/kg day; P = 0.014), MAMC (22.0 versus 23.6 cm(2); P = 0.041), %BCM (33.0 versus 36.1; P = 0.021), PhA (5.8 versus 7.0 degrees ; P = 0.031), serum albumin (39.7 versus 42.4 g/l; P = 0.013) and serum creatinine (8.1 versus 9.4 mg/dl; P = 0.010), and with a higher percent of B-category SGA (47.8% versus 22.6%; P = 0.019). Eleven deaths (7.4%) occurred during the follow-up period. Among general factors, age >or= 55, the presence of diabetes, and dialysis vintage <2 years were associated with significantly reduced survival. Among nutritional factors, B-category SGA, nPNA <1.2 g/kg day, %BF <15% and PhA <6 degrees significantly predicted mortality in both Kaplan-Meier and Cox analyses. The most important risk factor appeared to be nPNA; for every 0.1 g/kg day increase in nPNA, death risk decreased by 15%. CONCLUSIONS: In our haemodialysis patients, advancing age, diabetes and heart failure were associated with worse nutritional status, as estimated by anthropometry, biochemical markers and BIA. Age >or=55 years, the presence of diabetes, nPNA <1.2 g/kg day, lower SGA score, %BF <15% and PhA <6 degrees were associated with significantly increased death risk.

Factors affecting the quality of life of haemodialysis patients from Romania: a multicentric study.

BACKGROUND: The quality of life (QoL) is an important predictor of outcome in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Therefore, QoL needs to be regularly assessed in this setting. Our study describes QoL, as well as demographic and clinical variables associated with QoL in chronic haemodialysis (HD) patients in Romania. METHODS: All prevalent chronic HD patients (N = 709; mean age 51.7 +/- 12.6 years) in 12 dialysis centres from the three main regions of Romania were included in the study. Six hundred and six of these completed the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire-Short Form (KDQOL-SF). RESULTS: The mean physical component summary (PCS) score was 46.3 +/- 19.2, and the mean mental component summary (MCS) score was 55.1 +/- 19.3. These figures were lower than those previously described in non-dialysis age-matched Romanian individuals. The mean kidney disease summary component (KDSC) score was 68.3 +/- 11.3, similar to other studies. The worst dimension of QoL was work, whereas the best ones were cognitive function and quality of social interaction. We found older age, female gender, lower socio-economic status and higher educational level to be associated with lower QoL scores. CONCLUSIONS: The QoL of HD patients in Romania is lower than that in the general population. Our results suggest that at least one-third of these patients might be considered for rehabilitation therapy, in order to try and prevent complications and mortality.

Antihypertensive treatment and stroke prevention in patients with and without chronic kidney disease: a review of controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability and the third leading cause of death in the Western world. In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), stroke and vascular dementia are significantly more prevalent than in the general population. However, the optimal stroke prevention strategy in these patients is unclear, because controlled studies are scarce. METHODS: In this paper, the results of the major antihypertensive trials and meta-analyses for stroke prevention in the general high cardiovascular (CV) risk population and in the CKD population are reviewed. RESULTS: The risk of stroke is much more blood pressure (BP)-dependent than the risk of other CV events, and, consistently, risk reduction is also strongly dependent on BP reduction. The magnitude of BP lowering is crucial in both populations. In renal patients, diuretics alone or in combination with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, compared with placebo, are powerful BP-lowering and stroke-protective agents. Calcium channel blockers and ACE inhibitors also seem to be superior to placebo, but with more modest BP-decreasing effects and statistically nonsignificant reductions in stroke risk. In active versus active drug studies, independently of the BP-lowering effect, there are no significant advantages of any class over the others, although the results point to a slight superiority of diuretics and calcium channel blockers. Antihypertensive regimens in CKD patients should always include a diuretic, because, in the pathogenesis of CKD-associated hypertension, volume overload plays a crucial role. Diuretics are also inexpensive and well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that further studies of CV outcomes in CKD patients should compare various combinations of diuretics plus other drugs, such as calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers.

The impact of periodontal disease on physical and psychological domains in long-term hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Periodontal disease is a chronic infectious disease. Individuals with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) experience impaired quality of life (QoL) and low oral health. This is the first comprehensive study which aimed to explore the link between periodontal disease and quality of life, assessed with the Short Form 36-Item Health Survey in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: In total, 101 patients (57 females) with ESKD were recruited from two Romanian dialysis centers. Periodontal disease assessment included the measurement of periodontal disease index, with its three components: the gingival and periodontal index (GP), the bacterial plaque index (PI) and the calculus index (CI). For assessing QoL, we used the Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36), with its two components: physical component (PCS) and mental component (MCS). RESULTS: The mean age was 52.5 ± 14.3 years. The dialysis vintage was 6.7 ± 5.6 years. According to periodontal status, the mean value of GP was 4.0 ± 1.3, mean PI was 1.8 ± 0.9, and mean CI was 1.3 ± 0.7. Regarding the QoL, the means for PCS and MCS were 38.0 ± 17.3 and 45.0 ± 16.3, respectively. In univariate analysis, the physical and mental components of QoL were significantly associated with the gingival and periodontal index, the bacterial plaque index and the calculus index. In the multivariable linear regression, only the gingival and periodontal index remained significantly associated with physical component (ß = -3.26, p = 0.04, 95% CI -6.39 to -0.13) and mental component (ß = -5.57, p = 0.001, 95% CI -8.74 to -2.41) of QoL. CONCLUSION: Our study shows a high prevalence and severity of periodontal disease. The gingival and periodontal index was associated with low QoL, both on physical and on mental components.

Criteria for and Appropriateness of Renal Transplantation in Elderly Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease: A Literature Review and Position Statement on Behalf of the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association Descartes Working Group and European Renal Best Practice.

During the last 20 years, waiting lists for renal transplantation (RT) have grown significantly older. However, elderly patients (ie ≥65 years of age) are still more rarely referred or accepted to waiting lists and, if enlisted, have less chances of actually receiving a kidney allograft, than younger counterparts. In this review, we looked at evidence for the benefits and risks of RT in the elderly trying to answer the following questions: Should RT be advocated for elderly patients? What should be the criteria to accept elderly patients on the waiting list for RT? What strategies might be used to increase the rate of RT in waitlisted elderly candidates? For selected elderly patients, RT was shown to be superior to dialysis in terms of patient survival. Virtually all guidelines recommend that patients should not be deemed ineligible for RT based on age alone, although a short life expectancy generally might preclude RT. Concerning the assessment of comorbidities in the elderly, special attention should be paid to cardiac evaluation and screening for malignancy. Comorbidity scores and frailty assessment scales might help the decision making on eligibility. Psychosocial issues should also be evaluated. To overcome the scarcity of organ donors, elderly RT candidates should be encouraged to consider expanded criteria donors and living donors, as alternatives to deceased standard criteria donors. It has been demonstrated that expanded criteria donor RT in patients 60 years or older is associated with higher survival rates than remaining on dialysis, whereas living donor RT is superior to all other options.

New immunosuppressive therapies in renal transplantation: monoclonal antibodies.

Remarkable advances in understanding the mechanisms of immune recognition and allograft rejection have been made in the past few years, leading to the development of innovative immunosuppressive strategies in the field of renal transplantation. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have emerged as a new class of immunosuppressive agents, which appear to be effective (in both the treatment and the prevention of acute rejection) and well-tolerated in renal transplant recipients. The highly specific effects of these drugs make them less toxic than the oral long-term maintenance agents such as corticosteroids and the calcineurin inhibitors. Some of these mAbs have already confirmed their efficacy in preventing acute rejection in clinical phase III studies, and are now part of the well-established immunosuppressive regimens; these are the anti-CD25 mAbs (basiliximab and daclizumab). Other recently developed mAbs, like anti-CD52 (Campath-1H), anti-CD20 (rituximab), anti-LFA-1, anti-ICAM-1 and anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha (infliximab), are currently being tested, and show encouraging immunosuppressive potential. Blocking either the binding of cell-surface molecules or intracellular signal transduction, these mAbs could become an effective method to promote the holy grail of solid-organ transplantation, antigen-specific tolerance.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in renal transplantation: should ABPM be routinely performed in renal transplant patients?

In renal transplant recipients, hypertension is common and associated with increased cardiovascular and allograft rejection risks. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is required for its accurate diagnosis and adequate treatment, as it clearly offers several advantages over office or casual blood pressure measurements. First, it correlates better with target-organ damage and with cardiovascular mortality. Second, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring can eliminate "white coat" hypertension. Most important is the identification of nocturnal hypertension, an independent cardiovascular risk factor. A circadian nondipping pattern is often found in renal transplant recipients, most probably resulting from cyclosporine A and persistent fluid overload in the early posttransplant phase (approximately 70% prevalence), but reflecting an underlying renal (parenchymal or vascular) allograft disease when persistent (approximately 25% prevalence) beyond the first year posttransplant.

Heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease: a systematic integrative review.

INTRODUCTION: Heart failure (HF) is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and is strongly associated with mortality in these patients. However, the treatment of HF in this population is largely unclear. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a systematic integrative review of the literature to assess the current evidence of HF treatment in CKD patients, searching electronic databases in April 2014. Synthesis used narrative methods. SETTING AND POPULATION: We focused on adults with a primary diagnosis of CKD and HF. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES: We included studies of any design, quantitative or qualitative. INTERVENTIONS: HF treatment was defined as any formal means taken to improve the symptoms of HF and/or the heart structure and function abnormalities. OUTCOMES: Measures of all kinds were considered of interest. RESULTS: Of 1,439 results returned by database searches, 79 articles met inclusion criteria. A further 23 relevant articles were identified by hand searching. CONCLUSIONS: Control of fluid overload, the use of beta-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, and optimization of dialysis appear to be the most important methods to treat HF in CKD and ESRD patients. Aldosterone antagonists and digitalis glycosides may additionally be considered; however, their use is associated with significant risks. The role of anemia correction, control of CKD-mineral and bone disorder, and cardiac resynchronization therapy are also discussed.

Protein-energy wasting, as well as overweight and obesity, is a long-term risk factor for mortality in chronic hemodialysis patients.

INTRODUCTION: In patients with end-stage renal disease on chronic hemodialysis (HD), protein-energy wasting (PEW) is very common and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Evaluation of nutritional status should be performed regularly in all such patients, using multiple methods. In this study, we analyzed the influence of several nutritional markers on long-term (5 years) survival of HD patients in one center. This is the first study on the long-term influence of nutritional status on mortality in dialysis patients ever conducted in Romania. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included all prevalent HD patients in our center. Those with ongoing acute illnesses and with inflammation (C-reactive protein ≥ 6.0 mg/l) were excluded. In the remaining subjects (N = 149, 82 males, mean age 55 years old), we performed the following measurements of nutritional status: estimation of dietary protein intake by normalized protein equivalent of nitrogen appearance (nPNA), subjective global assessment (SGA), body mass index (BMI), tricipital skinfold thickness, mid-arm circumference, assessment of body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and pre-dialysis serum creatinine, albumin, and total cholesterol. We used receiver operating characteristic curves to determine the cutoff points for most of the variables, and we applied the Kaplan-Meier estimator and the Cox's proportional hazards model (stepwise method) to analyze the influence of these variables on survival. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, general factors including age ≥ 65 years, male gender, dialysis vintage ≥ 2 years, and the presence of diabetes and heart failure were all significant predictors of mortality. Among nutritional parameters, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2), SGA-B (mild PEW), nPNA < 1.15 g/kg per day, and the BIA-derived phase angle (PhA) <5.58° were also significantly associated with reduced survival. All of these factors maintained statistical significance in multivariate analysis, except for male gender and heart failure. CONCLUSION: We showed that low values of SGA, nPNA, and PhA independently predict mortality in HD patients. In conjunction with an earlier study, we demonstrated that the relative risk of death associated with these markers is highest during the first year of monitoring and it decreases in the following 4 years, although it still remains significantly increased. On the other hand, overweight and obesity were also associated with lower survival after 5 years, whereas this association was not apparent after 1 year.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the general population in Romania: a study on 60,000 persons.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major public health problem worldwide, due to its epidemic proportions and to its association with high cardiovascular risk. Therefore, screening for CKD is an increasingly important concept, aiming for early detection and prevention of progression and complications of this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied the prevalence of CKD in the adult population of Iasi, the largest county in Romania, based on the results of a national general health screening program from 2007 to 2008. The patients were tested for CKD with serum creatinine and urinary dipstick. We used two different methods to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): the simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and the CKD Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations. Based on the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria, we defined CKD as the presence of either eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) and/or dipstick proteinuria. The classification of CKD by stage was also done according to the KDIGO criteria. RESULTS: The study population included 60,969 people. The global prevalence of CKD was found to be 6.69% by the MDRD formula and 7.32% when using the CKD-EPI equation. The prevalence of CKD was much higher in women than in men: 9.09% versus 3.7%, by MDRD, and 9.32% versus 4.85%, by CKD-EPI. By age groups, the prevalence of CKD was 0.95% and 0.64% in persons aged 18-44 years old, 4.27% and 3.57% (45-64 years old), 13.36% and 15.34% (65-79 years old), and 23.59% and 34.56% (>80 years old), according to MDRD and CKD-EPI, respectively. By stages, the prevalence of CKD stage 3a (eGFR 59 to 45 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) was 5.72% by MDRD and 5.96% according to CKD-EPI, whereas the prevalence of stages 3b, 4, and 5 taken together (eGFR < 45 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) was 0.96% (MDRD) and 1.35% (CKD-EPI). Patients with CKD were significantly older (71.0 years versus 53.7 years) and had lower levels of serum Hb, total cholesterol, and glutamic pyruvic transaminase, and significantly higher serum creatinine and blood glucose, in comparison with the individuals without CKD. Impaired fasting glucose (106 mg/dl) was found in the CKD population, but not in non-CKD individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is one of the largest ever reported on the prevalence of CKD worldwide, the first one in Romania, and one of the very few of its kind in Europe (particularly in Eastern Europe). The study showed that the prevalence of CKD in our country is around 7%, which is lower than in other countries; however, this could be underestimated due to population selection bias. The prevalence is similar with the MDRD and the CKD-EPI equations; it increases with age and is much higher in women than in men. Impaired fasting glucose was detected in CKD patients, a finding that should probably raise the awareness of the high cardiovascular risk associated with CKD.

Hantavirus infection--hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome: the first case series reported in Romania and review of the literature.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by Hantaviruses, a group of RNA viruses belonging to the Bunyaviridae family. Humans may get the disease by contamination with excreta of carrier rodents. The disease typically manifests with the triad fever-thrombocytopenia-acute kidney injury (AKI). Although its global prevalence seems to be increasing, Hantavirus infection is still commonly overlooked, because of its clinical polymorphism and non-specific symptoms, particularly in mild cases. Until recently, the disease was virtually unknown in Romania, due to lack of physicians' awareness and of adequate laboratory diagnostic techniques. In this article, we present the first six cases of HFRS diagnosed in our country, based on serology testing. We review the existing literature on HFRS and discuss our findings in comparison with other reports. All our patients presented with fever, flu syndrome, bleeding, gastrointestinal symptoms, and oliguria. Among laboratory abnormalities, elevated serum creatinine and liver enzymes, high C-reactive protein, leukocytosis, low platelet count, and hematuria were constantly seen. Five patients required hemodialysis. All patients survived and five of them completely recovered their renal function, while only one patient retained a mild impairment of the glomerular filtration rate. From a clinical viewpoint, we believe that Hantavirus infection should be considered in all patients presenting with fever, thrombocytopenia, and AKI, when specific serology testing would be indicated. From a public health perspective, we suggest that future efforts in our country should be directed toward (1) increasing the understanding and the awareness of this disease among health care professionals, (2) educating the population at risk on the application of prophylactic measures, (3) expanding the availability of diagnostic laboratory tools, and (4) developing research on national zoonotic virus reservoirs.

Changes in arterial stiffness following dialysis in relation to overhydration and to endothelial function.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality are greatly enhanced in patients with chronic kidney disease, partly due to increased arterial stiffness. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study included 63 stable HD patients. Stiffness parameters were evaluated by applanation tonometry before the mid-week HD sessions. Pre-HD bioimpedance parameters were measured. A phase angle 6°. Overhydration increases arterial stiffness, but has no influence on either EID or ED vascular reactivity. CONCLUSION: In hemodialysis, volume overload is an important contributor to increased arterial stiffness and modifies cardiovascular status especially by LV hypertrophy. Achieving normohydration may significantly ameliorate cardiac abnormalities and arterial stiffness and may impact major clinical events and CV mortality.

Screening for latent BK virus infection in a renal transplant population for the first time in Romania: a single-center experience.

INTRODUCTION: The BK virus nephropathy (BKVN) is one of the most important infectious complications in renal transplant recipients. As BKVN lacks any effective antiviral treatment, early diagnosis is required in order to try to limit viral replication and subsequent damage to the renal allograft, by reducing the immunosuppressive therapy. Our study, the first of its kind in Romania, aimed to assess the prevalence of BKVN among renal transplant patients in our center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we included 143 renal transplant patients from our center who had received their renal allograft between 2005 and 2010. We searched for latent BK virus infection by detection of serum anti-BK virus antibodies, using an in-house developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Serology was considered positive if results were >0.33 optical density units. In patients with positive serology, we searched for BKVN with qualitative (polymerase chain reaction, PCR) and quantitative (TaqMan real-time PCR) molecular techniques. Additionally, we searched for other viral infections, including hepatitis B (with HBsAg test), hepatitis C (with anti-HCV Abs test), and cytomegalovirus (CMV, with pp65Ag test). RESULTS: All patients screened with ELISA were found to have positive BK virus serology and two of these were diagnosed with BKVN. Both patients with BKVN presented with acute impairment of the renal graft function, and one of them also developed a ureteral graft stenosis. In both cases, BKVN resolved after reduction of immunosuppressive doses. We also diagnosed hepatitis B in 18.18%, hepatitis C in 7.0%, and CMV in 27.97% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates for the first time the existence of BK virus in Romania, and we believe it opens the prospective of diagnosing BKVN in high-risk patients in our country in the future. In renal transplant patients from our center, we found the prevalence of BK virus infection to be as high as 100%. The prevalence of hepatitis B and CMV was also remarkably high. In patients with BKVN, the reduction of immunosuppression enables the spontaneous resolution of the disease.

Randomized trial of bioelectrical impedance analysis versus clinical criteria for guiding ultrafiltration in hemodialysis patients: effects on blood pressure, hydration status, and arterial stiffness.

BACKGROUND: Chronic fluid overload is common in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients and is associated with severe cardiovascular complications, such as arterial hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmia. Therefore, a crucial target of HD is to achieve the so-called dry weight; however, the best way to assess fluid status and dry weight is still unclear. Dry weight is currently determined in most dialysis units on a clinical basis, and it is commonly defined as the lowest body weight a patient can tolerate without developing intra-dialytic or inter-dialytic hypotension or other symptoms of dehydration. One of the most promising methods that have emerged in recent years is bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), which estimates body composition, including hydration status, by measuring the body's resistance and reactance to electrical current. Our objective was to study the effect BIA-guided versus clinical-guided ultrafiltration on various cardiovascular disease risk factors and markers in HD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 135 HD patients from a single center in a prospective study, aiming to compare the long-term (12 months) effect of BIA-based versus clinical-based assessment of dry weight on blood pressure (BP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and serum N-terminal fragment of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). The body composition was measured using the portable whole-body multifrequency BIA device, Body Composition Monitor-BCM(®) (Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg, Germany). RESULTS: In the "clinical" group there were no changes in BP, body mass index (BMI), and body fluids. The PWV increased from 7.9 ± 2.5 to 9.2 ± 3.6 m/s (P = 0.002), whereas serum NT-proBNP decreased from 5,238 to 3,883 pg/ml (P = 0.05). In the "BIA" group, BMI and body volumes also did not change; however, there was a significant decrease in both systolic BP, from 144.6 ± 14.7 to 135.3 ± 17.8 mmHg (P < 0.001), and diastolic BP, from 79.5 ± 9.7 to 73.2 ± 11.1 mmHg (P < 0.001). In this group, PWV also decreased from 8.2 ± 2.3 to 6.9 ± 2.3 m/s (P = 0.001) and NT-proBNP decreased from 7,552 to 4,561 pg/ml (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: BIA is not inferior and possibly even better than clinical criteria for assessing dry weight and guiding ultrafiltration in HD patients.

Association of serum calcitonin with coronary artery disease in individuals with and without chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recent data implicate disordered bone and mineral metabolism, including changes in serum levels of calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D, fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23), and fetuin A, as novel risk factors for arterial calcification. The potential role of calcitonin, another hormonal regulator of mineral and bone metabolism, has not been studied in detail. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the link between serum calcitonin and the total burden of coronary artery disease (CAD) using the validated Gensini score, in a cross-sectional study of 88 patients with estimated GFR (eGFR) between 46 and 87 ml/min/1.73 m² who underwent coronary angiography. We evaluated the associations between serum calcitonin, minerals (calcium, phosphate), calcium × phosphate product, and other factors that regulate mineral metabolism (intact PTH, 25-OH-vitamin D, FGF-23, and fetuin A) and the severity of CAD. RESULTS: The mean serum calcitonin was 11.5 ± 7.8 pg/ml. In univariate analysis, the Gensini CAD severity score correlated significantly with male gender, eGFR, and serum levels of 25-OH-vitamin D, iPTH, FGF-23, fetuin A, and calcitonin (R = 0.474, P = 0.001 for the latter). In multivariate analysis adjusted for calcium, phosphate, 25-OH-vitamin D, iPTH, FGF 23, fetuin A, and calcitonin, only calcitonin (ß = 0.20; P = 0.03), FGF-23, fetuin A, and 25-OH-vitamin D emerged as independent predictors of Gensini score. In the second step, we adjusted for the presence of traditional risk factors, proteinuria, and GFR. After these adjustments, the FGF-23 and fetuin A remained statistically significant predictors of the Gensini score, while calcitonin did not. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that, in addition to other well-known components of mineral metabolism, increased calcitonin levels are associated with greater severity of CAD. However, this relation was not independent of traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors. Longitudinal studies in larger populations including patients with more advanced CKD are needed.

Bone morphogenic protein-7 serum level decreases significantly in patients with contrast-induced nephropathy.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Previous studies have demonstrated that endogenous bone morphogenic protein-7 (BMP-7) level is reduced in acute kidney injury and administration of exogenous BMP-7 has a beneficial effect on kidney function. In spite of preventive management, contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is still the third cause of acute deterioration of kidney function in hospitalized patients. With this background in mind, we studied changes in serum BMP-7 in a group of patients with chronic kidney disease and contrast-induced nephropathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 45 consecutive adult patients with a baseline serum creatinine ≥ 1.4 mg/dl admitted for coronary angiography. We measured serum BMP-7 levels before and 48 h after coronary angiography. The primary end point was the development of CIN, defined as an increase in serum creatinine concentration by 0.25 mg/dl or 25% over the baseline value within 72 h from contrast exposure. RESULTS: Overall, CIN occurred in 8 (17%) patients. The concentrations of serum BMP-7 were significantly decreased in the CIN group compared to baseline (488.6 ± 56.8 vs. 356.4 ± 24.8, P = 0.01); in contrast, the concentration of BMP-7 level did not change in patients without CIN (444.6 ± 54.6 vs. 440.0 ± 53.9, P = 0.09). CONCLUSION: BMP-7 level significantly decreases in patients who develop CIN after coronary angiography. Therefore, BMP-7 might be a diagnostic biomarker for CIN and a possibly promising agent for the treatment of CIN.

Diagnosis of tuberculosis in dialysis patients: current strategy.

Patients with ESRD undergoing chronic dialysis are much more prone to develop tuberculosis (TB) than the general population. In these patients, the diagnosis of TB disease is often difficult because of prevailing extrapulmonary involvement and nonspecific symptoms. The prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) in ESRD patients is elevated, and those who become infected are at high risk of developing active disease. Therefore, screening for LTBI in this population is recommended, aiming to prevent progression to active TB and secondary contamination of others. The tuberculin skin test (TST), the classic diagnostic tool for LTBI, has several major drawbacks, including poor sensitivity (because of a high prevalence of anergy in dialysis patients) and specificity [with false-positive tests in those vaccinated with bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)]. In the past 10 years or so, new immunological tests using IFN-gamma release assays (IGRAs) have become available and have shown superior sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of TB compared with the TST in several studies, some very recent ones including ESRD patients. Therefore, current strategy in dialysis patients should use these tests instead of TST for LTBI screening and as an aid for the diagnosis of active TB.