Renal failure
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One hundred and four patients receiving hemodialysis and undergoing anaemia treatment with darbepoetin alfa intravenously once weekly were switched to a biweekly dosing schedule and followed for 24 weeks. The darbepoetin alfa dose was adjusted to maintain the target Hb concentration of 11-14 g/dL. A significant decline in the erythropoiesis-stimulating agent resistance index was observed over the 24-week follow-up, beginning with week 16, whereas the mean dose of darbepoetin alfa did not change significantly after switching to the biweekly dosing schedule. Other factors that might affect resistance to erythropoiesis remained unchanged.
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A female concurrently developed polymyositis (PM), lung cancer, and nephrotic range proteinuria. Renal biopsy revealed crescentic glomerulonephritis. Pathology of lung cancer was proved to be adenocarcinoma. ⋯ We consider that such association of PM and crescent glomerulonephritis is rare in adults. Careful evaluation of underlying malignancy is important. The definite treatment is adequate management of underlying malignancy.
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Comparative Study
Renal anemia: comparing current Eastern and Western European management practice (ORAMA).
The Optimal Renal Anaemia Management Assessment trial prospectively examined the impact of implementing European Best Practice Guidelines on outcomes in the management of renal anemia. Baseline data give an insight to standards of clinical care and provide a basis for a future comparison of guideline target attainment with final results. Fifty-three centers from eight European countries enrolled 739 patients with stage II-V chronic kidney disease who were either anemic (hemoglobin <11 g/dL) or treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents and/or iron supplementation. ⋯ The guideline ferritin target was achieved by 85% of dialysis and 52% of non-dialysis patients; 81% of dialysis and 78% of non-dialysis patients attained the transferrin saturation target. Most patients (96%) were receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. Anemia management in patients with chronic kidney disease shows considerable regional differences across Europe, and target attainment remains suboptimal in many European nephrology centers after the revised 2004 guidelines.
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The current Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) guidelines advocate creatinine-based equations for estimating GFR to identify patients with potential kidney disease and classify them into different stages due to the fact that serum creatinine is very insensitive to changes in the glomerular filtration rate. Very few biomarkers exist for monitoring chronic kidney disease. The aim of the study was to assess whether NGAL could represent a novel, sensitive marker of kidney function in adult patients with CKD. ⋯ In the healthy volunteers, serum NGAL correlated with age, serum creatinine, eGFR, leukocyte count, and cystatin C. Taking into consideration the fact that the recent DOQI (Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative) states that individuals with reduced GRF (glomerular filtration rate) are at greater risk for CVD and cardiac deaths, precise evaluation of renal function is important in order to select the appropriate strategy to reduce the cardiovascular risk. NGAL should be investigated as a potential early and sensitive marker of kidney impairment/injury.
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs frequently after cardiac surgery. Although numerous variables were identified as predictors for AKI, there is a lack of information about possible differences in risk factors according to the level of preoperative renal function. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data from 4118 adult patients submitted to cardiac surgery from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2005, were included in the study. ⋯ In conclusion, the present study demonstrated a difference in variables associated with postoperative AKI, according to baseline renal function. The degree of preoperative renal function was a predictor of AKI only in patients with CKD stages 3-4, as well as other risk factors. In addition to other well known risk factors for AKI in this setting, the use of diuretics in patients of group 1 and the level of hemodilution during CPB in both groups should be emphasized, as they are potentially modifiable.