Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical syndrome of significant skeletal muscle damage leading to electrolyte disturbance and kidney toxicity, which may result in acute kidney injury. The short-term impact of ac...

This experimental study investigates the role of B cell activating factor (BAFF) in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy using gddY mice.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a chronic hereditary disorder and a major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Urolithiasis is a frequent complication in ADPKD and may cont...

Telitacicept, a new dual inhibitor of the cytokines B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand), showed efficacy in adults with active systemic lupus erythematosus (S...

Background Lanthanum carbonate (LC) is a calcium-free phosphate binder widely used in patients with chronic kidney disease, including those undergoing dialysis. Although generally considered safe, rar...

The 2025 government shutdown won’t stop your dialysis or Medicare coverage. But some services may be delayed. Learn what kidney patients need to know.

Study compares semaglutide, liraglutide, and dulaglutide

Studies in the 1980s linking rapid correction of severe, chronic hyponatremia to the osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) led to a major controversy that eventually gave way to consensus guidelines. E...

Background β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) is recognized as a surrogate marker for putative middle-molecule uremic toxins. Its clearance by peritoneal dialysis (PD) is limited but increases significantly when hemodialysis (HD) is added. In Japan, combined PD and HD therapy is frequently introduced when patients undergoing PD experience a decline in residual renal function. However, even with combined therapy, persistently elevated serum β2-MG levels often lead to a transition to thrice-weekly HD. This report describes a case in which elevated β2-MG levels were attributed to overproduction rather than insufficient solute removal in a patient receiving combined PD and HD therapy. Case presentation The patient, a 76-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease due to immunoglobulin (Ig)A nephropathy, initiated PD 12 years prior and started weekly HD 2 years prior, following a reduction in residual renal function. Despite the addition of HD, serum β2-MG levels remained elevated; however, peritoneal function was preserved, and PD was continued. The patient later experienced a spontaneous fracture of the right distal radius, leading to a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, which was identified as the underlying cause of the elevated β2-MG. Following initiation of chemotherapy, β2-MG levels declined markedly. Conclusions In prevalent patients with PD, serum β2-MG alone has limited prognostic value. This case highlights the need for a comprehensive assessment when interpreting elevated β2-MG levels and supports individualized treatment decisions rather than reliance on a single biomarker.

Aldosterone dysregulation plays an important pathogenic role in hard-to-control hypertension. In several studies, baxdrostat, an aldosterone synthase inhibitor, reduced the seated systolic blood pr...

We describe a patient with hyperkalemia and ECG changes with persistent mild hyperkalemia without ECG changes following treatment. Their hyperkalemia was confounded by the presence of true hyperkalemi...

BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) DNAemia in renal transplant recipients increases risk of allograft failure, but BKPyV-specific therapies are not available. While treatment with intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) has been reported, safety in a prospective randomized controlled setting is uncertain, and host immune response to BKV after IVIG is not well characterized.MethodsWe investigated host immune responses to BKPyV in a multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study of IVIG with protocolized immunosuppression reduction in adult kidney transplant recipients with BK DNAemia. Participants received two infusions of 1g/kg up to 70 g each, one month apart, of IVIG or placebo and were followed for one year with adverse event monitoring. The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability of IVIG. Neutralizing antibody (nAb) to common BKPyV strains and BK-specific CD4+/CD8+ T-cell and natural killer cell (NKC) responses were evaluated.ResultsThere were no adverse events. 40.0% of recipients in the treatment arm and 44.4% in the control arm cleared BK DNAemia at three months (RR 0.90; 95% CI, 0.23-2.89). Overall, 80% of recipients with a sequenced BK genotype possessed cognate nAb at baseline, and 100% acquired them by three months. Viral clearance was associated with higher percentages of BKPyV-specific CD8+ T-cells prior to IVIG (0.19% vs 3.01%, p < 0.01).ConclusionsIn this pilot study, two doses of IVIG were safe, but its impact on viral clearance is unclear; control of DNAemia may depend upon intrinsic virus-specific host cellular and humoral response, but further studies are needed.