Intradialytic exercise improves physical function and reduces intradialytic hypotension and depression in hemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: As numbers of maintenance hemodialysis patients are growing, debilitating conditions of muscle wasting and atrophy are becoming some of the greatest concerns in end-stage renal disease patients. Exercise training has various potential benefits in terms of prevention of a sustained decline in functional status. This study aimed to evaluate the physical, psychological, laboratory, and dialysis-related effects of intradialytic exercise. METHODS: We enrolled 22 patients from a hemodialysis center for a 6-month non-randomized prospective trial. Combination of aerobic exercise with bicycle ergometer and anaerobic exercise with elastic bands was conducted during hemodialysis. Data including physical fitness test results, dialysis-related measurements, and biochemical laboratory results were collected at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Depression and quality of life were assessed using Beck Depression Inventory and Short Form-36 health survey. RESULTS: After exercise completion, there were significant improvements in back muscle power, forward and backward trunk flexibility, vertical jump, elbow flexion, sit to stand test, and 6-minute walk test (p < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in dry weight, blood pressure, Kt/V, and biochemical variables, except for intradialytic hypotension (p < 0.05). For depression, Beck Depression Inventory showed statistically significant enhancement (p < 0.05). Scores of Short Form-36 health survey did not show significant increase in each domain, except for bodily pain (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combined aerobic and anaerobic exercise training during dialysis was found to be effective on physical health status, intradialytic hypotension, and depression in terms of mental health. Therefore, the findings of the current study may provide an appropriate guidance for encouraging exercise by nephrologists.

Vascular calcification and cardiac function according to residual renal function in patients on hemodialysis with urination.

BACKGROUND: Vascular calcification is common and may affect cardiac function in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, little is known about the effect of residual renal function on vascular calcification and cardiac function in patients on hemodialysis. METHODS: This study was conducted between January 2014 and January 2017. One hundred six patients with residual renal function on maintenance hemodialysis for 3 months were recruited. We used residual renal urea clearance (KRU) to measure residual renal function. First, abdominal aortic calcification score (AACS) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were measured in patients on hemodialysis. Second, we performed echocardiography and investigated new cardiovascular events after study enrollment. RESULTS: The median KRU was 0.9 (0.3-2.5) mL/min/1.73m2. AACS (4.0 [1.0-10.0] vs. 3.0 [0.0-8.0], p = 0.05) and baPWV (1836.1 ± 250.4 vs. 1676.8 ± 311.0 cm/s, p = 0.01) were significantly higher in patients with a KRU < 0.9 mL/min/1.73m2 than a KRU ≥ 0.9 mL/min/1.73m2. Log-KRU significantly negatively correlated with log-AACS (ß = -0.29, p = 0.002) and baPWV (ß = -0.19, P = 0.05) after factor adjustment. The proportion of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was significantly higher in patients with a KRU < 0.9 mL/min/1.73m2 than with a KRU ≥ 0.9 mL/min/1.73m2 (67.9% vs. 49.1%, p = 0.05). Patients with a KRU < 0.9 mL/min/1.73m2 showed a higher tendency of cumulative cardiovascular events compared to those with a KRU ≥ 0.9 ml/min/1.73m2 (P = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Residual renal function was significantly associated with vascular calcification and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients on hemodialysis.

An Increase in Mean Platelet Volume/Platelet Count Ratio Is Associated with Vascular Access Failure in Hemodialysis Patients.

After stenosis of arteriovenous vascular access in hemodialysis patients, platelets play a crucial role in subsequent thrombus formation, leading to access failure. In a previous study, the mean platelet volume (MPV)/platelet count ratio, but not MPV alone, was shown to be an independent predictor of 4-year mortality after myocardial infarction. However, little is known about the potential influence of MPV/platelet count ratio on vascular access patency in hemodialysis patients. A total of 143 patients undergoing routine hemodialysis were recruited between January 2013 and February 2016. Vascular access failure (VAF) was defined as thrombosis or a decrease of greater than 50% of normal vessel diameter, requiring either surgical revision or percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Cox proportional hazards model analysis ascertained that the change of MPV/platelet count ratio between baseline and 3 months [Δ(MPV/platelet count ratio)3mo-baseline] had prognostic value for VAF. Additionally, the changes of MPV/platelet count ratio over time were compared in patients with and without VAF by using linear mixed model analysis. Of the 143 patients, 38 (26.6%) were diagnosed with VAF. During a median follow-up of 26.9 months (interquartile range 13.0-36.0 months), Δ(MPV/platelet count ratio)3mo-baseline significantly increased in patients with VAF compared to that in patients without VAF [11.6 (6.3-19.0) vs. 0.8 (-1.8-4.0), P< 0.001]. In multivariate analysis, Δ(MPV/platelet ratio count)3mo-baseline was an independent predictor of VAF, after adjusting for age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, vascular access type, the presence of previous VAF, and antiplatelet drug use (hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.21; P< 0.001). Moreover, a liner mixed model revealed that there was a significant increase of MPV/platelet count ratio over time in patients with VAF compared to those without VAF (P< 0.001). An increase in MPV/platelet count ratio over time was an independent risk factor for VAF. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the MPV/platelet count ratio may be useful to screen the risk of VAF in patients undergoing routine hemodialysis.

A Rare Case of Polyneuropathy and Monoclonalgammopathy with Recurrent Acute Kidney Injury.

POEMS syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome and there are few reports of polyneuropathy and monoclonal gammopathy associated with kidney dysfunction. Here, we report a case of POEMS syndrome with recurrent acute kidney injury (AKI). A 52-year-old man presented with bilateral aggravating paresthesia and latermotor weakness of the lower extremities accompanied by repeated elevation of serum creatinine. The patient was finally diagnosed with POEMS syndrome on the basis of fulfilling the two mandatory major criteria (polyneuropathy and monoclonal gammopathy), one other major criterion (sclerotic bone lesion), and several minor criteria. A renal biopsy was performed to clarify the cause of AKI and showed membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis-like lesions with mesangiolysis and endothelial cell injury. This case illustrates that renal manifestations, not included in the diagnostic criteria for POEMS, can be apparent before various other systemic symptoms.

A case of multiple hypervascular hyperplastic liver nodules in a patient with no history of alcohol abuse or chronic liver diseases.

Up-to-date imaging modalities such as three-dimensional dynamic contrast-enhanced CT (3D CT) and MRI may contribute to detection of hypervascular nodules in the liver. Nevertheless, distinguishing a malignancy such as hepatocellular carcinoma from benign hypervascular hyperplastic nodules (HHN) based on the radiological findings is sometimes difficult. Multiple incidental liver masses were detected via abdominal ultrasonography (US) in a 65-year-old male patient. He had no history of alcohol intake and no remarkable past medical history or relevant family history, and his physical examination results and laboratory findings were normal. 3D CT and MRI showed numerous enhanced nodules with hypervascularity during the arterial phase. After US guided liver biopsy, the pathological diagnosis was HHN. To date, several cases of HHN have been reported in patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease or cirrhosis. Herein, we report on a case of HHN in a patient with no history of alcoholic liver disease or cirrhosis.