Therapeutic plasma exchange (PLEX) is a type of therapy where a patient’s plasma volume is removed over a period of a few hours, through a process of centrifugation of blood with subsequent separation of its constituents, and replaced…
This is an interesting case which I have been managing over the last six months. A 50-year-old male, with no previous medical illnesses, presented with fatigue, weight loss and arthralgia for several weeks. Clinical examination was unremarkable. Investigations…
Rituximab, the monoclonal chimeric anti-CD20 antibody, is an effective B-Cell depleting agent and continues to gather data for its use in a wide range of conditions relevant for the Nephrologist. It was also a pre-season favourite in the…
In a year which gave us the bardoxolone failure, NEPHRON-D and the CORAL trial to name a few, a study with a positive result should be celebrated and the RAVE follow-up must be a contender for top 10…
There has been lots of new data in the AAV literature of late. We have new nomenclature, including the dropping of Freidrich Wegeners name for the more generic but descriptive granulomatosis plus angiitis (GPA), by the Chapel Hill…
Over the past decade, controversy about whether ANCA is itself directly pathogenic has largely abated, primarily based on convincing animal models of small vessel vasculitis in mice and rats mediated by MPO ANCA. But as this issue is…
The way drug discoveries happen is always fascinating. Today, I heard Dr Nadler describe how he discovered Rituximab. He was a young oncology fellow at Dana-Farber back in 1979 when he convinced a colleague dentist to teach him…
This months issue of JASN has a review of ANCA-associated vasculitis. The authors discuss the controversy regarding the naming of Wegener’s Disease and whether it’s time for a new name to be chosen for this condition. Dr. Friedrich…
Cytoxan is a very potent but also potentially toxic medication used for a variety of immune-mediated (and nephrology-relevant) diseases. It is often classified as a “cytotoxic agent”, as it works as an alkylating agent that explains its utility…
