Hemodialysis (HD) patients with severe vitamin D deficiency are more than twice as likely to die from any cause compared with those who have sufficient levels of the vitamin, according to a German study.

Measuring serum creatinine within six hours after cardiac surgery may improve clinicians' ability to predict development of acute kidney injury (AKI), researchers found.

The FDA has approved eculizumab for the treatment of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) in both children and adults, a potentially life-threatening condition.

Long-term use of acetaminophen is associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer (PCa), according to a study.

Delayed initiation of adequate antibiotic treatment and transfusion of blood products are among the risk factors associated with development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with septic shock, a study showed.

Urine NGAL decreases the number of tests and shortens the time to treatment, investigators reported.

Physicians may want to take a look at their liability policy to see if their contract has a "consent to settle" clause.

SAN DIEGO—Linagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitor, appears to be a good treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes and severe renal impairment, researchers announced at the 71st Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

BERLIN—The Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria for acute renal failure (ARF) better predicted survival over a period of 90 days in a study of hospitalized patients with cirrhosis when compared with current criteria, according to a study presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver.

SAN DIEGO—A large surgical database may be missing many cases of acute kidney injury (AKI), according to a recent study.

SAN DIEGO—Data conflict on whether early renal replacement therapy (RRT) results in better outcomes in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI).

SAN DIEGO—Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using gadolinium-based contrast agents is safe in intensive care unit (ICU) patients at high risk for kidney injury, according to the results of a small retrospective study presented in poster format at the Society for Critical Care Medicine 2011 annual meeting.

Taking a statin before undergoing major elective surgery may reduce potentially serious kidney complications, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (2011;22:939-946).

SAN DIEGO—The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) is high and climbing, according to a presenter at the Society for Critical Care Medicine 2011 annual meeting. Sean Bagshaw, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Assistant Professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, stressed the importance of early identification of at-risk patients and of primary and secondary prevention to head off the 50-60% mortality rate associated with AKI in critical illness.

In men older than 75 with a PSA level above 20 ng/mL, positive biopsy findings would not influence treatment, study concludes.