Association of Acute Interstitial Nephritis with Nivolumab in Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case Report.

Recently, a number of innovative anticancer agents such us the programmed death 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitors have been developed. Nevertheless, this type of immunotherapy may be associated with immune-related adverse events whose pathophysiology is considered similar to those found in autoimmune diseases such as nephritis. We report the case of a 71-year-old female with metastatic renal carcinoma who underwent nephrectomy. After three lines of other chemotherapies (VEGF and mTOR inhibitors), the patient was treated by nivolumab (3 mg/kg) for 4 months and developed acute kidney injury 16 weeks after initiating this immunotherapy. Kidney biopsy displayed a diffuse extensive interstitial inflammation associated with moderate interstitial edema. The discontinuation of nivolumab and the administration of prednisone (at 1 mg/kg and tapered over 3 months) was an effective treatment of the interstitial edema and led to the recovery of the kidney function.

[Capnocytophaga spp. peritonitis in a peritoneal dialysis: A case report]. / Péritonite à Capnocytophaga spp. en dialyse péritonéale automatisée : à propos d'un cas.

INTRODUCTION: Capnocytophaga spp. is a slow-growing bacterium that forms a part of the normal oral flora of dogs and cats. In peritoneal dialysis, only seven cases have been reported. We report the observation of a case of peritonitis with Capnocytophaga spp. in a patient on peritoneal dialysis who lives with a cat. CASE REPORT: A 64-year-old woman with chronic end stage renal disease due to chronic interstitial nephropathy on automated peritoneal dialysis has been admitted for diffuse abdominal pain. The dialysis fluid was cloudy with 11,250 elements/mm3, of leukocytes. Direct examination was negative. The C-reactive protein was 165mg/L. Intraperitoneal probabilistic antibiotic therapy was initiated 1g of cefazolin and 1g of ceftazidime per day. After eight days, aerobic culture was negative, the anaerobic one was positive to gram negative bacilli, but the identification could not be possible with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Antibiotic therapy was continued by ceftazidime for 21 days. The evolution was marked by the improvement of the clinical and biological state of the patient. The germ was finally identified using the genomic 16S rRNA sequencing technique. This is Capnocytophaga spp. Investigation then revealed that the patient's cat sometimes entered her room at the time of connection of peritoneal dialysis. CONCLUSION: The case of our patient once again reveals the diagnostic difficulties posed by Capnocytophaga spp. Innovative techniques, such as MALDI-TOF-MS or genomic sequencing of ribosomal RNA, should be further used in peritoneal dialysis in the diagnosis of peritonitis.

Autodialysis in Morocco: how much longer can we wait?

INTRODUCTION: Autodialysis is the dialysis performed by the patient himself at a local center instead of a hemodialysis center. In Morocco, the practice of hemodialysis dates back to 1970; however, an autodialysis center does not yet exist. The objective was to assess the potential medical fitness and adherence of the patients to an autodialysis program. METHODS: Descriptive and analytical multicenter study conducted in March 2015 involving patients from of eight hemodialysis centers in Casablanca (Morocco). The study was conducted in two steps: 1) a transversal assessment of the medical potential to achieve autodialysis that included 556 patients; 2) a survey of the autodialysis membership that included 383 out of 556 patients who were deemed eligible for autodialysis. RESULTS: The average age was 54.63 ± 15.16 years; the average of hemodialysis duration was 85.9 ± 78.1 months. Diabetic nephropathy (22.7%) was the predominant cause of kidney disease. The assessment of medical potential to achieve autodialysis highlighted that almost all of the patients were in good condition (93%), independent (81%), and those without major comorbidities were less than 76 years old. Regarding the potential patients' adherence to autodialysis, among the 383 patients previously deemed suited for autodialysis, 293 (76.5%) responded favorably to the proposal of self-dialysis. CONCLUSION: The practice of hemodialysis should be implemented in a short time in Morocco because our patients' profile is perfectly suitable to this therapeutic method especially when they are young, in good general condition, autonomous, without major comorbidities, and willing to learn.

Quality of life of hemodialysis patients in Togo: A single-center study on 64 hemodialysis patients at the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital in Lomé, Togo.

This study aims at assessing patients' quality of life during hemodialysis (HD) and determining influencing factors. This prospective study was conducted over a three-month period (December 1, 2012-February 28, 2013) at the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital (CHU-SO) HD unit, the only center to provide such services in Togo. Respondents used the standard Medical Outcome Survey-Short Form 36 questionnaire. This study was conducted on 64 patients (44 males and 20 females = M/F ratio 2.2). Mean patient age was 45.51 ± 14.00 years old with the vast majority in the 16-44-year-old group (90.82%), and mean dialysis vintage was 2.84 ± 2.37 years (1 month to 9.5 years). The mean global quality of life score was 35.58 (standard deviation ± 15). Quality of life physical score and mental score were, respectively, 31.84 and 40.64. Physical limitation scores were 15.23, followed by general ill-health score 37.38 and poor physical function score 47.37. Mental limitation score was 30.20 and vitality score was 43.75. The quality of life was inversely proportional to patient age and the dialysis vintage, with female quality of life scores worse than male in all questionnaire parameters. Togolese dialysis patients suffer from poor quality of life. Factors underlying such poor quality of life include advanced age, female gender, long-standing history of dialysis, and patient profession.

[Tuberculosis among chronic hemodialysis patients in Togo: Report of 10 cases]. / Tuberculose chez les patients hémodialysés chroniques au Togo : à propos de 10 observations.

GOALS: To determine the frequency of tuberculosis among hemodialysis patients in Togo, specify its different localizations and identify its diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study over a period of 5 years (2010-2015). It includes the records of periodic hemodialysis patients in the Nephrology Department of the Sylvanus-Olympio University Teaching Hospital in Lomé. The diagnosis of tuberculosis was selected on the basis of clinical and laboratory data. The specific treatment has involved the association of 4 antituberculosis, which was adapted to the renal function. RESULTS: Of 91 chronic hemodialysis patients treated in Hospital Sylvanus-Olympio hemodialysis center, 10 cases (10.9%) of tuberculosis were diagnosed. The mean age was 37.3±12.8 years, and the sex ratio was 1.5. The median time to onset of tuberculosis after initiation of hemodialysis was 16.8±9 months. Extrapulmonary sites are found in 100% of cases (5 had both peritoneal and pleural localization, only 5 had pleural localization). The tuberculin skin test was positive in 4 patients (40%). The search for Mycobacterium tuberculosis was unsuccessful in all types of samples. Tuberculosis treatment was generally tolerated. Two patients (20%) had died during treatment. CONCLUSION: Tuberculosis is relatively common in hemodialysis patients. Diagnosis is difficult and may be based on the therapeutic trial.

[Valvular calcifications in a patient on hemodialysis in Morocco]. / Calcifications valvulaires chez l'hémodialysé au Maroc.

INTRODUCTION: Valvular calcifications are one of the major cardiovascular complications of hemodialysis because of its prevalence and its predictive indices of morbidity and mortality. There are many risk factors associated with these calcifications. Our study aims to evaluate both the prevalence of valvular calcifications in our patients on hemodialysis and their risk factors. METHODS: This was a single-center cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study of 111 adult patients who were on hemodialysis for more than 6 months at the hemodialysis center CHU Ibn Rushd, Casablanca and who underwent ETT during the year 2013. RESULTS: The average age of our patients was 44 ± 14 years. The average duration of hemodialysis was 146 ± 80 months. Average systolic blood pressure was 123 ± 23 mmHg and average diastolic blood pressure 72 ± 13 mmHg diastolic, average iPTH was 529 ± 460 pg/ml, mean serum calcium was 86 ± 10 mg/l and mean serum phosphate was 40 ± 15 mg/l. Mean CRP level was 11±19,8 mg/L. From the therapeutic point of view, 96% of patients were treated with calcium carbonate, 11% with 25 OH vitamin D, 55,5% with 1 hydroxy-vitamin D3. The prevalence of valvular calcification was 15% with aortic valve location in 41.2% and mitral valve location in 41.2%. In univariate analysis, only hemodialysis duration seems to be associated with the occurrence of calcifications and approaches marginal level of significance (p = 0.09). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of valvular calcification in our hemodialysis patients remains high even if it seems relatively low compared to the literature data. No known risk factor was significantly associated with these calcifications.

[Depression in patients on chronic hemodialysis at the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital of Lomé (Togo)]. / Hémodialyse chronique et dépression au Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sylvanus Olympio de Lomé (Togo).

INTRODUCTION: The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of depression and to investigate its associated risk factors in patients with chronic renal failure on hemodialysis. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in the hemodialysis unit of the Division of Nephrology at the University Hospital of Sylvanus Olympio Lomé (Togo) from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014. Self-evaluation Scale as calibrated using the Beck Depression Inventory in his simplified version was our screening tool. RESULTS: During the study period, 88 patients were enrolled of whom 61.4% were men with a sex ratio of 1.6. The average age was 38.80 ± 13.24 years ranging from 12 to 66 years. The majority of patients (90.9%) were workers. Arterial hypertension was the most common somatic comorbidity (45.4%) recorded. Forty-six patients (52.3%) had hemodialysis duration between 1-4 years; 68.2% of patients had depression; 47.7% of depressed patients had severe depression. The occurrence of the depression is significantly related to the hemodialysis length (p= 0,008). CONCLUSION: The management of chronic hemodialysis patient should be multidisciplinary including nephrologist and psychiatrist.

Pulmonary hypertension: prevalence and risk factors.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), defined as a systolic pulmonary artery pressure above 35 mm Hg, is another vascular disease entity recently described in patients receiving hemodialysis. It is a major problem due to its high prevalence and morbidity and mortality. Its pathophysiological mechanism is just known and the strategies for its supported not yet defined. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of PAH in our hemodialysis patients and its risk factors. METHODOLOGY: Single center descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study, including 111 hemodialysis patients who had benefit from a trans-thoracic cardiac Doppler ultrasound during 2014. A value greater than or equal to 35 mm Hg is considered PAH and classified as follows: mild PAH (35 50 mm Hg), moderate PAH (50 70 mm Hg), and severe pulmonary hypertension (> 70 mm Hg). Patients with a high probability of secondary PAH, especially those with the following history: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary embolism, were not included. RESULTS: The mean age was 44.3 ± 14.2 years. Among the 111 patients, 18 had pulmonary arterial pressure above 35 mm Hg corresponding to 16.22% of PAH prevalence. The average pressure was 45 mm Hg. Of these 18 patients, 11.8% had mild PAH, 3.4% moderate PAH and 0.8% severe PAH. The average hemodialysis duration was significantly associated with PAH (p = 0.003); as well as valvular calcification (p = 0.000), mitral regurgitation (p = 0.001) and tricuspid regurgitation (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Primary pulmonary hypertension is a major problem among our hemodialysis because of its high prevalence and its risk factors.

[Falls among hemodialysis patients: Incidence and risk factors]. / Chutes chez l'hémodialysé : incidence et facteurs de risque.

Falls and mineral and bones disorders are both implicated in the occurrence of pathological fractures in patients undergoing chronic dialysis. However, data on falls among this population are rare. We carried out a prospective study during four weeks and included 70 patients on chronic hemodialysis with the main objectives being to evaluate the incidence of falls and factors related to it. At the end of the four weeks, 16 patients (22.86%) fell at least once, with a total of 17 falls during 4 weeks, giving an incidence of 3.2 falls per patient/year. The mean age was 40 ± 16 years. Five patients (31.2%) had a past history of pathological fractures. Ten patients (62.5%) presented intra- and post-dialysis hypotension, six (37.5%) was diagnosed of gait disorders and two (12.5%) had sensory deficit of the lower limbs. Six patients (37.5%) presented frailty. Hypotension (P=0.004), frailty (P=0.047) and sensory deficit (P=0.049) were significantly associated with the occurrence of falls. The incidence of falls is relatively high in our hemodialysis patients and real risk factors exist. Hence, it is important to implement programs for falls prevention to reduce their incidence and impact.

[Changing c.106delG (p.Ala36fs*6) loss syndrome associated with congenital Finnish type: first case diagnosed in Togo]. / Mutation c.106delG (p.Ala36fs*6) associée au syndrome néphrotique congénital type finlandais : premier cas diagnostiqué au Togo.

OBJECTIVE: To report the first case of congenital nephrotic syndrome of the Finnish type (SNCF) in Togo associated with a new mutation of NPHS1. OBSERVATION: Our study focused on a female infant of 10months, born premature at 34weeks 6days, followed from birth to pure SNC discovered the 10th day of life. Monitoring and pregnancy outcome unremarkable. It is the third in a family of three children, the first two are killed in a similar table but not explored before 1year of age. The diagnosis is confirmed by the SNCF genetic study NPHS1 gene encoding nephrin performed in our patient and her parents showed a double mutation of which c.[106delG]+[2728T>C] and p. at the nucleotide level. [Ala36fs*6]+[Ser91OPro] at the protein level inherited from each parent. The change was made to the 10th month of death in life after sepsis in a third of cortico-resistance. CONCLUSION: The SNCF, autosomal recessive disease early, which remains a serious diagnosis, is genetic. This new mutation could she explained the severity of the SNCF in this family?