Renin-angiotensin system activation: may it increase frequency of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease?

Purpose Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) hyperactivity is a common entity in both autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We aimed to investigate the frequency of OSA in adults with ADPKD either with stages 3-4 or stages 1-2 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and evaluate the effect of RAS blockade on OSA in these patients. Methods This is a comparative, prospective, two-center clinical study. Eligible patients with ADPKD were enrolled in a polysomnography (PSG) study. Presence of OSA in patients with ADPKD was compared with individuals who underwent polisomnography study due to OSA symptoms. A subgroup analysis was performed in terms of the presence of OSA in ADPKD with eGFR values lower or higher than 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (stages 3-4 and stages 1-2 CKD, respectively). Results Frequency of OSA (65%) was higher than in the general population and similar between the two groups (p = 0.367). Patients with ADPKD and eGFR >= 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) presented a similar frequency of OSA to the control group (p = 0.759). However, OSA was significantly more frequent in ADPKD with eGFR 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) 14/17 (82%) and 12/23 (52%), respectively (p: 0.048). Conclusion As kidney disease progresses, uremia and related factors of renal failure rather than RAS activation seem to play a more important role for the development of OSA in patients with ADPKD

TRANSPLANT RENAL ARTERY STENOSIS: SINGLE CENTER EXPERIENCE

Objective: Transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) and post-transplant arterial hypertension is a treatable cause of allograft dysfunction and graft loss. The risk factors for the development of TRAS include: donor age, prolonged and delayed graft function, cold ischemia time,concomitant CMV infection and surgical technique. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has proven successful in treating TRAS in 60-90% of cases by providing renal reperfusion. In this study,we evaluated six TRAS cases in our clinic

A randomized study to assess the efficacy of herbal product to prevent cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in a rat model

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the protective effect and antioxidant activity of an herbal product that made from multiple plants in a rat model of kidney dysfunction induced by intraperitoneal cisplatin. Materials and methods: Twenty-four rats were divided into four different groups namely: Group 1 - control healthy animals without any specific medication, Group 2 - Herbal product only 5 mg/kg, Group 3 - cisplatin only and Group 4 - Herbal product 5 mg/kg + cisplatin. Results: Evaluation of our findings demonstrated a significant (p = 0.017) reduction in Catalase activities and a significant increase (p = 0.001) in renal tissue Malondialdehyde levels in cisplatin- treated rats when compared with the control group. Also, Glutathion and Glutathione peroxidase content revealed significant (p = 0.031) reduction in renal tissues of cisplatintreated rats compared with the control group. Pre-treatment of rats with the herbal product ameliorated these cisplatininduced changes of the antioxidant enzymes. No statistically significant changes were demonstrated in Superoxide dismutase activities in the tissue specimens of any group. Conclusions: This potent antioxidant herbal medicine was found to have potential antioxidant activity, which may in turn to be effective in the protection of kidney tissue resulting from cisplatin application. Therefore, much attention should be given to the possible role of natural dietary antioxidants for protecting the kidney

COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients: A multicenter experience in Istanbul.

© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLCIntroduction: Management of COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients should include treatment of the infection, regulation of immunosuppression, and supportive therapy. However, there is no consensus on this issue yet. This study aimed to our experiences with kidney transplant recipients diagnosed with COVID-19. Material and Methods: Kidney transplant recipients diagnosed with COVID-19 from five major transplant centers in Istanbul, Turkey, were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patients were classified as having moderate or severe pneumonia for the analysis. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The secondary endpoints were acute kidney injury, the average length of hospital stay, admission to intensive care, and mechanical ventilation. Results: Forty patients were reviewed retrospectively over a follow-up period of 32 days after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Cough, fever, and dyspnea were the most frequent symptoms in all patients. The frequency of previous induction and rejection therapy was significantly higher in the group with severe pneumonia compared to the moderate pneumonia group. None of the patients using cyclosporine A developed severe pneumonia. Five patients died during follow-up in the intensive care unit. None of the patients developed graft loss during follow-up. Discussion: COVID-19 has been seen to more commonly cause moderate or severe pneumonia in kidney transplant recipients. Immunosuppression should be carefully reduced in these patients. Induction therapy with lymphocyte-depleting agents should be carefully avoided in kidney transplant recipients during the pandemic period

Fabry Disease Prevalence in Renal Replacement Therapy in Turkey

Background: Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder resulting from lack of alpha-galactosidase A (AGALA) activity in lysosomes. Objective: In this multicenter study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of FD in renal transplant (Tx) recipients in Turkey. We also screened dialysis patients as a control group. Methods: All Tx and dialysis patients were screened regardless of the presence of a primary disease. We measured the AGALA activity in all male patients as initial analysis. Mutation analysis was performed in male patients with decreased AGALA activity and in female patients as the initial diagnostic assay. Results: We screened 5,657 patients. A total of 17 mutations were identified. No significant difference was observed between the groups regarding the prevalence of patients with mutation. We found FD even in patients with presumed primary kidney diseases. Seventy-one relatives were analyzed and mutation was detected in 43 of them. We detected a patient with a new, unknown mutation (p.Cys223) in the GLA gene. Conclusions: There are important implications of the screening. First, detection of the undiagnosed patients leads to starting appropriate therapies for these patients. Second, the transmission of the disease to future generations may be prevented by prenatal screening after appropriate genetic counseling. In conclusion, we suggest screening of kidney Tx candidates for FD, regardless of etiologies of chronic kidney disease. (C) 2019 S. Karger AG, Base

Trends of primary glomerular disease in Turkey: TSN-GOLD registry report

Background Although several renal biopsy registry reports have been published worldwide, there are no data on primary glomerular disease trends in Turkey. Methods Three thousand eight-hundred fifty-eight native kidney biopsy records were assessed in the Turkish Society of Nephrology Primary Glomerulopathy Working Group (TSN-GOLD) Registry. Secondary disease and transplant biopsies were not recorded in the registry. These records were divided into four periods, before 2009, 2009 to 2013, 2013-2017, and 2017-current. Results A total of 3858 patients (43.6% female, 6.8% elderly) were examined. Nephrotic syndrome was the most common biopsy indication in all periods (58.6%, 53%, 44.1%, 51.6%, respectively). In the whole cohort, IgA nephropathy (IgAN) (25.7%) was the most common PGN with male predominance (62.7%), and IgAN frequency steadily increased through the periods (x 2 = 198, p 65 years), and there was no trend in this age group. An increasing trend was seen in the frequency of overweight patients (x 2 = 37, p < 0.0001). Although the biopsy rate performed with interventional radiology gradually increased, the mean glomeruli count in the samples did not change over the periods. Conclusions In Turkey, IgAN is the most common primary glomerulonephritis, and the frequency of this is increasing