Consequences of kidney donation by age in Japanese living kidney donors: a single-center study.

BACKGROUND: Elderly living kidney donors (LKDs) are becoming increasingly important in countries with a high prevalence of living-donor kidney transplants and an aging society. This study explored the features of elderly LKDs, focusing on their subsequent outcomes. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective, observational study included eligible LKDs who donated their kidneys between April 2008 and July 2022. LKDs were categorized into an elderly (≥70 years at donation) or a non-elderly group (<70 years). We examined pre-operative characteristics and post-operative outcomes, such as kidney function, complications, development of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and mortality. RESULTS: Of the 188 LKDs observed for a median of 5.7 years, 31 were in the elderly group (16.5%) and 157 (83.5%) were in the non-elderly group (mean age 72.5 ± 2.7 and 58.2 ± 7.3 years, respectively). No significant differences were observed in hospital stay length or peri-operative complications between groups. Both groups experienced a similar decline in post-donation estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)-approximately 37%. In the elderly group, four LKDs died, and one progressed to ESKD. In the non-elderly group, two LKDs died, and none progressed to ESKD. The cause of death was not strongly suspected to be associated with the donation. CONCLUSIONS: eGFR was maintained even in elderly LKDs post-donation. Prioritizing LKDs' safety is paramount; however, donations from elderly people would be acceptable, considering their life expectancy. This can expand the pool of living kidney donors and address the growing demand for kidney transplants.

Hyponatremia and mortality in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the relationship between hyponatremia and worse outcomes in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. METHODS: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases were used to search for relevant articles. The target population was patients on maintenance hemodialysis (those undergoing hemodialysis for ≥60 days). The defined outcomes were death, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and falls. Meta-analysis was performed with a random-effects model of pairwise comparisons of normonatremia and hyponatremia defined for each study, 1-mmol/L increment of sodium analysis, and dose-response analysis using the sodium concentration defined for each study. This study was registered with PROSPERO (registration number CRD42018087667). RESULTS: Thirteen articles were included. The pairwise analysis revealed that the hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 1.45 (95% confidence interval, 1.31-1.61). The analysis of 1-mmol/L increment of sodium included six studies with a hazard ratio for all-cause mortality of 0.94 (95% confidence interval, 0.91-0.97) for each 1-mmol/L increase in the serum sodium concentration. In the dose-response analysis, assuming a linear relationship, a sodium increment of 1 mmol/L revealed a hazard ratio for all-cause mortality of 0.97 (95% confidence interval, 0.96-0.98). Other outcomes could not be integrated. CONCLUSIONS: Hyponatremia is associated with all-cause mortality in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Healthcare providers should pay special attention to even the slightest indication of hyponatremia.

Long-term Weight Loss as a Predictor of Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients.

BACKGROUND: Serial weight decrease can be a prognostic predictor in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. We investigated the impact of long-term post-HD body weight (BW) changes on all-cause mortality among HD patients. METHODS: This longitudinal cohort study and post-hoc analysis evaluated participants of a previous randomized controlled trial conducted between 2006 and 2011 who were followed up until 2018. Weight change slopes were generated with repeated measurements every 6 months during the trial for patients having ≥5 BW measurements. Participants were categorized into four groups based on quartiles of weight change slopes; the median weight changes per 6 months were -1.02 kg, -0.25 kg, +0.26 kg, and +0.86 kg for first, second, third, and fourth quartile, respectively. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to evaluate differences in subsequent survival among the four groups. BW trajectories were plotted with a backward time-scale and multilevel regression analysis to visualize the difference in BW trajectories between survivors and non-survivors. RESULTS: Among the 461 patients, 404 were evaluated, and 168 (41.6%) died within a median follow-up period of 10.2 years. The Cox proportional hazard regression adjusted for covariates and baseline BW showed that a higher rate of weight loss was associated with higher mortality. The hazard ratios were 2.02 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-3.20), 1.77 (95% CI, 1.10-2.85), 1.00 (reference), and 1.11 (95% CI, 0.67-1.83) for the first, second, third (reference), and fourth quartiles, respectively. BW trajectories revealed a significant decrease in BW in non-survivors. CONCLUSION: Weight loss elucidated via serial BW measurements every 6 months is significantly associated with higher mortality among HD patients.

De novo Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Case Series Study.

Introduction: Gastrointestinal complications are common after solid organ transplantation. New-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) after transplantation (de novo) is a major differential diagnosis of diarrhea after liver transplantation (LT) because of its high incidence in the field. However, the incidence of IBD after kidney transplantation (KT) remains unknown. Methods: This case series comprised six de novo IBD patients who had undergone KT at our hospital from April 1998 to December 2020. In this period, 232 KT recipients were identified. Participants were analyzed based on their colonoscopy diagnoses. Detailed clinical information regarding both KT- and IBD-related symptoms or outcomes was obtained, and we calculated the incidence of de novo IBD from the date of KT. Results: Of the 232 recipients in the median observation period of 6.1 (interquartile range: 2.6, 10.8) years, six recipients (one with Crohn's disease and five with ulcerative colitis) were diagnosed with de novo IBD. The incidence of de novo IBD after KT was 355.8/100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 159.8-791.9 per 100,000 person-years). Bloody stools and diarrhea did not always occur, with bloody stools occurring in three and diarrhea in 2 patients at the time of diagnosis. No recipient developed graft failure or extraintestinal complications (e.g., IBD-related nephritis or arthritis). Conclusion: Despite a small sample size, this study's results indicate that the incidence of de novo IBD after KT may be similar to that after LT and higher than that in the general population. Larger studies are required to validate these preliminary findings.

Mortality After Hip and Spine Fractures in Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Fractures represent a major cause of disability in the elderly, and patients with fractures exhibit a higher mortality rate than those without. Fractures are also an important health problem among patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) requiring hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, or kidney transplantation. To the best of our knowledge, no study in the literature has yet quantitatively summarized the mortality rates, and a summary of evidence on post-hip and spine fracture mortality in patients with ESKD is lacking. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively evaluate the mortality rate, one-year mortality rate, and five-year mortality rate after hip and spine fractures in patients with ESKD receiving kidney replacement therapy. The MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were comprehensively searched for reports on mortality rate and time-period mortality in patients with ESKD after hip or spine fractures up to June 2022. Prospective and retrospective cohort studies, as well as case series involving four or more patients, were included. Pooled mortality rate, one-year rate, and five-year mortality rate with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were examined using a random-effects model. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool. Additionally, heterogeneity between studies was evaluated. A total of 26 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The one-year and five-year mortality rates after hip and spine fractures were 215.35-774.0 per 1,000 person-year and 148-194.1 per 1,000 person-year, respectively. After hip fractures, the one-year mortality rate was 27% (95% CI: 18-38%, I2 = 98%), whereas the five-year mortality rate was 56% (95% CI: 41-71%, I2 = 99%). After spine fractures, the one-year mortality rate was 10% (95% CI: 4-17%, I2 = 70%), whereas the five-year mortality rate was 48.3%. The post-fracture mortality rate was high in patients with ESKD, particularly within one year after the occurrence of fractures. Additionally, the five-year mortality rate after hip femoral or spine fractures was high at approximately 50%.

A Comparison Between the Efficacy and Safety of Endovascular Arteriovenous Fistula Creation and Surgical Fistula Creation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

An endovascular arteriovenous fistula is a recent technological advancement in hemodialysis vascular access. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of endovascular arteriovenous fistula (eAVF) creation compared with surgical arteriovenous fistula (sAVF) creation among patients with chronic kidney disease. We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, Clinical Trials.gov, and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform until May 2021 to perform meta-analyses using random-effects models. Pre-specified primary outcomes were fistula maturation, procedure-related complications, and patient satisfaction. Secondary outcomes were procedural technical success, procedure time, all adverse events, and medical expenditure. The risk of bias in non-randomized studies of the interventions assessment tool, and the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach were used to assess the quality of individual studies and the body of evidence, respectively. In seven studies including 860 patients, endovascular arteriovenous fistula creation had little to no effect on fistula maturation (odds ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence intervals, 0.05 to 6.91). Meta-analysis could not be performed for procedure-related complications and patient satisfaction due to insufficient data. For secondary outcomes, endovascular arteriovenous fistula resulted in a slight to no difference in procedural technical success (odds ratio, 0.69: 95% confidence intervals, 0.04 to 11.98) and all adverse events (odds ratio, 6.31; 95% confidence intervals, 0.64 to 62.22). Endovascular fistula creation incurred less medical expenditure than sAVF (mean difference, USD 12760; 95% confidence intervals, -19710 to -5820). Meta-analysis for procedure time was not performed because one of the studies had a critical risk of bias. All of these outcomes were of low certainty of evidence or very low certainty of evidence. There was limited evidence for supporting endovascular arteriovenous fistula creation over conventional surgical arteriovenous fistula creation for patients with chronic kidney disease. Multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of eAVFs in selected populations.

Renal hypouricemia in a recipient of living-donor kidney transplantation: a case report and literature review.

Hypouricemia in kidney transplant (KT) recipients is rare since they usually have subnormal kidney function which raises serum uric acid level. Recently, interests in pathogenesis of hypouricemia have been increasing due to the understanding of the role of uric acid transporter in renal hypouricemia (RHUC). We herein report the case of RHUC consequently developed in a KT recipient from a living donor with RHUC diagnosed by the detailed urinary and genetic test. A 73-year-old Japanese man underwent KT, and the donor was his wife who had hypouricemia [serum uric acid (S-UA) 0.6 mg/dL]. Nine months after KT, the recipient's S-UA was low (1.5 mg/dL) with serum creatinine (S-Cr) of 1.56 mg/dL, and fractional excretion of UA (FEUA) was high (59.7%; normal < 10%), indicating RHUC. Regarding the donor's information, S-Cr, S-UA, and FEUA were 0.95 mg/dL, 1.0 mg/dL, and 54.5%, respectively. To investigate further on the pathogenesis of RHUC in both the recipient and the donor, we performed genetic tests. The donor had a homozygous mutation of W258X in the SLC22A12 gene and the recipient had a wild type of W258X. Finally, we reviewed the previous literature on RHUC among KT recipients and discussed the strategy of follow-up for these patients.

The histopathological spectrum of kidney biopsies in patients with thymoma and myasthenia gravis: a report of 24 biopsies from a single institution.

Background: Nephropathy in patients with thymic diseases such as thymoma and myasthenia gravis (MG) is rare and has been described mostly as isolated case reports. Here we evaluate a series of kidney biopsies from patients with thymoma and/or MG from a single institution in order to better define the spectrum and relative frequencies of thymic disease-associated nephropathies. Methods: We conducted a retrospective case series study of 32 462 native kidney biopsies from January 2005 through December 2019 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Results: Twenty-four biopsy specimens (0.07%) from patients with a history of thymoma and/or MG were identified. Two patients had repeat biopsies. The most common pathologic diagnosis that could be immunologically attributed to thymic disease was minimal change disease (MCD; 45%), followed by tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN; 14%), immune complex (IC)-mediated glomerulonephritis (9%), membranous nephropathy (5%) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (5%). Interestingly, 50% of the MCD and 67% of TIN cases concomitantly showed mild IgG-dominant IC deposition in mesangial areas and/or in tubular basement membranes. In the two patients with repeat biopsies, mild mesangial IC deposition developed in the MCD patient but disappeared in the TIN patient with the second biopsy. Pathologic diagnoses unlikely related to the underlying thymic disease were diabetic glomerulosclerosis (9%), acute tubular necrosis (9%) and monoclonal Ig deposition disease (5%). Conclusions: Thymic disease is associated with a wide spectrum of kidney diseases affecting the glomerular and tubulointerstitial compartments, often with low-grade IC deposition. These findings suggest a role of immunologic dysregulation in the pathogenesis of thymic disease-associated nephropathy.

Quantification of Infectious Sendai Virus Using Plaque Assay.

Sendai virus (SeV) is an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus of the family Paramyxoviridae. SeV is a useful tool to study its infectious pathomechanism in immunology and the pathomechanism of a murine model of IgA nephropathy. Virus quantification is essential not only to determine the original viral titers for an appropriate application, but also to measure the viral titers in samples from the harvests from experiments. There are mainly a couple of units/titers for Sendai viral quantification: plaque-forming units (PFU) and hemagglutination (HA) titer. Of these, we here describe a protocol for Sendai virus plaque assay to provide PFU using LLC-MK2 cells (a rhesus monkey kidney cell lines) and Guinea pig red blood cells. This traditional protocol enables us to determine Sendai virus PFU in viral stock as well as samples from your experiments.