Stakeholders' perceived achievements and challenges after the safe motherhood project in Northern Uganda.

The Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) and the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) implemented the Safe Motherhood project to promote mother-friendly society in northern Uganda from 2010 to 2016. The follow-up study has not been conducted and the information on achievements and challenges after the project were limited. To review the safe motherhood project in northern Uganda, the purpose of the study was to explore the stakeholders' perceived achievements and challenges after the project. Study design was qualitative content analysis using interview guides. After the approval of Institutional Review Board Clearance, the study was started (Approval Number: 2017-034). The subjects were informed about the ethical considerations (informed consent, participation on free will, confidentiality, and anonymity) in participating in the research, and they participated after signing the consent form. Six volunteers, 2 health center staff, and 2 former Uganda Red Cross staff were interviewed. Achievements were the acquisition of knowledge, attitudes changes, behavioural changes, linkage of all stakeholders, and positive influence on Safe Motherhood in community. Challenges of sociocultural barriers, attitudes toward women, accessibility and human resources, incentives and facilities, and sustainability of the project were derived from the interview. The study revealed that the project linked all stakeholders to achieve Safe Motherhood in community and all the developed registration systems were taken over. Long-term support is necessary for Safe Motherhood to take root.

Acoustic radiation force impulse elastography of the kidneys: is shear wave velocity affected by tissue fibrosis or renal blood flow?

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify the main influencing factor of the shear wave velocity (SWV) of the kidneys measured by acoustic radiation force impulse elastography. METHODS: The SWV was measured in the kidneys of 14 healthy volunteers and 319 patients with chronic kidney disease. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated by the serum creatinine concentration and age. As an indicator of arteriosclerosis of large vessels, the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity was measured in 183 patients. RESULTS: Compared to the degree of interobserver and intraobserver deviation, a large variance of SWV values was observed in the kidneys of the patients with chronic kidney disease. Shear wave velocity values in the right and left kidneys of each patient correlated well, with high correlation coefficients (r = 0.580-0.732). The SWV decreased concurrently with a decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate. A low SWV was obtained in patients with a high brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. Despite progression of renal fibrosis in the advanced stages of chronic kidney disease, these results were in contrast to findings for chronic liver disease, in which progression of hepatic fibrosis results in an increase in the SWV. Considering that a high brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity represents the progression of arteriosclerosis in the large vessels, the reduction of elasticity succeeding diminution of blood flow was suspected to be the main influencing factor of the SWV in the kidneys. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that diminution of blood flow may affect SWV values in the kidneys more than the progression of tissue fibrosis. Future studies for reducing data variance are needed for effective use of acoustic radiation force impulse elastography in patients with chronic kidney disease.

[A case of thrombotic microangiopathy with glomerular subendothelial IgA deposition due to bevacizumab].

Bevacizumab, an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor, is approved for the treatment of various cancers, but the incidence of proteinuria as a side effect has been reported to be 2-64%. We report a case of renal impairment due to thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) accompanied with glomerular subendothelial deposition of IgA resulting from bevacizumab administration. A 57-year-old female with advanced breast cancer, to whom bevacizumab had been administered from October 2012, developed proteinuria and epithelial casts in her urine about a month later. Serum creatinine remained at 0.7-0.8 mg/dL until June 2013, but gradually increased to 1.3 mg/dL in September. She was referred to our hospital because her renal function had not improved despite termination of bevacizumab, and a renal biopsy was performed in October. At that time, the levels of proteinuria, serum creatinine and serum IgA were high at 1.3 g/g x Cr, 1.6 mg/dL and 430 mg/dL, respectively. Histological examinations showed prominent IgA deposits in the subendothelial area and glomerular infiltration of CD68 positive cells in addition to features of TMA, such as narrowed glomerular capillary lumina and double contours of the basement membranes. In consideration of her clinical history, a diagnosis of bevacizumab-induced TMA was made. Through follow-up care without readministration of bevacizumab, epithelial casts in her urine disappeared, and proteinuria decreased to 0.62 g/g x Cr in November. Serum creatinine remains high at around 1.3 mg/dL, but has not elevated further. Serum IgA gradually decreased and reached 289 mg/dL in April 2014. TMA due to bevacizumab described in several other reports was also accompanied by glomerular IgA deposition, thus a differential diagnosis of IgA nephropathy is required. TMA was recently added to a section of "significant adverse effects" in the package insert of bevacizumab. Nephrologists should be fully aware of this drug-induced nephropathy.

[Case of lead nephropathy due to chronic occupational lead exposure].

We report a case of a patient with chronic kidney disease likely due to lead nephropathy. He was a manufacturer of Buddhist altar fittings and had chronic lead exposure. The blood lead level was 41 microg/dL and urinary lead excretion at 24 hours after the administration of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)was 600 microg (first time)and 687 microg (second time), respectively. Urinary lead excretion at 72 hours was 834 microg (first time) and 1,071 microg (second time), respectively. Renal biopsy showed interstitial fibrosis and focal monocyte infiltration. Lead content in the renal biopsy specimen was 130 ng/g of wet weight. We preformed weekly EDTA chelation therapy twelve times. During the therapy, serum creatinine was 1.1 mg/dL. The chelation therapy was interrupted by an episode of acute renal failure due to hypotension and heart failure. Urinary lead excretion exceeding 600 microg at 72 hours after chelation therapy indicated a lead body burden capable of causing lead nephropathy. In this case, urinary lead excretion exceeded 600 microg at 72 hours. Based on the report that repeated lead chelation therapy can slow the progression of non-diabetic chronic kidney disease with 72-hour-urinary lead excretion of 60-600 microg, we performed chelation therapy. This case suggests that lead nephropathy currently can occur in Japan. It is possible that renal dysfunction from lead nephropathy is reversed by minimizing lead exposure and chelation therapy. Lead nephropathy should be included in the differenitial diagnosis of causes of chronic kidney disease and occupational and environmental lead exposure should be investigated carefully during the medical history.

Pre- and/or Intra-Operative Prescription of Diuretics, but Not Renin-Angiotensin-System Inhibitors, Is Significantly Associated with Acute Kidney Injury after Non-Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pre- and/or intra-operative use of diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB) constitutes a potentially modifiable risk factor for postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI). It has been studied whether use of these drugs predicts AKI after cardiac surgery. The objective of this study was to examine whether administration of these agents was independently associated with AKI after non-cardiac surgery. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, AND MEASUREMENTS: This was a retrospective observational study. Inclusion criteria were adult patients (age ≥ 18) who underwent non-cardiac surgery under general anesthesia from 2007 to 2009 at Kyoto Katsura Hospital. Exclusion criteria were urological surgery, missing creatinine values, and preoperative dialysis. The exposures of interest were pre- and/or intra-operative use of diuretics or ACE-I/ARB. Outcome variables were postoperative AKI as defined by the AKI Network (increase in creatinine ≥ 0.3 mg/dL or 150% within 48 hours, or urine output < 0.5 ml/kg/hour for > 6 hours). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted and adjusted for potential confounders. Propensity scores (PS) for receiving diuretics or ACE-I/ARB therapy were estimated and PS adjustment, PS matching, and inverse probability weighting were performed. RESULTS: There were 137 AKI cases (5.0%) among 2,725 subjects. After statistical adjustment for patient and surgical characteristics, odds (95% CI) of postoperative AKI were 2.07 (1.10-3.89) (p = 0.02) and 0.89 (0.56-1.42) (p = 0.63) in users of diuretics and ACE-I/ARB, respectively, compared with non-users. PS adjustment, PS matching, and inverse probability weighting yielded similar results. The effect size of diuretics was significantly greater in the patients with lower propensity for diuretic use (p for interaction < 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Prescription of diuretics, but not ACE-I/ARB, was independently associated with postoperative AKI after non-cardiac surgery, especially in patients with low propensity for diuretic use. It might be reasonable to withhold preoperative diuretics in these patients.