Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association
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Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. · Aug 2013
Review'Biologic memory' in response to acute kidney injury: cytoresistance, toll-like receptor hyper-responsiveness and the onset of progressive renal disease.
Following the induction of ischemic or toxin-mediated acute kidney injury (AKI), cellular adaptations occur that 're-program' how the kidney responds to future superimposed insults. This re-programming is not simply a short-lived phenomenon; rather it can persist for many weeks, implying that a state of 'biologic memory' has emerged. These changes can be both adaptive and maladaptive in nature and they can co-exist in time. ⋯ However, injury-induced, and stable, epigenetic remodeling at pro-inflammatory/pro-fibrotic genes seems likely to be involved. The goal of this editorial is to highlight that the so-called 'maintenance phase' of acute renal failure is not a static one, somewhere between injury induction and the onset of repair. Rather, this period is one in which the induction of 'biologic memory' can ultimately impact renal functional recovery, extra-renal injury and the possible transition of AKI into chronic, progressive renal disease.
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Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. · Aug 2013
Comparative StudyThe impact of pay for performance on the control of blood pressure in people with chronic kidney disease stage 3-5.
The implementation of national estimated glomerular filatration rate reporting and the inclusion of renal-specific indicators in a primary care pay for performance (P4P) system since April 2006 has promoted identification and better management of risk factors related to chronic kidney disease (CKD). In the UK, the P4P framework is known as the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). One of the key targets for intervention in primary care was hypertension. It is clear that hypertension is a major predictor of development and progression of CKD; thus, targeting better blood pressure control is likely to have a positive impact on outcomes in CKD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of renal indicators outlined in P4P on the management of hypertension in primary care. To estimate the cost implications of the resulting changes in prescribing patterns of antihypertensive medication following introduction of such indicators. ⋯ Population BP control has improved since the introduction of P4P renal indicators, and this improvement has been sustained. This was associated with a significant increase in the use of antihypertensive medication, resulting in increased prescription cost. Longer-term follow-up will establish whether or not this translates to improved outcomes in terms of progression of CKD, cardiovascular disease and patient mortality.
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Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. · Aug 2013
Long-term vasopressin-V2-receptor stimulation induces regulation of aquaporin 4 protein in renal inner medulla and cortex of Brattleboro rats.
Desmopressin (dDAVP) induces a decrease in immunolabelling of aquaporin (AQP) 4 protein in the terminal inner medulla (IM) of the Brattleboro (BB) rat kidney. It is disputed, however, whether the decreased labelling reflects real down-regulation of protein abundance, or whether it is a result of epitope shielding in the AQP4 protein, preventing binding of the antibody as previously suggested. Furthermore, it is unknown if vasopressin regulates AQP4 in the connecting tubule (CNT) and in the cortical collecting duct (CCD). Using BB rats, we aimed to determine (i) whether the dDAVP-induced decrease in AQP4 labelling in the terminal IM reflects down-regulation in protein abundance and (ii) whether dDAVP increases the AQP4 protein abundance in the CNT and the CCD. ⋯ In BB rats, long-term administration with dDAVP (i) increased the AQP4 protein abundance in the IMCD1 and decreased the abundance in the IMCD2 and the IMCD3, and (ii) increased the AQP4 protein abundance in the CNT and the CCD.