Hypomagnesemia and Chemotherapy, Diagnostic Dilemma, and Treatment Challenge: Case Report and Literature Review.

Magnesium is the second most common intracellular cation after potassium and plays pivotal role in the majority of metabolic process. Several studies have shown the prevalence of hypomagnesemia ranging from 2.5% to 12% in general population and even up to 60% in intensive care unit patients. Hypomagnesemia might be more prevalent in patients with cancer owing to a combination of several factors such as gastrointestinal loss, renal loss, poor intake, and use of certain chemotherapeutic drugs. It is imperative that we identify the exact cause of hypomagnesemia to aid and guide treatment. We report a case of a 63-year-old white woman with hypomagnesemia who was undergoing treatment for metastatic colon cancer. The chemotherapy regimen was with FOLFIRI (folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, and irinotecan) and bevacizumab. This was followed by maintenance therapy with Xeloda (capecitabine). Her hypomagnesium was attributed to her chemotherapy. During our workup, the renal fractional excretion of magnesium was found to be low excluding the cause as renal wasting. This patient's hypomagnesemia could very well be explained by gastrointestinal losses (diarrhea) from short bowel after colectomy, her chemotherapeutic agents and metformin, as well as poor oral intake from medications, or malignancy itself.

"Krokodil"-a menace slowly spreading across the Atlantic.

Krokodil (also known as crocodile, croc, krok, and poor man's heroin) is a suspension of desomorphine as the core substance with contaminants like iodide, phosphorous, and heavy metals, which are the byproducts of the manufacturing process. The name krokodil emerged due to the appearance of the skin lesions around the injection site, where it turns green and scaly like a crocodile skin due to desquamation. It is also known as the "drug that eats junkies" and "Russia's Designer drug." It is not available as a prescription anywhere in the world. It is a modern day man-made Frankenstein-like drug, which was manufactured due to the pursuit of drug addicts to make a cheap yet effective narcotic but ended up in creating havoc on its users. It has devastating effects on its users, including damage to skin, blood vessels, muscles, bones, and sometimes even multiorgan failure and eventually death. A systemic review was conducted to obtain any available data for the term krokodil to collect information for this article.

Severe propylene glycol toxicity secondary to use of anti-epileptics.

Propylene glycol toxicity presenting as high anion gap metabolic acidosis and osmolar gap has been extensively reported in literature, and most of them are secondary to intravenous lorazepam infusion. However, propylene glycol is used as a solvent in a number of medications that are frequently utilized in critical care setting, and hence one should be aware that the toxicity is possible from a variety of medication. Phenobarbital and phenytoin are one of those, and we hereby report a novel case of propylene glycol toxicity secondary to phenobarbital and phenytoin infusion in a patient with refractory status epilepticus. Furthermore, our patient had end-stage renal disease, which we think could have been an important precipitating factor for the toxicity. Because most of the symptoms from propylene glycol toxicity can mimic sepsis-which is very common in critical care unit patients-this life threatening scenario could be easily missed. Regular monitoring of osmolar gap is an easily available intervention in the at risk patients.

Conversion from Intermittent Hemodialysis to Peritoneal Dialysis in Metastatic Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infection.

Of all complications from central venous catheters (CVC) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) is one of the most devastating consequences. The option of catheter salvage is not an effective measure with metastatic infections. However, in patients with severe vasculopathy and/or near end-stage vascular disease, preservation of the venous access should be given utmost importance as the luxury of utilizing another vascular site is markedly limited. Providing adequate renal replacement therapy in this group of patients can be remarkably challenging for nephrologists. We are presenting an ESRD patient with advanced vascular disease who developed metastatic CRBSI with worsening uremia who was successfully converted from intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) to peritoneal dialysis (PD). Our rationale was to minimize repeated intravascular procedures coupled with the presence of another intravascular device. This has led to a complete resolution of persistent bacteremia, with a steady improvement in the uremic state. Conversion from IHD to PD for persistent bacteremia with metastatic complications was seldom addressed in literature. In the absence of a significant contraindication to PD, it can be considered as a valid alternative possibility in order to interrupt this viscous cycle, especially in vasculopathic patients.

Crescentic Glomerulonephritis and Membranous Nephropathy: A Rare Overlap.

Background: Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a disease that affects the basement membrane of the glomeruli of the kidney resulting in proteinuria. The concurrent incidence of vasculitic glomerulonephritis and MN in the same patient is unusual. Herein, we report a case with this unusual combination. Case: Our patient is a 53-year-old Hispanic male with a medical history of tobacco use, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension who presented with hematuria and was found to have nephrotic range proteinuria and renal impairment. Blood workup revealed positive ANCA serology, which led to a renal biopsy that showed crescentic vasculitis in addition to membranous nephropathy. The patient was started on intermittent hemodialysis (HD) and treated initially with intravenous (IV) pulse steroids; subsequently, oral prednisolone and IV cyclophosphamide were initiated. The patient remained HD dependent at the time of discharge with the resolution of hematuria. A follow-up with an outpatient nephrology clinic was arranged. Conclusion: Membranous nephropathy complicated by crescentic glomerulonephritis has a more aggressive clinical course and decline in renal function compared to MN alone which can lead to initiating renal replacement therapy. However, immunosuppressive drugs can result in significant improvement of renal function if started early enough.

Soluble ST2 and Galectin-3 and Progression of CKD.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiac biomarkers soluble ST2 (sST2) and galectin-3 may reflect cardiac inflammation and fibrosis. It is plausible that these mechanisms may also contribute to the progression of kidney disease. We examined associations of sST2 and galectin-3 with kidney function decline in participants with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: This was a pooled analysis of 2 longitudinal cohorts of participants with CKD: the Clinical Phenotyping and Resource Biobank (C-PROBE) study and the Seattle Kidney Study (SKS). We measured circulating concentrations of sST2 and galectin-3 at baseline. Our primary outcome was progression to estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <15 ml/min per 1.73 m2 or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We used competing risk Cox regression models to study the association of sST2 and galectin-3 with CKD progression, adjusting for demographics, kidney function, and comorbidity. RESULTS: Among the 841 participants in the pooled cohort, baseline eGFR was 51 ± 27 ml/min per 1.73 m2 and median urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) was 141 (interquartile range = 15-736) mg/g. Participants with higher sST2 and galectin-3 were more likely to be older, to have heart failure and diabetes, and to have lower eGFR. Adjusting for demographics, kidney function, and comorbidity, every doubling of sST2 was not associated with progression to eGFR <15 ml/min per 1.73 m2 or ESRD (adjusted hazard ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval = 0.76-1.38). Every doubling of galectin-3 was significantly associated with a 38% (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-1.80) increased risk of progression to eGFR <15 ml/min per 1.73 m2 or ESRD. CONCLUSION: Higher concentrations of the cardiac biomarker galectin-3 may be associated with progression of CKD, highlighting potential novel mechanisms that may contribute to the progression of kidney disease.

Fibrillary glomerulonephritis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: a rare association.

We report the case of a 28-year-old man with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) due to fibrillary glomerulonephritis (FGN). The patient had a history of SLE and had been treated with mycophenolate mofetil, prednisone, and intravenous cyclophosphamide for his renal and extra-renal manifestations. In spite of this treatment, he developed RPGN. A subsequent renal biopsy revealed diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis with fibrillary deposits. SLE is rarely associated with FGN, however FGN should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any SLE patient with RPGN.