Volume 14 Issue 1, January 2018

Hypertension is a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the optimal blood pressure (BP) target in patients with stage 3–5 CKD is unclear. Now, a meta-analysis reports that more-intensive BP control is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality compared with less-intensive BP goals in this high-risk population.

Antiviral treatment options for HCV-infected patients with advanced kidney disease are limited because few clinical trials have tested the efficacy of antiviral drugs in this population. Now, a phase III trial of two pan-genotypic drugs demonstrates excellent viral clearance with minimal adverse events in HCV-infected patients with advanced kidney disease.

Standardized prevention approaches can decrease the incidence of acute kidney injury among high-risk patients. Now, the INPRESS study demonstrates that a personalized intraoperative blood pressure management strategy guided by risk stratification can improve perioperative practice and reduce the risk of organ dysfunction among high-risk patients undergoing major surgery.

The perception of thirst is critical for the control of body fluid homeostasis. In this Review, Gizowski and Bourque discuss the importance of thirst for body fluid balance and describe the central neural networks that regulate thirst, including adaptive changes to systemic processes and feedforward anticipatory responses that precede physiological challenges to maintain body fluid balance.

Complement activation has important physiological and pathological implications for kidney-related and other diseases. Here, the authors discuss the state of the art of complement therapeutics, including the targets, candidate drugs, insights from clinical trials and evolving challenges for the field.

Animal models that faithfully recapitulate human diabetic nephropathy (DN) are needed to study disease pathogenesis, identify drug targets and test new therapies. Here, the authors review progress in developing mouse models of DN, the limitations of current models, and opportunities for future development.

Dyslipidaemia is a common consequence of nephrotic syndrome, and results in various cardiovascular and metabolic complications. In this Review, the authors discuss the mechanisms that underlie the development of dyslipidaemia, and the treatment options that are available to ameliorate its effects.