NephrologyNow The Ultimate Guide to Kidney Disease Research

This RCT did not find that a rituximab-based regimen was superior to standard intravenous cyclophosphamide for severe ANCA-associated vasculitis.

This non-inferiority trial finds that rituximab therapy was not inferior to daily cyclophosphamide treatment for induction of remission in severe ANCA-associated vasculitis and may be superior in relapsing disease.
See the associated editorial.

This multicenter, randomized trial compared the effect of CRRT, delivered at two different levels of intensity (40 ml/kg vs 25 ml/kg), on 90-day mortality among critically ill patients with acute kidney injury. Treatment with higher-intensity continuous renal-replacement therapy did not reduce mortality at 90 days.

FDA notified healthcare professionals of revisions to the prescribing information for Byetta (exenatide) to include information on post-marketing reports of altered kidney function, including acute renal failure and insufficiency. Byetta, an incretin-mimetic, is approved as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

This is a comprehensive review of the 10% of atypical HUS cases that are not caused by Shigs-like toxin or streptococci. With a worse overall prognosis, this articles looks at the pathobiology of this syndrome and its diagnosis and management.

This meta-analysis examined the use of sodium bicarbonate vs sodium chloride for the prevention of contrast induced nephropathy. The authors detected significant heterogeneity that was largely explained by trial size and publication status. Among the large randomized trials, there was no benefit for hydration with sodium bicarbonate. Studies suggesting a benefit of sodium bicarbonate was [...]

This randomized double-blind trial compares the combination of sodium bicarbonate and isotonic saline with that of isotonic saline alone in preventing contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). Of the 256 patients randomized, nine patients (7.4%) receiving sodium bicarbonate developed CIN as opposed to 7 patients (5.9%) in the saline group, which was not statistically different. The authors conclude [...]

This study shows that in a large, community-based cohort of patients (from the Kaiser Permanente database) with pre-existing normal or near normal kidney function, an episode of dialysis-requiring ARF was a strong independent risk factor for a long-term risk of progressive CKD and mortality.

The purpose of this Canadian population-based cohort study was to assess the risk of chronic dialysis and all-cause mortality in individuals who experienced an episode of acute kidney injury requiring dialysis.   The authors concluded that acute kidney injury necessitating in-hospital dialysis was associated with an increased risk of chronic dialysis but not all-cause mortality.

This meta-analysis sought to address the question of whether perioperative hemodynamic optimization could reduce postoperative renal dysfunction.  The results suggest a decreased risk of renal impairment and post-operative mortality.

This prospective randomized parallel group trial aimed to assess mortality and renal recovery of patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) receiving either standard (SED) or intensified extended dialysis (IED) therapy in the intensive care unit. 156 patients with AKI were randomly assigned to receive standard dialysis or intensified dialysis. No differences between intensified and standard [...]

Researchers at University of Cincinnati are conducting a research survey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Dialysis_Initiation_in_AKI_in_ICU_Survey) to examine factors that may affect the timing of initiation of dialysis in patients with acute kidney injury (aka: acute renal failure) in ICU patients. The survey will take less than 10 – 15 minutes of your time. The [...]