Volume 15 Issue 11, November 2019

A new study of deep learning based on electronic health records promises to forecast acute kidney injury up to 48 hours before it can be diagnosed clinically. However, employing data science to predict acute kidney injury might be more challenging than it seems.

The MENTOR trial reported that rituximab is superior to ciclosporin for remission of nephrotic syndrome in patients with membranous nephropathy. Rituximab is better tolerated than other treatments but, as up to 40% of patients did not respond to rituximab, alternative immunosuppressive therapies may still be required for a substantial minority of patients.

A new study reports important differences between the characteristics of patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis who are enrolled in clinical trials worldwide and the general US dialysis population. These findings highlight the importance of including older patients and those with comorbidities in clinical trials.

Haemorrhagic stroke is more common in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) than in the general population. A recent study reports that low concentrations of LDL significantly increase the risk of haemorrhagic stroke. This finding challenges the concept of aggressive lipid lowering in patients with high cardiovascular risk, including those with CKD.

Intravascular haemolysis and the subsequent release of proinflammatory haemoglobin and haem into the circulation are characteristic of several diseases. This Review discusses the major pathophysiological mechanisms and consequences of intravascular haemolysis with a focus on the kidney, and highlights emerging therapeutic strategies to target haemolysis-related kidney injury.

Here, the authors discuss the multiple functions of the (pro)renin receptor in physiological processes, including blood pressure regulation, energy metabolism and autophagy, as well as its roles in the pathogenesis of diseases including fibrosis, chronic kidney disease, pre-eclampsia and cancer.

This Consensus Statement developed on behalf of the Network for Early Onset Cystic Kidney Disease provides guidance on counselling, diagnosing and monitoring children with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease based on current evidence and a multi-stakeholder discussion of ethical issues.