Vitamin D: are all compounds equal?

Vitamin D is a pre-hormone essential for maintaining mineral homeostasis and also plays significant roles in bone, cardiovascular and renal health. Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in the general population, and even more so in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, in which it contributes to the development and progression of mineral and bone disorder. The landscape of vitamin D treatment has evolved, with several analogues now available, each possessing distinct pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, efficacies and safety profiles.

Early aging and premature vascular aging in chronic kidney disease.

Aging is the progressive decline of body functions and a number of chronic conditions can lead to premature aging characterized by frailty, a diseased vasculature, osteoporosis, and muscle wasting. One of the major conditions associated with premature and accelerated aging is chronic kidney disease (CKD), which can also result in early vascular aging and the stiffening of the arteries. Premature vascular aging in CKD patients has been considered as a marker of prognosis of mortality and cardiovascular morbidity and therefore requires further attention.

The open system of FGF-23 at the crossroad between additional P-lowering therapy, anemia and inflammation: how to deal with the intact and the C-terminal assays?

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk and poor survival in dialysis patients. It is well established that FGF-23 synthesis is directly induced by positive phosphate (P) balance. On the other hand, P-lowering treatments such as nutritional P restriction, P binders and dialysis are capable of reducing FGF-23 levels.

Future treatment of vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the global leading causes of morbidity and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Vascular calcification (VC) is a major cause of CVD in this population and is the consequence of complex interactions between inhibitor and promoter factors leading to pathological deposition of calcium and phosphate in soft tissues. Different pathological landscapes are associated with the development of VC, such as endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, loss of mineralization inhibitors, release of calcifying extracellular vesicles (cEVs) and circulating calcifying cells.

Extracorporeal veno-venous ultrafiltration in congestive heart failure: What's the state of the art? A mini-review.

Hospitalizations for heart failure exceed 1 million per year in both the United States and Europe and more than 90% are due to symptoms and signs of fluid overload. Rates of rehospitalizations or emergency department visit at 60 days are remarkable regardless of whether loop diuretics were administered at low high doses or by bolus injection continuous infusion. Ultrafiltration (UF) has been considered a promising alternative to stepped diuretic therapy and it consists in the mechanical, adjustable removal of iso-tonic plasma water across a semipermeable membrane with the application of hydrostatic pressure gradient generated by a pump.

[Extended release calcifediol and paricalcitol in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism: a network meta-analysis of indirect comparison].

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a common and major complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among patients on dialysis and in patients with CKD stage G3 to G5. SHPT in CKD is caused by disturbances in metabolic parameters. Paricalcitol (PCT), other active vitamin D analogous (doxercalciferol and alfacalcidol), and active vitamin D (calcitriol) have been commonly used to treat SHPT in non-dialysis CKD (ND-CKD) for several years.

Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15) Levels Associate with Lower Survival in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with COVID-19.

A cytokine storm drives the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 infection and several biomarkers have been linked to mortality. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) emerged as a risk factor for severe COVID-19. We investigated the association between selected biomarkers and mortality in 77 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, and whether they differ in patients with eGFR higher and lower than 45 mL/min.

Cytokine and Chemokine Retention Profile in COVID-19 Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are more susceptible to infections compared to the general population. SARS-CoV-2 virus pathology is characterized by a cytokine storm responsible for the systemic inflammation typical of the COVID-19 disease. Since CKD patients have a reduced renal clearance, we decided to investigate whether they accumulate harmful mediators during the COVID-19 disease.

Efficacy and Safety of COVID-19 Vaccine in Patients on Renal Replacement Therapy.

Patients with CKD on RRT are at high risk for severe disease and mortality in COVID-19 disease. We decided to conduct an observational prospective study to evaluate antibody response after vaccination for COVID-19 in a cohort of 210 adult patients on RRT (148 on HD; 20 on PD; and 42 kidney transplant recipients). Blood samples were taken before and 4 weeks after vaccination.

Argument mining as rapid screening tool of COVID-19 literature quality: Preliminary evidence.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the scientific community to share timely evidence, also in the form of pre-printed papers, not peer reviewed yet.

Purpose: To develop an artificial intelligence system for the analysis of the scientific literature by leveraging on recent developments in the field of Argument Mining.

Methodology: Scientific quality criteria were borrowed from two selected Cochrane systematic reviews.

Erratum to: A roadmap to parathyroidectomy for kidney transplant candidates.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/ckj/sfac050.].

The Role of Uremic Retention Solutes in the MIA Syndrome in Hemodialysis Subjects.

Introduction: In chronic kidney disease (CKD), the high morbidity and mortality risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) are not easily explained only on the basis of traditional factors. Among nontraditional ones involved in CKD, malnutrition, inflammation, and atherosclerosis/calcification have been described as the "MIA syndrome."

Methods: In this pilot study, we evaluated the association between the variation in serum levels of 27 uremic retention solutes plus 6 indexes related to the MIA syndrome processes in a population of dialysis patients.

Calciphylaxis after kidney transplantation: a rare but life-threatening disorder.

Calciphylaxis is a rare disorder characterized by vascular calcification and thrombosis of the subcutaneous microcirculation, leading to painful necrotic skin lesions and bearing a dreadfully high mortality rate. This syndrome is frequently also termed uraemic calcific arteriolopathy, since most cases are observed in patients with kidney failure. However, it is increasingly clear that calciphylaxis may also affect patients with normal or only slightly impaired renal function, including kidney transplant recipients.

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D as Predictor of Renal Worsening Function in Chronic Kidney Disease. Results From the PASCaL-1,25D Study.

Background: Heterogeneous progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) toward dialysis advocates improving in renal care management. Diagnosis and staging of CKD relies on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria. Tubular biomarkers emerged as new predictors of worsening renal function (WRF), due to partial inaccuracy of eGFR and existing WRF in non-proteinuric patients.

An update on tenapanor to treat hyperphosphatemia.

Hyperphosphatemia is a common feature in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially in those with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Commonly, high serum phosphate levels are observed only in later stages of CKD. The control of hyperphosphatemia plays a key role in the management of CKD patients.

Phosphate binders in dialysis: better satisfied than sorry.

High serum phosphate levels have been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients. Nephrologists routinely counteract the positive phosphate balance in dialysis patients through nutritional counselling, stronger phosphate removal by dialysis and prescription of phosphate binders. An individualized choice of phosphate binders is a desirable option to improve the poor adherence with these medications' prescription that has been associated with hyperphosphataemia.

Pro-calcifying analysis of uraemic serum from patients treated with medium cut-off membrane in a prospective, cross-over study.

Background: The retention of a large number of solutes that are normally excreted or metabolized by the kidney is responsible for the symptoms typical in uraemic patients. These molecules are defined as uraemic toxins and can be classified into three groups: small water-soluble molecules, middle molecules and protein-bound toxins. Recently, efforts were put towards developing dialysis membranes that allow the removal of large middle molecules without clinically relevant albumin loss.