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Am J Hosp Palliat Care 2019 Mar 7:1049909119834855. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

1 Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sha Tin, Hong Kong.

Background:: Despite the increasing use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) in patients receiving dialysis, few studies have examined the benefits of ESA for patients with chronic kidney disease receiving palliative care.

Objective:: We designed a retrospective observational study to evaluate the effect of ESA in treating anemia of renal disease among adult patients receiving palliative care instead of dialysis. The primary objective was to assess whether ESA can reduce the transfusion burden and hospitalization. Read More

BMJ Open 2019 Mar 4;9(3):e024194. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Objectives: Anaemia is a risk of worsening heart failure. However, anaemia sometimes remains undetected because the superficial cardiac function does not precisely reflect the adverse impact of anaemia. Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) could be helpful in these cases. Read More

J Med Econ 2019 Feb 27. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

h Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization , Rockville , MD , USA.

Aims: The overall cost and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with current treatments for chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related anemia are not well characterized. We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) on the costs and HRQoL associated with current treatments for CKD-related anemia among dialysis-dependent (DD) patients.

Material And Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, NHS EED, and NHS HTA for English-language publications. Read More

J Foot Ankle Surg 2019 Feb 22. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

Orthopedic Surgeon, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA.

Ankle fractures are common orthopedic injuries with favorable outcomes when managed with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). Several patient-related risk factors may contribute to poor short-term outcomes, and machine learning may be a valuable tool for predicting outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate machine-learning algorithms for accurately predicting short-term outcomes after ORIF for ankle fractures. Read More

Mymensingh Med J 2019 Jan;28(1):1-7

Dr Mohammad Omar Faruque Miah, Senior Clinical Pathologist, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Bangladesh is increasing. Chronic kidney disease refers to an irreversible deterioration in renal function which classically develops over a period of years. Initially, it manifest's only as a biochemical abnormality. Read More

Ren Fail 2018 Nov;40(1):671-679

a Department of Nephrology , The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University , Guangzhou , China.

Background: Anemia is extremely common among dialysis patients and underlies some of the symptoms associated with reduced kidney function, including fatigue, depression, reduced exercise tolerance, and dyspnea.

Objectives: A clearer cognition of the prognosistic impact of hemoglobin (Hb) or hematocrit (Hct) target for the outcomes of dialysis patients is urgent. This article aims to establish the suitable hemoglobin in order to provide clinical guidance. Read More

Ren Fail 2018 Nov;40(1):700-709

a Department of Nephrology, Hypertension and Kidney Transplantation , Medical University of Lodz, University Hospital and Teaching Center , Lodz , Poland.

Introduction: To determine the effect of 6-month administration of atorvastatin on hepcidin and hemojuvelin levels, inflammatory parameters and iron metabolism in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3 and 4.

Methods: Thirty six statin- and erythropoiesis-stimulating agent-naive patients with CKD stages 3 and 4 and LDL cholesterol ≥100 mg/dl received atorvastatin or placebo for two 6-month periods in a double blind, randomized crossover study. Hepcidin, hemojuvelin, hsCRP, IL-6, hemoglobin, red blood cell distribution width, iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), and unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC) were measured before and after each treatment period. Read More

Eur J Intern Med 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Servei de Cardiologia, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.

Background: The Charlson's is the most used comorbidity index. It comprises 19 comorbidities, some of which are infrequent in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), while some others are manifestations of cardiac disease rather than comorbidities. Our goal was to simplify comorbidity assessment in elderly non-ST-segment elevation ACS patients. Read More

Transfus Clin Biol 2019 Jan 10. Epub 2019 Jan 10.

Sickle Cell Institute Chhattisgarh, Forest Block-2, Jail Road, Raipur 492001, Chhattisgarh India. Electronic address:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is considered as a vascular disease due to its chronic vascular manifestations such as leg ulcers, priapism, acute chest syndrome (ACS), stroke, retinopathy, renal insufficiency, pulmonary hypertension, avascular necrosis of the femoral head (AVNF) and splenic infarction. Emerging evidence has shown that the MTHFR 677C>T variant allele is associated with vascular complications (VC) in patients with SCD; however, results from individual studies are inconclusive. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism and the susceptibility for VC in SCD patients. Read More

Blood Press 2019 Apr 22;28(2):114-123. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

a Department of Emergency Medicine , Newark Beth Israel Medical Center , Newark , New Jersey , USA.

Purpose: A 3-year case control study was conducted to determine the prevalence of hypertensive crisis and its subtypes, hypertensive emergency and hypertensive urgency. The secondary objectives were to identify risk factors for hypertensive emergencies and to determine the odds of developing acute target organ damage among predominantly African American patients with a confirmed diagnosis of hypertension.

Materials And Methods: Using emergency department medical records, patients with a confirmed diagnosis of hypertension were identified. Read More

Phytomedicine 2018 Sep 13;57:148-157. Epub 2018 Sep 13.

State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, PR China. Electronic address:

Background: Baoyuan decoction (BYD), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, is clinically used for the treatment of aplastic anemia, chronic renal failure, coronary heart disease, etc. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a large-volume direct injection liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for simultaneous determination of 16 representative flavonoids and saponins in rat plasma after oral administration of BYD.

Methods: The rat plasma sample was injected directly into a pre-column, which was eluted firstly by 0. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Jan 17;12(1). Epub 2019 Jan 17.

Medicine (Nephrology), Jacobi Medical Center / Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City, New York, USA.

Pregnancy-induced atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome (P-aHUS) is a rare condition characterised by microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and renal failure. It accounts for approximately 7% of total HUS cases. Here, we present a case of recurrent P-aHUS in a 25-year-old Hispanic woman. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Nov 29. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Geroscience and Chronic Disease Department, The 8th Municipal People's Hospital, Chengdu, China. Electronic address:

The mortality rate of cupric sulfate is relatively high in contrast to that of other heavy metals. Cases of orally ingested cupric sulfate poisoning are very rare, with a reported half lethal dose of 10 g. Cupric sulfate poisoning leads to gastrointestinal corrosion, intravascular hemolysis, hemolytic anemia, methemoglobinemia and acute renal and hepatic impairment. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Jan;98(2):e13981

Department of Nephrology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.

Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are frequently used among patients with renal anemia, while a significant proportion of patients exhibit ESA hyporesponsiveness despite adequate dosing. Previous studies have suggested an inverse association between ESA hyporesponsiveness and statin use among patients receiving dialysis therapy. However, studies based on predialysis patients are extremely limited. Read More

Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2019 Jan;59:15-20

Biozentrum, University of Basel, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland.

"New Therapeutic Targets" is the theme of articles in the Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Volume 59. Reviews in this volume discuss targets for a variety of conditions in need of new therapies, including type 2 diabetes, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, obesity, thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy, tinnitus, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, pain, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, muscle wasting diseases, cancer, and anemia associated with chronic renal disease. Numerous articles in this volume focus on the identification, validation, and utility of novel therapeutic targets, in particular, ones that involve new or unexpected molecular entities. Read More

Front Pediatr 2018 18;6:398. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Pediatric Nephrology Unit, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.

Anemia treatment in infants with advanced or chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents an important challenge to nephrologists. The use of darbepoetin alfa, a novel erythropoiesis stimulating agent, has largely replaced recombinant human erythropoietin in older children and in adults with CKD. However, studies reporting the use of darbepoetin alfa in infants below 1 year of age are rare. Read More

Thromb Haemost 2019 Jan 31;119(1):66-76. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

Spanish Centre for Pharmacoepidemiologic Research (CEIFE), Madrid, Spain.

Background:  Many patients on warfarin therapy often present with supratherapeutic international normalized ratio (INR) levels, resulting from the influence of several patient-specific factors, which have been associated with adverse outcomes.

Objective:  This article aims to identify risk factors for over-anticoagulation (INR levels ≥4) in a cohort of patients taking warfarin.

Methods:  A cohort of warfarin users aged 18 to 85 years from January 2005 to April 2013 was identified in The Health Improvement Network U. Read More

Am J Kidney Dis 2019 Mar 19;73(3):309-315. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

Rationale & Objective: Evidence from clinical trials to guide patient preparation for maintenance dialysis therapy is limited. Although anemia is associated with mortality and cardiovascular (CV) disease in individuals initiating maintenance dialysis therapy, it is not known if treatment of anemia before dialysis therapy initiation with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents alters outcomes.

Study Design: Post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Read More

Kidney Blood Press Res 2018 14;43(6):1908-1918. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital BeiHu branch, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background/aims: Awareness of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been low among affected patients, particularly the older ones. However, whether such awareness is synonymous with the presence of laboratory-diagnosed CKD among older adults is currently unclear.

Methods: We enrolled community-dwelling old adults (≥ 65 years) who received health examinations between 2013 and 2016 from a regional metropolitan hospital. Read More

Pak J Med Sci 2018 Nov-Dec;34(6):1571-1575

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal, PhD. Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.

Mild to moderate vitamin E deficiency because of inadequate consumption of vitamin E-rich foods and intestinal fat malabsorption is common in growing children, women of reproductive age and elderly South Asian population. Severe vitamin E deficiency may lead to peripheral and motor neurodegenerative diseases (e.g ataxia and motor skeletal myopathy), impaired immune response and free radical-induced hemolytic anemias. Read More

Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2019 Jan 17;14(1):28-39. Epub 2018 Dec 17.

Departments of Research and Development, and Pharmaceuticals, Bayer AG, Wuppertal, Germany.

Background And Objectives: The efficacy and safety of molidustat, a hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor, have been evaluated in three 16-week, phase 2b studies in patients with CKD and anemia who are not on dialysis (DaIly orAL treatment increasing endOGenoUs Erythropoietin [DIALOGUE] 1 and 2) and in those who are on dialysis (DIALOGUE 4).

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: DIALOGUE 1 was a placebo-controlled, fixed-dose trial (25, 50, and 75 mg once daily; 25 and 50 mg twice daily). DIALOGUE 2 and 4 were open-label, variable-dose trials, in which treatment was switched from darbepoetin (DIAGLOGUE 2) or epoetin (DIALOGUE 4) to molidustat or continued with the original agents. Read More

Lancet HIV 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of HIV Clinical Research, Gilead Sciences, Foster City, CA, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Current treatment for HIV-infected individuals with renal failure on haemodialysis frequently requires complex regimens with multiple pills. A daily single-tablet regimen of coformulated elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide is approved in Europe, the USA, and in other regions for use in HIV-1-infected individuals with mild-to-moderate chronic kidney disease (creatinine clearance 30-69 mL/min). We aimed to assess the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of this regimen in HIV-infected adults with end-stage renal disease on chronic haemodialysis. Read More

Nephrology (Carlton) 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Transplant and Dialysis Unit, Teaching Hospital, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Aim: Anaemia is a well-known complication of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) but there are no published studies on the pattern of anaemia in Chronic Kidney Disease of uncertain aetiology (CKDu). This study aims to find out the prevalence, causes and associations of anaemia in CKDu to identify any unique features which are different from already described Anaemia in CKD.

Method: All (119) biopsy-confirmed CKDu patients in two endemic clinics (Girandurukotte and Wilgamuwa) were selected as cases. Read More

Int J Dent 2018 13;2018:9610892. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Unit of Periodontology and Dental Hygiene, School of Dental Sciences, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Italy.

Chronic renal failure is a progressive disease characterized by a gradual destruction of nephrons and a consequent reduction of kidney function. End-stage renal disease (ESRD) necessitates renal replacement therapy as peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, or transplantation. Patients affected by ESRD or in hemodialysis are at risk for developing a number of comorbidities including hypertension, anemia, risk of bleeding, susceptibility to infection, medication side effects, and oral manifestations associated with the disease itself and with hemodialysis treatment. Read More

Kidney Blood Press Res 2018 7;43(6):1865-1877. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Internal Cardiology Medicine, Faculty Hospital Brno, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.

Background/aims: The rate of incidence and prevalence of acute kidney injury is increasing due to an increased number of patients with heart failure. Therefore it is very pertinent to early detect the level of renal injuries and to make necessary heart failure predictions. Thus the aim of this study is to determine renal functions and prognosis stratification in chronic heart failure patients and importance of Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL), an early diagnostic marker of acute kidney injury, as well as stratification of cardiovascular risk in heart failure patients. Read More

Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes 2018 15;11:707-716. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA,

Background: Anemia often complicates chronic kidney disease (CKD), leading to insufficient tissue oxygenation and hypoxic injury, the factor thought to underlie progression from CKD to renal failure. Perfluorocarbons are potent oxygen transporters used in organ preservation and synthetic blood development. Data are scarce on their relationship with kidney function, especially in diabetes where anemia and hypoxia are more prevalent. Read More

Kidney Blood Press Res 2018 30;43(6):1796-1805. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Cardiology Department, Ioannina University Hospital, Ioannina, Greece.

Background/aims: Several studies have implicated atrial fibrillation (AF) as a contributing factor in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular events. The prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with AF varies substantially from 17% to 46.5%. Read More

Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol 2018 Dec 2. Epub 2018 Dec 2.

a Department of Neurology and Psychiatry , Assiut University Hospital , Assiut , Egypt.

Introduction: Uremic syndrome of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a term used to describe clinical, metabolic and hormonal abnormalities associated with progressive kidney failure. It is a rapidly growing public health problem worldwide. Nervous system complications occur in every patient with uremic syndrome of CKD. Read More

Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2019 Jan 27;147:67-75. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, Taichung, Taiwan; College of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Integrated Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Aims: Chronic kidney disease consumes a huge amount of medical resources and proton pump inhibitors may be a potential factor for the increasing prevalence. This population-based cohort study investigates the risk of chronic kidney disease in a diabetic population using proton pump inhibitors in Taiwan.

Methods: This study is based on a specific diabetic database obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Read More

Am J Kidney Dis 2019 Feb 25;73(2):163-173. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA; Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA; Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA.

Rationale & Objective: Acute kidney injury (AKI) has numerous sequelae. Repeated episodes of AKI may be an important determinant of adverse outcomes, including chronic kidney disease and death. In a population-based cohort study, we sought to determine the incidence of and predictors for recurrent AKI. Read More

Nephrol Ther 2018 Nov;14(6S):6S17-6S25

Service de néphrologie, hôpital Necker-Enfants malades, 149, rue de Sèvres 75015 Paris, France. Electronic address:

Metabolic complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are frequent; the aims of this review are to present a 2018 update for hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia and anemia. Hyperkalemia is defined by a plasma level above 5.0 mmol/L, after ruling out pre-analytical problems such as hemolysis. Read More

Pol J Vet Sci 2018 Sep;21(3):507-515

Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), University of Milan, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy.

In humans, iron deficiency represents a relevant occurrence in heart failure (HF), with or without anaemia, and is associated with the worst outcome. Moreover, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a well-known comorbidity of HF and is strongly associated with the risk of developing anaemia. The most common cause of HF in dogs is myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Read More

Int J Nurs Pract 2019 Feb 19;25(1):e12707. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

School of Health Sciences of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.

Aim: To quantitatively analyse factors related to gastrointestinal bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention and provide evidence for the prevention of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Data Sources And Review Methods: Cochrane Library, Pubmed, Embase, and Ovid databases were searched from inception to 31 May 2018; case-control and cohort studies published in English were included. The methodological quality of each study was assessed by two independent reviewers using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Read More

Heart Fail Clin 2019 Jan 24;15(1):1-8. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

The Ohio State University, 410 West 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.

Sex specific differences exist in the impact of risk factors for the development of heart failure (HF). Addressing these differences can have an impact on prevention of HF. This article reviews sex-specific risk factors associated with development of HF. Read More

Rev Med Liege 2018 Nov;73(11):550-556

Service de Pédiatrie, CHU de Liège, Belgique.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder due to an abnormal gene coding for the chain ? of the hemoglobin. The main clinical manifestations related to the major forms of SCD (SS-, SC-, and S-thalassemia) are chronic hemolysis, susceptibility to infections and vasoconstrictive crisis causing micro-emboli and/or infarction responsible for acute or chronic organ lesions. The latest are enhanced by tissue iron overload due to repeated blood transfusions. Read More

Nurs Clin North Am 2018 12;53(4):579-588

College of Health Sciences and Nursing, Belmont University, 1900 Belmont Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37212, USA.

Understanding the physiology of the kidney and the pathophysiology of common complications of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is essential. The rise of CKD across the United States demands that nurses be prepared to care for these patients. Cardiovascular complications, anemia, and bone formation issues are the most common complications. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Nov;97(44):e13103

Rationale: The abnormal cell types in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain (MGUS) are quite different, being myeloid and plasma cells, respectively. The coexistence of CML and MGUS is an uncommon event, which is seldom reported in literature.

Patient Concerns: A 52-year-old female was diagnosed with CML in April 2001. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2019 02 12;6(1):103-110. Epub 2018 Oct 12.

Mohammed Bin Khalifa Cardiac Centre, Manama, Bahrain.

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the incidence and impact of cardiorenal anaemia syndrome (CRAS) on all-cause mortality in acute heart failure (AHF) patients stratified by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) status in the Middle East.

Methods And Results: Data were analysed from 4934 consecutive patients admitted to 47 hospitals in seven Middle Eastern countries (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain) with AHF from February to November 2012. CRAS was defined as AHF with estimated glomerular filtration rate of <60 mL/min and low haemoglobin (<13 g/dL for men or <12 g/dL for women). Read More

Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2018 Oct 11;11(4). Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Hull York Medical School & Department of Renal Medicine, Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Hospital Trust, Hull HU3 2JZ, UK.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality as a result of risk factors such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), oxidative stress, and inflammation. The presence of anaemia in CKD further increases the risk of LVH and oxidative stress, thereby magnifying the deleterious consequence in uraemic cardiomyopathy (UCM), and aggravating progression to failure and increasing the risk of sudden cardiac death. This short review highlights the specific cardio-renal oxidative stress in CKD and provides an understanding of the pathophysiology and impact of uraemic toxins, inflammation, and anaemia on oxidative stress. Read More

J Korean Med Sci 2018 Oct 12;33(42):e264. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection leads to hepatic and extrahepatic manifestations including chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the association between HBV and CKD is not clear. This study investigated the association between chronic HBV infection and CKD in a nationwide multicenter study. Read More

Am J Nephrol 2018 10;48(4):260-268. Epub 2018 Oct 10.

Robertson Centre for Biostatistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Background: Intravenous (IV) iron supplementation is a standard maintenance treatment for hemodialysis (HD) patients, but the optimum dosing regimen is unknown.

Methods: PIVOTAL (Proactive IV irOn Therapy in hemodiALysis patients) is a multicenter, open-label, blinded endpoint, randomized controlled (PROBE) trial. Incident HD adults with a serum ferritin < 400 µg/L and transferrin saturation (TSAT) levels < 30% receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) were eligible. Read More

Am J Chin Med 2018 ;46(6):1169-1185

* Department of Nephrology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, P. R. China.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasing major public health problem worldwide. The number of CKD patients on hemodialysis is growing rapidly as well. Acupuncture technique is one of the traditional Chinese medicine methods and has been used in a variety of diseases. Read More

J Clin Med 2018 Sep 29;7(10). Epub 2018 Sep 29.

Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Department of Education, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan.

The effectiveness and safety of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients with renal insufficiency remain controversial. Therefore, this network meta-analysis aims to assess effectiveness and safety of DAAs in populations with different renal function. The pooled data were obtained from Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science. Read More

Drug Des Devel Ther 2018 18;12:3003-3011. Epub 2018 Sep 18.

Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China,

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) stabilizers on anemia in non-dialysis-dependent (NDD) and dialysis-dependent (DD) chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.

Methods: Published studies were extracted from PubMed, China Biological Medicine Database (CBM), Wanfang database, and Cochrane Library on March 10, 2018, and relevant studies were pooled and included in a meta-analysis. Data on hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, and hepcidin levels, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and incidence of adverse events (AEs) were extracted and pooled using Review Manager Version 5. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Sep;97(38):e12291

Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology.

Rationale: Castleman disease (CD) is a nonclonal lymphoproliferative disorder sometimes manifested systemic inflammatory symptoms. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized with multi-system involvement as well as broad spectrum of serum autoantibodies. When these two conditions happened to have similar clinical spectrum features, the confusion with each other occurred. Read More

Int J Hematol 2019 Jan 19;109(1):59-69. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

Division of Kidney and Dialysis, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1, Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan.

Although the primary cause of anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is lack of sufficient erythropoietin (EPO), other factors may be involved, including the deregulation of iron metabolism. To clarify the mechanism of deranged erythropoiesis in CKD, we evaluated bone marrow (BM) cells in adenine-induced CKD mice. They showed even higher EPO expression in the kidney. Read More

J Forensic Sci 2018 Sep 19. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA.

Ochronosis is the blue-gray discoloration of collagen-containing tissues due to homogentisic acid (HGA) deposition, secondary to endogenous alkaptonuria or exogenous enzyme inhibition. In renal disease, accumulation of HGA in serum can cause methemoglobinemia. A 60-year-old woman with renal disease and anemia presented with 3 days of weakness and months of gray skin discoloration. Read More

Physiol Res 2018 Dec 11;67(6):945-954. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

Institute of Pathological Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, Department of Nephrology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic. and

Hepcidin is a key regulator of iron metabolism and plays an important role in many pathologies. It is increased by iron administration and by inflammation, while erythropoiesis downregulates its expression. It decreases iron availability and thus contributes to anemia of chronic diseases. Read More

Kidney Int Rep 2018 Sep 2;3(5):1110-1118. Epub 2018 Jun 2.

PathShodh Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, India.

Introduction: Early detection of diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is important for preventing end-stage renal failure and reducing cardiovascular complications. Availability of a validated point-of-care (PoC) device that can measure various DKD markers would be useful in this respect, especially in resource-poor parts of the world.

Methods: We validated a novel nanotechnology-based multianalyte PoC device (minimally invasive and does not require trained medical personnel) against laboratory gold standard tests for the detection of 5 biomarkers related to management of DM and DKD. Read More