Volume 17 Issue 4, April 2021

Recent clinical trials demonstrated that sodium–glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors can reduce hospitalization for heart failure and improve hard kidney end points in patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus. These observations consolidate the view that organ protection is independent of blood glucose control and mitigation of traditional risk factors.

A new study reports the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among a cross-section of patients on haemodialysis and uses these data to estimate seroprevalence in the general US population. Although this study demonstrates the potential of monitoring infectious disease prevalence in dialysis populations, the findings should be interpreted with caution.

Clinical trials have demonstrated that glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R) agonists have therapeutic benefits beyond glycaemic control. Here, the authors examine the protective effects of incretin-based therapies in patients with diabetic kidney disease and how the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects of GLP1 might underlie this protection.

The molecular features that define the initiation and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are being increasingly defined. This Review summarizes common genomic and chromosomal copy number abnormalities in ccRCC, providing a mechanistic framework with which to organize these features into initiating events, drivers of progression and factors that confer lethality.

Here, the authors describe the mechanisms of ultrafiltration during kidney replacement therapy, the effects of ultrafiltration on cardiovascular physiology and the principles of volume management in critically ill patients. They also discuss potential mechanisms that could underlie the association between ultrafiltration rate and organ dysfunction.

Here, experts from the European Reference Network for Kidney Diseases and the European Society for Paediatric Nephrology present recommendations for the management of congenital nephrotic syndrome, including the use of renin–angiotensin system inhibitors, diuretics, anticoagulation and infection prophylaxis.