Volume 12 Issue 9, September 2016

Nephrotoxin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is a considerable risk among hospitalized children. The development and use of a proactive, nephrotoxin screening system seems to have led to a significant improvement in AKI rates in one children's hospital, suggesting that such systems might have broader implications for patient care.

A wearable haemodialysis device holds the promise of freedom for patients to carry on with their lives without the limitations associated with conventional dialysis. A new report of the outcomes of 24 h treatment with a wearable haemodialysis system represents a small but important step forward in the development of a wearable device.

A recent study suggests that salt reduction should be confined to hypertensive individuals with high salt intake. However, this study has serious methodological issues and its findings should therefore not challenge the strong evidence supporting the benefits of salt reduction for the general population.

Haemodialysis vascular access is a 'lifeline' for almost 2 million patients worldwide; yet given the substantial problems associated with access dysfunction, vascular access is also the Achilles heel of haemodialysis. Recent data suggest that use of novel bioengineered human acellular vessels for haemodialysis access might help to overcome these problems.

The most common predisposing factor for the formation of idiopathic calcium stones is hypercalciuria. Here, the authors discuss the mechanisms of idiopathic calcium stone formation and hypercalciuria as well as potential therapeutic strategies to reduce the risk of stone formation.

Molecular phenotyping of renal biopsy samples from transplant recipients has the potential to improve diagnostic precision and understanding of disease processes. In this Review, Philip Halloran et al. describe their strategy to develop a system that enables the molecular assessment of transplant biopsy samples. They discuss the molecular phenotypes of rejection and injury, and how these studies have improved understanding of the processes that occur in renal transplants over time.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have shed light on the genetic basis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here, Matthias Wuttke and Anna Köttgen discuss the findings of GWAS of CKD-defining traits and of GWAS of specific CKD aetiologies and their follow-up experimental and epidemiological studies, as well as their implications for future study design.

Autoantibodies against complement factor H (FH), the main plasma regulatory protein of the alternative pathway of the complement system, are associated with atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome and C3 glomerulopathy. Here, Arvind Bagga and colleagues describe the prevalence, mechanisms, features, therapies and outcomes of kidney diseases mediated by anti-FH antibodies, and propose an approach to evaluate and manage these diseases.