Kidney health for all: bridging the gap in kidney health education and literacy.

The high burden of kidney disease, global disparities in kidney care, and the poor outcomes of kidney failure place a growing burden on affected individuals and their families, caregivers, and the community at large. Health literacy is the degree to which individuals and organizations have, or equitably enable individuals to have, the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to make informed health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. Rather than viewing health literacy as a patient deficit, improving health literacy lies primarily with health care providers communicating and educating effectively in codesigned partnership with those with kidney disease. For kidney policy makers, health literacy is a prerequisite for organizations to transition to a culture that places the person at the center of health care. The growing capability of and access to technology provides new opportunities to enhance education and awareness of kidney disease for all stakeholders. Advances in telecommunication, including social media platforms, can be leveraged to enhance persons' and providers' education. The World Kidney Day declares 2022 as the year of "Kidney Health for All" to promote global teamwork in advancing strategies in bridging the gap in kidney health education and literacy. Kidney organizations should work toward shifting the patient-deficit health literacy narrative to that of being the responsibility of health care providers and health policy makers. By engaging in and supporting kidney health-centered policy making, community health planning, and health literacy approaches for all, the kidney communities strive to prevent kidney diseases and enable living well with kidney disease.

A major outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: There has been an outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) worldwide. We report the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic features of 138 cases of suspected SARS during a hospital outbreak in Hong Kong. METHODS: From March 11 to 25, 2003, all patients with suspected SARS after exposure to an index patient or ward were admitted to the isolation wards of the Prince of Wales Hospital. Their demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiologic characteristics were analyzed. Clinical end points included the need for intensive care and death. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: There were 66 male patients and 72 female patients in this cohort, 69 of whom were health care workers. The most common symptoms included fever (in 100 percent of the patients); chills, rigors, or both (73.2 percent); and myalgia (60.9 percent). Cough and headache were also reported in more than 50 percent of the patients. Other common findings were lymphopenia (in 69.6 percent), thrombocytopenia (44.8 percent), and elevated lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase levels (71.0 percent and 32.1 percent, respectively). Peripheral air-space consolidation was commonly observed on thoracic computed tomographic scanning. A total of 32 patients (23.2 percent) were admitted to the intensive care unit; 5 patients died, all of whom had coexisting conditions. In a multivariate analysis, the independent predictors of an adverse outcome were advanced age (odds ratio per decade of life, 1.80; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.16 to 2.81; P=0.009), a high peak lactate dehydrogenase level (odds ratio per 100 U per liter, 2.09; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.28 to 3.42; P=0.003), and an absolute neutrophil count that exceeded the upper limit of the normal range on presentation (odds ratio, 1.60; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.03 to 2.50; P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: SARS is a serious respiratory illness that led to significant morbidity and mortality in our cohort.

Kidney health for all: bridging the gap in kidney health education and literacy

The high burden of kidney disease, global disparities in kidney care, and the poor outcomes of kidney failure place a growing burden on affected individuals and their families, caregivers, and the community at large. Health literacy is the degree to which individuals and organizations have, or equitably enable individuals to have, the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to make informed health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. Rather than viewing health literacy as a patient deficit, improving health literacy lies primarily with health care providers communicating and educating effectively in codesigned partnership with those with kidney disease. For kidney policy makers, health literacy is a prerequisite for organizations to transition to a culture that places the person at the center of health care. The growing capability of and access to technology provides new opportunities to enhance education and awareness of kidney disease for all stakeholders. Advances in telecommunication, including social media platforms, can be leveraged to enhance persons' and providers' education. The World Kidney Day declares 2022 as the year of "Kidney Health for All" to promote global teamwork in advancing strategies in bridging the gap in kidney health education and literacy. Kidney organizations should work toward shifting the patient-deficit health literacy narrative to that of being the responsibility of health care providers and health policy makers. By engaging in and supporting kidney health-centered policy making, community health planning, and health literacy approaches for all, the kidney communities strive to prevent kidney diseases and enable living well with kidney disease.

Near-miss errors in laboratory blood test requests by interns.

BACKGROUND: Human errors have proven to be one of the most formidable patient care challenges in acute hospital setting. AIM: To evaluate the at-risk period for near-miss errors in laboratory blood test requests, in an acute medical hospital. DESIGN: Hospital-based retrospective analysis. METHODS: We reviewed the database of voluntary reports for near-miss errors for laboratory blood test requests by 104 medical residents in their first postgraduate year (interns), over a 2-year period (October 2002 to September 2004). To identify patterns and causal factors we analysed the reports with respect to months of working experience, work hours, and work shifts of an extended duration. RESULTS: There were 52 near-miss events among patients cared for by the medical service (20 male patients, 32 females, mean age 72.6 +/- 9.7 years). The overall incidence of near-miss events when interns practiced during the first month of training vs. subsequent months was 1.6 (95%CI 0.77-2.9) vs. 0.6 (95%CI 0.44-0.83) cases per 100 intern-days at risk. The odds ratio for a near-miss event during the first month of intern training vs. subsequent months was 2.64 (95%CI 1.29-5.38). With respect to the interns' on-call shift schedule, one half of the near-miss episodes occurred during an intern's on-call days and another half of them during an extended on-call shift; none of the events occurred during a standard working shift. These events peaked in frequency when on-call interns had worked for 12-20 h. DISCUSSION: The first month of internship represents an error-prone period. The best interventions to reduce near-miss errors by recently graduated medical interns should be the subject of further research.

Change in bacterial aetiology of peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis over 10 years: experience from a centre in South-East Asia.

This study reviewed 1787 episodes of peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related peritonitis in 544 patients between 1994 and 2003. The overall rate of peritonitis was 0.68 episodes/year of PD, but decreased from 1.10 to 0.46 episodes/year between 1994 and 2003. The incidence of peritonitis caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci declined between 1994 and 1998 from 0.21 to 0.06 episodes/year of PD, coinciding with a reduction in the use of spike PD sets. There was a 60.1% response rate to antibiotics throughout the period, but the percentage of cases that required modification of the initial empirical antibiotic regimen rose from 13.6% to 58.7%, indicating that treatment should be individualised.

Predictive value of the user seal check in determining half-face respirator fit.

Guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization state that healthcare workers should wear N95 masks or higher-level protection during all contact with suspected cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Before use, the manufacturer recommends performing a user seal check to ensure that the mask is fitted correctly. This study aimed to test the ability of the user seal check to detect poorly fitting masks. This study is a retrospective review of a mask-fitting programme carried out in the intensive care unit of the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong. In this programme, all staff were tested with two types of N95 mask and one type of N100 mask. The results of the documented user seal check were then compared with the formal fit-test results from a PortaCount. Using a PortaCount reading of 100 as the criterion for a correctly fitted mask, the user seal check wrongly indicated that the mask fitted on 18-31% of occasions, and wrongly indicated that it did not fit on 21-40% of occasions. These data indicate that the user seal check should not be used as a surrogate fit test. Its usefulness as a pre-use test must also be questioned.

The natural history of immunoglobulin a nephropathy among patients with hematuria and minimal proteinuria.

PURPOSE: To determine the natural history of immunoglobulin (Ig) A nephropathy among patients who presented with hematuria and minimal proteinuria, and factors associated with the development of adverse clinical events, such as proteinuria. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In Hong Kong, all patients who present with isolated hematuria are referred for renal biopsy after urologic diseases are ruled out. We reviewed the clinical course of 72 consecutive patients with histologically confirmed IgA nephropathy who presented with hematuria and minimal proteinuria (0.4 g/day or less). All patients were normotensive and had normal renal function at presentation. Adverse events were defined as proteinuria greater than 1 g per day, hypertension, or impaired renal function (serum creatinine level 120 micromol/L or estimated creatinine clearance < 70 mL per minute). RESULTS: The mean (+/- SD) age at presentation was 27 +/- 8 years; 56 (78%) were female. Nine patients (13%) had grade 2 histologic lesions. During a median follow-up of 7 years, 32 patients (44%) developed adverse events: 24 (33%) developed proteinuria of 1 g per day or more, 19 (26%) became hypertensive, and 5 (7%) developed impaired renal function. Another 30 patients (42%) had persistently abnormal urinalysis examinations. Only 10 patients (14%) had complete resolution of hematuria. The median time for progression from proteinuria (> l g/day) to renal impairment was 84 months (range 56 to 132). In a multivariate analysis, age at presentation (relative risk [RR] per 10 years of age = 2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2 to 3.4) and histologic grade (grade 2 versus grade 1, RR = 4.5; 95% CI, 1.7 to 12) were independent predictors of developing an adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: IgA nephropathy that presents with hematuria and minimal proteinuria is usually a progressive disease. Life-long follow-up with regular monitoring of blood pressure and proteinuria is recommended.

Primary glomerulonephritis with detectable glomerular hepatitis B virus antigens.

The glomerular pathology and hepatitis B virus (HBV) antigens in renal biopsies were investigated in 100 consecutive patients with both primary glomerulonephritis and positive serology for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Glomerular HBV antigens including HBsAg, hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg), and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) were examined in frozen tissue using both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. HBV serology and glomerular antigens were correlated. Using monoclonal antibodies, at least one of the three HBV antigens was detectable in glomeruli in 39% of the cases. These findings correspond mainly to detectable glomerular HBsAg and HBeAg in 22.3 and 28.4% of cases, respectively. A good correlation was found between glomerular and serum HBeAg but not observed for HBsAg. Serum HBcAg was not examined and not correlated with glomerular staining. When the diagnosis of HBV-related glomerulonephritis was based strictly on detectable glomerular antigens, three distinctive morphologies were identified: membranous nephropathy, mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis, and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with immunoglobulin A (IgA) deposits (IgA nephropathy). Each of these lesions may be seen in pure form or occasionally in overlapping form leading to double glomerulopathies. Glomerular HBeAg and HBsAg were associated with subepithelial and mesangial immune complexes, respectively. Rare overlap between membranous nephropathy and IgA nephropathy further emphasized the distinctive pathology of HBV-related glomerulonephritis and the independent etiological role of HBeAg and HBsAg. In other glomerulonephritis, which rarely demonstrated glomerular HBV antigens, the pathogenetic role of chronic HBV infection remains to be proven.

Effective treatment of high-grade lymphoproliferative disorder after renal transplantation using autologous lymphocyte activated killer cell therapy.

Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) is not uncommon and can occur in 2% to 5% of solid organ recipients on immunosuppression. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection or reactivation and intensive anti-T lymphocyte treatment are important pathogenetic factors for a large proportion of these disorders. Nonclonal lesions with polymorphous histology have a potential for regressing when the immunosuppressants are reduced or stopped. Clonal tumors with a monomorphous histology carry a poor prognosis, and the mortality rate for monoclonal lymphoma has been reported as high as 80%. We report a renal transplant recipient who developed high-grade monoclonal lymphoma only 4 months after a live-donor transplantation. The tumor was EBV positive. Reduction of immunosuppressants resulted in minimal regression of the tumor. The patient was treated with adoptive immunotherapy using ex vivo generation of autologous lymphocyte activated killer (LAK) cells. She had leukapheresis, and autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained and cultured in interleukin-2 (IL-2)-rich medium for 9 to 10 days. The IL-2-activated LAK cells were reinfused into the patient without any systemic administration of IL-2. The patient experienced no side effects during the infusion. There was no rejection episode, and the renal function of the patient remained stable after treatment. Computed tomography scan performed 2 months after the infusion showed marked regression of the lesions in the liver and spleen. Five months later, magnetic resonance imaging showed complete resolution of the tumor lesions. Ultrasonography 13 months after the LAK cell infusion showed no lesion. The allograft function was not affected after treatment. Adoptive immunotherapy using IL-2-activated autologous LAK cells was effective in treating this renal transplant patient with EBV-positive high-grade lymphoma. The patient's kidney allograft functioned well without any rejection.

Recurrent IgA nephropathy in renal transplant allografts.

Previous reports of renal transplantation for patients with underlying immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy suggested a recurrence rate greater than 50% for transplant IgA nephropathy. Initially regarded as a benign condition, more recent data showed that recurrent transplant IgA nephropathy may be a significant contributor to graft loss. We performed a retrospective analysis in a single center of 48 kidney transplant recipients, all of Chinese origin, with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy as the cause of end-stage renal failure to determine the recurrence rate of IgA nephropathy in the transplant allograft and subsequent clinical course in Chinese patients. Median duration of follow-up was 52 months (range, 18 to 155 months). Fourteen patients (29%) had biopsy-confirmed recurrent transplant IgA nephropathy after a median of 52 months (interquartile range, 23 to 82 months) posttransplantation. Recurrent transplant IgA nephropathy was associated with greater serum IgA levels (P = 0.01). The presence of HLA-A2 in transplant recipients (P = 0.002) appeared to protect them from developing recurrent IgA nephropathy in the transplant allograft. Twenty-nine percent of patients with recurrent transplant IgA nephropathy had progressive deterioration of graft function. The progressive graft dysfunction (GD) rate was greater in patients with a transplant from a living related donor (LRD; 21%) compared with those with a transplant from a cadaveric or living unrelated donor (URD; 3%; P = 0.062). Although the cumulative graft survival rate was 100% at 5 years for transplants from both LRDs and URDs, the 10-year graft survival rate was only 63% for a graft from an LRD versus 93% for a URD (log-rank test, P = 0.19). A review of other reported series of recurrent transplant IgA nephropathy also showed an apparently greater incidence of GD for a graft from an LRD (28%) compared with a URD (15%). Our data suggest that although recurrent transplant IgA nephropathy is highly prevalent among the Chinese population, the risk for disease recurrence is not particularly increased compared with other ethnic groups. The trend toward a greater risk for GD for living related compared with unrelated allografts in patients with IgA nephropathy needs to be confirmed with further prospective study.

Factors predicting outcome of fungal peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis: analysis of a 9-year experience of fungal peritonitis in a single center.

Fungal peritonitis causes significant morbidity and mortality for patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). We retrospectively reviewed 70 episodes of fungal peritonitis in a single center over the last 9 years in 896 CAPD patients. Seventy percent of the episodes of fungal peritonitis were caused by Candida species, among which 50% were Candida parapsilosis. As a result of fungal peritonitis, 44% of the patients died, whereas further peritoneal dialysis failed in 14%, requiring a change to long-term hemodialysis. Only 37% managed to continue CAPD. The remaining 5% either underwent transplantation or were lost to follow-up. We identified the factors associated with poor outcome, namely mortality and technique failure. The presence of abdominal pain, bowel obstruction, and a catheter remaining in situ were significantly associated with greater mortality. Abdominal pain, antibiotic use within 3 months before fungal peritonitis, and complication by bowel obstruction were associated with greater technique failure. In choosing antifungal agents with catheter removal, oral fluconazole alone appears equally as effective as combined oral fluconazole with 5-flucytosine for peritonitis caused by Candida species. For peritonitis caused by species other than Candida, the choice of antifungal therapy needs to be individualized, based on fungal species and sensitivities.

Outcome of IgA nephropathy in adults graded by chronic histological lesions.

This prognostic study of primary immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy focused on chronic irreversible glomerular sclerosis and interstitial fibrosis, based on the premise that this disease is characterized by a protracted and, for many, progressive course. We used a chronicity-based histological grading system to assess the biopsy specimens of 126 adults with IgA nephropathy over a median follow-up of 10 years. Our grading system included a glomerular grading (GG) of 1 to 3 based on the extent of glomerular sclerosis, a tubulointerstitial grading (TIG) of 1 to 3 based on the degree of tubular loss or interstitial fibrosis, and the evaluation of hyaline arteriolosclerosis (HA). These three histological parameters were correlated with each other and with serum creatinine level, degree of proteinuria, and blood pressure at the time of renal biopsy. Univariate analysis showed that these three histological and three clinical parameters were significantly correlated with renal survival. By multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model, GG, serum creatinine level, and degree of proteinuria represented independent prognostic factors of renal survival. For a subset of patients at a relatively early stage of disease with a serum creatinine level less than 130 micromol/L at the time of biopsy, all three histological features and degree of proteinuria were significantly correlated with renal survival, and GG was the only independent prognostic factor for renal outcome. This study shows that glomerular sclerosis represents the most important prognostic factor in adult patients with primary IgA nephropathy and has a strong predictive value. Our chronicity-based histological grading system not only correlates well with the natural history of IgA nephropathy but is also reproducible and relatively simple to apply.

Characterization of early IgA nephropathy.

Histological grading of 45 patients with clinical early immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy was correlated with disease progression over a median follow-up of 123 months. Clinical early IgA nephropathy was defined as a serum creatinine level of 1.3 mg/dL or less, proteinuria of 0.4 g/d or less of protein, and the absence of hypertension at the time of renal biopsy. Disease progression was related to the occurrence of impaired renal function, increased proteinuria, and hypertension. We applied a previously described chronicity-based histological grading to the renal biopsy specimen and also assessed acute glomerular lesions. Disease progression was observed in 44.4% of these patients. Forty patients (89%) showed glomerular grade 1 (GG1) and 5 patients (11%) showed GG2, but this grading did not correlate with disease progression. However, when GG1 was subdivided into GG1a (mean sclerosis per glomerulus <10%) and GG1b (mean sclerosis per glomerulus 10% to <25%), GG1a correlated with nonprogressive disease. Tubulointerstitial grade also correlated with disease progression but was associated with a low sensitivity for predicting nonprogressive disease. Hyaline arteriolosclerosis and acute glomerular lesions did not correlate with disease progression. The chronicity-based histological grading is not only applicable to clinical early IgA nephropathy, but also more importantly, it characterizes GG1a in a subset of patients with a very low risk for disease progression, which can be regarded as genuine early IgA nephropathy.

Prevalence of sleep disturbances in chinese patients with end-stage renal failure on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) are reported to have a high prevalence of sleep disorders, such as daytime sleepiness, insomnia, restless legs syndrome (RLS), and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). However, there are few published data from Southeast Asia. A sleep questionnaire was administered to 201 patients (103 men) at the continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) outpatient clinic to assess sleep problems. Patients had a mean age of 56.7 +/- 12 (SD) years, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 23.6 +/- 3.5 kg/m(2). Daytime sleepiness was the most frequent symptom (77.1%), and frequent awakening occurred in 69% of the patients. Sleep-onset insomnia and sleep-maintenance insomnia occurred in 73% and 60% of the patients, respectively. Sixty-two percent of the patients reported symptoms of RLS, which significantly correlated with sleep-onset insomnia (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 5.5; P = 0.001) and sleep-maintenance insomnia (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.8; P = 0.014). The prevalence of OSAS was estimated by the frequency of the following symptoms: extremely loud snoring, 7 patients (3.5%); observed choking, 21 patients (10.5%); witnessed apnea, 11 patients (5.6%); snoring and witnessed apnea, 6 patients (3%); disruptive snoring, 29 patients (14.4%); and disruptive snoring and witnessed apnea, 3 patients (1.5%). This questionnaire survey confirmed a high prevalence of daytime sleepiness, insomnia, and RLS in patients with ESRF undergoing CAPD but showed a relatively low prevalence of OSAS of up to 14.4%, which may be related to the low BMI of these patients with ESRF compared with other populations. Whether this contributes to the overall better survival observed in some Asian patients with ESRF undergoing dialysis needs further investigation.

Long-term treatment of lupus nephritis with cyclosporin A.

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of long-term treatment with cyclosporin A (CSA) in type IV lupus nephritis. Seventeen patients with biopsy-proven WHO type IV lupus nephritis were enrolled in a prospective, open study. Twelve of the 17 completed 48 months of treatment with CSA and prednisolone. Three patients required the addition of azathioprine, at 12, 38 and 47 months, respectively, for cutaneous disease flare with refractory rashes. One patient was lost to follow-up at 40 months. The mean +/- SD duration of treatment was 43.2 +/- 10.1 months (range 15.7-48 months). A significant reduction of proteinuria and a significant rise in serum albumin were noted 1 month after initiation of treatment. Improvement was maintained throughout the study except for three patients who relapsed with recurrence of nephrotic syndrome. There were no significant changes in serum creatinine level or creatinine clearances throughout the study. Repeat renal biopsy at 12 months following treatment with CSA showed histological improvement, with WHO type II changes in all 17 patients accompanying significant reduction in activity indices. Patients with baseline haemoglobin (Hgb) levels < 12 g/dl showed significant improvement. Serum C3 and C4 levels were not changed significantly. Corticosteroid-sparing effects were noted. Side-effects included hypertension, gum hypertrophy and mild hirsuitism, but were not serious. Combination therapy using CSA and prednisone is effective and safe for long-term treatment in lupus patients with WHO type IV nephritis.