Ascorbate deficiency is common among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and can be identified readily with serum ascorbate measurements, researchers in Australia report.

Thailand has a "remarkably high" prevalence of CKD among individuals aged 35 years and older, according to Thai and Australian researchers.

The efficacy of holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in the treatment of symptomatic BPH increases with prostate size, according to researchers in India.

Ascorbate deficiency is common among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and can be identified readily with serum ascorbate measurements, researchers in Australia report.

A diet high in vegetable intake is associated with a lower risk of surgically treated BPH, according to Australian researchers.

THE POSITIVE association between obesity and kidney disease (KD) is strongly supported by results of a recent meta-analysis by Wang et al (Kidney Int. 2008;73:19-33) that demonstrate a significantly increased risk for people with BMI greater than the normal range of 18.5-25 kg/m2. Along with CKD, the study also examined the occurrence of renal calculi and kidney cancer. According to the authors, 24.2% and 33.9% of KD cases among American men and women, respectively, could be prevented if overweight and obesity were eliminated.

Patients with Gleason 8-10 prostate tumors have a poor prognosis, according to researchers at the Henri Mondor University Hospital in Créteil, France.

Increasing duration of dialysis is associated with an increased risk of delayed graft function (DGF) following renal transplantation, researchers in Canada have found.

Low dihydrotestosterone (DHT) may be associated with decreased survival in prostate cancer patients, according to researchers in Sweden.

Elevated plasma levels of urotensin II (UTN) predicts a lower risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular causes in CKD patients, Italian researchers conclude.