AI-Driven Nephrology: The Role of Large Language Models in Kidney Care.

Background Artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly impacts medicine and medical specialties, including nephrology. Technologies such as large language models (LLMs), decision-support AI, and machine learning-powered predictive analytics enhance clinical care. These AI-driven tools show great potential in areas such as predicting the risk of chronic kidney disease, managing dialysis, supporting kidney transplantation, and treating CKD and diabetes-related kidney issues.

ApoE immunostaining has diagnostic utility in differentiating dense deposit disease and C3 glomerulonephritis: Clone-based evaluation of D719N, EP1373Y and 1B2C9.

Electron microscopy (EM) has been essential for the diagnosis of dense deposit disease (DDD) and C3 glomerulonephritis (C3GN). Recent research showed significantly higher accumulation of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) in DDD compared to C3GN and tested the use of ApoE immunohistochemistry for DDD diagnosis. We aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of ApoE in DDD and C3GN using three distinct ApoE clones, D719N, EP1373Y, and 1B2C9.

Prognostic factors for long-term outcomes of unilateral atrophic kidneys in adult patients: a single-center retrospective cohort study.

Background/aim: Unilateral atrophic kidney (UAK) could be related to many etiologies that can cause chronic kidney disease in adults. There is limited data on the long-term outcome of adults with UAK in the literature.

Materials And Methods: This study included 199 adult patients with UAK.

Effect of intradialytic dietary support on nutritional status, muscle strength, and clinical markers in patients on hemodialysis: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Intradialytic nutritional support influences nutritional status, muscle strength, and related clinical outcomes in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). This study aims to compare the effects of intradialytic nutrition on patient outcomes, malnutrition and sarcopenia risks, and handgrip strength (HGS) in HD patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 129 HD patients (62 receiving intradialytic nutritional support and 67 not) from two HD centers located in the same geographic region.

Effects of chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus on quality of life in hemodialysis and non-dialysis patients: A cross-sectional study.

Aims: Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is a common and distressing symptom, particularly in hemodialysis (HD) patients, significantly impacting their quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CKD-aP frequency and severity on quality of life in both HD and non-HD stage 3 - 5 CKD patients.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional case-control study was conducted from January to May 2024.

Complement activation in secondary thrombotic microangiopathies.

Secondary thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA) represent a heterogeneous group of diseases associated with a high risk of kidney failure and death despite available therapeutic strategies. Strong evidence implicates complement dysregulation in the pathogenesis of secondary TMA, and emerging data increasingly suggest that pharmacological blockade of the complement improves the outcomes in patients with secondary TMA. Certain forms of secondary TMA, including postpartum TMA, TMA with coexisting hypertensive emergency and de novo TMA after kidney transplantation exhibit a high prevalence of pathogenic variants in complement genes, similar to those observed in primary atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Malignancies and glomerulonephritis: when to suspect and when to screen?

Glomerular diseases may occur secondary to malignancies. Age-specific cancer screening is recommended for patients with glomerular diseases and may be extended based on the specific risk associated with the detected histopathologic pattern. Membranous nephropathy is the prototype of cancer-associated glomerulonephritis, with 10% of cases presenting with malignancy within a year from diagnosis.

Kidney failure care for migrants: a European survey.

Background: The management of migrants with kidney failure and no medical insurance raises complex medical, social, financial, and ethical issues. The survey aimed to investigate (i) current practices in managing these patients, and (ii) the perspective of European nephrologists on ethical dilemmas and optimal care.

Methods: The survey was piloted by the ISN Western Europe Regional Board, with members of the Young Nephrologists' Platform (YNP) of the European Renal Association (ERA), and disseminated to European nephrologists in the ISN and YNP networks.

The impact of asymptomatic kidney stones on disease progression in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Background: Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is a common hereditary disorder leading to end-stage kidney disease due to the progressive formation of renal cysts. Nephrolithiasis is a frequent complication of ADPKD, with a prevalence significantly higher than in the general population. However, its role in disease progression remains underexplored.

Only the Bluesky is the limit: ten tips for a trending #Skytorial.

Threaded online medical education first emerged on X (formerly Twitter) in early 2018 following the introduction of a threading feature in December 2017, with nephrologists quickly becoming enthusiastic adopters. However, changes like paid features and weakened content moderation have led many nephrologists and allied professionals to migrate to other platforms, which offer the potential for a more suitable environment for learning and discussion. The 2024 US presidential election and growing disillusionment with X has accelerated this shift.

Disease-modifying anti-nephropathic drugs (DMANDs)-a definition proposed by the Immunonephrology Working Group (IWG) of the European Renal Association (ERA).

A definition of 'disease modification' for kidney disease is long overdue. Here, we propose three key criteria for disease modification in immune-mediated glomerulonephritis and podocytopathies: minimizing disease activity, preventing loss of kidney structure and function, and reducing treatment-related toxicity. To be considered a disease-modifying anti-nephropathic drug (DMAND), a drug must fulfil all three criteria, hence the DMAND status of a drug may not be clear at the time of regulatory approval.

Short-term effects of dapagliflozin on biomarkers of bone and mineral metabolism in patients with diabetic kidney disease: A prospective observational study.

Background: There is still a lack of information regarding the impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on bone and mineral metabolism in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of SGLT2i in a cohort of patients suffering from diabetic kidney disease (DKD).

Methods: In this prospective observational study, patients with type 2 diabetes and biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy or presumptive DKD with eGFR levels ≥20 ml/min/1.

Effects of Nutritional Protocol Changes on Hemodialysis Adequacy and Patient Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, strict feeding restrictions were implemented in many dialysis centers to minimize transmission between patients. This study aims to evaluate the effects of these feeding restrictions on dry weight, intradialytic hypotension (IDH), and dialysis adequacy in hemodialysis patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this retrospective single-center study involving 76 hemodialysis patients, data from 2 consecutive 6-month periods were analyzed: the first before the COVID-19 pandemic when intradialytic nutrition was supported, and the second during the pandemic when intradialytic nutrition was restricted.

Sex dimorphism in kidney health and disease: mechanistic insights and clinical implication.

Sex is a key variable in the regulation of human physiology and pathology. Many diseases disproportionately affect one sex: autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, are more common in women but more severe in men, whereas the incidence of other disorders such as gouty arthritis and malignant cancers is higher in men. Besides the pathophysiology, sex may also influence the efficacy of therapeutics; participants in clinical trials are still predominately men, and the side effects of drugs are more common in women than in men.

Observational study of immunosuppressive treatment patterns and outcomes in primary membranous nephropathy: a multicenter retrospective analysis.

Background: We evaluated the efficacy of different immunosuppressive regimens in patients with primary membranous nephropathy in a large national cohort.

Methods: In this registry study, 558 patients from 47 centers who were treated with at least one immunosuppressive agent and had adequate follow-up data were included. Primary outcome was defined as complete (CR) or partial remission (PR).

Maternal and neonatal outcomes in kidney transplant recipients: a single-center observational study.

Objective: Pregnancy poses a high risk for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), and data on long-term allograft functions compared to the healthy population are still limited. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of maternal and neonatal outcomes in KTRs.

Subject And Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, KTRs who experienced pregnancy after transplantation were evaluated in comparison with an age-matched non-transplanted control group.

Serum and urine interferon-inducible protein 10, galectin-9, and SIGLEC-1 as biomarkers of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background/aim: In this prospective study, we aimed to investigate the association of serum (s) and urine (u) IP-10, galectin-9, and SIGLEC-1 with disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Materials And Methods: Sixty-three patients with active SLE (31 renal, 32 extrarenal) were included. Thirty patients with inactive SLE (15 renal, 15 extrarenal), 17 with renal active AAV, and 32 healthy volunteers were selected as control groups.