This month’s Kidney International “Nephrology Image” features a report by Chen et al in which they describe a PD patient who noted cloudy, deep green dialysate fluid upon drainage of their peritoneum. They also presented with right upper…
This month’s issue of AJKD includes an enlightening group of 6 editorials, each written from a unique perspective (e.g., the perspective of large dialysis corporations, the perspective of the ESRD Networks, the perspective of non-profit dialysis corporations, etc.),…
Linking up nicely with Nate’s rituximab post from this Tuesday, I wanted to mention a patient with lupus nephritis whom I saw in clinic this week. She had had horrendous renal disease, as seen on the three kidney…
Interestingly, there was a near 50-50 divide on last week’s poll question regarding the surprising election of Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate in the state of Massachusetts. Many viewed the election as a referendum on public…
IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an unpredictable beast, and identifying patients who will go on to develop progressive disease can be challenging. The classic predictors of progression, namely heavy proteinuria, CKD, glomerular sclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis, are themselves just…
Take-home points from Mayo Clinic’s Fernando Fervenza’s excellent Renal Grand Rounds this morning, in which he addresses the potential use of rituximab as a treatment for membranous nephropathy: -the “rule of thirds” that we learn about membranous nephropathy (e.g.,…
An interesting figure in this month’s ASN Kidney News details the quarterly earnings for three major dialysis companies in the U.S.: DaVita, Dialysis Corporation of America (DCA), and Fresenius. Also included in the figure (not shown here) is…
The American Society revealed its new logo with the new year: a male form with two glowing kidneys visible inside him, striding into the future (at least, that’s my interpretation as to what he is doing–I guess alternate…
Interferons are cytokines which play a central role in the inflammatory response, and commercially prepared interferons have proven useful in the treatment of several diseases. For instance, interferon-alpha (often used in conjunction with ribavirin) is often used in…
Poll results from last week: The majority of individuals (60%) felt that it was definitely unsafe giving gadolinium to ESRD patients, with 45% of individuals also agreeing that it was unsafe in CKD stage 4. As is consistent…