Effect of flow reduction surgery in a patient with high flow arteriovenous fistula with aortic dissection using 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging: A case report.

This study aimed to investigate cardiovascular function in a patient with high-flow arteriovenous fistula (AVF) who underwent aortic dissection (AD) using four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as analyze the effect of flow reduction surgery on AD. On March 12, 2017, a 60-year-old woman underwent emergency surgery for AD. After that, she experienced acute kidney injury, and hemodialysis was initiated. On April 24, 2017, a left brachiocephalic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) was created to facilitate her dialysis. However, after 5 years, the patient presented with a high-flow AVF, and a flow reduction surgery was performed on March 11, 2022. To evaluate the procedure's effectiveness, we measured the changes in left ventricular (LV) function and blood flow in the aorta and vascular access before and after surgery using 4D flow MRI. Notable changes were observed in LV function, blood flow in the aorta before and after the surgery, and maximum velocity and flow volume after surgery. During the 6-month follow-up after the surgery, the maximum velocity and flow volume in the aorta and vascular access were reduced; also, indicators such as LV volume, cardiac output, cardiac index, and LV mass were improved. In patients with high-flow AVF, flow reduction surgery should be considered as it may improve LV function and reduce the risk of AD recurrence by lowering the flow volume of the aorta.

The effects of the dialysis on the white matter tracts in patients with end-stage renal disease using differential tractography study.

This study aimed to determine whether white matter tracts correlate with kidney function using correlation tractography, and to investigate the effects of dialysis on white matter tracts in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) using differential tractography. Ten patients with ESRD, who had a glomerular filtration rate of < 15 mL/min/1.73 m2, were enrolled in this prospective study. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed both before and after dialysis. We discovered that white matter tracts correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate based on pre- and post-dialysis DTI using correlation tractography and investigated the differences in the white matter tracts between pre- and post-dialysis DTI in patients with ESRD using differential tractography. Correlation tractography revealed no quantitative anisotropy of the white matter tracts that correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate in pre- and post-dialysis patients with ESRD. Differential tractography revealed significant differences in several white matter tracts, particularly the cingulum, thalamic radiation, corpus callosum, and superior longitudinal fasciculus, between pre- and post-dialysis DTI, which revealed increased diffusion density after dialysis. We demonstrated the significant effects of dialysis on several white matter tracts in patients with ESRD using differential tractography, which showed increased diffusion density after dialysis. In this study, we confirmed the effects of dialysis on brain structure, especially white matter tracts.

Difference in functional connectivity between end-stage renal disease patients with and without restless legs syndrome: A prospective study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in functional connectivity between patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) with and without restless legs syndrome (RLS). In addition, the study aimed to identify any potential associations between RLS severity and functional connectivity. METHODS: We enrolled patients with ESRD who had been undergoing hemodialysis. Patients with and without RLS were separated into two groups. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and a graph theory approach, we determined the functional connectivity of patients with ESRD. The data were collected during a 300-s resting state evaluation performed in the dialysis room prior to dialysis. RESULTS: Eighteen of 48 patients with ESRD were diagnosed with RLS, whereas 30 patients did not exhibit RLS symptoms. Notably, functional connectivity metrics differed significantly between patients with and without RLS. Specifically, patients with ESRD and RLS displayed higher values for mean clustering coefficient (0.474 vs. 0.352, p = 0.001), global efficiency (0.520 vs. 0.414, p = 0.001), strength (6.538 vs. 4.783, p = 0.001), and transitivity (0.714 vs. 0.521, p = 0.001), while values for diameter (5.451 vs. 7.338, p = 0.002), eccentricity (4.598 vs. 5.985, p = 0.004), and characteristic path length (2.520 vs. 3.271, p = 0.002) were lower in patients with ESRD and RLS compared to those without RLS. In addition, there were correlations between the RLS severity score and the assortative coefficient (r = 0.479, p = 0.044), the small-worldness index (r = -0.475, p = 0.046), and transitivity (r = 0.500, p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated differences in functional connectivity between patients with ESRD with and without RLS, which may shed light on the pathophysiology of RLS. Notably, a number of functional connectivity metrics demonstrated strong associations with RLS severity. Our study also confirmed the applicability of fNIRS as a tool for investigating functional connectivity in patients with RLS.

Changes in the glymphatic system before and after dialysis initiation in patients with end-stage kidney disease.

INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to evaluate 1) glymphatic system function in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) before initiating dialysis compared to healthy controls, and 2) changes in the glymphatic system function after kidney replacement therapy including dialysis in patients with ESKD using the diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was prospectively conducted at a single hospital. We enrolled 14 neurologically asymptomatic patients who first initiated hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis for ESKD and 17 healthy controls. Patients had magnetic resonance imaging scans before initiating dialysis and again 3 months after initiating dialysis and the DTI-ALPS index was calculated. We compared the DTI-ALPS index before and after the initiation of dialysis and compared the DTI-ALPS index between the patients with ESKD and healthy control. RESULTS: There were differences in the DTI-ALPS index between ESKD patients before initiating dialysis and healthy controls (1.342 vs. 1.633, p = 0.003). DTI-ALPS index between ESKD patients before initiating dialysis and those after dialysis were not different (1.342 vs. 1.262, p = 0.386). There was a positive correlation between DTI-ALPS index and phosphate (r = 0.610, p = 0.020) in patients with ESKD. CONCLUSION: We confirmed the presence of glymphatic dysfunction in patients with ESKD. However, there was no difference in the glymphatic system before and after dialysis initiation. This finding may be related to uremic toxins that are not removed by dialysis in patients with ESKD. This study can be used for the development of pathophysiology of patients with ESKD.

Intrinsic prefrontal functional connectivity according to cognitive impairment in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Background: This study aimed to investigate differences in intrinsic prefrontal functional connectivity according to the presence of cognitive impairment in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods: We prospectively enrolled 37 patients with ESRD who had been undergoing hemodialysis for more than 6 months and had no history of neurological or psychiatric disorders. All patients with ESRD underwent the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K) to assess cognitive function. The NIRSIT Lite device (OBELAB Inc.) was used to acquire fNIRS data, and the NIRSIT Lite Analysis Tool program was used to process the data and generate a functional connectivity matrix. We obtained functional connectivity measures by applying graph theory to the connectivity matrix using the BRAPH (brain analysis using graph theory) program. Results: Of the 37 patients with ESRD, 23 had cognitive impairment, whereas 14 patients showed no cognitive impairment. Intrinsic prefrontal functional connectivity was significantly different between groups. Network measures of strength, global efficiency, and mean clustering coefficient were lower in ESRD patients with cognitive impairment than in those without cognitive impairment (4.458 vs. 5.129, p = 0.02; 0.397 vs. 0.437, p = 0.03; and 0.316 vs. 0.421, p = 0.003; respectively). There were no significant correlations between MoCA-K scores and clinical characteristics. Conclusion: We demonstrated a significant association between cognitive function and intrinsic prefrontal functional connectivity in patients with ESRD. ESRD patients with cognitive impairment have reduced connectivity and segregation in the prefrontal brain network compared to those without cognitive impairment.

The effects of hemodialysis on the functional brain connectivity in patients with end-stage renal disease with functional near-infrared spectroscopy.

This study aimed to investigate functional brain connectivity in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and to analyze the effect of hemodialysis on functional brain connectivity. We prospectively enrolled patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis for > 6 months without any history of neurological or psychiatric disorders. fNIRS data were acquired using a NIRSIT Lite device. Measurements were performed thrice in the resting state for each patient: before the start of hemodialysis (pre-HD), 1 h after the start of hemodialysis (mid-HD), and after the end of hemodialysis (post-HD). We processed and exported all data, and created a weighted connectivity matrix using Pearson correlation analysis. We obtained functional connectivity measures from the connectivity matrix by applying a graph theoretical analysis. We then compared differences in functional connectivity measures according to hemodialysis status in patients with ESRD. We included 34 patients with ESRD. There were significant changes in the mean clustering coefficient, transitivity, and assortative coefficient between the pre- and post-HD periods (0.353 vs. 0.399, p = 0.047; 0.523 vs. 0.600, p = 0.042; and 0.043 vs. - 0.012, p = 0.044, respectively). However, there were no changes in the mean clustering coefficient, transitivity, and assortative coefficient between the pre- and mid-HD periods, or between the mid- and post-HD periods. In addition, there were no significant differences in the average strength, global efficiency, and local efficiency among the pre-, mid-, and post-HD periods. We demonstrated a significant effect of hemodialysis on functional brain connectivity in patients with ESRD. Functional brain connectivity changes more efficiently during hemodialysis.

Humoral response to vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in patients undergoing dialysis.

Patients undergoing maintenance dialysis have a higher mortality rate associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and response rates to vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 vary from 29.6% to 96.4% in such patients. This study aimed to assess the immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in Korean patients undergoing dialysis. We enrolled 70 SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated patients undergoing dialysis, with 11 healthcare workers serving as healthy control subjects. Thirty-two patients had received a third vaccination, whereas 38 had received 2 vaccinations. The healthy control subjects completed the second vaccination. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies targeting the receptor-binding domain of the S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were measured The vaccination responder rates were 86% (37/43), 96% (26/27), and 91% (10/11) in the patients undergoing hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis and healthy controls, respectively. IgG antibody levels were significantly higher when a third dose was administered, independent of the type of vaccine or the time interval between vaccination and the subsequent blood sampling date. When a third dose of vaccine was administered, there was no difference in IgG antibody levels between those receiving cross-vaccination or a single vaccine. There was no significant difference in IgG antibodies between healthy controls and patients undergoing dialysis. Patients on dialysis exhibited a sufficient antibody-related response to vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, even in those receiving cross-vaccination, and the antibody titer was higher after a third vaccination. Therefore, it is necessary to administer a third vaccine dose to Korean patients undergoing dialysis.

Glymphatic system dysfunction in patients with early chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: It is a recent finding that glymphatic system dysfunction contributes to various neurological problems. The purpose of this research was to assess the function of the glymphatic system in neurologically asymptomatic early chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and healthy controls, using diffusion tensor image analysis along perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index. Methods: In a prospective study, we included patients with early CKD who were asymptomatic for neurological issues and obtained clinical and laboratory data. In all participants, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was conducted. We used DSI program for DTI preprocessing and DTI-ALPS index estimation. The DTI-ALPS index was compared between patients with early CKD and healthy controls, and the association between clinical characteristics and the DTI-ALPS index was investigated. Results: Eighteen patients with early CKD and 18 healthy controls were included in this study. Patients with early CKD had lower DTI-ALPS index than healthy controls (1.259 ± 0.199 vs. 1.477 ± 0.232, p = 0.004). In the correlation analysis, the DTI-ALPS index had no significant relationship with other clinical factors. Conclusion: We suggest dysfunction of glymphatic system in patients with early chronic kidney disease using the DTI-ALPS index. This may be related to the pathophysiology of neurological problems including impairment of cognition in patients with early CKD.

Top 100 cited articles on hemodialysis: A bibliometric analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to better understand hemodialysis by reviewing the most-cited articles related to it. METHODS: We searched articles on the Web of Science and selected the 100 most frequently cited articles. Subsequently, we reviewed these articles and identified their characteristics. RESULTS: The 100 most frequently cited articles were published in 21 journals. The majority of these papers were published in the following journals: Kidney International (26 articles), New England Journal of Medicine (18 articles), Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (14 articles), and the American Journal of Kidney Disease (13 articles). The 100 most-cited articles were published in 25 countries. The United States of America was the country with the highest number of publications (65 articles). The University of Michigan was the institution with the highest number of articles (14 articles). FK Port was the author with the largest number of publications (13 articles). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study in the field of nephrology that provides a list of the 100 most-cited articles on hemodialysis. Through this study, clinicians will be able to recognize major academic interests and research trends in hemodialysis.

Glymphatic Dysfunction in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to compare glymphatic dysfunction between patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and healthy controls and analyze the correlation between the glymphatic function and clinical characteristics using the diffusion tensor image analysis along with the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled neurologically asymptomatic 49 patients with ESRD undergoing dialysis and 38 healthy controls. Diffusion tensor image was conducted using the same 3T scanner, and the DTI-ALPS index was calculated. We compared the DTI-ALPS index between the patients with ESRD and healthy controls. In addition, we conducted a correlation analysis between the clinical characteristics and DTI-ALPS index in patients with ESRD. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the DTI-ALPS index between patients with ESRD and healthy controls. The DTI-ALPS index in patients with ESRD was lower than that in healthy controls (1.460 vs. 1.632, p = 0.003). In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the DTI-ALPS index and serum parathyroid hormone levels (r = 0.357, p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: We demonstrated glymphatic dysfunction in patients with ESRD, as revealed by the DTI-ALPS index. This study also reveals the feasibility of the DTI-ALPS method to determine glymphatic function in patients with ESRD, which could be used in future research studies.

Rapidly Fatal Emphysematous Osteomyelitis with Multiple Septic Emboli and Liver Abscess Caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Emphysematous osteomyelitis, characterized by intraosseous gas, is a rare but potentially fatal condition that requires prompt diagnosis and aggressive therapy. Causative organisms are members of the bacterial family Enterobacteriaceae or anaerobes in most cases and significant comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and malignancy, may predispose an individual to the development of emphysematous osteomyelitis. We report a case of extensive emphysematous osteomyelitis via hematogenous spread from Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess, complicated by gas-containing abscesses in adjacent soft tissues and epidural space, and multiple systemic septic emboli in a diabetic patient.

Childhood colon cancer in a patient with ataxia telangiectasia.

BACKGROUND: Ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by progressive neurologic impairment and cerebellar ataxia. In addition, patients with this disease are known to have an inherent increased susceptibility to the development of cancer, predominantly hematologic malignancies. METHODS: We report the case of a young boy with AT from Russia, who had abdominal pain. Laboratory tests and radiologic examinations were performed to him. RESULTS: After abdominal computed tomography (CT), colonoscopy and surgical interventions, the young boy was diagnosed with colon cancer that had signet ring cell features. CONCLUSIONS: It is known that the patient with AT appeared to be predisposed to various tumors, including leukemia or lymphoma, which are more common in childhood. Even if the patient with AT could have solid tumor such as stomach cancer or breast cancer, it is less likely to have colon cancer, especially signet ring cell type. Actually, no case of colon cancer has ever been reported, especially in young patient and hence, we have focused on this point and are hereby reporting this unique case.