Trichodysplasia spinulosa: Case reports and review of literature.

Trichodysplasia spinulosa (TS) is a rare skin condition caused by trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus (TSPyV). It affects immunosuppressed patients, and <50 cases have been reported. The majority of these cases are seen in solid organ transplant recipients. TS often poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge because of its rarity and resemblance with other skin conditions. Several forms of treatment are usually tried prior to establishing a definitive diagnosis. Oral valganciclovir and topical cidofovir have been found to give the best results and hence are the most commonly used agents once the diagnosis is established. Here, we present two cases with a review of literature of TS in solid organ transplant recipients, focusing on time to develop the condition post-transplant, immunosuppression regimen used, and treatment initiated both before and after a definitive diagnosis.

Teaching Conservative Kidney Management and Other Palliative Care Skills in Nephrology Fellowships.

Offering and providing effective conservative kidney management (CKM) for patients with end-stage kidney disease who do not want dialysis is a foundational skill that all nephrology fellows should learn during fellowship training. However, the current educational landscape in fellowship training programs is sparse and is not recognized currently as a skill within the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) guidelines. Moreover, there is no standardized curriculum, methods of assessment of this learning objective, and no structure for implementation within general and subspecialty nephrology training programs. In this article, we discuss the current educational resources available for fellowship training programs, including interactive communication skills workshops such as NephroTalk, that address core concepts of CKM and assess communication skills and attitudes of trainees. Additional assessment tools should be prioritized when developing a CKM curriculum, including assessment of symptom management and medical knowledge acquisition. We propose that the ACGME nephrology milestones specifically highlight CKM as an important component within the ACGME nephrology milestones, thus ensuring that trainees understand how and when to offer CKM (knowledge), implement it effectively (skills), and conceptualize it as an appropriate course for patients in a number of varied situations (attitudes). We also outline a subspecialty pathway for palliative nephrology, to align with the recent American Society of Nephrology Task Force Recommendation to provide subspecialty training beyond core competencies, for those interested in pursuit of advanced training that ultimately can shape the CKM landscape in education and policy making.

Effectiveness of management strategies for renal artery stenosis: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis is increasingly common in an aging population. Therapeutic options include medical treatment only or revascularization procedures. PURPOSE: To compare the effects of medical treatment and revascularization on clinically important outcomes in adults with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis. DATA SOURCES: The MEDLINE database (inception to 6 September 2005) and selected reference lists were searched for English-language articles. STUDY SELECTION: The authors selected prospective studies of renal artery revascularization or medical treatment of patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis that reported mortality rates, kidney function, blood pressure, cardiovascular events, or adverse events at 6 months or later after study entry. DATA EXTRACTION: A standardized protocol with predefined criteria was used to extract details on study design, interventions, outcomes, study quality, and applicability. The overall body of evidence was then graded as robust, acceptable, or weak. DATA SYNTHESIS: No study directly compared aggressive medical therapy with angioplasty and stent placement. Two randomized trials compared angioplasty without stent and medical treatments. Eight other comparative studies and 46 cohort studies met criteria for analysis. Studies generally had poor methodologic quality and limited applicability to current practice. Overall, there was no robust evidence. Weak evidence suggested no large differences in mortality rates or cardiovascular events between medical and revascularization treatments. Acceptable evidence suggested similar kidney-related outcomes but better blood pressure outcomes with angioplasty, particularly in patients with bilateral disease. Improvements in kidney function and cure of hypertension were reported among some patients only in cohort studies of angioplasty. Available evidence did not adequately assess adverse events or baseline characteristics that could predict which intervention would result in better outcomes. LIMITATIONS: The evidence from direct comparisons of interventions is sparse and inadequate to draw robust conclusions. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence does not clearly support one treatment approach over another for atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis.