Ramipril reduces proteinuria at any of the tested doses. Although the using of high and divided doses seems to maximize the antiproteinuric effect of the drug, possibly due to a better pharmacological coverage of the nocturnal period.

Introduction Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection represents a common cause of morbidity and mortality in kidney transplant recipients (KTR). The NF‐kB signaling pathway is highly involved in the pathogenesis of CMV infection. The ‐94ins/delATTG functional polymorphism in the promoter of NFKB1 has been associated with low intracellular levels of the protein and high incidence of inflammatory and autoimmune disease. In this study, we evaluated the association of this NFKB1 polymorphism with the risk of CMV infection. Methods CMV infection was defined as virus isolation or detection of viral antigens or nucleic acid in any body fluid or tissue specimen. Using Cox regression and survival analysis, we analyzed the association between the polymorphism and CMV infection as well as recurrence in the first 12 months after transplantation. Results We analyzed the ‐94ins/delATTG NFKB1 polymorphism of 189 KTRs. The 65% of CMV infections occurred in ins/ins group. Survival free from CMV infection was 54.7% for ins/ins group and 79.4% for deletion carriers one year after transplantation (P < 0.0001). At multivariate regression, deletion carriers showed a lower risk of CMV infection and recurrence with respect to ins/ins KTRs (HR = 0.224 P = 0.0002; HR = 0.307, P = 0.012, respectively). Conclusions In conclusion, pretransplantation screening for NFKB1 ‐94ins/delATTG polymorphism may predict CMV infection and improve the management of patients at higher risk of infection in the post‐transplant period.

Diagnostic laboratory tools are essential to keep everyone safe and track newly emerging variants; on the other hand, “filter” screening tests recognizing positivity are valuable tools to avoid hectic laboratory work that, besides COVID-19, are also part of the routine. Therefore, complementary assays, such as rapid antigen tests (RATs), are essential in controlling and monitoring virus spread within the community, especially in the asymptomatic population. A subset of nasopharyngeal swab specimens resulted in SARS-CoV-2 positive and investigated for genomic characterization were used for RAT validation. RATs were performed immediately after sampling, following the manufacturer’s instructions (reading at 15 min). RT-PCRs were carried out within 24 h of specimens’ collection. Out of 603 patients, 145 (24.05%) tested positive by RT-PCR and RAT and 451 (74.79%) tested negative by both methods; discordant results (RT-PCR+/RAT− or RT-PCR−/RAT+) were obtained in 7 patients (1.16%). RATs’ overall specificity and sensitivity were 96.03% (95%CI: 91.55–98.53%) and 99.78% (95%CI: 98.77–99.99%), respectively, taking RT-PCR as the reference. Overall, RAT negative predictive value was 98.69% (95%CI 97.17–99.40%). The GeneFinder COVID-19 Ag Plus Rapid Test performed well as a screening test for early diagnosis of COVID-19, especially in asymptomatic subjects. The data suggested that patients with RT-PCR-proven COVID-19 testing negative by RAT are unlikely to be infectious. GeneFinder COVID-19 Ag Plus Rapid Test also works on variants of concern (VOC) delta and omicron BA.1 and BA.2.

Coupled plasma filtration adsorption (CPFA) is an extracorporeal blood purification therapy based on non-specific pro- and anti-inflammatory mediator adsorption on a special resin cartridge coupled with continuous veno-venous haemofiltration or continuous veno-venous haemodiafiltration and is one of the emerging treatments for septic patients. However, in the literature, there are limited data about its efficacy in treating patients with acute diseases but without the traditional criteria for sepsis. We describe the case of a 43-year-old male who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to pneumonia and acute kidney injury, whose clinical conditions rapidly improved after early CPFA therapy.

Karyomegalic interstitial nephritis (KIN) is a rare and certainly underdiagnosed nephropathy. It is characterized by a peculiar histological picture of interstitial nephritis associated with the presence of hyperchromatic, abnormally enlarged nuclei of tubular epithelial cells. KIN has an uncertain etiology, but should be suspected in young patients in the second or third decade of life presenting with progressive renal failure, proteinuria and/or hematuria and a history of recurrent respiratory infections. In these cases, the diagnosis should be suspected and confirmed by a renal biopsy. Herein, we report a case of KIN with atypical clinical presentation in a young patient with progressive kidney failure without proteinuria or hematuria or history of recurrent respiratory infections.