Monoclonal gammopathies generally arise from the development of an abnormal clone of B-cell lineage. The monoclonal protein can be intact immunoglogulin (often associated with free light chain), free light chain (FLC) in isolation, or more rarely immunoglobulin heavy…
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients develop significant changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone structure, which together with an increased risk for falls, put them at high risk for fracture. This can be due, in part, to…
Textbooks and formal lectures were previously considered the main sources to build a solid medical knowledge. However, the advancements of technology have transformed our learning process. Nowadays, students, residents and fellows learn from a combination of resources including…
Uremic pruritus affects more than 40% of dialysis patients. Even though is not considered a major complication of ESRD, it is significantly debilitating to patients. Prior blog discussed the potential causes of uremic pruritus, though the clear pathogenesis…
Scleritis is a severe inflammation involving the deep episclera and sclera. Symptoms include moderate to marked pain, hyperemia of the globe, lacrimation, and photophobia. Scleritis tends to recur and is frequently associated with an underlying systemic illness, such…
All HLA antigens are composed of strings of several polymorphic sites, which may serve as targets, or epitopes, for antibody binding. An important consideration is that HLA antigens have multiple epitopes that can be recognized by specific antibodies….
FSGS is the most common glomerular disorder causing end-stage kidney disease in the USA with a high post-transplant recurrence rate of 20-50%. Furthermore, the treatment of post-transplant recurrent FSGS is extremely challenging. While reading a recent article on…
Nephrologists have been looking for sensitive biomarkers to predict AKI. Efforts have been made and the idea of “renal angina” was proposed by Goldstein and Chawla in 2010, but still there has been no reliable biomarker commercially available…
This is a short video describing the current and new policies regarding deceased donor kidney allocation in the USA. These policies may significantly affect certain groups of patients and physicians must be aware of those in order to…
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune hypercoagulable disorder characterized by small-to-large vascular (both arterial and venous) thrombosis with end-organ damages, in presence of circulating antibodies against phospholipid binding proteins. Kidney transplantation in patients with APS is challenging because…
