No abstract available.
Acute Kidney Injury/microbiology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Biopsy ; Humans ; Kidney/*microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae/drug effects/*isolation & purification ; Nephritis/diagnosis/drug therapy/*microbiology ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma/diagnosis/drug therapy/*microbiology ; Skin Diseases, Bacterial/diagnosis/drug therapy/*microbiology ; Steroids/therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Vasculitis/diagnosis/drug therapy/*microbiology

No abstract available.
Cystatin C* ; Female ; Filtration* ; Humans ; Kidney* ; Pregnant Women*

Objective: To establish reference values for the computerized cognitive test and evaluate cognitive function improvements across different age groups, we introduce the computerized Cognitive Function Test program (eCFT), specifically designed for children. We aimed to establish eCFT reference values and assess cognitive function improvements across different age groups. Methods: We included children aged 3–6 years with confirmed normal cognition based on the Korean Developmental Screening Test for Infants and Children and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-II. The eCFT consists of 8 subtests for visual perception, attention, memory, and executive function. Results: A total of 66 participants (36 males and 30 females) with an average age of 4.4 years participated. The age 6 group consistently outperformed both age group 3 and 4 in terms of correct responses. With regard to the completed stage, the “selective auditory stimulus” test findings were 2.0 and 3.9 for the age 3 and age 6 groups, respectively (p<0.05). The “trail-making” test findings were 1.7, 2.1, 2.6, and 2.8, respectively (between ages 3 and 6, p<0.01; between ages 4 and 6, p<0.05); moreover, the age 5 group surpassed the age 3 group (2.6 and 1.7, respectively, p<0.05). Conclusion The eCFT is an easily accessible tool to evaluate cognitive function in young children. We introduce reference values with a cutoff range for preschool-aged children, enabling early intervention for those with cognitive impairment. Given its accessibility and relatively short evaluation time, the eCFT has potential for clinical use.

The relationship between salt intake and adequate blood pressure control is not well investigated in Korea populations, especially in patients with cardiovascular disease. This cross-sectional study enrolled 19,083 subjects who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 2009-2011. The amount of salt intake was estimated using the Tanaka equations based on spot urine samples. Comparing patients with and without cardiovascular disease, systolic blood pressure (129.1+/-18.1 mmHg vs. 120.0+/-18.1 mmHg, P<0.001) and the amount of urinary sodium excretion (149.4+/-37.5 mM/day vs. 144.1+/-36.2 mM/day, P<0.001) were higher in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Among patients with cardiovascular disease, the high blood pressure group showed an increased amount of urinary sodium excretion compared to the normal blood pressure group (155.5+/-38.2 vs. 146.6+/-36.9 mM/day, P<0.001). The odds ratio (OR) of high blood pressure was higher (OR, 1.825; 95% CI, 1.187-2.807; P-for-trend 0.003, highest quartile of urinary sodium excretion vs. lowest quartile) in patients with cardiovascular disease. A higher amount of urinary sodium excretion was associated with a lower rate of adequate blood pressure control in Korean population, especially with cardiovascular disease.
Adult ; Aged ; Algorithms ; Blood Pressure/*physiology ; Cardiovascular Diseases/complications/*pathology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Demography ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/complications ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nutrition Surveys ; Odds Ratio ; Sodium, Dietary/*urine

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a rare complication of gemcitabine treatment. A 55-year-old man with a history of urothelial cancer underwent right ureteronephrectomy and palliative chemotherapy. The patient presented with dyspnea, generalized edema with foamy urine, and new-onset hypertension with acute kidney injury (AKI). Although AKI with oliguria was evident, thrombocytopenia and hemolytic anemia were not overt. To determine the cause of rapidly progressive azotemia, kidney biopsy was performed despite a single kidney and revealed chronic TMA. Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia developed after renal biopsy. Diagnosed as gemcitabine-induced TMA, gemcitabine cessation and active treatment including steroids, plasmapheresis, and rituximab were carried out, but the patients condition progressed to a dialysis-dependent state. Gemcitabine-induced TMA is often difficult to diagnose because of its variable clinical course. Therefore, heightened awareness of this potentially lethal complication of gemcitabine is essential; renal biopsy may be helpful.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Anemia, Hemolytic ; Azotemia ; Biopsy ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspnea ; Edema ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Kidney* ; Middle Aged ; Oliguria ; Plasmapheresis ; Steroids ; Thrombocytopenia ; Thrombotic Microangiopathies* ; Rituximab

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are important health issues; however,the association between periodontitis and CKD markers, especially in Korean adults,remains elusive. METHODS: Data on 15,729 Korean adults were obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys IV and V. The CKD markers included a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR;<60 mL/min/1.73m2), proteinuria, and hematuria. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were measured using stepwise multivariate logistic regression analyses for CKD markers based on the presence of periodontitis. RESULTS: Patients with periodontitis had greater unadjusted ORs for CKD markers compared to those without periodontitis, as follows: decreased eGFR,4.07(3.11-5.33); proteinuria, 2.12(1.48-3.05); and hematuria, 1.25 (1.13-1.39, all P<0.001). Periodontitis was a significant predictor of decreased eGFR independent of allcovariates [1.39 (1.03-1.89), P=0.034]. However, the effect of periodontitis on decreased eGFR seemed to be affected by hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Periodontitis was not an independent predictor of proteinuria; the significance disappeared after adjusting for hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Periodontitis was significantly correlated with hematuria, leading to similar ORs regardless of the adjustment for covariates[1.29 (1.15-1.46), P<0.001]. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the correlation between periodontitis and CKD markers, including decreased eGFR, proteinuria, and hematuria in Korean adults.
Adult* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Logistic Models ; Odds Ratio ; Periodontal Diseases ; Periodontitis* ; Proteinuria ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic*

BACKGROUND: Blood pressure (BP) control is the most-established method for the prevention of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. However, the ideal BP target for CKD patients is still under debate. METHODS: We performed a survey of regular registered members of the Korean Society of Nephrology to determine physician perceptions of BP control in patients with CKD. In addition, we evaluated the target BP achievement rate using data from the APrODiTe-2 study. RESULTS: Two-thirds of physicians considered the target BP for CKD to be < 130/85 mmHg. The systolic BP (SBP) thresholds for diabetic CKD, proteinuria ≥ 300 mg/day, 30 ≤ glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, age < 60 years, and the presence of atherosclerotic (ASO) complications were significantly lower than the SBP thresholds of the opposite parameters. The three major hurdles to controlling BP were non-compliance with lifestyle modification and medications, and self-report of well-controlled home BP. Most physicians prescribed home and ambulatory BP monitoring to less than 50% of their patients. The target BP achievement rates using the SBP thresholds in this survey were as follows: non-diabetic (69.3%); diabetic (29.5%); proteinuria < 300 mg/day (72.3%); proteinuria > 300 mg/day (33.7%); GFR ≥ 60 (76.4%); GFR < 30 (47.8%); no evidence of ASO (67.8%); and the presence of ASO (42.9%). CONCLUSION: The target BP was lower in patients with higher cerebro-cardiovascular risks. These patient groups also showed lower target BP achievement rates. We also found a relatively lower application and clinical reflection rate of home or ambulatory BP monitoring.
Blood Pressure* ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Life Style ; Methods ; Nephrology ; Proteinuria ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic*

Excessive dietary salt intake is related to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although dietary salt restriction is essential, it is difficult to achieve because of salt palatability. However, the association between salt perception or salt eating habit and actual salt intake remains uncertain. In this study, we recruited 74 healthy young individuals. We investigated their salt-eating habits by questionnaire and salt taste threshold through a rating scale that used serial dilution of a sodium chloride solution. Predicted 24-hr urinary salt excretions using Kawasaki's and Tanaka's equations estimated dietary salt intake. Participants' mean age was 35 yr, and 59.5% were male. Salt sense threshold did not show any relationship with actual salt intake and a salt-eating habit. However, those eating "salty" foods showed higher blood pressure (P for trend=0.048) and higher body mass index (BMI; P for trend=0.043). Moreover, a salty eating habit was a significant predictor for actual salt intake (regression coefficient [beta] for Kawasaki's equation 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 10-2.69, P=0.048; beta for Tanaka's equation 0.66, 95% CI 0.01-1.31, P=0.047). In conclusion, a self-reported salt-eating habit, not salt taste threshold predicts actual salt intake.
Adult ; Algorithms ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Demography ; Female ; Habits ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Questionnaires ; Self Report ; Sodium Chloride, Dietary/*urine ; Taste Perception ; Taste Threshold ; Urine Specimen Collection

A 48-year-old woman with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) presented with generalized edema and arthralgia. She showed evidences of acute glomerulonephritis including nephrotic-ranged proteinuria. Because her serologic test results were consistent with those for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we performed laparoscopic renal biopsy that confirmed World Health Organization (WHO) class IV lupus nephritis. She was treated with steroids and intravenous cyclophosphamide pulse therapy and eventually started hemodialysis 8 years after the lupus nephritis was diagnosed. To our knowledge, this is the first case wherein a patient with ADPKD underwent a laparoscopic biopsy for diagnosing lupus nephritis.
Arthralgia ; Biopsy ; Cyclophosphamide ; Edema ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lupus Nephritis ; Middle Aged ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases ; Polycystic Kidney, Autosomal Dominant ; Proteinuria ; Renal Dialysis ; Serologic Tests ; Steroids ; World Health Organization

BACKGROUND: Mortality is higher in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) than in the general population, but little information is available on CKD-related mortality that is representative of the Korean population. Our objective was to investigate mortality risk in Korean patients with CKD. METHODS: We identified patients with incident CKD who had not undergone dialysis or kidney transplantation between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2007 in Korea using the database of the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, and stratified the population into the following three groups: group 1 (n = 1,473), controls; group 2 (n = 2,212), patients with diabetes or hypertension, but without CKD; and group 3 (n = 2,212), patients with CKD. We then monitored them for all-cause mortality until December 2013. RESULTS: A total of 1,473 patients were included in this analysis. During the follow-up period, 941 patients in group 3 died (134 deaths/1,000 person-years) compared with 550 deaths in the group 2 (34 deaths/1,000 person-years) and 459 deaths in group 1 (30 deaths/1,000 person-years). The rate ratio for mortality rate was 4.5, and the hazard ratio for mortality was 4.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.36–5.47, P < 0.001) in patients in group 3 compared with age- and sex-matched controls (group 1). The rate ratio for mortality rate was 4.0, and the hazard ratio for mortality was 4.36 (95% CI, 3.92–4.85, P < 0.001) in patients in group 3 compared with patients in group 2. CONCLUSION: In this nationally representative sample cohort, excess mortality was observed in Korean patients with incident CKD.
Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dialysis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Kidney Transplantation ; Korea ; Mortality ; National Health Programs ; Renal Insufficiency ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic