We summarize original research in the field of critical care nephrology that was accepted for publication or published in 2007 in Critical Care and, when considered relevant or directly linked to this research, in other journals. Four main topics were identified for a brief overview. The first of these was the definition of acute kidney injury and recent evidence showing the validity of RIFLE (...

Abstract Background and Aims Acute kidney injury (AKI) describes a sudden loss of function characterized by elevated serum creatinine (CRE) levels reduced urinary output. AKI patients have high mortality rate, but limited treatment options are currently available. During the progression, an excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) leads to oxidative stress, which often results in cell damage renal ...

BACKGROUND It is well know that arterial stiffness, oxidative stress and inflammation are features of chronic kidney disease. The arterial changes have a multitude of potential interconnected causes including endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. There is evidence that arterial stiffness becomes progressively worse as CKD progresses...

Some herbal medications induce acute kidney injury. The acute kidney injuries caused by herbal medications are mild and commonly treated by palliative care. A 51-years-old man who drank the juice squeezed from the raw tubers of Dioscorea quinqueloba (D. quinqueloba) was admitted with nausea, vomiting and chilling. He developed a seizure with decreased level of consciousness. He was diagnosed wi...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The present study aimed to determine the role of cystatin C as a prognostic factor for acute kidney injury and survival in cirrhotic patients. METHODS The study investigated 53 liver cirrhosis patients. The renal function was evaluated by serum creatinine, serum and urine cystatin C, and 24-hour creatinine clearance on admission. Acute kidney injury was defined as a serum crea...

The kidney is a common "victim organ" of various insults in critically ill patients. Sepsis and septic shock are the dominant causes of acute kidney injury, accounting for nearly 50 % of episodes of acute renal failure. Despite our substantial progress in the understanding of mechanisms involved in septic acute kidney injury there is still a huge pool of questions preclusive of the development ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relation between the need for red blood cell transfusion and serum levels of soluble-Fas, erythropoietin and inflammatory cytokines in critically ill patients with and without acute kidney injury. METHODS We studied critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (n=30) and without acute kidney injury (n=13), end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis (n=25...