Nephron. Physiology
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The sample size is the number of patients or other experimental units that need to be included in a study to answer the research question. Pre-study calculation of the sample size is important; if a sample size is too small, one will not be able to detect an effect, while a sample that is too large may be a waste of time and money. ⋯ Moreover, these calculations are prone to errors, because small changes in the selected parameters can lead to large differences in the sample size. This paper explains the basic principles of sample size calculations and demonstrates how to perform such a calculation for a simple study design.
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Medically important venomous snakes in Latin America belong to the genus Bothrops, Crotalus, Lachesis and Micrurus. The Bothrops genus is responsible for the majority of accidents. ⋯ Snake venoms cause local and systemic damage, including acute kidney injury, which is the most important cause of death among patients surviving the early effects of envenoming by the Crotalus and Bothrops genuses. Venom-induced acute kidney injury is a frequent complication of Bothrops snakebite, carrying relevant morbidity and mortality.
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Nephron. Physiology · Jan 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyUrinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and progression of diabetic nephropathy in type 1 diabetic patients in a four-year follow-up study.
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a marker of renal tubular damage, predicts progression in non-diabetic chronic kidney. We evaluated urinary (u)-NGAL as a predictor of progression in diabetic nephropathy in type 1 diabetic (T1D) patients. ⋯ Elevated u-NGAL was not related to decline in GFR during a 4-year follow-up. Elevated u-NGAL was associated with the development of ESRD and death, but not after adjustment.
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Nephron. Physiology · Jan 2011
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyEarly acute kidney injury is a risk factor that predicts mortality in patients treated with colistin.
The nephrotoxicity of colistin has been reported in the literature. A previous report has shown that acute kidney injury (AKI) occurred after an average of 13.5 days, but we have experienced that AKI developed with colistin administration earlier. We investigated clinical features of patients who developed AKI according to the time of AKI development after colistin use. ⋯ AKI occurred in 46 patients within 7 days after colistin treatment and in 19 patients after 7 days. The patients with early AKI had a higher mortality rate than those with late AKI (OR: 4.37, 95% CI: 1.34, 14.18). In conclusion, clinicians might be cautioned that the mortality rate is higher for the patients with early occurrence of AKI than that for the patients with late occurrence of AKI.