Pulse versus daily oral Alfacalcidol treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in hemodialysis patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a common complication of chronic kidney disease and is managed using vitamin D replacement therapy. Very few studies have examined the effectiveness of pulse alfacalcidol therapy in comparison to daily oral alfacalcidol therapy in suppressing serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in hemodialysis patients. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to replicate the findings of prior studies comparing effectiveness of pulse oral alfacalcidol therapy versus daily oral alfacalcidol therapy in suppressing PTH after 13 weeks of therapy using a Palestinian sample of hemodialysis patients, and to identify demographic and biomedical characteristics of patients that are independently associated with PTH levels. One hundred and sixty-seven patients completed the study, 88 in the daily group and 79 in the pulse group. The pulse group had more clinically significant reduction in mean PTH level by 75 pg/dL at 13 weeks than the daily group, but this was not statistically significant. The effect of alfacalcidol therapy on metabolism of phosphate and corrected calcium levels was comparable in both groups, and pulse therapy was not associated with increased risk of hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia. Serum PTH levels were independently and inversely associated with older age and diabetes. Switching daily alfacalcidol therapy to thrice-weekly alfacalcidol pulse therapy seems safe and convenient, especially for hemodialysis patients with poor compliance with treatment. This study also highlights the importance of monitoring and preventing malnutrition in hemodialysis patients and maintaining optimal glycemic control in diabetic hemodialysis patients

The effects of Ramadan fasting on clinical and biochemical markers among hemodialysis patients: A prospective cohort study.

Ramadan fasting is compulsory for all healthy adult Muslims. Although sick people are exempted from Ramadan fasting, some patients such as hemodialysis patients prefer to fast during Ramadan. The effect of Ramadan fasting on clinical outcomes and biochemical markers among hemodialysis patients is not clear. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of daily Ramadan fasting and partial Ramadan fasting on key biochemical and clinical markers among hemodialysis patients as compared to hemodialysis patients who chose not to fast during Ramadan. A prospective cohort study of 269 end stage renal disease patients were recruited from the hemodialysis unit in An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, Palestine. The participants were divided into three cohorts based on their plans for fasting during Ramadan in May 2018; Ramadan fasting group (RFG), Ramadan partial fasting group (RPFG) and Ramadan not-fasting group (RNFG). Key clinical and biochemical markers were measured before, during and after Ramadan. After adjustment for diabetic and hypertension status and other sociodemographic variables, RFG had higher mean inter-dialytic weight gain (IDWG) by 0.62 kg than RNFG (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.26, 0.99). RPFG also had slight increase in mean IDWG than RNFG by 0.35 kg (95% CI 0.11, 0.60). Additionally, RFG and RPFG had significant increase in mean serum potassium as compared to RNFG. Diabetes was independently associated with increased IDWG by 0.48 kg (0.25, 0.72). Diabetes and hypertension were associated with some independent changes in biochemical markers, but these were clinically negligible. Our findings suggest that Ramadan fasting (fully or partially) is tolerable by hemodialysis patients and is not associated with important clinical complications. However, these patients should be made aware of the potential risk of fluid overload and hyperkalemia, if they decide to fast during Ramadan. Thus, they should be closely monitored and instructed to adhere to their dietary and fluid intake allowances. Further prospective cohort studies with comprehensive dietary measures and information on adverse clinical outcomes may provide more evidence about the tolerability and safety of Ramadan fasting by hemodialysis patients.The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Vascular access types in hemodialysis patients in palestine and factors affecting their distribution: A cross-sectional study

The incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients is increasing considerably worldwide, and most of the patients start their therapy by hemodialysis (HD). Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the best type of vascular access due to its decreased rate of complications followed by arteriovenous graft (AVG) and finally, central venous catheters which are associated with increased mortality and morbidity. In this study, we aim to find out the proportion of each vascular access type used in HD patients and to evaluate the epidemiology of HD access in Palestine. Six hundred and fifty-eight patients were enrolled in this study from 10 dialysis units distributed in Palestine. The patients were divided into incident patients or prevalent patients. Data were collected by the researchers by regular visits to the units. AVFs were the most common access type (69.3%), catheters came second (27.8%) finally, AVGs (2.9%). Temporary catheters composed 59% of all catheters, followed by the permanent catheters. The subclavian vein was the most common insertion site (68.3%), internal jugular vein (26.8%), and femoral vein (4.9%). Temporary catheters were most commonly used among incident patients (41.5%) and AVFs were the most common in the prevalent patients (75%). There was no statistically significant association between the type of dialysis access use with gender, body mass index, or diabetic status. We recommend close follow-up and early AVF creation when the patients are expected to need HD. We also highly recommend decreasing the duration of temporary catheters. Finally, further prospective studies to follow-up and evaluate the progression in the vascular access status in Palestine are needed

Bone mineral density in Palestinian patients with end-stage renal disease and the related clinical and biochemical factors: Cross-sectional study.

IntroductionEnd-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is the ultimate result of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In Palestine, the prevalence of ESRD was 240.3 PMP which is comparable with the nearby countries. Accelerated bone loss among ESRD patients is attributed to abnormal bone turn over that leads to osteoporosis and osteopenia. The risk of fractures is increased four-fold in men and women on hemodialysis, which explains the importance of assessing the bone mineral density among these population. The goals of this study were to find the prevalence of osteoporosis in ESRD patients as determined by bone mineral density (BMD) at different sites and to determine whether BMD correlates with many other clinical parameters.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 194 ESRD patients were recruited from the dialysis unit in An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, Palestine. The patients were on regular hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine and the hip using the dual-energy X-Ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and the value is expressed as T-score. The data were analyzed using SPSS, version 26. The relationship between BMD and the clinical and biochemical parameters among the ESRD patients was assessed.ResultsWe found that 42.8% of ESRD patient had osteoporosis and 40.2% had osteopenia. There were significantly higher proportions of osteoporosis and osteopenia among patients >60 years of age (pConclusionThis study showed that Palestinian patients with ESRD have low BMD at the hip and spine. The observed high serum level of PTH was associated with low BMD. Those patients should be closely monitored especially those with more than one risk factor. Moreover, more attention should be paid for these category of patients to decrease the incidence of falling down and the resulting fractures that might lead to mortality and morbidity

Impact of Prone Position on 12-Lead Electrocardiogram in Healthy Adults: A Comparison Study with Standard Electrocardiogram

Background. The standard electrocardiogram (ECG) is commonly performed in the supine posture. It may be difficult to report ECG in a supine posture for those who are unable to adopt the supine posture because of certain circumstances such as acute respiratory distress syndrome—patients who are placed in a prone position for long periods to improve oxygenation. Few data are available on the impact of the prone position on the ECG recording with electrodes on the posterior chest. Examining and analyzing the type and extent of changes observed in the prone ECG in healthy adults have become vitally valuable. Methods. A cross-sectional observational study enrolled forty healthy adults (24 males and 16 females) aged between 18 and 40 years. The ECG was performed in two different body positions, supine and prone. Influence of prone position on the heart rate, mean QRS axis, amplitude, morphology, duration, mean T wave axis and polarity, mean P wave axis, PR, and mean QTc duration was evaluated. Results. The mean heart rate was higher in the prone position (73.2 ± 12.4 bpm) compared with the supine position (69.5 ± 11.5 bpm, p = 0.03). The QRS duration decreased considerably from supine (92.8 ± 12.6 ms) to prone (84.9 ± 11.9 ms, p<0.001). The mean QRS axis moved to the left in the prone posture (40.5° ± 32°) relative to the supine (49° ± 28°, p=0.015). The QRS amplitude in the precordial leads was significantly decreased from supine (7.42 ± 3.1 mV) to prone (3.68 ± 1.7 mV, p<0.001). In addition, changes in the QRS morphology in leads V1–V3 with the appearance of new Q waves were noted. A notable variation in the mean corrected QT (QTc) period with decrease in duration in prone posture ECG (385 ± 64.8) relative to supine (406 ± 18.8, p=0.05). Conclusions. Prone position ECG resulted in significant changes in healthy adults that should be aware of this as this can affect diagnosis and management strategies. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of prone position on ECG recording in patients with cardiovascular diseases