Survival probabilities of end stage renal disease patients on renal replacement therapy in Iran.

AIM: To bridge the gap in the current knowledge, the present study was conducted to obtain evidences relating to clinical outcomes of the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population in Iran over the last two decades. METHODS: The records of 84 652 incident ESRD patients from 1995 up to and including 2014 in the national registry of ESRD patients were analyzed retrospectively. Data were collected from dialysis and transplant centres in Iran from 1995 to 2008 via paper forms and from 2009 to 2014 through web-based records. RESULTS: Mean age (SD) in incident cases of ESRD (57.7% male) was 52.5 (16.6) years. The prevalence of ESRD patients grew on average 14.9% and 5.3% annually in the periods of 1995-2004 and 2005-2014, respectively. Adjusted mortality rate among dialysis patients in 1995, 2005, and 2014 was 145, 154, and 177/ 1000 patient-years, respectively. Median graft half-life (IQR) and median expected remaining life-years (IQR) for dialysis patients in the 2003 incident patient cohort were 4.4 (1.9-8.3) and 4.2 (1.8-8.2) years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The overall slightly decreasing, and still comparable, survival trend in dialysis patients, despite the accessible and free dialysis treatment, may be the result of the counterbalance of different contributory factors, including increased age and the higher proportion of patients with co-morbidities resulting from diabetes and hypertension. The half-lives of renal allografts were generally shorter compared to thus far shared evidence, which may be due to tissue incompatibility. The decreasing trend, in this context, can be attributable to the increased number of transplantation from deceased donors with expanded criteria.

The relationship of serum adipokines with malnutrition inflammation score in haemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Protein-energy wasting is a prevalent disorder in haemodialysis. Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) and adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) are novel adipokines with recognized lipolytic effects and proposed role in metabolic homoeostasis. This study was conducted to investigate the association of ZAG and ATGL concentrations with malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS) and metabolic profile of patients with haemodialysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight patients under regular haemodialysis were divided based on MIS to normal to mild wasting (NMW; n = 35) or moderate wasting (MW; n = 53) group. Anthropometric measurements along with fasting serum concentrations of ZAG, ATGL, free fatty acids (FFAs), albumin, transferrin, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), hs-CRP, lipid profile and glucose metabolism were assessed. RESULTS: Adipose triglyceride lipase concentration was significantly higher in MW than NMW group (10·89 ± 5·7 vs. 8·02 ± 3·37 mIU/mL; P = 0·008). The ZAG and FFAs were not significantly different between two groups. ATGL was directly correlated with FFAs in all of the patients (r = 0·284, P = 0·007) and MW (r = 0·32, P = 0·021), and marginally in NMW (r = 0·31, P = 0·057) groups. ATGL and odds of having mild or moderate wasting were significantly correlated (OR = 1·21, P = 0·033). A positive association was observed between ATGL with TG (r = 0·31, P = 0·049) and also with transferrin and TIBC (r = 0·44, P = 0·001) only in MW group. An inverse relationship was observed between ATGL and HDL in all of the participants (r=-0·222, P = 0·04). No significant correlation was observed between ZAG and other parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The serum concentrations of ATGL, but not ZAG, were significantly higher in MW compared to NMW group. Each unit increase in ATGL concentrations was correlated with 21% increase in the odds of wasting severity. ATGL might play a role in wasting pathogenesis and metabolic profile in haemodialysis.

Kidney transplantation in the Middle East.

AIMS: To delineate the kidney transplantation programs in the Middle East and to provide a comparative summary with other international datasets where deemed appropriate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data regarding kidney transplantation as the treatment of choice amongst renal replacement therapies in different countries in the Middle East was analyzed from 2004 to 2013. The number of kidney transplants and the source of kidneys were important topics of comparison. All data was collected from published reports and international registries. RESULTS: Eight of 23 countries in the Middle East had active kidney transplantation programs from both living and deceased donors in 2013. The kidney transplantation rate in 2013 was 11.5 per million population in the Middle East compared with 31.68 in America, 27.38 in Europe, 5.68 in the Western Pacific, 3.38 in South Asia, and 0.5 in Africa. The proportion of kidney transplants from deceased donors was 69.5%, 63.1%, 60.9%, 30.2%, 19.4%, and 6.2% in Europe, America, the Western Pacific, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Public education on the subject of brain death and cadaveric organs as a reliable source of saving lives and provision of better infrastructure could increase the rate of kidney transplantation from brain-dead donors. Lack of funds and a negative attitudes towards organ donation are the main barriers in the Middle East.

Iranian homograft heart valves: assessment of durability and late outcome.

Durability and the rate of complications of homograft heart valves, adjusted for patient-related contributors and surgical techniques, rely mainly on the quality of allografts which in turn are mirrored in the donor characteristics and most importantly recovery and processing procedures. Aimed to assess the quality, a study was conducted to figure out the durability and late outcome following homograft replacement with valved conduits procured by the Iranian Tissue Bank. Retrospectively, the pre-implantation, perioperative and follow-up data of 400 non-consecutive recipients of cryopreserved heart valves (222 pulmonary and 178 aortic) from 2006 to 2015 were collected and analyzed in terms of variables reflecting late outcome including adverse events and durability. In the context of durability, the event of interest was defined as the need for homograft replacement and homograft-related death. The mean follow-up time (SD) of study entrants (male/female ratio, 1.4) was 49.8 (36.3) months. Median age at the time of implantation was 11 years. Total 10-years mortality was 21 % (84/400), including 66.7 % early (30-days mortality: 56/84) and 33.3 % late (28/84). Overall late complication rate was 2 %. Median survival time was 120 months (95 % CI 83.3-156.6). The pulmonary valves appeared to be more durable (P value <0.001) and survival probabilities in small sized grafts were lower (P value 0.008). One-, five-, and ten-year graft survival was 82, 76 and 73 %, respectively. The evidences suggest that the homografts function satisfactory with low rate of late complications; nevertheless, more emphasis should be given to make long-term durability comparable.

Development of a kidney transplantation program--inverted funnel approach.

INTRODUCTION: The history of organ shortage has been approached differently by different countries. This review tries to discuss the inverted funnel approach of Iran. METHODS: The whole history of transplants in the country can be divided in three phases of legally regulated living unrelated kidney donation, legislation of brain death donation and lastly how it has been implemented. In each phase, there have been attempts to clarify the role of each sector: the government, professionals, and the public. RESULTS: Based on more than 20 years of experience, it has been shown that kidney transplants from brain dead donors (BDDs) increased from 0.4 per million population (pmp) in 2000 to 2.9 pmp in 2005, 7.9 in 2010, and 15.1 pmp in 2013 and it could eventually change the rate from living source from 20.1 pmp, 24.5 pmp, 21.8 pmp, and 19.5 pmp in these years, respectively. DISCUSSION: It has been shown that the government began to take part when it was convinced that an organ procurement program from BDDs is not a luxury program but can lessen the economic burden on the health budget and be supported by legislations and budget allocation. Professionals took the responsibility not only to make decision makers and the public aware of the subject and adapt the national protocols to consider the general population concerns, but also to train as many medical teams as possible nationwide. Persistence and publishing the results can pave the way for the public to accept the program and take their own responsibilities to solve the problem of organ shortage by taking the opportunity to give life to others after the death of a loved one.

Contribution of stone size to chronic kidney disease in kidney stone formers.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether stone burden correlates with the degree of chronic kidney disease in kidney stone formers. METHODS: A total of 97 extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy candidates aged 18 years and older were included. Size, number and location of the kidney stones, along with cumulative stone size, defined as the sum of diameters of all stones) were determined. Estimated glomerular filtration rate was determined using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration cystatin C/creatinine equation, and chronic kidney disease was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). RESULTS: In individuals with cumulative stone size <20 mm, estimated glomerular filtration rate significantly decreased when moving from the first (estimated glomerular filtration rate 75.5 ± 17.8 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) to the fourth (estimated glomerular filtration rate 56.4 ± 20.44 mL/min/1.73 m(2) ) quartile (P = 0.004). When patients with a cumulative stone size ≥ 20 mm were included, the observed association was rendered non-significant. In individuals with a cumulative stone size < 20 mm, each 1-mm increase in cumulative stone size was associated with a 20% increased risk of having chronic kidney disease. The relationship persisted even after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, C-reactive protein, fasting plasma glucose, thyroid stimulating hormone, presence of microalbuminuria, history of renal calculi, history of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, number and location of the stones (odds ratio 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.52). The same was not observed for individuals with a cumulative stone size ≥ 20 mm. CONCLUSIONS: In kidney stone formers with a cumulative stone size up to 20 mm, estimated glomerular filtration rate linearly declines with increasing cumulative stone size. Additionally, cumulative stone size is an independent predictor of chronic kidney disease in this group of patients.

Association of malnutrition-inflammation score, dialysis-malnutrition score and serum albumin with novel risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate the associations between malnutrition-inflammation score (MIS), dialysis-malnutrition score (DMS) and serum albumin with novel risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 291 HD patients were randomly selected from among 2302 adult HD patients in Tehran HD centers. The MIS and DMS were determined during one of the dialysis sessions in these patients. In addition, 4 mL blood was obtained before dialysis and analyzed for serum albumin and novel risk factors for CVD, including C-reactive protein (CRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule type 1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule type 1 (sVCAM-1), sE-selectin, malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 and lipoprotein (a) [Lp (a)]. RESULTS: MIS and DMS were significantly positively correlated with serum CRP (p < 0.01) and sICAM-1 (p < 0.01), whereas serum albumin concentration was significantly negatively correlated with serum CRP (p < 0.01) and sICAM-1 (p < 0.01). There were no significant correlations between MIS, DMS and serum albumin with serum concentrations of sVCAM-1, sE-selectin, MDA, NO, endothelin-1 and Lp (a). CONCLUSION: This study indicates that protein-energy wasting indicators in HD patients are associated with serum CRP and sICAM-1, as two CVD risk factors.

Efficacy of decontamination protocol by antimicrobial treatment in Iranian Tissue Bank (ITB).

Iranian Tissue Bank established in 1994 provides soft tissues for implantation in Iran. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of decontamination process of cardiac and soft tissues in Iranian Tissue Bank. In this bank after initial assessments, the tissues were incubated in a 5-antibiotic cocktail at room temperature for 24 h and then at 4 °C for 14 days. Contamination status was compared before and after antibiotic cocktail incubation. Of 3,315 assessed tissues, 1,057 were pericardia, 1,051 were fascia and 1,207 were other soft tissues including tibialis and aorta. The initial contamination rate was 36.86%. Pericardia showed the highest contamination rate. Klebsiella species was the most prevalent organism causing contamination. Decontamination rate after antibiotic incubation was 86.91% with the highest successful decontamination rate for fascia tissue. Klebsiella species was the major source of contamination in tissues that remained contaminated after antibiotic incubation. This may be due to resistance of this organism to applied antibiotics in the decontamination cocktail possibly due to a negative drug interaction between aminoglycoside and penicillin derivatives in this antibiotic cocktail. In conclusion collected data shows comparable efficacy of the decontamination process that is used in ITB compared with homograft banks of other countries.

Iran Quality of Care in Medicine Program (IQCAMP): Design and Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of quality and cost of medical care has become a core health policy concern. We conducted a nationwide survey to assess these measures in Iran as a developing country. To present the protocol for the Iran Quality of Care in Medicine Program (IQCAMP) study, which estimates the quality, cost, and utilization of health services for seven diseases in Iran. METHODS: We selected eight provinces for this nationally representative short longitudinal survey. Interviewers from each province were trained comprehensively. The standard definition of seven high-burden conditions (acute myocardial infarction [MI], heart failure [HF], diabetes mellitus [DM], stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD) disease, major depression, and end-stage renal disease [ESRD]) helped customize a protocol for disease identification. With a 3-month follow-up window, the participants answered pre-specified questions four times. The expert panels developed a questionnaire in four modules (demographics, health status, utilization, cost, and quality). The expert panel chose an inclusive set of quality indicators from the current literature for each condition. The design team specified the necessary elements in the survey to calculate the cost of care for each condition. The utilization assessment included various services, including hospital admissions, outpatient visits, and medication. RESULTS: Totally, 156 specialists and 78 trained nurses assisted with patient identification, recruitment, and interviewing. A total of 1666 patients participated in the study, and 1291 patients completed all four visits. CONCLUSION: The IQCAMP study was the first healthcare utilization, cost, and quality survey in Iran with a longitudinal data collection to represent the pattern, quantity, and quality of medical care provided for high-burden conditions.

The Iranian model of living renal transplantation.

Organ shortage for transplantation remains a worldwide serious problem for kidney patients with end-stage renal failure, and several countries have tried different models to address this issue. Iran has 20 years of experience with one such model that involves the active role of the government and charity foundations. Patients with a desperate demand for a kidney have given rise to a black market of brokers and other forms of organ commercialism only accessible to those with sufficient financial resources. The current Iranian model has enabled most of the Iranian kidney transplant candidates, irrespective of socioeconomic class, to have access to kidney transplantation. The Iranian government has committed a large budget through funding hospital and staff at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education by supporting the brain death donation (BDD) program or redirecting part of the budget of living unrelated renal donation (LURD) to the BDD program. It has been shown that it did not prevent the development and progression of a BDD program. However, the LURD program is characterized by several controversial procedures (e.g., confrontation of donor and recipient at the end of the evaluation procedure along with some financial interactions) that should be ethically reviewed. Operational weaknesses such as the lack of a registration system and long-term follow-up of the donors are identified as the 'Achilles heel of the model'.

Does a medical management program for CKD patients postpone renal replacement therapy and mortality? A 5-year-cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Many countries have started screening and prevention programs for chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, one of the main concerns of health authorities is whether management strategies for diagnosed CKD patients can decrease mortality or morbidity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of two competing clinical strategies of treatments under nephrologists' supervision compared with no treatment on the frequency of the need to start renal replacement therapy (RRT) and mortality in CKD patients. METHODS: Our cohort comprised consecutive newly diagnosed patients with CKD in an outpatient clinic in Tehran between October 2002 and October 2011. CKD Patient enrollment occurred if two criteria of high plasma creatinine level and chronicity of renal disease by at least 3 months of clinical history or small sized kidneys in ultrasound findings were met. Demographic data and time of RRT or mortality in patients who had been followed up regularly were compared with those in the control group. The control group included those patients who did not attend a nephrology clinic to receive CKD management package for at least 1 year during the study period. RESULTS: The cohort included 76 patients in the control group and 389 patients in the supervised group. The mean age of the patients was 61.33±14.9 years (16-95 years). The ratio of males/females was 1.47 (277/188). The mean follow-up in the control and supervised groups was 33.29±20.50 (7-111) and 36.03±25.24 (6-124) months , respectively, and the total patient years of follow-up was 1382.3. A substantial number of patients survived without RRT until the first year of follow up (96%) in both groups, but afterward, those in the control group had more deaths or need to start RRT in comparison with those who received medical advice (20 vs. 67 months; p= 0.029). This cohort also showed a higher survival and a longer time to show a GFR of less than 15 cc/min (84 vs 34 months, p<0.0001) in patients who had been under physician supervision compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Active follow-up of CKD patients appears to significantly decrease the risk of death or progression to end-stage renal disease and the requirement to start renal replacement therapy.

Alteration of renal functional, oxidative stress and inflammatory indices following hepatic ischemia-reperfusion.

Liver ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury is a complex phenomenon that may cause local as well as remote organ injuries. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) along with many pro- and anti- inflammatory cytokines are implicated in the development of organ injury. The renal functional, histological, oxidative stress and inflammatory indices were studied during a short and a longer period of liver IR. Rats were subjected to either sham operation or 90 min partial liver ischemia followed by 4 or 24 h of reperfusion. Serum ALT, AST, ALK and LDH levels, BUN and creatinine, renal MDA level, SOD and catalase activities were evaluated as well as serum IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations along with renal histological evaluation. Ninety minutes liver ischemia /4 h reperfusion caused an increase in BUN and renal MDA levels and a decrease in SOD and catalase activities. It also caused an increase in serum IL-6 and IL-10 levels. 24 h liver reperfusion resulted in a reduction in BUN levels and lower oxidative damages demonstrated by a decrease in renal MDA levels and an increase in renal SOD and catalase activities comparing to 4 h reperfusion group. Evaluations indicated improvement in histology such as less cytoplasmic vacuolation and lower tubular debris. Serum inflammatory indices (IL-6 and IL-10 levels) were also reduced. This study showed that liver IR damage causes renal injury including functional, inflammatory and oxidative status changes. The remote kidney damage was then improved by continuing reperfusion from 4 to 24 h.

Prevalence of protein-energy wasting and its various types in Iranian hemodialysis patients: a new classification.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of protein-energy wasting (PEW) and its various types in hemodialysis (HD) patients in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, 291 HD patients were randomly selected. The nutritional status of the patients was determined by subjective global assessment (SGA) and their dietary intakes were assessed using a 4-day dietary recall. In addition, serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of mild-to-moderate and severe PEW based on SGA was 60.5% and 1% in Tehran HD patients, respectively. The prevalence of various types of PEW in HD patients was 20.5% type I (inadequate energy or protein intake without inflammation), 65.5% type IIa (inadequate energy or protein intake with inflammation), and 14% type IIb (adequate energy and protein intake with inflammation). Of the total HD patients with no PEW based on SGA, about 3.5% had type 0 normal nutritional status (adequate energy and protein intake without inflammation), 34% had type I normal nutritional status (inadequate energy or protein intake without inflammation), 55.5% had type IIa normal nutritional status (inadequate energy or protein intake with inflammation), and 7% had type IIb normal nutritional status (adequate energy and protein intake with inflammation). CONCLUSION: PEW in Tehran HD patients is considerably prevalent and PEW type IIa is the most common type. In addition, HD patients with no PEW based on SGA should also be paid attention because they may be in the early stages of inadequate intake of energy and/or protein and inflammation.

Establishing the Global Kidney Disease Prevention Network (KDPN): a position statement from the National Kidney Foundation.

The Global Kidney Disease Prevention Network is an international public health organization devoted to encouraging and enhancing efforts to increase awareness and recognition of kidney disease, detect it early, and provide treatment to prevent disease progression, improve patient outcomes, and decrease costs. Twenty-six participants from 12 low-, middle-, and high-income countries attended the first meeting, held in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 12-13, 2009. Work groups discussed target populations for chronic kidney disease (CKD) screening, optimal parameters for screening on a public health level, evaluating the impact of early screening programs, and use of screening data to inform health care policy. Of the screening programs discussed, most have targeted populations at high risk of CKD and have included medical history; weight, height, and blood pressure measurements; and blood and urine tests. In screenees, CKD prevalence ranged from 11%-33%. In screenees with CKD, few were aware of the disease, although substantial proportions had been seen by a physician in the previous 6-12 months. At the policy level, prevention of CKD implies prevention and control of risk-factor conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, and others. Given the high prevalence and under-recognition of CKD in different countries, a concerted effort to globally improve primary and secondary CKD prevention appears to be warranted.

Screening for decreased renal function in taxi drivers in Tehran, Iran.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The rapid increase in end stage renal disease (ESRD) prevalence, plus the enormous cost of treatment, necessitates an urgent approach to implement strategies to prevent development and progression of ESRD, especially in the developing world. Screening that leads to early identification and treatment has been recommended, as it may slow or prevent progression to a more expensive and disabling stage of the disease and thus may save lives as well as finite resources. METHODS: In 2007, the Healthy City Office of Tehran municipality conducted a large-scale population-based cross-sectional survey titled "Kidney Disease Screening of Taxi Drivers in Tehran." Taxi drivers or applicants of purchasing taxi participated in mentioned screening program in the last three months of 2007. Demographic data, blood pressure, and history of hypertension or smoking-and then in specific laboratories creatinine, lipid profile, complete blood count, fasting blood sugar, and urinalysis-have been checked. Results. The survey covered 31,999 people across Tehran (in a population of 12 million) during the study period. The mean and SD of age of participants was 43.77 +/- 11.32 (range from 18 to 86) years, and 98.4% (31,489) were male. Using the MDRD equation, overall prevalence of eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) was 6.5%. However, the prevalence was 6.4% (1982/30949) in males in relation to 13.7% (69/503) in females. Mean and SD of BMI in males and females were 25.90 +/- 3.91 and 26.48 +/- 4.50 g, respectively. The overall prevalence of proteinuria (>or=1+ proteinuria) was 0.6% in males vs. 1.8% in females in normal GFR group. Age, LDL cholesterol, hypertension, blood glucose, and BMI showed to be strong risk factors for low GFR. Education level did not show a significant correlation with low GFR. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study insist on the fact that CKD prevalence is significantly higher in old age, females, hypertensives, and uncontrolled diabetic patients. Our ability to decrease the incidence of ESRD is predicated on recognizing those patients with CKD and implementing all preventive strategies.

Coding and traceability in Iran.

Transplantation has a long history in Iran. Cornea was the first tissue transplantation in 1935. The Central Eye Bank of Iran was established in 1991 and the Iranian Tissue Bank (ITB) in 1994. Now, there are also some private cell and tissue banks in the country, that produce different tissue grafts such as homograft heart valves, musculoskeletal tissues, soft tissues, cartilages, pericardium, amniotic membrane and some cell based products. There is not a separate legislation for tissue transplantation but the legal framework for tissue donation is based on the "Deceased or Brain dead patient organ transplantation" act (passed on April 6, 2000). For tissue banking there is no regulatory oversight by the national health authority. To increase the level of safety and considering the importance of effective traceability, each tissue bank has its own policy and terminology for coding and documentation without any correlation to others. In some cases tissue banks have implemented ISO based standards (i.e., ISO 9001) as a basic quality management system.

The relationship between serum adipokines and glucose homeostasis in normal-weight and obese patients on hemodialysis: a preliminary study.

PURPOSE: Insulin resistance (IR) is a prevalent disorder in advanced renal failure irrespective of diabetes. Adipokines might play a role in IR, which has not been well-documented in uremic conditions. This study investigated the relationship of Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG), adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), and adipolin with glucose-insulin homeostasis in normal weight (NW) and obese (OB) patients with hemodialysis. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 59 patients (29 NW; 18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2, and 30 OB; BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) were studied. Anthropometries, circulating ZAG, adipolin, ATGL, free fatty acids (FFAs), fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA)-IR were assessed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, gender, hemodialysis duration, dialysis adequacy and diabetes between the two groups. ZAG (100.9 ± 37.1 vs. 107.5 ± 30.5 ng/mL, P = 0.03) and adipolin (12.4 ± 1.6 vs. 13.2 ± 2.8 ng/mL, P = 0.002) concentrations were significantly lower, and FFAs (228.1 ± 112.6 vs. 185 ± 119 ng/mL, P = 0.014) were significantly higher in the OB than NW group. No significant differences were observed in ATGL, FBG, insulin and HOMA-IR between the two groups. Patients with lower IR had higher ZAG (112.9 ± 31.7 vs. 94.9 ± 34.5 ng/mL; P = 0.046), lower FFAs (167.8 ± 98.4 vs. 249.9 ± 120.8 ng/mL; P = 0.004), and marginally lower ATGL (9.1 ± 5.2 vs. 12.3 ± 9.6 mIU/mL; P = 0.079) concentrations than those with higher IR. ZAG was negatively (r = - 0.323, P = 0.018 and r = - 0.266, P = 0.054) and FFAs were positively (r = 0.321, P = 0.019 and r = 0.353, P = 0.009) correlated with insulin and HOMA-IR, respectively. ATGL was directly correlated with FFAs (r = 0.314, P = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Novel adipokines, ZAG and ATGL, might contribute to glucose-insulin homeostasis in hemodialysis. Understanding potential causative, diagnostic or therapeutic roles of adipokines in IR require further studies.

Hepatitis B and C in dialysis units in Iran: changing the epidemiology.

Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses are the most important infections transmitted by the parenteral route in patients receiving maintenance dialysis. The prevalence varies markedly from country to country. The aim of this study is to review the efficacy of the strategies to reduce the incidence of these infections and the trend of results in Iran. As a routine, all hemodialysis patients in Iran have biannual blood samples for assessment of serum HBSAg, HBS Abs, and HCV Abs. The data are collected in the Ministry of Health. For statistical analysis, prevalence, and incidence were calculated. There is an increasing prevalence/incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Iran, from 238/49.9 pmp in 2000 to 357/63.8 pmp in 2006. The prevalence of positive HBSAg and HCV Abs decreased from 3.8% and 14.4% in 1999 to 2.6% and 4.5% in 2006, respectively. Regarding the genotype distribution in Iran, no one was found with genotype 2. On the subject of decreasing HBV infection, our next strategy should be mandatory vaccination in dialysis centers and in the pre-ESRD period. Concerning HCV infection prevention, 2 approaches may be recommended: the first is decrease of duration of the hemodialysis period by possible early transplantation of suitable patients. The next is a strictly enforced isolation policy for HCV-positive patients, which may play a role in limiting HCV transmission in HD units, and universal precaution in dialysis units should be under constant close surveillance.

Hemodialysis cost in Tehran, Iran.

The purpose of this study was to assess the health service cost of hemodialysis (HD) delivered at hospitals in Iran as a developing country with a well-defined program of renal replacement therapy. A cost analysis was performed from the viewpoint of the 2 hospitals, with 3 shifts and full chairs, on current practice for dialysis maintenance. Cost and patient data were collected in 2006 and from April 1 to May 31, 2007, respectively. A total of 22,464 HD sessions were performed and 247 patients were studied during the study period. The reference year for the value of USD for different mentioned costs was 2006. Health care sector costs associated with each HD session were estimated at US$78.87. Most of the total maintenance expenditure was made up of medical supplies (36.19%), with dialyzers as the major cost driver. Staff salaries represented 17% of the cost and fixed direct capital costs accounted for 21.4%. Of the family members, 32.4% accompanied their patients. The mean cost for transportation of patients and accompanied person was US$3.15 +/- 2.83 and US$1.5 +/- 0.29, respectively. These findings are important in the light of limited available resources coupled with the increasing prevalence of kidney failure. A major attempt should also be made to increase peritoneal dialysis coverage as in some centers we cannot keep all chairs full, especially in some vast areas. It is highly recommended to place initial focus on strategies and treatments that slow disease progression, to postpone renal replacement therapy to save resources.

Comparing the Effect of Immediate versus Delayed Initiation of Tacrolimus on Delayed Graft Function in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Randomized Open-label Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Delayed graft function (DGF) is an early complication after kidney transplantation with negative impact on allograft outcomes. This study assessed the effect of delayed initiation of tacrolimus as a nephrotoxic drug, on DGF occurrence and allograft function. METHODS: This randomized, open-label clinical trial was conducted on kidney transplant recipients with the age of at least 14 years who underwent the first kidney transplantation from deceased or living donor. Patients were randomly allocated to immediate (n = 26) or delayed tacrolimus (n = 27) groups. All patients received thymoglobulin as induction therapy and similar maintenance immunosuppression including tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and prednisolone with the difference in the time of initiation of tacrolimus either on the day of transplantation (immediate tacrolimus group) or day 3 after transplant (delayed tacrolimus group). FINDINGS: DGF incidence (46.15% vs. 37.04%; P = 0.501) and duration (9.75 ± 6.41 vs. 8.6 ± 6.16 days; P = 0.675) were not different between the immediate and delayed tacrolimus groups. Estimated creatinine clearance using Cockcroft-Gault equation (63.14 ± 18.81 vs. 58.19 ± 19.42 mL/min in immediate and delayed tacrolimus groups respectively; P = 0.373) and estimated acute rejection-free survival were also comparable between the groups over the 3 months of follow-up. Compared with the immediate group, the delayed tacrolimus group showed higher estimated 3-month grafts' survival (100% vs. 84.27%; P = 0.072). CONCLUSION: Delayed initiation of tacrolimus after kidney transplantation under the umbrella of thymoglobulin induction did not result in either lower incidence or duration of DGF or improved the level of graft function in kidney transplant recipients but non-statistically significant increased 3-month grafts' survival.