Sirolimus for calcineurin inhibitors in organ transplantation: contra

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Thrombotic microangiopathy, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

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Effects of Combined Ezetimibe and Simvastatin Therapy as Compared With Simvastatin Alone in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial Response to Sarigianni, Katsiki, and Mikhailidis

Sarigianni et al. (1) properly pointed out that in the Ezetimibe and Simvastatin in dyslipidemia of Diabetes (ESD) randomized clinical trial "the serum HDL cholesterol was significantly lower after adding ezetimibe compared with simvastatin monotherapy." The concomitant reduction in LDL cholesterol observed during simvastatin and ezetimibe combination therapy, however, exceeded the decrease in HDL cholesterol (2). Consequently, the LDL-to-HDL cholesterol ratio decreased from (mean ± SD) 2.11 ± 0.64 at randomization

Reply from the Authors

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SP415EMPAGLIFLOZIN AND PROGRESSION OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN TYPE 2 DIABETES COMPLICATED BY NEPHROTIC-RANGE PROTEINURIA: INSIGHTS FROM THE EMPA-REG OUTCOME® TRIAL

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antiproteinuric effect of chemokine c c motif ligand 2 inhibition in subjects with acute proliferative lupus nephritis

Background/Aims: To test the role of chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN), we evaluated the effects of CCL2 inhibition by bindarit therap

Perioperative Minimal Induction Therapy: A Further Step toward More Effective Immunosuppression in Transplantation

Dual induction with low doses of rabbit anti-human thymoglobulin (RATG) and basiliximab effectively and safely prevented allograft rejection in high-risk renal transplant recipients. To assess whether treatment timing affects efficacy and tolerability, in this single-center, matched-cohort study, we compared posttransplant outcomes in 25 patients and 50 gender-, age-, and treatment-matched reference patients induced with the same course of 7 daily RATG infusions (0.5 mg/kg/day) started before or after engraftment, respectively. All subjects received basiliximab (20 mg) before and 4 days after transplantation, withdrew steroids within 6 days after surgery, and were maintained on steroid-free immunosuppression with cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine. Over 12 months after transplant, 1 patient (4%) and 13 reference patients (26%) had acute rejection episodes. One patient and 5 reference-patients required dialysis therapy because of delayed graft function. In all patients circulating CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were fully depleted before engraftment. Both treatments were well tolerated. In kidney transplantation, perioperative RATG infusion enhances the protective effect of low-dose RATG and basiliximab induction against graft rejection and delayed function, possibly because of more effective inhibition of early interactions between circulating T cells and graft antigens

Proteomic prediction and Renin angiotensin aldosterone system Inhibition prevention Of early diabetic nephRopathy in TYpe 2 diabetic patients with normoalbuminuria (PRIORITY): essential study design and rationale of a randomised clinical multicentre trial

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus affects 9% of the European population and accounts for 15% of healthcare expenditure, in particular, due to excess costs related to complications. Clinical trials aiming for earlier prevention of diabetic nephropathy by renin angiotensin system blocking treatment in normoalbumuric patients have given mixed results. This might reflect that the large fraction of normoalbuminuric patients are not at risk of progression, thereby reducing power in previous studies. A specific risk classifier based on urinary proteomics (chronic kidney disease (CKD)273) has been shown to identify normoalbuminuric diabetic patients who later progressed to overt kidney disease, and may hold the potential for selection of high-risk patients for early intervention. Combining the ability of CKD273 to identify patients at highest risk of progression with prescription of preventive aldosterone blockade only to this high-risk population will increase power. We aim to confirm performance of CKD273 in a prospective multicentre clinical trial and test the ability of spironolactone to delay progression of early diabetic nephropathy. Methods and analysis: Investigator-initiated, prospective multicentre clinical trial, with randomised double-masked placebo-controlled intervention and a prospective observational study. We aim to include 3280 type 2 diabetic participants with normoalbuminuria. The CKD273 classifier will be assessed in all participants. Participants with high-risk pattern are randomised to treatment with spironolactone 25 mg once daily, or placebo, whereas, those with low-risk pattern will be observed without intervention other than standard of care. Treatment or observational period is 3 years. The primary endpoint is development of confirmed microalbuminuria in 2 of 3 first morning voids urine samples. Ethics and dissemination: The study will be conducted under International Conference on Harmonisation – Good clinical practice (ICH-GCP) requirements, ethical principles of Declaration of Helsinki and national laws. This first new biomarker-directed intervention trial aiming at primary prevention of diabetic nephropathy may pave the way for personalised medicine approaches in treatment of diabetes complications

Effect of Trandolapril on Regression of Retinopathy in Hypertensive Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Prespecified Analysis of the Benedict Trial

Background. The effect of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) on regression of retinopathy in type 2 diabetics is still ill defined. Methods. We compared the incidence of retinopathy regression in 90 hypertensive type 2 diabetics randomized to at least 3-year blinded ACEi with trandolapril (2 mg/day) or non-ACEi therapy who had preproliferative or proliferative retinopathy at baseline. Results. Over a median (interquartile range) follow-up period of 35.8 (12.4–60.7) months, retinopathy regressed in 27 patients (30.0%). Regression occurred in 18 of 42 patients (42.9%) on ACEi and in 9 of 48 (18.8%) on non-ACEi therapy (adjusted for predefined baseline covariates HR (95% CI): 2.75 (1.18–6.42), P = .0193). Concomitant treatment with or without Non-Dihydropyridine Calcium Channel Blockers (ndCCBs) did not appreciably affect the incidence of retinopathy regression. Conclusions. Unlike ndCCB, ACEi therapy may have an additional effect to that of intensified BP and metabolic control in promoting regression of diabetic retinopathy