BackgroundFew risk scores are available for predicting mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing predialysis nephrology care. Here, we developed a risk score using predialysis nephrology practice data to predict 1-year mortality following the initiation of haemodialysis (HD) for CKD patients.MethodsThis was a multicenter cohort study involving CKD patients who started HD between April 2006 and March 2011 at 21 institutions with nephrology care services. Patients who had not received predialysis nephrology care at an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of approximately 10 mL/min per 1.73 m2 were excluded. Twenty-nine candidate predictors were selected, and the final model for 1-year mortality was developed via multivariate logistic regression and was internally validated by a bootstrapping technique.ResultsA total of 688 patients were enrolled, and 62 (9.0%) patients died within one year of HD initiation. The following variables were retained in the final model: eGFR, serum albumin, calcium, Charlson Comorbidity Index excluding diabetes and renal disease (modified CCI), performance status (PS), and usage of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA). Their β-coefficients were transformed into integer scores: three points were assigned to modified CCI≥3 and PS 3–4; two to calcium>8.5 mg/dL, modified CCI 1–2, and no use of ESA; and one to albumin<3.5 g/dL, eGFR>7 mL/min per 1.73 m2, and PS 1–2. Predicted 1-year mortality risk was 2.5% (score 0–4), 5.5% (score 5–6), 15.2% (score 7–8), and 28.9% (score 9–12). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.79–0.89).ConclusionsWe developed a simple 6-item risk score predicting 1-year mortality after the initiation of HD that might help nephrologists make a shared decision with patients and families regarding the initiation of HD.

Many patients with diabetic nephropathy who registered for this study had coronary artery disease and problems with excess body fluid. Further analyses may clarify how underlying conditions and disease management before and after dialysis initiation affect prognosis.

Introduction Albeit uncommon, hydrothorax is an important complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Due to paucity of evidence for optimal treatment, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of computed tomographic (CT) peritoneography and surgical intervention involving video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for hydrothorax in a retrospective cohort of patients who underwent PD in Japan. Methods Of the 982 patients who underwent PD from six centers in Japan between 2007 and 2019, 25 (2.5%) with diagnosed hydrothorax were enrolled in this study. PD withdrawal rates were compared between patients who underwent VATS for diaphragm repair (surgical group) and those who did not (non-surgical group) using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Results The surgical and non-surgical groups comprised a total of 11 (44%) and 14 (56%) patients, respectively. Following hydrothorax diagnosis by thoracentesis and detection of penetrated sites on the diaphragm using CT peritoneography, VATS was performed at a median time of 31 days (interquartile range [IQR], 20-96 days). During follow-up (median, 26 months; IQR, 10-51 months), 9 (64.3%) and 2 (18.2%) patients in the non-surgical and surgical groups,

Gouty arthritis is a metabolic disorder associated with hyperuricemia. Despite the development of novel pharmacotherapies, some hyperuricemia patients are drug refractory and develop gout. A 74-year-old man with frequent gouty attacks and chronic renal failure presented with asymmetrical polyarthritis affecting multiple joints. The diagnosis of gout was confirmed based on the presence of monosodium urate crystals in the patient's right wrist. The administration of systemic corticosteroids relieved the joint inflammation and pain; however, the urate level increased to 28 mg/dL and the gout attacks recurred. Combined allopurinol, febuxostat, and benzbromarone therapy reduced the urate level to <6 mg/dL, and the attacks gradually declined. This is the first report of two xanthine oxidase inhibitors being used to treat refractory gout.

A 66-year-old man with a history of bronchial asthma and sinusitis was admitted with cholecystitis and peripheral neuropathy. The histopathological findings of the gallbladder revealed necrotic vasculitis and granulomatous inflammation with marked eosinophilic infiltration. Kidney biopsy also showed marked eosinophilic infiltration in the tubulointerstitial area and eosinophilic tubulitis. He was diagnosed with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) and treated with corticosteroids. However, he showed no response. Therefore, he was administered mepolizumab 300 mg, which resulted in clinical improvement, including normalization of the eosinophil and CRP levels. We herein describe the first case of successful induction therapy of EGPA using mepolizumab.