C-C Szeto

..Exit site infection, and probably recent antibiotic therapy, is associated with poor therapeutic response. Contrary to the current recommendation, treatment with two antibiotics may reduce the risk of relapse and recurrence...

..Evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNA) play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney diseases (CKD). We explored the possibility of using urinary miRNA as non-invasive biomarkers for CKD...

..To examine the long-term effect of CPAP on carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome(OSAS)...

..We examined the prognostic value and factors that govern the longitudinal change of arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) in Chinese PD patients...

..Functional studies showed that A allele promoter has higher transcriptional activity than the G allele. This study investigated the association between this SNP and the outcome of Chinese patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD)...

..Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by disease flares and remission. We hypothesize that in clinically quiescent SLE patients, the mRNA level of target genes in the urinary sediment is an early indicator of disease flare...

..Patients who have no history of glucose intolerance may develop hyperglycemia after the initiation of PD therapy. However, the prevalence and long-term implications of new-onset hyperglycemia in PD patients has not been studied...

..Carotid IMT is a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease in Chinese predialysis patients and may be usefully applied for risk stratification in this group of patients...

..Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species is the most common cause of peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis; however, the optimal treatment strategy of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species peritonitis remains controversial...

..In the present paper, we review the recent studies that evaluated these potential effects of thiazolidinedione in patients with kidney diseases...

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..IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide. However, the actual prevalence of microscopic hematuria and IgAN is unknown in the Chinese population...

..Since peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution contains glucose, the insulin requirement of these patients often increases after commenced on PD. However, the change in insulin requirement has not been studied systematically...

..In the present study, we studied the magnitude of problem and explored the relationship between the number of prescribed medications and the clinical outcome of a large cohort of prevalent peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients...

..Since high dose TGF-beta induces apoptosis of peritoneal mesothelial cells (PMC), we study the effect of CTGF blockade in the system of TGF-beta-induced PMC apoptosis...

..We studied the relationship between urinary mRNA expression of target genes and risk for renal function deterioration in patients with CKD...

..We investigated whether IgA nephropathy, a prototype chronic kidney disease, is associated with localized intrarenal cellular ageing...

..However, the clinical course of Corynebacterium peritonitis complicating peritoneal dialysis remains unclear...

..We hypothesize that peritoneal albumin excretion in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, which is conceptually analogous to microalbuminuria in non-uremic patients, can predict cardiovascular disease in new PD patients...

..We compared a newly formulated solution of neutral pH and low levels of GDP to a standard PD solution...

..We investigated whether there is seasonal variation in the incidence of noncutaneous lupus flare in Hong Kong...

..However, in ESRD patients with multiple comorbid conditions, dialysis may actually be futile, and conservative management is advisable. We studied the life expectancy of Chinese ESRD patients treated conservatively...

..In our country, pre-dialysis CKD patients generally would not receive rHuEPO treatment. We studied the degree of haemoglobin variability and its prognostic implication in this group of patients...

..The clinical behavior of repeat-peritonitis episodes, defined as peritonitis with the same organism occurring more than 4 weeks after completion of therapy for a prior episode, is poorly understood...

..Hence, lifelong follow-up is advised, as the clinical features and prognosis of these patients with persistent microscopic hematuria and marginally thin GBM are similar to traditional TBMD...

..We examined whether urinary expression of specific biomarker mRNA could be used as a noninvasive prognostic marker in kidney transplant recipients...

..Peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) are often regarded as equivalent choices of renal replacement therapy. However, little is known about the outcome of patients who failed PD and converted to long-term HD...

..Method: We reviewed 30 consecutive PD patients in our center from 1997 to 2008 with recurrent loculated peritoneal collection after catheter removal for severe peritonitis...

..We examine whether baseline plasma LPS level represents a prognostic marker in new PD patients...

..The relationship between two IL-18 gene polymorphisms, namely C-607A and G-137C, and cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetic nephropathy was examined...

..Recently, the Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI) was found to be a reliable tool for screening malnutrition in hemodialysis patients. However, the GNRI has not been validated in PD patients...

..The clinical behavior and optimal treatment of relapsing and recurrent peritonitis episodes in patients undergoing long-term peritoneal dialysis are poorly understood...

..The treatment of pure membranous (class V) lupus nephropathy remains unsatisfactory. We studied the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in the treatment of membranous nephritis secondary to SLE...

..Social support is an independent risk factor for mortality among new hemodialysis patients. We evaluated the effect of social support on the outcome of Chinese peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients...

..We conducted an open-label study to evaluate the antiproteinuric effect of calcitriol on proteinuria in patients with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy...

..We examined the relationship between two PPAR-gamma gene polymorphisms, namely the P12A and C161T, and cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetic nephropathy...

..In other biological systems, bone morphogenic protein-7 (BMP-7) is a key factor that controls this process. However, the role of BMP-7 in peritoneal physiology has not been studied...

..1% response rate to antibiotics throughout the period, but the percentage of cases that required modification of the initial empirical antibiotic regimen rose from 13.6% to 58.7%, indicating that treatment should be individualised...

..We hypothesize that studying the gene expression profile of podocyte in urinary sediment may provide diagnostic and prognostic information on acquired proteinuric diseases...

..We conclude that PDE hyaluronan level during stable phase of CAPD does not predict the risk of postperitonitis adhesion. However, it is a strong independent predictor of survival in CAPD patients...

..Culture-negative peritonitis is a serious complication in peritoneal dialysis patients...

..An early assessment of peritoneal function after Tenckhoff catheter reinsertion may be valuable...

..The use of peritoneal dialysis has expanded in many developing subtropical countries; however, the role of climatic factors in dialysis-related peritonitis has not been studied in detail...

..Opinions vary as to the declining emphasis on infectious disease. This paper provides clinicians with an understanding of a secular trend in medical education regarding the topic of infectious diseases over a period of 26 years...

..Although our trial has limited statistical power, we find that in PD patients with mild acidosis and Kt/V <2.1, oral sodium bicarbonate probably improve nutritional status and reduce the duration of hospitalization...

..The change of PNA over six months, denoted as APNA-Rand and APNA-Berg, were calculated. The results were compared by the Bland and Altman's method...

..It is possible that after a prolonged period on dialysis, anuric patients are qualitatively different from patients with residual renal function...

..Reciprocal creatinine plot is often used to monitor patients with progressive renal insufficiency and to predict the onset of dialysis, although the latter practice has not been validated...

..Because polymicrobial peritonitis is believed to be caused by bowel perforation in peritoneal dialysis patients, surgical exploration is often recommended. However, there is recent evidence that antibiotic therapy may be a safe alternative...

..Although DATT may be less accurate for CAPD patients with three daily exchanges, it remains a specific method to identify low and high transporters...

..To study the effect of increasing the daytime dialysis exchange frequency on dialysis adequacy and nutritional status of Chinese anuric patients...

..The patient enjoyed 15 months of symptom-free survival before she died of liver failure. Practical aspects and potential applications of SIR therapy in this group of patients are discussed...

..Peritonitis due to Pseudomonas species is a serious complication in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. The clinical course of peritonitis due to Pseudomonas complicating CAPD remains unclear...

..To compare, in Chinese continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients, the creatinine kinetics method (LBM-CK) and the anthropometric method (LBM-AM) for determining lean body mass (LBM)...

..Dialysis adequacy has a significant impact on the clinical outcome of CAPD patients, and the beneficial effect is preserved in anuric patients as well as in an ethnic group that has a low overall mortality...

..Further study is needed to identify the mechanisms of poor clinical outcome in high peritoneal transporters...

..We hypothesis that VEGF genetic polymorphism may affect the longitudinal change of peritoneal transport and clinical outcome of peritoneal dialysis patients...

..We studied whether peritoneal Kt/V has the same effect in CAPD patients with residual renal function...

..The degree of renal scarring in kidney biopsy is an important prognostic factor in patients with chronic kidney diseases. We hypothesize that gene expression in the urinary sediment reflects the degree of renal damage...

..Previous studies found that transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) plays a conflicting role in peritoneal fibrosis. We hypothesise that TGF-beta acts on peritoneal mesothelial cells (PMC) via VEGF and CTGF as downstream mediators...

..Correction of mild acidosis in dialysis patients is effective in improving nutritional status and reducing the duration of hospitalization...

..Abnormal potassium metabolism may contribute to the increased cardiac morbidity and mortality seen in dialysis patients. We studied the pattern of serum potassium levels in a cohort of Chinese peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients...

..In short, physicians should be cautious about possible renal toxicity during the use of any new therapeutic agents...

..However, the functional relevance of aquaporin in mesothelial cells remains uncertain because endothelial cells are generally regarded as the major barrier of peritoneal transport...

..Hydrothorax complicating continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) appears in approximately 2% of all patients. Recent advances in minimally invasive surgery have revolutionized the treatment strategy of this condition...

..Malnutrition is common among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. However, the ideal marker of nutritional status in PD patients remained controversial...

..Rosiglitazone (RSG), a thiazolidinedione, can improve insulin resistance, and its excretion does not rely on renal function. Moreover, it has an anti-inflammatory effect that might be beneficial in patients with renal failure...

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..Early evidence suggests that peritoneal permeability is affected by nitric oxide (NO) activity. Recently, a gene polymorphism of the endothelial NO synthase (ENOS) gene was identified that is associated with circulating nitrate levels...

..Podocyte injury and its subsequent loss in urine play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy; blockade of the renin-angiotensin system may ameliorate the damage...

..Recent hospitalization is a major risk factor of methicillin resistance in the bacterial isolate. Rifampicin is a valuable adjunct in preventing relapse and repeat S. aureus peritonitis after the index episode...

..To examine urinary expression of podocyte-associated molecules in patients with lupus nephritis (LN)...

..Antibiotic resistance is common, and response to medical treatment is often poor. In the present article, we review recent advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of this serious condition...

..A randomised controlled study was undertaken to examine the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on 24 hour systemic blood pressure (BP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)...

..A slightly longer training time is to be expected for elderly patients. Self-care CAPD for elderly patients who are capable of performing their own exchanges provides them with an independent home life...

..However, few studies have evaluated therapeutic approaches for preserving residual renal function after the initiation of dialysis...

..Patients with proteinuria and isolated thick glomerular basement membrane must be differentiated from MCN for therapeutic implications, and specifically managed for its strong association with prediabetes or early diabetes...

..CONCLUSION: The measurement of urinary mRNA expression may be a noninvasive method for the assessment of lupus disease activity and the severity of renal involvement in patients with lupus nephritis...

..90). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that monotherapy of imipenem/cilastatin has similar efficacy compared to the two standard regimens of cefazolin plus ceftazidime or netilmycin in the treatment of PD peritonitis...

..Lupus nephritis is characterised by intrarenal inflammation and lymphocyte activation...

..Measurement of urinary mRNA expression of target genes may be a potential non-invasive tool for the monitoring of lupus disease activity...

..Urine microscopic examination is an important component of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). We investigated whether the urine dipstick test can reduce the need for microscopy for the assessment of SLEDAI...

..Although the method is simple and non-invasive, it requires further research to define the role in routine clinical practice. At this moment, the technique should only be considered experimental albeit promising...

..Dialysis patients with SARS often require prolonged hospitalization. Furthermore, these patients may have an extended period of viral shedding, which should be carefully monitored for the purpose of infection control...

..Measurement of cytokine gene expression in urinary sediment may be a useful noninvasive tool for assessing the severity of renal involvement in SLE...

..Difficulties of diagnosis, infection control, and treatment of SARS in renal failure patients are discussed in this report...

..To determine the risk factors associated with and to describe the clinical course of tuberculosis (TB) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)...

..We hypothesize that messenger RNA expression of podocyte-associated molecules in urinary sediment may provide important clinical information in patients with diabetic nephropathy...

..This simple and non-invasive method requires further study to determine its role in risk stratification and monitoring of therapeutic response in patients with other kidney diseases...

..In the present study, we measured urinary mRNA expression of ACE and ACE2 in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy...

..Recent studies showed that micro-RNA play important roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. We studied the levels of miR-146a and miR-155 in the serum and urinary supernatant of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)...

..Since T-bet is the principal transcription factor for the differentiation of type-1 helper T-lymphocyte, we study the impact of urinary T-bet mRNA expression in clinically quiescent SLE patients on the risk of subsequent disease flare...

..79, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with active lupus nephritis have increased T-bet and depressed GATA-3 expression in the urinary sediment and kidney tissue, indicating a predominant Th1 type of T-lymphocyte activation...