Heart failure is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations in the United States. Concomitant and significant renal dysfunction is common in patients with heart failure. Increasingly, the syndrome of heart failure is one of cardiorenal failure, in which concomitant cardiac and renal dysfunctions exist, with each accelerating the progression of the other. One fourth of patients hospitalized for the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure will experience significant worsening of renal function, which is associated with worse outcomes. It remains unclear whether worsening renal function specifically contributes to poor outcomes or whether it is merely a marker of advanced cardiac and renal dysfunction. Diuretic resistance, with or without worsening renal function, is also common in acute decompensated heart failure, although the definition of diuretic resistance, its prevalence, and prognostic implications are less well defined. The term cardiorenal syndrome has been variably associated with cardiorenal failure, worsening renal function, and diuretic resistance but is more comprehensively defined as a state of advanced cardiorenal dysregulation manifest by one or all of these specific features. The pathophysiology of the cardiorenal syndrome is poorly understood and likely involves interrelated hemodynamic and neurohormonal mechanisms. When conventional therapy for acute decompensated heart failure fails, mechanical fluid removal via ultrafiltration, hemofiltration, or hemodialysis may be needed for refractory volume overload. While ultrafiltration can address diuretic resistance, whether ultrafiltration prevents worsening renal function or improves outcomes in patients with cardiorenal syndrome remains unclear. Evidence regarding the potential renal-preserving effects of nesiritide is mixed, and further studies on the efficacy and safety of different doses of nesiritide in heart failure therapy are warranted. Newer therapeutic agents, including vasopressin antagonists and adenosine antagonists, hold promise for the future, and clinical trials of these agents are underway.

Background: Fatigue is an important symptom to patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence and severity of fatigue among non-dialysis-dependent CKD and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, to examine the association of fatigue with subjective and objective sleep quality, and to identify other modifiable factors associated with fatigue. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 87 non-dialysis-dependent CKD (eGFR ≤45 ml/min/1.73 m²) and 86 ESRD patients was done using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue (FACIT-F) and 36-Item Short-Form (SF-36) vitality scale. Higher FACIT-F score denoted less fatigue. Objective sleep was assessed using in-home polysomnography. Predictors of fatigue were determined using a linear regression model. Results: The mean FACIT-F score among all participants was 34.5 ± 11.0. Mean scores were similar among CKD and ESRD groups (34.25 ± 11.28 vs. 34.73 ± 10.86; p = 0.73). On univariate analyses, patients with higher levels of fatigue were more likely to have cardiovascular disease, benzodiazepine use, depressive symptoms, and slightly lower hemoglobin and serum albumin levels. There was no significant association between severity of sleep apnea and level of fatigue (Apnea Hypopnea Index 20.1 ± 27.6 vs. 20.3 ± 22.0; p = 0.69). Presence of cardiovascular disease, low serum albumin, depressive symptoms, poor subjective sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness and restless legs syndrome were independently associated with greater fatigue in multivariable regression models. The FACIT-F score correlated closely with the SF-36 vitality score (r = 0.81, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Patients with advanced CKD and ESRD experience profound fatigue. Depressive symptoms, restless legs syndrome, excessive daytime sleepiness, and low albumin levels may provide targets for interventions to improve fatigue in patients with advanced CKD.

Malignant melanoma is one of the most common malignancies to metastasize to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Metastases to the GI tract can present at the time of primary diagnosis or decades later as the first sign of recurrence. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, dysphagia, small bowel obstruction, hematemesis, and melena. We report 2 cases of malignant melanoma metastatic to the GI tract, followed by a review of the literature. The first case is a 72-year-old man who underwent resection of superficial spreading melanoma on his back 13 years previously who presented with dysphagia. A biopsy specimen of a mucosal fold in a gastric fundus noted during endoscopy was taken and revealed metastatic malignant melanoma, which was resected 1 month later. Three weeks later, the patient was found to have an ulcerated jejunal metastatic melanoma mass, which was also resected. The second case is a 63-year-old man with an ocular melanoma involving the chorold of the left eye that had been diagnosed 4 years previously, which had been excised several times, who presented with anorexia, dizziness, and fatigue. He was found to have cerebellar and stomach metastases. He underwent adjuvant radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgical resection of the gastric melanoma metastasis. In patients with a history of melanoma, a high index of suspicion for metastasis must be maintained if they present with seemingly unrelated symptoms. Diagnosis requires careful inspection of the mucosa for metastatic lesions and biopsy with special immunohistochemical stains. Management may include surgical resection, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, observation, or enrollment in clinical trials. Prognosis is poor, with a median survival of 4 to 6 months.

PURPOSE The objective of this study was to determine the impact of lupus nephritis disease activity on maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS Medical records of all pregnant patients with SLE treated at our institution between 1976 and 2007 were reviewed. All patients met American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for SLE. Demographic data, history of lupus nephritis, nephritis disease activity, and maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancy were abstracted. Active lupus nephritis was defined as the presence of proteinuria > 0.5 g/day and/or active urinary sediment with or without an elevation in serum creatinine (Cr). Quiescent lupus nephritis was confirmed in the presence of proteinuria < 0.5 mg/day and inactive urinary sediment. RESULTS We identified fifty-eight patients with ninety pregnancies. Compared to pregnancies in SLE patients without renal involvement (n=47), pregnancies in patients with active lupus nephritis (n=23) were associated with a higher incidence of maternal complications (57% vs. 11%, p<0.001), whereas those with quiescent lupus nephritis (n=20) were not (35% vs. 11%, p=0.10). Women with active lupus nephritis were more likely to deliver preterm than women without lupus nephritis, median of 34 weeks vs. 40 gestational weeks, respectively (p=0.002), and were more likely to suffer fetal loss (35% vs 9%, p=0.031). CONCLUSION Active, but not quiescent, lupus nephritis during pregnancy is associated with a higher incidence of maternal and fetal complications compared to pregnancies in SLE patients without renal involvement.