Emerging data on finerenone have drawn significant interest from nephrologists and cardiologists for its clinical potential in patient management. Its nonsteroidal structure, greater receptor selectivity, and reduced risk of hyperkalemia make it a distinctive choice for clinicians. Mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) are expressed in the collecting ducts, endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells of the interlobar arteries, as well as in podocytes, mesangial cells, and renal fibroblasts. These receptors are also present in cardiovascular and inflammatory cells. MR activation contributes to ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and mediates calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) toxicity, proteinuria, and fibrosis in both the cardiovascular system and kidneys. Blocking MR activation with finerenone may exert therapeutic effects in renal allografts by mitigating IRI, preventing CNI toxicity, reducing proteinuria and renal fibrosis, and lowering the risk of renal and cardiovascular events. Preclinical and clinical studies in the general population with diabetes have demonstrated that finerenone effectively reduces proteinuria and improves renal and cardiovascular outcomes. However, clinical evidence in kidney transplant recipients remains extremely limited, and the efficacy and safety of finerenone in this population are yet to be established. To date, no clinical trials specifically investigating finerenone in kidney transplantation have been published, with only the EFFEKTOR trial currently underway. This review discusses the mechanistic rationale, extrapolates evidence from nontransplant populations, identifies key knowledge gaps, and proposes future research directions to evaluate the safety and efficacy of finerenone in kidney transplant recipients.

Transdiaphragmatic intercostal hernia (TDIH) is a rare condition involving simultaneous disruption of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, allowing abdominal organs to herniate into the chest wall. It is usually traumatic and spontaneous cases are uncommon and can be easily overlooked. We report the case of a man in his late 60s with six years of progressive right chest wall swelling and recent vomiting and breathlessness. Initial imaging was misinterpreted as pleural effusion, but a computed tomography confirmed a five cm diaphragmatic defect with bowel herniation through the 7th –8th intercostal space. Prompt recognition is vital, as delayed diagnosis may lead to bowel obstruction, strangulation, and life -threatening complications

Transdiaphragmatic intercostal hernia (TDIH) is a rare condition involving simultaneous disruption of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, allowing abdominal organs to herniate into the chest wall. It is usually traumatic and spontaneous cases are uncommon and can be easily overlooked. We report the case of a man in his late 60s with six years of progressive right chest wall swelling and recent vomiting and breathlessness. Initial imaging was misinterpreted as pleural effusion, but a computed tomography confirmed a five cm diaphragmatic defect with bowel herniation through the 7th –8th intercostal space. Prompt recognition is vital, as delayed diagnosis may lead to bowel obstruction, strangulation, and life -threatening complications

Objective: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccinations have been shown to prevent infection with efficacies ranging from 50% to 95%. This study assesses the impact of vaccination on the clinical severity of COVID-19 during the second wave in Brunei Darussalam in 2021, which was due to the Delta variant. Methods: Patients included in this study were randomly selected from those who were admitted with COVID-19 to the National Isolation Centre between 7 August and 6 October 2021. Cases were categorized as asymptomatic, mild (symptomatic without pneumonia), moderate (pneumonia), severe (needing supplemental oxygen therapy) or critical (needing mechanical ventilation) but for statistical analysis purposes were dichotomized into asymptomatic/mild or moderate/severe/critical cases. Univariate and multivariable analyses were conducted to identify risk factors associated with moderate/severe/critical disease. Propensity score-matched analysis was also performed to evaluate the impact of vaccination on disease severity. Results: The study cohort of 788 cases (mean age: 42.1 + 14.6 years; 400 males) comprised 471 (59.8%) asymptomatic/mild and 317 (40.2%) moderate/severe/critical cases. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed older age group (>45 years), diabetes mellitus, overweight/obesity and vaccination status to be associated with increased severity of disease. In propensity score-matched analysis, the relative risk of developing moderate/severe/critical COVID-19 for fully vaccinated (two doses) and partially vaccinated (one dose) cases was 0.33 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16–0.69) and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.46–0.82), respectively, compared with a control group of non-vaccinated cases. The corresponding relative risk reduction (RRR) values were 66.5% and 38.4%, respectively. Vaccination was also protective against moderate/severe/critical disease in a subgroup of overweight/obese patients (RRR: 37.2%, P = 0.007). Discussion: Among those who contracted COVID-19, older age, having diabetes, being overweight/obese and being unvaccinated were significant risk factors for moderate/severe/critical disease. Vaccination, even partial, was protective against moderate/severe/critical disease.

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for the majority of patients with Kidney Failure in an ideal world and is preferred over dialysis on the basis of evidence that demonstrate improvement in health-related quality of life and prolongation of life expectancy. However, shortage of suitable organs remains a limiting factor for program expansion. In Brunei Darussalam, despite having conducted over 16 cases of successful living related donor-recipient kidney transplantation over a period of 8 years, the program is still considered at its infancy state. This review article discusses the evolution of our program and the problems associated with setting up such a nationwide kidney transplantation program and elaborate our plans to increase the scope of services in the future, towards ‘Wawasan 2035’.

From late December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) occurred in Wuhan, China and has spread globally resulting in a pandemic. Brunei Darussalam reported its first case of COVID-19 on 9 March 2020. Several measures were implemented to prevent a national outbreak. We report our experience with surveillance of patients requiring admission in all government hospitals. We detected one positive case, and through contact tracing two further cases were detected. Therefore, without this screening programme, these cases would likely have been missed, leading to further nosocomial and community spread.

INTRODUCTIONSevelamer hydrochloride (Renagel) is frequently used as a second-line phosphate binder in patients on renal replacement therapy. Many studies have shown that sevelamer can improve vascular calcification, serum uric acid and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The main objectives of this study were to assess the efficacy of sevelamer against calcium-based phosphate binders, as well as its tolerability and side-effect profile.

METHODSThis was a retrospective study that included all patients on renal replacement therapy (between 2008 and 2011) who had previously received calcium-based binders for ≥ 6 months and were subsequently switched to sevelamer. Data collected from the patients' medical records included demographics, as well as renal parameters three months prior to sevelamer treatment, and at three and six months post treatment. The study excluded patients on multiple, concomitant phosphate binders or with functioning renal transplants, and those who were noncompliant or had inadequate follow-up blood investigations.

RESULTSA total of 39 patients were included in the study. No major side effects were reported by any of the patients. There were improvements in calcium, phosphate, uric acid and LDL cholesterol levels at three and six months post-sevelamer treatment.

CONCLUSIONWe found sevelamer to be superior to calcium-based phosphate binders in reducing serum calcium, phosphate, uric acid and LDL cholesterol levels in our patient population with advanced renal bone disease. Sevelamer also appears to be well tolerated with no significant side effects.

Adult ; Bone Diseases ; complications ; Chelating Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; drug therapy ; Hyperphosphatemia ; drug therapy ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phosphates ; chemistry ; Polyamines ; therapeutic use ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Sevelamer ; Treatment Outcome ; Uric Acid ; blood

Introduction: Aluminium exposure and toxicity are uncommon in humans. However it may occur in patients on long term haemodialysis (HD) due to water exposure during treatment. We retrospectively assessed the extent of aluminium exposure in our HD and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients from 2002 to 2008. Materials and Methods: The study population included 43 HD patients and 77 PD patients whose blood samples were collected at four monthly intervals. In addition, HD patients were also interviewed on lifestyle factors (aluminium cookware, diet, aluminium-containing medications and tap water consumption) that may impact on serum aluminium levels. Reverse osmosis (RO) water aluminium levels were also collected during this timeframe. : More patients on HD had readings above the accepted range (>0.01mg/L) than peritoneal dialysis (36.9% vs. 23.8%). The mean aluminium values for HD and PD patients were 63.35 ± 34.69μg/L and 38.34 ± 17.02μg/L respectively (p<0.05). Use of aluminium cookware was identified as a risk factor for high aluminium readings in HD patients. The trend of serum aluminium correlated with that of RO water aluminium during the studied period. There was no evidence of clinical toxicity in our patients during follow up. Conclusion The study showed that HD patients are at a higher risk of aluminium toxicity compared to PD patients. Treated RO water aluminium should be analysed on a regular basis to prevent aluminium toxicity in HD patients. Lifestyle factors may have an impact on aluminium levels in patients with renal disease.
Complications ; Dialysis ; Heavy Metal Toxicity ; Risk Factors