Candiduria is a common nosocomial infection afflicting the urinary tract. This review is aimed at providing an updated summary of the problem in hospitalized adult patients. A review of English Medline literature published between Jan 1970 until June 2007 was performed. Reviews, clinical trials and case-controlled studies in adult patients were included. Risk factors for candiduria included urinary indwelling catheters, use of antibiotics, elderly age, underlying genitourinary tract abnormality, previous surgery and presence of diabetes mellitus. Presence of candiduria may represent only colonization and there are no consistent diagnostic criteria to define significant infection. Candiduria may not be associated with candidemia and most cases are asymptomatic. Asymptomatic candiduria is usually benign, and does not require local or systemic antifungal therapy. Physicians need to confirm the infection by a second sterile urine sample, adopt non-pharmacologic interventions and modify risk factors. Mortality rate can be high particularly in debilitated patients and awareness to validate candiduria is necessary to stratify treatment according to patient status. Appropriate use of anti fungal drugs, when indicated, should not replace correction of the underlying risk factors. Treatment of symptomatic candiduria is less controversial and easier.

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The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in hemodialysis patients (HD) has decreased significantly during the past decade in most HD units. To evaluate the cause(s) of this reduction, we studied the HCV antibodies measurements in 1006 HD patients in the Province of Mazandaran, Iran, from January 2001 to December 2006. In December 2001, the prevalence of antibody to HCV was 18%, whereas by December 2006, it decreased to12%. Causes implicated in the reduction of prevalence of HCV infection in HD patients include a low percentage of new anti-HCV+ patients, a decrease in the conversion rate in HD patients, and more strict infection control measures in the dialysis units.

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Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a recently proposed clinico­neuroradiological entity observed in a variety of clinical settings such as cyclosporin A (CsA) neurotoxicity. We report a 3.5-year-old Syrian boy in whom steroid-resistant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) was recently diagnosed. The patient remitted his nephrotic syndrome after 10 days of CsA administration. However, he shortly developed altered mental status, visual impairment, focal neurological deficits and seizures. We discontinued CsA that resulted in complete reversal of the patient's encephalopathical condition over a period of 4 months. We conclude that PRES should be suspected in immunosuppresed patients with kidney disease if they have a sudden episode of neurological symptoms.

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Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by an exceptionally high mortality rate, much of which results from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Chronic low-grade inflammation, as evidenced by increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein (CRP), is a common feature of CKD and may cause atherosclerotic CVD through various pathogenetic mechanisms. Evidence suggests that persistent inflammation may also be a risk factor for progression of CKD, which may result in a vicious inflammation-driven circle. The causes of inflammation in CKD are multifactorial. The influence of various comorbidities may contribute to inflammation in the setting of progressive loss of renal function. Available data suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokines also play a central role in the genesis of the metabolic syndrome. There is a lack of epidemiological data on the prevalence and consequences of inflammation in relation to protein-energy wasting (PEW) and CVD in CKD patients from developing countries. The 'westernization' of nutritional intakes and changes of life style besides the high prevalence of chronic infections in developing countries are possible additive contributors to a high prevalence of inflammation, PEW and CVD among CKD patients. Also, genetic differences may affect inflammatory responses and nutritional status and, thus, the susceptibility to CVD in different regions.

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Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is the most appalling complication of acute or chronic liver disease with 90% mortality rate. Single pass albumin dialysis (SPAD) can be considered as a noble liver support technique in HRS. Here, we present a case of a young healthy patient who developed hyperacute fulminant liver failure that progressed to HRS. The patient was offered SPAD as a bridge to liver transplantation, however, it resulted in an excellent recovery.

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Information about the genotypes and associated risk factors in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients in Iran is limited. The aim of this study was to identify the HCV genotypes and associated risk factors in a group of HCV infected patients on dialysis therapy in Iran. The sera of 753 patients with chronic renal failure from fifteen dialysis units in East Azerbaijan Province were screened for anti-HCV antibodies as well as HCV RNA; viral RNA was extracted for the genotype specific primer approach. Patients were questioned concerning documented risk factors. Genotyping analysis was performed in 55 patients with positive anti-HCV and HCV-RNA. Genotypes 1 and 3 were found in 46 (83.7%) and three (5.5%) patients, respectively. The most frequent HCV subtype was 1a (76.4%), followed by 3a and 1b and 1b (5.5% each) while one patient was infected with both 1a and 1b. There was no statistically significant difference between the risk factors analyzed and the acqui­sition of HCV infection. This study gives added evidence of the predominant HCV genotypes in Iran, which is different than reports from other Arab countries and similar with the pattern of genotype in both Europe and United States.

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Venomous snakebite is a common problem in India. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence, risk factors and prognostic factors in snakebite induced acute renal failure and to determine their outcome from a tertiary care center in India. A total of 1548 cases of snakebite admitted to adult medical wards of Government Rajaji hospital from January 2003 to December 2004, were studied from hospitalization to discharge or death. There were 1180 poisonous and 368 nonpoisonous snakebites. Among the poisonous, there were 1121 viperidae and 59 elapidae bites. A total of 159 (13.5%) patients (M = 98, F = 61) developed acute renal failure; of them 72 (45.3%) required dialysis and 36 (22.6%) expired (of them, 23 required dialysis). ARF patients were older than non ARF (39.1 vs. 35.4 years, p = 0.03). Cellulites (OR 9.20, p = 0.032), regional lymphadenopathy (OR 22.0, p= 0.001), intravascular hemolysis (OR 3.70, p = 0.004) and bite to needle time more than 2 hours (OR 2.10, p = 0.001) were identified as independent risk factors for the development of acute renal failure. Bite to needle time more than 2 hours (OR 2.10, p = 0.01), presence of intravascular hemolysis (OR 13.0, p = 0.004) and hypotension (OR 22.2, p = 0.04) and the presence of bleeding manifestations (OR 7.91, p = 0.032) were identified as independent predictors of poor outcome in snakebite victims. We conclude that our study demonstrates several risk factors and predictors for the development and outcome of ARF in patients with snakebites.

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Persistent microalbuminuria (MA) is the earliest indicator of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Patients with MA have high risk for target organ damage (TOD) resulting in stroke, retinopathy and adverse cardiovascular events. Though the prevalence of hypertension is high in India, the relationship between MA and TOD in hypertension is not well studied. To address this issue, this study was conducted at the Kottayam Medical College, Kerala, South India, between May 2005 and October 2006. The principal aim was to find out the prevalence of MA and its relationship to TOD in patients with essential hypertension. A total of 150 hypertensives without diabetes mellitus and/or other conditions causing MA were studied. Urine albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) was assessed and MA was defined as albumin excretion between 30-300 mg/day. The relationship of MA with the duration, severity and previous treatment of hypertension, body mass index (BMI), lipid profile and TOD's like left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), hypertensive retinopathy and stroke was assessed by univariate analysis. Forty patients (26.67%) were found to have MA of whom 24 were males and 16 were females. MA was significantly higher in those with longer duration and greater severity of hypertension (p <0.001 in each). Older age (p <0.001), adverse lipid profile (p <0.01) and higher BMI (p <0.04) were the other identifiable risk factors for MA. Gender and history of smoking did not pose higher risk for MA. Stroke (OR=3.8), echocardiography-proven LVH (OR=9.42) and hypertensive retinopathy (OR=9.7) were significantly higher in those with MA. In conclusion, the prevalence of MA in essential hypertension is high and patients with MA have high odds for developing TOD like stroke, LVH and hypertensive retinopathy. Early screening of hypertensives for MA and prompt treatment of positive cases might reduce the burden of CKD and cardiovascular disease in the community.

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To evaluate the effect of diuretics on ureteral stone fragmentation and clearance during therapy with extra corporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), we studied 87 patients with ureteral stone at different levels and treated with ESWL. The patients were randomized into two groups treated by standard ESWL; the treatment protocol included 3500 shock wave per patient in each session, energy of the shock in two groups was 13 to 9 kv per patient, and the number of sessions was 3 per patient. The first group included 43 patients who received only ESWL, while the second group of 44 patients received as well 40 mg of furosemide. Stone fragmentation rate was 81% and 93.1% and stone clearance rate was 68.2% and 88.4% for the first and the second groups, respectively. With diuretics, fragmentation was18.8% more in the middle ureteral stones, 16.9% more in the upper tract stones, and 5.4% more in the distal stones. Moreover, clearance of fragmented stones was 38%, 28%, 15.4% more at middle and upper and distal ureteral stone, respectively. We conclude that the stone fragmentation and clearance were higher with ESWL and diuretics than without diuresis. Diuresis is safe and has some advantage at increasing the effect of ESWL on ureteral stones especially the middle ureteral calculi.

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Renal involvement determines the prognosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aims of this study were to assess the clinical, laboratory and therapeutic aspects of lupus nephritis (LN) in Senegal in order to improve its management. We included all patients presenting with SLE followed­up in the Internal Medicine and Dermatology Clinics of the Aristide Le Dantec University Teaching Hospital of Dakar, from January 1993 to December 2002. Patients with SLE without evidence of LN (defined by proteinuria more than 0.5 g/24 hours and/or hematuria) were excluded. A total of 74 patients with a diagnosis of SLE were studied, 42 of whom (56.75%) had features of LN. Their mean age was 29.6 years and male-female ratio was 0.13. The nephrotic syndrome was seen in 45.23% of the cases and renal insufficiency in 37.71%. Renal biopsy was performed in 52.38% of the cases, which showed predominantly WHO classes IV and V lesions. The main treatment modality employed was corticoste­roids, while immunosuppressive drugs in addition were used in 35.71% of the patients. The short-term prognosis was favorable but in the middle-term, many patients were lost to follow-up. We conclude that early diagnosis by systematic urine screening, good patient information, percutaneous renal biopsy and use of appropriate immunosuppressive therapy will help improving the prognosis of LN in Senegal.

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This is the first report from Saudi Arabia studying the normal reference intervals in adult Saudi subjects and evaluating serum cystatin C as a prospective marker for the assessment of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Three hundred healthy adult Saudi subjects including 156 males (52%) and 144 females (48%), with a mean age of 31.21 ± 9.82 years were prospectively studied to establish normal reference ranges for cystatin C. A total of 68.34% of the study patients were in the age-group of 21-40 years. The mean serum cystatin C in the 300 healthy subjects was 0.751 ± 0.11 mg/L (0.50 - 1.09), increasing gradually with age: it was 0.738 ± 0.11 mg/L (0.51 - 1.09) in the age­group 21 - 30 years and 0.807 ± 0.12 (0.51 - 1.09) among subjects who were > 50 years of age. The mean serum cystatin C in females (0.778 ± 0.118 mg/L) was significantly hig-her than in males (0.726 ± 0.095 mg/L) (p < 0.0001). The serum cystatin C level was within the defined reference range of 0.53 - 0.95 mg/L in 95% of the subjects with a mean value of 0.74 ± 0.097 mg/L, and was falling within the 95% confidence interval of 0.73865 - 0.7637 mg/L, and with 98.84% area under the curve (AUC). All the other renal function markers (urea, serum crea-tinine, calculated GFR, BMI) among the studied subjects were within the normal reference ranges for adult Saudi population. The serum cystatin C level had a significant correlation with the body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.155; p = 0.007) and a correlation with serum creatinine as well (r = 0.009; p = 0.873). It showed a negative correlation with calculated GFR as per Cockroft-Gault equation (r = - 0.101; p = 0.083).

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A retrospective study was conducted on 143 consecutive renal transplant recipients who had a functioning graft for three months or longer, to evaluate the prevalence of post-transplant erythrocytosis (PTE) and its potential risk factors. True PTE was defined as hematocrit (Ht) above 52% and hemoglobin (Hb) above 18 g/dl in males, and Ht above 50% and Hb above 17g /dl in females. A total of 31 patients (21.6%) developed PTE; none had any evidence of polycythemia vera (PV), or secondary polycythemia due to reduced arterial oxygen, kidney or hepatic tumors, or relative erythrocytosis due to a decrease in plasma volume by overuse of diuretics. Thirty-one non-polycythemic patients (Hb 12.9 +-1.6 g/dl) matched for sex, age and renal function were used as case controls. PTE was more common in males (p= 0.043). The majority of our patients developed PTE within the first year post-transplantation and all had excellent renal function at the time of diagnosis. Also, PTE was found to be related to duration on dialysis prior to transplantation (p= 0.0013) and acute rejection (p= 0.0031).

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To evaluate the influence of serum Lp(a) concentration on hypertension in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and under treatment with oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin injections, we studied 122 patients, 82 females and 40 males with a mean age of 63 ± 10 years and duration of DM and HTN of 7.4 ± 5.8 and 3.2 ± 4.6 years, respectively. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) were 138 ±23 mmHg and 83 ± 12 mmHg, respectively. In this cross-sectional study, we measured serum lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a), glycosilated hemoglobine (HbA1c) and other lipids while the patients were receiving either oral hypogycemic agents or insulin. In addition, body mass index (BMI) and creatinine clearance (CrCL) were asessed. The mean serum Lp(a) was 22.2 ± 24.7 mg/dl (median: 18.3 mg/dl), and serum Lp(a) levels > 30 mg/dl was found in 29 (23.8%) patients. There were significant positive correlations of duration of DM and duration of hypertension, and serum Lp(a) levels with of systoli and diastolic levels of BP. However, a significant inverse correlation of serum Lp(a) with CrCL were observed. This study suggests that kidney function is an independent determinant of Lp(a) and HTN in diabetic patients. Furthermore, Lp(a) in diabetic patients may have important implications for the increased susceptibility to vascular disease in these patients.

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Brucellosis is endemic in Saudi Arabia. Brucella peritonitis is an uncommon clinical condition. We herewith report a 67-year-old man with chronic renal failure on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) for four months, who developed chronic brucella peritonitis. Peritoneal fluid grew brucella species with positive brucella serology.

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Many renal lesions may result in chronic kidney disease if not detected early or treated properly. Glomerulonephritis is considered one of the leading causes of end-stage renal disease. The prevalence of different renal lesions were identified by inconsistent studies. The causes of inconsistencies include lack of unified methods in diagnosing and processing renal biopsies by different pathologists, patients selection's bias for renal biopsy, and the variable policies and protocols adopted by different nephrologists. Establishment of renal biopsy registry may help to surmount these differences. In addition, combined data obtained from renal biopsy renal and replacement therapy registries can help study the long-term outcome of patients with renal diseases.

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This study was conducted in order to identify the failure rate of the first arterio­venous fistula (AVF) in patients starting hemodialysis (HD) with a central venous catheter (CVC) and to search for factors responsible for this failure. A retrospective study was conducted on 85 patients on chronic HD in Abidjan, from March 15 ^th to April 15 ^th , 2007. Factors that could poten­tially influence the failure of the first AVF were collected. Statistical analysis was used for com­parison between groups. Among the study subjects, 7.14% had AVF at the start of their dialysis as against 92.86% who had CVC. About 50% of the patients starting dialysis with CVC failed to have an AVF created within 90 days of commencing dialysis. The number of catheters inserted was significantly higher in patients with failed first AVF as compared to their counterparts (49.29 % versus 30.77%) (p< 0.001). Similarly, the number of attempts at AVF creation, within 90 days of starting HD, was significantly higher in patients with failed first AVF (81.48% versus 18.52%) (p< 0.001). Multivariate analysis did not reveal any specific factor(s) that influenced the failure rate of the first AVF. Our study suggests that a very small number of patients in Ivory Coast started dialysis with an AVF. The failure rate of the first AVF in patients starting dialysis on CVC is about 50%.

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To evaluate the prevalence of HBV infection in chronic hemodialysis patients at our dialysis center of Urmia's Taleqni Hospital, Urmia, Iran, we studied cross­sectionally the hepatitis surface antigen (HbsAg) status in blood samples of 167 active chronic hemodialysis patients at our center with enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). The mean frequency of HbsAg+ was 6.58%, which was higher in patients less than 50 years old than in those above 50 years (9.3% vs. 5.3%, respectively), in males than females (10.5% vs. 2.5%, respectively), and in those on three times dialysis than twice per week (7.1% vs. 0.0%, respectively). We did not find a significant relationship between the factors of: age, sex, being resident in city or village, duration of the therapy, history of blood transfusion, marital status, job status, history of kidney transplantation, and preva­lence of HbsAg+.

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Aphallia is a rare urogenital anomaly. It usually coexists with other serious anomalies, which are incompatible with normal life. We present herewith a 18-month-old child who presented with aphallia and urethro-scrotal fistula along with stones in the bla­dder and urethra. The stones were removed and the fistula was surgically corrected.

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Acute oliguric renal failure (ARF) developed in a patient 2 days after she was started on intermittent anti-Brucella therapy including rifampicin. The clinical picture was compatible with acute allergic interstitial nephritis. Renal histology revealed mainly acute tubular necrosis with mild tubulo-intertitial mononuclear cellular infiltrate. Intermittent therapy, as in our patient, has been the major factor in the development of rifampicin induced ARF in cases reviewed in literature.

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To investigate the effect of cool dialysis on hemodynamic parameters and serum nitric oxide levels in diabetic patients, we studied 20 old (mean age 63.3 ± 7.5) chronic hemodialysis diabetics who were dialyzed twice, once using cool and once using standard (37 ^o C) temperature dialysate solution. During the study, all the dialysis conditions were maintained the same except coo­ling the dialysate from 37 ^o C to 35°C. Hemodynamic parameters including SBP, DBP, and HR were measured hourly. Oral temperature was measured before and after dialysis. Serum urea and nitric oxide metabolites were determined before and after hemodialysis. Systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure decreased significantly during standard temperature compared to cool dialysis. Maximum decrease of systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure was observed during the third hour of dia­lysis and the magnitude of decrease was 18, 17, and 14 percent for standard temperature and 6, 1, and 4 percent for cool dialysis, respectively. Heart rate did not differ significantly between the two study groups. Compared to the pre dialysis levels of serum nitric oxide metabolites, the post dialy­sis levels decreased significantly with cool and standard temperature dialysate (59 ± 5 vs. 37 ± 4, and 63 ± 7 vs. 41 ± 5, µmol/L respectively, P< 0.01). Cool dialysis could decrease episodes of hypotension and stabilized hemodynamic parameters in diabetic patients. Probably other mechanisms than in­creased serum nitric oxide levels may be involved in hemodialysis hypotension in this group of patients.

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The changes in parathyroid hormone secretion after successful renal transplantation remain to be clearly elucidated. Our study was aimed at identifying the predictors of hyperpara­thyroidism in renal transplant recipients. A retrospective single center study involving 37 renal transplant recipients, with a follow-up of at least one year, was performed. All transplants were performed using kidneys from living related donors. The average age of the study patients was 30 ± 10 years, with a male-female ratio of 1.31. The mean duration on hemodialysis (HD) prior to transplantation was 25 ± 18 months. All the grafts but one, were functional after a mean follow-up of 41 ± 21 months. We noted a rapid reduction of the mean parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level from 383 ± 265 pg/ml before transplantation to 125 ± 67 pg/ml at one year and 108 ± 66 pg/ml at two years after transplantation (p = 0.01). Bivariate analysis revealed that the level of iPTH obtained during follow-up correlated with the duration on HD (p = 0.03), the serum creatinine at 24-months (p = 0.013), and to the level of iPTH in the first year post­transplantation (p = <0.001). Other clinical or laboratory parameters were not predictive of hyperpara­thyroidism after kidney transplantation. Linear regression showed that only the serum creatinine at 24­months independently correlated with the level of iPTH at last follow-up (p = 0.02). Our study suggests that short duration on HD and a functional graft are the main predictors of correction of hyperparathyroidism after renal transplantation.

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To determine the conditions that result in pediatric nephrology consultations in an academic hospital setting, we studied 178 prospective consecutive consultations for 125 inpatients (69 boys and 56 girls) at the Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan from January 2006 to December 2006. The mean age at the time of consultation was 3.1 years (median of 1 year, and range from 1 day to 16 years). Of the 125 patients, 87 (69.6%) patients had a single consultation, while 38 (30.4%) patients had multiple encounters (range from 1-4 consultations). The reasons for consultations included fluids and electrolytes imba­lances (29.0%), hydronephrosis (15.7%), urinary tract infections (14.2%), acute renal failure (ARF) (14.2%), hypertension (8.40%), and miscellaneous conditions (18.5%). The most frequent fluids and electrolyte disorders were polyuria, hypocalcemia, and hyponatremia. Routine administration of hypotonic intravenous fluids was a major contributory factor to hyponatremia. The most frequent cause of ARF was acute tubular necrosis in association with multiple organ dysfunction and antibiotic nephrotoxicity. Hypertension was mostly neurogenic in origin.

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Senior-Loken syndrome is a rare syndrome of retinopathy and nephrono­phthisis. The clinical features of this syndrome include renal involvement, ocular involve­ment, retinitis pigmentosa and other systemic involvement. We describe an 11-year-old Saudi girl who was diagnosed to have this syndrome. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of this syndrome from the Arabian Peninsula.

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A 51-year-old man, who received a living related transplant from his wife and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) as induction therapy, developed delayed graft function after transplantation. One day after he received an i.v. dose of ganciclovir, the patient developed hallucinations, confusion and agitation, which worsened the following day. CT­scan of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid were unremarkable. Ganciclovir-induced encepha­lopathy was considered the most likely reason for the patient's neurological condition, since he recovered completely a few days after discontinuation of this drug. Since anti-CMV prophylactic treatment is now widely used after transplantation, a high index of suspicion is required to diagnose ganciclovir (or acyclovir) induced neurotoxicity.

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Megaureter is a developmental anomaly of the ureter, which is associated with significant morbidity in children and frequently requires surgical intervention. I am presenting here a case of massively dilated ureters in a child that occupied almost the entire abdomen and was wrongly misinterpreted as a cystic lymphangioma due to its unusual presentation.

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This paper is in the form of a letter to a medical student advising her/him on how to choose his/her future specialty

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Abdominal organ recovery has undergone important changes in concepts and practice in recent years, most importantly in the combined approach to retrieve the liver and pancreas by one surgical team. We studied retrospectively 81 organ donors and their respective recipients that were performed from 1996-1997. We compared the results of organ function, morbidity, mortality, and operative time of two different surgical tech­niques. Besides the standard technique (group 1), we used a new technique (group 2) that involves pre cross-clamp identification of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). There was no significant difference in organ function parameters between the two groups supporting the safety of the new technique. However, there was a 50% reduction in the time needed to achieve aortic cross clamping with the new technique. We conclude that this new technique is safe to apply, distinct in reducing organ retrieval time, and easy to learn.

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