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BACKGROUND AND AIMS Prevention of catheter related blood stream infection (CRBSI) is a major challenge in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Efficacy of 70% ethanol as a catheter lock solution for the treatment of tunnelled cuff catheter's (TCC's) CRBSI is widely studied [1, 2]. Prophylactic use of ethanol lock was limited to small number of studies especially involving paediatric and home parenteral nutrition (HPN) patients [3] and studies in chronic HD patients with TCCs [4, 5]. But its role in prophylaxis of CRBSI for non-tunnelled catheter (NTC's) is less explored. METHOD We conducted a single centre prospective study from May 2019 to May 2020. A total of 62 patients of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring NTC's for the initiation of HD in emergency or maintenance of HD while waiting for the creation or maturation of an already created arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or for TCC insertion were included. The study population was divided into two groups, Group A (n = 31) received 70% ethanol with heparin 2000 IU as a catheter lock solution. Group B (n = 31) received standard heparin 2000 IU as a catheter lock. RESULTS The primary endpoint of the study was the rate of CRBSI, in group A 6.5% (n = 2) it was significantly lower compared with group B 25.8% (n = 8), (P = 0.038) and when the CRBSI rate/1000 days was calculated, for group A it was 2.2/1000 catheter days and for group B it was 9.6/1000 catheter days (P = 0.04). The mean duration of catheter survival was not significantly different for group A (29.97 ± 6.7) days and group B (26.42 ± 8.04) days. CONCLUSION 70% ethanol lock along with heparin may be safe and effective as a catheter lock for prophylaxis of CRBSI.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and renal allograft recipients (RARs) are at increased risk for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Acute kidney injury (AKI) can develop in a patient with COVID-19 infection. Data regarding the outcome of COVID-19 patients affected with renal disease are scarce, especially from northeastern part of India. METHOD We conducted a single-centre, retrospective, observational study, involving hospitalized COVID-19 affected patients with renal disease in Gauhati Medical College, Guwahati between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021. Patients with various forms of kidney disease including AKI, CKD, RAR and glomerulonephritis were included. The main aim of the study was to describe the outcome (in-hospital mortality) in this group of patients. RESULTS The study included a total of 384 patients with most patients in the elderly age group (73.7% above 45 years). Most of the patients were male (n = 288, 75%). Those with renal disease were grouped under AKI, CKD, RAR, systemic lupus erythematosus with lupus nephritis (LN) and rapidly progressive GN (RPGN) (20.3%, 75%, 3.4%, 1% and 0.3%, respectively). The mean duration of stay at the hospital was 8.1 days with maximum duration for RAR patients with a mean of 11.2 days. A total of 199 patients (51.8%) died. Mortality data were not available for 19 patients who got transferred to various other departments after recovering from COVID-19. Mortality rates for AKI, CKD, RAR and LN were 37.2%, 55.2%, 53.8% and 75%, respectively. One patient with RPGN also died. CONCLUSION COVID-19 affects patients of all age and sex. CKD patients and those on immunosuppressive agents are at higher risk for mortality.

Diabetes mellitus is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease worldwide. The prevalence of nondiabetic renal disease (NDRD) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) varies widely. This study aimed to evaluate the renal biopsies performed on type 2 diabetic patients for suspicion of NDRD and to correlate clinicopathological findings. All T2DM patients aged > 18 years were included in this study, who had renal biopsy performed for the following reasons: recent-onset nephrotic syndrome, unexplained rapid deterioration of renal function, proteinuria not accompanied by retinopathy, and unexplained hematuria. Renal biopsy was analyzed by light microscopy and immunofluorescence. Based on biopsy findings, the patients were grouped into three: (i) isolated NDRD, (ii) NDRD ± diabetic nephropathy (DN), and (iii) isolated DN. A total of 140 patients were enrolled in this study. Recent-onset nephrotic syndrome was the most common indication for biopsy, followed by the presence of active urine sediment. Forty-two percent of the patients had isolated DN, while NDRD was seen in 34% and DN ± NDRD in 24%. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and IgA nephropathy were the most common causes of isolated NDRD, while chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis (CTIN) was common in NDRD plus DN. Short duration of diabetes, absence of diabetic retinopathy, and lower glycated hemoglobin were predictive of NDRD. NDRD was seen in 58% of the patients with atypical presentations. FSGS and CTIN were common in NDRD diseases. Judicious use of biopsy in diabetic patients with atypical presentation may help in the diagnosis of NDRD.

Background Preeclampsia is an important cause of pregnancy-related acute kidney injury (AKI). The objective of our study was to determine the incidence, characteristics, and maternal and neonatal outcomes of AKI in pregnant women with preeclampsia. Materials and methods A prospective, observational, single-center study from January 2019 to January 2020. Patients admitted with preeclampsia were included. Patients with obstetric complications were excluded. AKI was defined according to Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) 2012 criteria. Results Total number of patients with preeclampsia was 104, out of which 25% developed AKI. Among those with AKI, nulliparity (61.5%) was the most common risk factor for preeclampsia followed by prior history of preeclampsia (15.4%), pregestational hypertension (11.5%), pregestational diabetes mellitus (3.8%), and chronic kidney disease (3.8%). There was no significant difference in maternal mortality between those with AKI (15.4%) and without AKI (7.7%). Intermittent hemodialysis was needed in 15.4%. At the end of 90 days follow-up, complete recovery of renal function occurred in 53.8%, partial recovery in 23.1% and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in 7.7%. Perinatal death occurred in 26.9%, preterm birth in 23.1% and stillbirth in 7.7% of those with AKI and was not significantly different from those without AKI. The mean of birth weight in newborns delivered by patients with AKI (2.53 ± 0.73 kg) was significantly lower compared to those without AKI (2.82 ± 0.58 kg). Conclusion AKI was associated with a lower mean birth weight of newborns. Complete recovery of renal function was seen in 53.8% of patients with AKI and preeclampsia.

HAAKI is a common clinical problem in hospitalized patients. Its incidence is high in older patients and carries worse prognosis. The presence of multiple co-morbidities, aging process, and frequent diagnostic and therapeutic interventions predispose elderly patients to HAAKI. This study aims to evaluate the spectrum, risk factors and determinants of outcome of elderly patients with HAAKI. This prospective study was conducted during January 2014 to September 2015 in the Department of nephrology, Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU, Varanasi, UP, India. First 100 HAAKI elderly (> 60 years) patients, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled for study. HAAKI was defined as per RIFLE criteria after minimum 48 h of hospitalization. Clinical, biochemical, and radiological evaluation were done. Follow up was done till discharge or up to 30 days whichever was later. Till selection and enrollment of first 100 HAAKI patients, total 23507 patients were hospitalized. 11.2% (n = 2635) patients were ≥ 60 years of age. Among 2635 elderly patients, 3.79% (n = 100) developed HAAKI. Commonest causes of HAAKI were sepsis (37%) followed by drugs like NSAID, Contrast agent, Amphotericin B, and antibiotics including amino glycosides in (24%) patents. DM and HTN were the commonest risk factors. Mortality was noted in 45% cases and rest 55% patients recovered with partial or full recovery of renal function. ICU admission, Oliguria, RIFLE-F, need of RRT, and SOFA score > 11 were independent determinants of outcome of elderly patients with HAAKI. HAAKI is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. Associated co-morbid conditions predispose elderly patients to HAAKI. ICU admission, Oliguria, severity of renal failure, requirement of RRT, and initial SOFA score were strong predictors of survival of elderly patients with HAAKI.

Background and Aims SLE patients have 40% to 70% life time risk of developing lupus nephritis (LN). In LN patients rate of end-stage renal disease is 10%, remaining constant in the last 30 years, even after the emergence of various immunosuppressive therapy. SLE is an example of classical antibody-mediated disease and hence treatment with B cell depleting agent (like the use of Rituximab ) appears to be a promising approach for this unwinnable disease from the Roman era. The aim of this study was to analyze the outcome in terms of - no renal response (NRR), complete renal response (CRR) or partial renal response (PRR) at week 24 after rituximab treatment initiation in refractory LN. CRR considered, if serum creatinine (S Cr) level returned to baseline, with a decline in the 24 hour urinary protein to < 500 mg/day. PRR defined as stabilization (+/-25%), or improvement of S Cr, plus a 50% decrease in 24 hour urinary protein (which was < 3.5 gm/day). NRR considered, if participant did not achieve either a CRR or PRR. Method It is a single center prospective observational study, comparing short term (24 week) outcomes in resistant lupus nephritis patients of >18 year age group with weekly (total 4) dose of rituximab therapy. The study was conducted on 25 refractory lupus nephritis patients admitted in Nephrology Department (not responding to conventional immunosuppressive drugs like cyclophosphamide, MMF). Repeat renal biopsy was performed, all baseline investigations were done. Injection Rituximab 375 mg/m2 weekly 0,1,2,3 week along with premedication treatment were given to every patient. The clinical outcome was assessed monthly post-treatment. Results In the study maximum patients were of class IV, n=21 (84 %). Sustained (6 months post treatment) CRR was achieved in n=6 (24%) patients, n=7 (28%) patients achieved PRR, rest n=12 (48%) patients had NRR. Mean blood absolute CD-19 count was significantly negatively correlated with response to rituximab treatment ( p< 0.001) .Mean absolute CD-19 count was 2.33/microliter in CRR, 2.14/microliter in PRR group and 21.25 / microliter in NRR group . No significant side effects of rituximab were observed. Limitations –Small sample size, single center study, long term follow up not considered. Conclusion In refractory LN patients, 24 weeks after Rituximab treatment

Background and Aims Acute kidney injury (AKI) is rare in women during pregnancy and puerperium. Although sepsis remains the predominant cause of AKI in pregnancy in developing countries, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia are important causes and can be life threatening. The primary focus of this study was to analyze the clinical profile as well as maternal and fetal outcomes of AKI in pregnant females with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Method A prospective study of patients admitted with pre-eclampsia or eclampsia and AKI in Gauhati Medical College Hospital from June 2018 to June 2019. Clinical profiles and outcome data were recorded. AKI was defined according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Results A total of 26 cases were recorded. The mean maternal age at delivery was 27.5 ± 5.1 years. At least one recorded preexisting medical condition, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or chronic kidney disease was present in 5 cases (19.2%). Cesarean section was performed in 9 cases (34.6%). Eighteen patients (69.2%) developed AKI in third trimester and 6 (23.1%) within 12 weeks postpartum. Four patients (15.4%) were treated with dialysis. Four women (15.4%) died and 2 (7.7%) remained dialysis dependent 12 weeks after delivery. Low birth weight ( Conclusion AKI in pregnancies with pre-eclampsia or eclampsia can not only lead to maternal mortality and morbidity but also poor perinatal outcomes. Preeclampsia or eclampsia presenting with AKI early during gestation had worse fetal outcomes.

Background Pulmonary hypertension is a disorder which worsens systemic diseases. One of the important underlying pathology is end stage chronic kidney disease The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of unexplained PHT, and to relate this to the cardiovascular status and arteriovenous fistula characteristics in ESKD patients on maintenance hemodialysis Methods: 159 patients with end stage kidney disease on maintenance hemodialysis were evaluated, 103 were excluded. Clinical, laboratory parameters were recorded. Systolic Pulmonary artery pressure and cardiac functions were evaluated by echocardiography. Flow across arteriovenous fistula was assessed by Doppler sonography. Patients were divided between the group with and without pulmonary hypertension. It was a cross sectional study. Result: Out of 159 patients, 56 patients who fulfilled inclusion criteria were evaluated, 36% had systolic pulmonary artery pressure of 35 mm Hg, mean age was 52.42 ± 9.12 years, 71.4% were males, and mean duration of end stage kidney disease was 33.66 ±11.56 months. Pulmonary hypertension patients were exposed to longer duration of hemodialysis therapy (p=0.0001) as compared to the patients with no pulmonary hypertension group, they also had a longer duration of functional Arterio venous fistula (p=0.0001), and flow across Arterio venous fistula was significantly more in pulmonary hypertension group (p=0.022), and these also had higher cardiac output (p=0.0001). Patients with Pulmonary hypertension were significantly more anemic, had more hypoalbuminemia and more interdialytic weight gain. Conclusions: Pulmonary hypertension is frequent in end-stage kidney disease patients on maintenance hemodialysis. It appears to be a late complication of hemodialysis with surgically created AVF with implications on cardiovascular status. Keywords: Arterio venous fistula (AVF), End-stage kidney disease (ESKD), Maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), pulmonary hypertension (PHT).Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP)

Lupus nephritis (LN) is an immune-complex glomerulonephritis that is usually manifested by proteinuria, active urinary sediment, hypertension, and renal failure. The objective of this study is to study the clinical and histopathological profile of LN and the response to treatment with cyclophosphamide. This was a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary care center in Assam, India, where 176 LN patients who underwent renal biopsy were included. The presenting features, laboratory parameters such as proteinuria, hematuria, and the histopathological class of the patients were studied. Among the 176 patients, 89.8% were female and 10.2% were male and maximum patients (61.3%) were in the age group of 20–40 years. Pedal edema was present in 100% of the patients, decreased urine output in 43.7%, malar rash in 38%, joint pain in 42%, hair loss in 63%, hypertension in 41.4%, oral ulcers in 31.8%, seizures in 17%, psychosis in 13%, hematuriain 78.4%, anemia in 72.1%, thrombocytopenia in 51.1%, and leukopenia in 31.7% of patients. The anti-nuclear antibody was positive in all patients and anti-dsDNA was positive in 70.5% of the patients. The most common histopathological type was class IV (50%), followed by class III (17.6%). One hundred and two patients received intravenous cyclophosphamide as initial treatment of whom, 40 received the Eurolupus regimen and 62 received the NIH regimen. The number of patients who underwent remission in both the regimen was compared. The response rate of initial treatment with cyclophosphamide in the Eurolupus group was 62.5% and in the NIH group was 64.5% (P >0.05). Majority of the patients had proliferative LN in this study, of which class IV was the most common. Proliferative LN, if not detected and treated early, leads to poor outcome in terms of patient and renal survival. Hence, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus should be evaluated for kidney involvement and treated accordingly for better outcome.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the leading causes of chronic diseases globally, with rising incidence and prevalence. It is a major risk factor for cerebrovascular disease and coronary artery disease, which are the main causes of death in this population. The etiology of CKD is varied. This study was performed to evaluate the various etiologies of CKD among patients presenting to the Department of Nephrology, Guwahati Medical College, a tertiary referral center. A total of 5718 CKD patients were evaluated to identify the cause of CKD. The most common cause was found to be diabetes mellitus in 42.2%, followed by chronic glomerulonephritis in 21.4%, hypertension in 19.5%, obstructive uropathy in 6.9%, chronic interstitial nephritis in 3.6%, and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in 1.5% of the patients. Nearly 2.7% of the patients had CKD of unknown etiology. Most of the common causes of CKD are potentially treatable and initiating appropriate treatment early may prevent the development of CKD or progression to end-stage renal disease.