Eunjin Bae

Rhabdomyolysis associated with initiation of febuxostat therapy for hyperuricaemia in a patient with chronic kidney disease

Febuxostat is now recommended as the first‐line pharmacological urate‐lowering therapy for gout in the American College of Rheumatology guidelines. There is no case of rhabdomyolysis associated with febuxostat among reported side effects of the drug. Our objective is to report on a case of rhabdomyolysis associated with initiation of febuxostat in a patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Lower serum uric acid level predicts mortality in dialysis patients

AbstractWe evaluated the impact of serum uric acid (SUA) on mortality in patients with chronic dialysis. A total of 4132 adult patients on dialysis were enrolled prospectively between August 2008 and September 2014. Among them, we included 1738 patients who maintained dialysis for at least 3 months and had available SUA in the database. We categorized the time averaged-SUA (TA-SUA) into 5 groups: <5.5, 5.5–6.4, 6.5–7.4, 7.5–8.4, and ≥8.5 mg/dL. Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) of all-cause mortality according to SUA group. The mean TA-SUA level was slightly higher in men than in women. Patients with lower TA-SUA level tended to have lower body mass index (BMI), phosphorus, serum albumin level, higher proportion of diabetes mellitus (DM), and higher proportion of malnourishment on the subjective global assessment (SGA). During a median follow-up of 43.9 months, 206 patients died. Patients with the highest SUA had a similar risk to the middle 3 TA-SUA groups, but the lowest TA-SUA group had a significantly elevated HR for mortality. The lowest TA-SUA group was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 1.720; 95% confidence interval, 1.007–2.937; P = 0.047) even after adjusting for demographic, comorbid, nutritional covariables, and medication use that could affect SUA levels. This association was prominent in patients with well nourishment on the SGA, a preserved serum albumin level, a higher BMI, and concomitant DM although these parameters had no significant interaction in the TA-SUA-mortality relationship except DM. In conclusion, a lower TA-SUA level <5.5 mg/dL predicted all-cause mortality in patients with chronic dialysis.

Circulating TNF receptors predict cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease

Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main public health problem in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, there is no established biomarker for predicting CVD morbidity and mortality in CKD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of circulating tumor necrosis factor receptors (cTNFRs) in predicting CVD risk in CKD patients. We prospectively recruited 984 patients with CKD from 11 centers between 2006 and 2012. The levels of cTNFR1 and cTNFR2 were determined by performing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. During the mean follow-up period of 4 years, 36 patients experienced a CVD event. The median serum concentrations of cTNFR1 and cTNFR2 were 2703.4 (225.6–13,057.7) and 5661.0 (634.9–30,599.6) pg/mL, respectively, and the cTNFR1 level was closely correlated with the cTNFR2 level (r = 0.86, P < .0001). The urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were significantly correlated with the cTNFR2 level (r = 0.21 for UPCR, r = −0.67 for eGFR; P < .001 for all). Similar correlations were observed for serum cTNFR1 (r = 0.21 for UPCR, r = −0.75 for eGFR; P < .001 for all). In the Cox proportional hazard analyses, cTNFR1 (hazard ratio [HR] 2.506, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.186–5.295, P = .016) and cTNFR2 (HR 4.156, 95% CI 1.913–9.030, P < .001) predicted CVD risk even after adjustment for clinical covariates, such as UPCR, eGFR, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. cTNFR1 and 2 are associated with CVD and other risk factors in CKD, independently of eGFR and UPCR. Furthermore, cTNFRs could be relevant predictors of CVD in CKD patients.

Incidence, risk factors and clinical outcomes of acute kidney injury associated with scrub typhus: a retrospective study of 510 consecutive patients in South Korea (2001–2013)

Objectives Renal involvement in scrub typhus ranges from simple urinary abnormalities to acute kidney injury (AKI) leading to death. This study evaluated the incidence, predictors and prognosis of AKI associated with scrub typhus according to the RIFLE (risk, injury, failure, loss, end-stage kidney disease) criteria. Methods We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of patients diagnosed with scrub typhus from January 2001 to November 2013 in Gyeongsang National University Hospital. Results During the study period, 510 patients were diagnosed with scrub typhus and the incidence of AKI was 35.9%. There were 132 (25.9%) patients at risk, 37 (7.3%) with injury and 14 (2.7%) with failure. In comparison with the non-AKI group, the AKI group was older (73.9 vs 63.4 years, p<0.001) and had more comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease (CKD). AKI frequently occurs in hypertensive patients taking angiotensin receptor blockers or ACE inhibitors (p=0.002), and in patients with diabetes with higher glycated haemoglobin levels (p=0.033). Haematuria and proteinuria were more frequent in the AKI group. There was no relationship between the severity of proteinuria and occurrence of AKI. Intensive care unit admission and death were more frequent in the AKI group. The renal function of most patients with AKI recovered without sequelae, except for 1 patient who had underlying CKD. Multivariate analysis showed that age, presence of CKD, serum albumin level and time to hospital presentation after symptom onset were independent predictors of AKI in patients with scrub typhus. Conclusions Our current results suggest that the presence of underlying CKD, older age, lower serum albumin level and time to hospital presentation after symptom onset were important risk factors to determine occurrence of AKI. Whether earlier diagnosis and treatment in patients with the above risk factors reduce the incidence and severity of AKI deserves to be investigated.

Increased Exposure of Tacrolimus by Co-administered Mycophenolate Mofetil: Population Pharmacokinetic Analysis in Healthy Volunteers

The objective of the study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions between tacrolimus (TAC) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in healthy Korean male volunteers. Seventeen volunteers participated in a three-period, single-dose, and fixed sequence study. They sequentially received MMF, TAC, and the combination. Concentrations of TAC, mycophenolic acid (MPA), and its metabolites MPA 7-O-glucuronide and MPA acyl glucuronide were measured. The variants of CYP3A4, CYP3A5, SLCO1B1, SLCO1B3, ABCC2, UGT1A9, and UGT2B7 were genotyped. Drug interaction was evaluated with a non-compartmental analysis and population pharmacokinetic modelling to quantify the interaction effect. A total of 1,082 concentrations of those analytes were analysed. AUC0-inf of TAC increased by 22.1% (322.4 ± 174.1 to 393.6 ± 121.7 ng·h/mL; P < 0.05) when co-administered with MMF, whereas the pharmacokinetic parameters of MPA and its metabolites were not changed by TAC. Apparent clearance (CL/F) of TAC was 17.8 L/h [relative standard error (RSE) 11%] or 13.8 L/h (RSE 11%) without or with MMF, respectively. Interaction was explained by the exponential model. The CYP3A5 genotype was the only significant covariate. The population estimate of CL/F of TAC was 1.48-fold (RSE 16%) in CYP3A5 expressers when compared to nonexpressers. CL/F of TAC was decreased when co-administered with MMF in these subjects.

Coronary artery calcification in Korean patients with incident dialysis

Introduction: Patients with chronic kidney disease have an extremely high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). In patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD), coronary artery calcification (CAC) is associated with increased mortality from CVD.

Pre-Transplant Cardiovascular Risk Factors Affect Kidney Allograft Survival: A Multi-Center Study in Korea.

Background Pre-transplant cardiovascular (CV) risk factors affect the development of CV events even after successful kidney transplantation (KT). However, the impact of pre-transplant CV risk factors on allograft failure (GF) has not been reported. Methods and Findings We analyzed the graft outcomes of 2,902 KT recipients who were enrolled in a multi-center cohort from 1997 to 2012. We calculated the pre-transplant CV risk scores based on the Framingham risk model using age, gender, total cholesterol level, smoking status, and history of hypertension. Vascular disease (a composite of ischemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, and cerebrovascular disease) was noted in 6.5% of the patients. During the median follow-up of 6.4 years, 286 (9.9%) patients had developed GF. In the multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard model, pre-transplant vascular disease was associated with an increased risk of GF (HR 2.51; 95% CI 1.66–3.80). The HR for GF (comparing the highest with the lowest tertile regarding the pre-transplant CV risk scores) was 1.65 (95% CI 1.22–2.23). In the competing risk model, both pre-transplant vascular disease and CV risk score were independent risk factors for GF. Moreover, the addition of the CV risk score, the pre-transplant vascular disease, or both had a better predictability for GF compared to the traditional GF risk factors. Conclusions In conclusion, both vascular disease and pre-transplant CV risk score were independently associated with GF in this multi-center study. Pre-transplant CV risk assessments could be useful in predicting GF in KT recipients.

Urinothorax after ultrasonography-guided renal biopsy: a case report

BackgroundUrinothorax is defined as the presence of urine in the pleural space and is a rather rare cause of transudate pleural effusion. The potential etiologies are urinary tract obstruction and trauma. Diagnosis requires a high index of clinical suspicion and the condition is completely reversible following relief of underlying disease.Case presentationWe report a 27-year-old man who developed urinothorax after renal biopsy. Urine leakage was confirmed with 99mTc DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentacetate) and single-photon emission computed tomography scans and retrograde pyelography. The pleural effusion was completely resolved by removing the leakage with a Foley catheter and a double J stent.ConclusionsUrinothorax has not been reported in patients doing renal biopsy in the literature. Based on our experience, urinothorax should be suspected, diagnosed, and managed appropriately when pleural effusion occurred after renal biopsy.

Treatment and clinical outcomes of elderly idiopathic membranous nephropathy: A multicenter cohort study in Korea

Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (MN) is the most common glomerulonephritis in elderly patients showing nephrotic syndrome. However, little is known about its treatment options and outcomes in elderly MN patients at long term follow-up. We retrospectively enrolled patients with biopsy-proven MN between April 1990 and December 2015 from eight tertiary hospitals in Korea. Among them, we excluded patients who had secondary causes of MN and subnephrotic-range proteinuria. We evaluated the presenting features and clinical outcomes and analyzed the all-cause mortality, renal outcomes, infection, and remission with respect to age. During the median follow-up at 77.2 months, 198 younger patients (<65 years) and 133 elderly patients (≥65 years) were enrolled. Age was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality, renal outcome, and infection (for all P < 0.05) except remission. In elderly patients, there was no significant factor associated with mortality rate. The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) was significantly associated with renal outcome and infection (renal outcome, hazard ration [HR] 0.06, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.01-0.36, P = 0.003; infection, HR 0.20, 95% CI 0.04-0.94, P = 0.041). Immunosuppressant therapy significantly increased renal outcome (P = 0.045) and infection (P = 0.029) compared with conservative therapy. In conclusion, old age is one of the clinically important predictors for MN patients. Among the treatment of elderly MN patients, only ACEI or ARB was associated with beneficial effects on renal outcome and infection. Elderly MN patients need a more tailored regimen considering their comorbidities and condition.

Angioplasty and stenting for the proximal anastomotic stenosis of a brachio-axillary bypass graft using a helical interwoven nitinol stent: A case report

Rationale: Thrombosis due to anastomotic site stenosis is the most common complication in patients with brachio-axillary arteriovenous graft (AVG). Intravascular stent placement may play a special role in the salvage of dialysis grafts that have been previously performed percutaneous angioplasty or surgical procedure on the graft. Herein, we applied a novel stent named Supera which has a high degree of flexibility and resistance to external compression for treating a patient with recurrent venous anastomotic stenosis of brachio-axillary AVG. Patients concerns and diagnoses: We report a case of the patient with end-stage renal disease who presented with brachio-axillary AVG malfunction. Interventions: The patient underwent repeated percutaneous angioplasty with thrombectomy for total graft occlusion, and we placed the Supera stent to salvage the graft. Outcomes: Postprocedural Doppler ultrasonography did not show any restenosis on the 1- and 3-month follow-up periods, and average flow volume in the stent was >1000 mL/min. And he has been on dialysis for 6 months without any problems after stent placement. Lessons: The Supera stent is a useful treatment option of interventional procedure for recurrent venous anastomotic stenosis of brachio-axillary AVG in the clinical practice.