Durability of tunneled catheters in children is associated with catheter tip depth: A single-center report.

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of different catheter tip positions on catheter duration and dysfunction of tunneled catheters in children. Catheters were evaluated for place of insertion, time of insertion, catheter tip depth and position, duration of use, and reason for removal. The mean duration of implanted catheters with tips placed in cavo-atrial junction/right atrium was significantly longer with significantly lower percentage of complications than tips placed in superior vena cava. Only catheter tips placed in cavo-atrial junction/right atrium was a predictor of catheter functionality and survival. Shorter catheter survival in children with tunneled catheters is a consequence of a catheter tip depth proximal of CAJ and RA. Our results showed that the main factor responsible for better catheter functionality was not laterality but the depth of the catheter tip, which reduces need for future catheter insertions with increased catheter durability.

Cutaneous Metastasis as a Presenting Feature of Renal Adenocarcinoma in a Renal Transplant Recipient: A Case Report.

Cutaneous metastases of urological malignancies are a rare phenomenon. We present a case of a renal transplant recipient who presented with skin nodule 12 years posttransplant. Pathohistologic evaluation revealed metastasis from the renal adenocarcinoma. The patient was treated with temsirolimus and later with sorafenib; however, he died 13 months after the initial presentation with a functional renal allograft.

[Dyslipidemia and stroke in patients with chronic kidney disease]. / Dislipidemija i mozdani udar u kronicnih bubreznih bolesnika.

Altered lipid and lipoprotein metabolism occurs in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dyslipidemia persists in patients on chronic hemodialysis orperitoneal dialysis and even in renal transplant recipients, and contributes to accelerated atherosclerosis but may also contribute to the progression of kidney disease as well. The etiologies of altered lipid profile in patients with CKD, dialysis, and renal transplant recipients are complex because there are profound changes in the structure and function of lipoprotein and lipid molecules, which lead to accelerated atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Cardiovascular disease and stroke are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with impaired renal function. In this review, the pathogenesis and treatment of CKD-induced dyslipidemia are discussed. Studies on lipid abnormalities in predialysis, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients are analyzed. In addition, results of the studies that tested the effects of hypolipidemic drugs on stroke morbidity and mortality in patients with CKD are reported.

[What doctors need to know about biosimilar medicinal products?]. / Sto bi lijecnici trebali znati o bioloski slicnim lijekovima?

Biological drug is a drug containing one or more active substances produced or secreted from a biological source. Some of them may be previously present in the human body, and examples include proteins such as insulin, growth hormone or erythropoetin. Biosimilar drug is a medical product that is a copy of the original approved drug whose patent has expired. Strict rules apply to similar biological medicines: 1) it is unable to support extrapolation of data on safety and efficacy between individual indications, except in the case of appropriate, science-based evidence; 2) biosimilar drugs must meet the requirements associated with testing the immunogenicity and safety monitoring afterthe introduction of the drug in clinical practice, including the risk management program; 3) each biosimilar drug has to be labeled under its own name in order to allow clear traceability of all medications; and 4) the principle of automatic substitution cannot apply to biosimilar drugs because they are not interchangeable.

Rescue therapy with sirolimus in a renal transplant recipient with tacrolimus-induced hepatotoxicity.

Calcineurin inhibitors at elevated serum concentrations frequently cause mild elevation of the liver chemistries. Although rare, severe hepatotoxicity is their serious complication. A 54-year-old man with end-stage renal disease due to chronic glomerulonephritis without biopsy received a renal allograft from the deceased donor. Eleven days after transplantation severe liver injury (AST up to 421 IU/L, ALT 1242 IU/L, and GGT 212 IU/L) with the serum bilirubin within the normal range was recorded. Tacrolimus trough level was 5.5 ng/mL. Liver ultrasound and color-Doppler of the portal system were normal. Liver failure completely resolved after withdrawal of the calcineurin inhibitor and switch to sirolimus. After 9 months of follow-up our patient has excellent graft and liver function. Awareness of the possible association of tacrolimus use with hepatotoxicity is important to timely discontinuation of the causative agent, and to introduce sirolimus as the rescue therapy.

First documented case of successful kidney transplantation from a donor with acute renal failure treated with dialysis.

There is a widening gap between the needs and possibilities of kidney transplantation. In order to solve the problem of organ shortage, the selection criteria for kidney donors have been less stringent over the last years. Favorable outcome of renal transplantation from deceased donors with acute renal failure requiring dialysis may have an important role in expanding the pool of donors. We present the case of two renal transplantations from a polytraumatized 20-years old donor with acute renal failure requiring dialysis. One recipient established good diuresis from the first post-transplant day and did not require hemodialysis. The second recipient had delayed graft function and was treated with 8 hemodialysis sessions. The patient was discharged with good diuresis and normal serum creatinine. After two years of follow-up, both recipients have normal graft function. According to our experience, kidneys from deceased young donors with acute renal failure requiring dialysis may be transplanted, in order to decrease the number of patients on transplantation waiting lists.

[A role of WNT in kidney development and function]. / Uloga WNT u razvoju i funkciji bubrega.

WNT 4 is a secreted glycoprotein that is critical for nephrogenesis during mesenchymal to epithelial transformation. Lately there are some experimental modles witch confirm a role of Wnt 4 during regeneration process in acute renal failure. On the other hand there are some evidence that Wnt 4 plays important role in renal fibrosis during experimental renal injury in rats that provide tubuloinerstitial fibrosis. When will Wnt 4 have a protective role or when will induce fibrosis still is not known and therefore futher studies will be necessary to gain a more precise understanding.

[Outcome of renal transplantation after tacrolimus switch to cyclosporine]. / Ishod transplantacije bubrega nakon prevodenja s takrolimusa na ciklosporin.

Calcineurin inhibitors play the key role in current immunosuppressive therapy in transplantation medicine. We present our experience with tacrolimus as immunosuppressive therapy and the reasons for replacing tacrolimus with cyclosporine in some patients. We monitored graft function, serum lipid levels, and blood glucose concentration before and after immunosuppressant switch. The most common reason for change of immunosuppressive therapy was insulin dependent hyperglycemia; calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity was the reason for switching immunosuppressive therapy in a small number of patients; and in one patient, the reason for immunosuppressive therapy switching was BK virus infection. Blood glucose normalized soon after the introduction of cyclosporine in the treatment. Monitoring of laboratory tests before and after immunosuppressive therapy switching showed the graft function to have remained unchanged.

[Anderson-Fabry disease and renal transplantation]. / Anderson-Fabrijeva bolest i transplantacija bubrega.

Anderson-Fabry disease is a rare disease associated with progressive accumulation of globotriaosylceramide in visceral organs and vascular endothelium. The disease primarily affects male patients. It has long been considered that females are asymptomatic carriers of Anderson-Fabry disease. However, recent results demonstrated a significant proportion of symptomatic affected females. We present our experience in the treatment of patients with Anderson-Fabry disease having received allograft from deceased donor, as well as follow-up of patients having received allograft from donor with unrecognized Anderson-Fabry disease.

Varicella zoster virus reactivation in hemodialysis patients: manifestations, treatment, complications and outcome.

Varicella zoster virus reactivation often occurs in the setting of impaired immunity, which is generally present in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Therapy for variceIla zoster virus infection is well established. However, it is often been forgotten that acyclovir dosage should be adjusted to renal function. We point to the problem encountered in clinical practice when ESRD patient presents with cutaneous herpes zoster and neurological symptoms. Clinical findings alone may prove inadequate to determine whether neurological deficit is caused by infection of the central nervous system or is a consequence of acyclovir induced neurotoxicity.