In patients undergoing hemodialysis, the initiation of treatment with rosuvastatin lowered the LDL cholesterol level but had no significant effect on the composite primary end point of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00240331.)

The prevalence of anti-HCV(+) in HD has decreased markedly over the last decade in the participating units from most European countries. This decrease should reduce further the risk of nosocomial and occupational HCV infection in HD and ultimately contribute to improved long-term prognosis of HD patients and kidney graft recipients.

Surveillance and monitoring of cardiovascular risk factors including raised blood pressure are critical to informing efforts to prevent and control cardiovascular disease. Yet, many countries lack the capacity for adequate national surveillance. Furthermore, hypertension indicators are often reported in different ways, which hampers the ability to compare and assess progress. In order to encourage standardized hypertension surveillance reporting, the World Hypertension League assembled an Expert Committee to develop a standard set of core indicators, definitions, and recommended analyses. The recommended core indicators are: (1) blood pressure distribution, (2) prevalence of hypertension, (3) awareness of the condition, (4) antihypertensive drug treatment, and (5) control of hypertension based on drug therapy. Each of these can be reported overall and by age group and sex, with crude and age‐standardized changes tracked over time in order to assess the impact of instituted policies and programs for hypertension prevention and control. An expanded list of indicators can also facilitate tracking of hypertension prevention and control efforts. Widespread adoption of these indicators and analyses could benefit all those conducting and analyzing hypertension surveys and will facilitate hypertension surveillance efforts.

Patients reporting strict compliance with prescribed drug therapy have significantly lower systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure than those who admit even an occasional lapse in taking medication. A properly formulated questionnaire can identify non-compliant patients.

In rats receiving gentamicin, daily L-carnitine injections, particularly at 200 mg/kg/day, ameliorate the severity of renal cortical proximal tubular necrosis and maintain greater renal function.