Hemodiafiltration versus Hemodialysis in End-Stage Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Rationale & Objective: The use of hemodiafiltration (HDF) as a kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) has sparked a debate regarding its advantages over conventional hemodialysis (HD). The present study aims to shed light on this controversy by comparing mortality rates and cause-specific deaths between ESKD patients receiving HDF and those undergoing HD. Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The search was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central on July 1, 2023. Setting & Participants: Adult patients with ESKD on regular KRT. Exposure: Studies with participants undergoing HDF. Outcomes: Primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV) mortality, deaths related to infections, and kidney transplant. We also evaluated the endpoints for deaths related to malignancy, myocardial infarction, stroke, arrhythmias, and sudden death. Analytical Approach: We included RCTs evaluating HDF versus HD. Crossover trials and studies with overlapping populations were excluded. Two authors independently extracted the data following predefined search criteria and quality assessment. The risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane's RoB2 tool. Results: We included 5 RCTs with 4,143 patients, of which 2,078 (50.1%) underwent HDF, whereas 2,065 (49.8%) were receiving HD. Overall, HDF was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (risk ratio [RR], 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-0.91; P < 0.001; I2 = 7%) and a lower risk of CV-related deaths (RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.61-0.92; P = 0.007; I2 = 0%). The incidence of infection-related deaths was also significantly different between therapies (RR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.50-0.95; P = 0.02; I2 = 26%). Limitations: In individual studies, the HDF groups achieved varying levels of convection volume. Conclusions: Compared with those undergoing HD, patients receiving HDF experienced a reduction in all-cause mortality, CV mortality, and infection-related mortality. These results provide compelling evidence supporting the use of HDF as a beneficial intervention in ESKD patients undergoing KRT. Registration: Registered at PROSPERO: CRD42023438362.

The efficacy of fluconazole for anti-fungal prophylaxis in peritoneal dialysis patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The efficacy of fluconazole as a prophylactic strategy in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on peritoneal dialysis (PD) with prior antibiotic exposure is controversial in the current literature. This study aimed to compare a strategy of fluconazole prophylaxis versus no-prophylaxis for patients in PD on antibiotics for previous episodes of peritonitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing fluconazole prophylaxis with no prophylaxis for PD-related peritonitis. The search was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central in January 23, 2023. The outcome of interest was the occurrence of fungal peritonitis (FP). RESULTS: We included six studies (1 RCT, 5 observational) with 4515 occurrences of peritonitis, of which 1098 (24.8%) received fluconazole prophylaxis in variable doses, whereas 3417 (75.6%) did not receive prophylaxis during peritonitis episodes. Overall, fluconazole prophylaxis was associated with a lower incidence of FP (OR 0.22; 95% CI 0.12-0.41; p<0.001; I2=0%). Subgroup analysis of studies that administered daily doses of fluconazole also demonstrated a reduced incidence of FP in patients who received antifungal prophylaxis (OR 0.31; CI 0.14-0.69; p=0.004; I2=0%). CONCLUSIONS: In this meta-analysis of 4515 episodes of PD-related peritonitis, prophylaxis with fluconazole significantly reduced episodes of FP as compared with no antifungal prophylaxis.

Discriminatory power of indicators predictors of visceral adiposity evaluated by computed tomography in adults and elderly individuals.

INTRODUCTION: Identifying anthropometric methods of abdominal adiposity, predictors of excess area of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) allows rapid and low cost evaluation for the risk of cardiovascular diseases in the elderly. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the discriminatory power of anthropometric indicators for detection of excess of the area of VAT. METHODS: Cross-sectional study comprising 194 adults and elderly individuals for comparison of both sexes and age groups. Anthropometric variables: waist-to-height Ratio (WHtR), waist-tothigh Ratio (WTR), Abdominal Diameter Index (ADI) and Sagittal Abdominal Diameter Height Index (SAD/Height). The VAT area was identified by computed tomography (CT). Analysis with the ROC curve. RESULTS: There was a high correlation between the VAT area and most of the anthropometric indicators (p ≤0.001). Among elderly men, WHtR showed areas under the ROC curve over 0.90 and cutoff of 0.55 (sens: 85.7%; spec: 82.4%, PPV: 99.9%). For older women, the WHtR cutoff was 0.58 (sens: 81.0%; spec: 78.6%). For the SAD/Height, the areas under the ROC curve were ≥0.83 (p ≤0.01), with cutoffs of 0.12 for men and 0.13 for women. CONCLUSION: There was a strong discriminatory power of the anthropometric indicators abdominal visceral obesity. The WHtR and SAD/Height showed better performance to predict the VAT area of risk in elderly, without the need of measuring it by computed tomography.

Introducción: La identificación de métodos antropométricos de adiposidad abdominal, los predictores de exceso del tejido adiposo visceral (TAV) permiten una evaluación rápida y de bajo costo del riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares en ancianos. Objetivo: Evaluar el poder discriminatorio de los indicadores antropométricos para la detección de exceso del tejido adiposo visceral. Métodos: Estudio transversal compuesto por 194 adultos y ancianos para la comparación entre ambos sexos y por grupos de edad. Las variables antropométricas: Razón cintura/estatura (RCE), Razón cintura/muslo (RCM), el Índice Diámetro Abdominal (SAD/muslo) e el Índice diámetro abdominal altura (SAD/estatura). El área TAV fue identificado por tomografía computarizada. Análisis con la curva ROC. Resultados: Se observó una alta correlación entre el área del tejido adiposo visceral y la mayoría de los indicadores antropométricos (p ≤0,001). Entre los hombres de edad avanzada, la razón cintura/estatura mostró áreas bajo la curva ROC por encima de 0,90 y puntos de corte de 0,55 (sens: 85,7%, espec: 82,4%, VPP: 99,9%). Para las mujeres de edad avanzada, el corte fue de 0,58 (sens: 81,0%, espec: 78,6%). Para SAD/estatura, las áreas bajo la curva ROC fueron ≥0,83 (p ≤0,01), con puntos de corte de 0,12 para hombres y 0,13 para las mujeres. Conclusión: Había se ha observado un fuerte poder discriminatorio de los indicadores antropométricos de obesidad abdominal visceral. La Razón cintura/altura y el diámetro abdominal estatura mostraron un mejor desempeño para predecir la área de TAV de riesgo en los ancianos, sin la necesidad de medirla por tomografía computarizada.