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Background: The burden of acute kidney injury (AKI) is high in Africa. While there are no reliable statistics about AKI in Africa, the Global Snapshot Study of the 0by25 initiative of the International Society of Nephrology has determined dehydration, infections, animal envenomation, and complications during pregnancy as the main causes. Methods: This study was conducted at the Soba University Hospital (SUH), Khartoum, Sudan, a tertiary referral center. We included all hemodialysis patients treated for AKI at SUH between ­January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014 in the study. We reviewed patients’ hospital records and characterized pathogenesis, treatment, and patient outcomes. In addition, we investigated survival by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. Results: Out of 520 patients who received emergency HD, 71 patients (14%) had AKI (age 40.6 ± 17.3 years, 56.5% were males). Glomerular and tubular-interstitial diseases were the leading cause of AKI, followed by envenomation and intoxication by hair dye. Patients received a median of 5 dialysis sessions for a median of 8 days. In 32 patients (45%) renal function recovered, 10 patients (14%) died, and 29 patients (41%) remained dialysis-dependent. Mortality was significantly higher in females compared to men (hazard ratio 4.1 [95% CI 1.02–16.67]). Outcomes were worse in patients with pre-renal AKI and intoxications. Conclusion: Our results indicate a higher mortality in females and in patients with pre-renal AKI and intoxications. Awareness of factors associating with poor outcomes is central to diagnostic and therapeutic efforts, and must be considered in the design of initiatives to reduce risk factors and improve outcomes of AKI in developing countries.

Background: The number of patients receiving renal replacement therapy (RRT) increases annually and worldwide. Differences in the RRT incidence, prevalence, and modality vary between regions and countries for reasons yet to be clarified. Aims: Gain a better understanding of the association between hemodialysis (HD)-related variables and general population global health indicators. Methods: The present study included prevalent HD patients from 27 countries/regions from the monitoring dialysis outcomes (MONDO) database from 2006-2011. Global population health indicators were obtained from the 2014 World Health Organization report and the Human Development Index from the Human Development Report Office 2014. The Spearman rank test was used to assess the correlations between population social economic indicators and HD variables. Results: A total of 84,796 prevalent HD patients were included. Their mean age was 63 (country mean 52-71), and 60% were males (country mean 52-85%). Significant correlations were found between HD demographic clusters and population education, wealth, mortality, and health indicators. The cluster of nutrition and inflammation variables were also highly correlated with population mortality, wealth, and health indicators. Finally, cardiovascular, fluid management, and dialysis adequacy clusters were associated with education, wealth, and health care resource indicators. Conclusion: We identified socioeconomic indicators that were correlated with dialysis variables. This hypothesis-generating study may be helpful in the analysis of how global health indicators may interfere with access to HD, treatment provision, dialytic treatment characteristics, and outcomes.

Objective We sought to assess worldwide differences among pediatric patients undergoing hemodialysis. Because practices differ widely regarding nutritional resources, treatment practice, and access to renal replacement therapy, investigators from the Pediatric Investigation and Close Collaboration to examine Ongoing Life Outcomes, the pediatric subset of the MONitoring Dialysis Outcomes Cohort (PICCOLO MONDO) performed this cross-sectional study. We hypothesized that growth would be better in developed countries, possibly at the expense of bone mineral disease. Study Design In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed growth by height z score and recommended age-specific bone mineral metabolism markers from 225 patientshemodialysis, between the years of 2000 to 2012 from 21 countries in different regions. Results The patients' median age was 16 (IQR 14-17) years, and 45% were females. A height z score less than the third percentile was noted in 34% of the cohort, whereas >66% of patients reported normal heights, with patients from North America having the greatest proportion (>80%). More than 70% of the entire cohort had greater than the age-recommended levels of phosphorus, particularly in the Asia-Pacific and North America, where we also observed the greatest body mass index z score (0.99 ± 1.6) and parathyroid hormone levels (557.1 [268.4-740.5]). Below-recommended parathyroid hormone levels were noted in 26% and elevated levels in 61% of the entire sample, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. Lower-than-recommended calcium levels were noted in 36% of the entire cohort, particularly in Latin America. Conclusions We found regional differences in growth- and age-adjusted bone mineral metabolism markers. Children from North America had the best growth, received the most dialysis, but also had the worst phosphate control and body mass index z scores.

Background Using fluoroquinolone prophylaxis in pediatric neutropenic patients is a controversial issue due to the concern about emergence of resistant strains in addition to the lack of pediatric studies. This study was performed to assess the effectiveness of levofloxacin prophylaxis in pediatric patients during autologous stem cell transplantation. Methods This was an observational study of pediatric patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation, comparing patients who received levofloxacin prophylaxis to historical controls. Results A total of 96 patients were included (46 patients in the control group and 50 patients received levofloxacin). The median duration till onset of first fever was 11 d in the control group as compared to 15 d in patients who received levofloxacin (p ≤ 0.001). The incidence of infectious complications was higher in patients without levofloxacin (4/46) than those with levofloxacin (1/50). The median duration of empirical antibiotic use was 10 d in the levofloxacin group compared with 14 d in the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusion Levofloxacin prophylaxis delayed first spike of fever, decreased the incidence of septic complications, and shortened the duration of empiric antibiotic use, but its impact on emergence of resistant organisms should be closely monitored.