Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by self-limited recurrent attacks of fever and serositis. The serious complication of FMF is AA-type amyloidosis, which can result in end-stage renal disease. Although colchicine is effective in the majority of patients, there is no established treatment for those who are resistant or intolerant to colchicine. We herein report the efficacy of anakinra in a 52-year-old Turkish patient with FMF, secondary amyloidosis and renal transplant, who was resistant to colchicine treatment.

Significant liver damage was detected in 40% of CHB patients with PNALT and high HBV DNA upon biopsy. Age and HBV DNA viral load were independent predictors of significant liver damage. A biopsy to determine the degree of liver damage is advisable for CHB patients older than 46 years.

Baseline serum uric acid concentration is directly proportional to the rate of decline in renal functions in patients with IgAN. Uric acid-lowering treatments may be beneficial for the prevention of progression of IgAN. However, randomized controlled studies are needed for this purpose.

Aims. Vascular access is of prime importance for hemodialysis patients. We aimed to study early complications of hemodialysis catheters placed in different central veins in patients with acute or chronic renal failure with or without ultrasound (US ) guidance. Material and Methods. Patients who were admitted to our unit between March 2008 and December 2010 with need for vascular access have been included. 908 patients were examined for their demographic parameters, primary renal disease, and indication for catheterization, type and location of the catheter, implantation technique, and acute complications. Results. The mean age of the patients was 60.6 ± 16.0 years. 643 (70.8 %) of the catheters were temporary while 265 (29.2%) were permanent. 684 catheters were inserted to internal jugular veins, 213 to femoral, and 11 to subclavian veins. Arterial puncture occurred in 88 (9.7%) among which 13 had resultant subcutaneous hematoma. No patient had lung trauma and there had been no need for removal of the catheter or a surgical intervention for complications. US guidance in jugular vein and experience of operator decreased arterial puncture rate. Conclusion. US-guided replacement of catheter to internal jugular vein would decrease complication rate. Referral to invasive nephrologists may decrease use of subclavian vein. Experience improves complication rates even under US guidance.

The presented study displayed important data about the epidemiology of primary glomerular diseases among adults in our country. The predominance of membranous nephropathy in contrast to other countries, in which the most frequent etiology is IgA nephropathy, seems to be due to differences in the indications for renal biopsy.

Primary glomerular diseases in the elderly population are a frustrating topic due to difficulties in both the diagnosis and decision making about treatment. The most frequent type of primary glomerular disease in elderly is membranous nephropathy; while its counterpart in younger population is IgA nephropathy. The most frequent cause of nephrotic syndrome in the elderly is also membranous nephropathy. Pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis (GN) rate increases both in elderly and very elderly population. Pauci-immune crescentic GNs should be regarded as urgencies in elderly patients as in their younger counterparts due to potential for causing end-stage renal disease in case of delayed diagnosis and treatment, and also causing mortality due to alveolar hemorrhage in patients with pulmonary involvement. Renal biopsy is the inevitable diagnostic method in the elderly as in all other age groups. Renal biopsy prevents unnecessary treatments and provides prognostic data. So advanced age should not be the sole contraindication for renal biopsy. The course of primary glomerular diseases may differ in the elderly population. Acute kidney injury is more frequent in the course and renal functions may be worse at presentation. These patients are more prone to be hypertensive. The decision about adding immune suppressive therapies to conservative methods should be made considering many factors like co-morbidities, drug side effects and potential drug interactions, risk of infection, patient preference, life expectancy and renal functions at the time of diagnosis.

Prohepcidin levels increase with deepening anemia and show positive correlation with inflammatory markers. Therapeutic interventions regarding Prohepcidin action on inflammatory status may play a role in the treatment of anemia due to inflammation. Functional iron deficiency is frequent in uremic patients. It may be beneficial to measure Prohepcidin level together with ferritin among these patients.

Background The largest data on the epidemiology of primary glomerular diseases (PGDs) are obtained from the databases of countries or centers. Here, we present the extended results of the Primary Glomerular Diseases Study of the Turkish Society of Nephrology Glomerular Diseases (TSN-GOLD) Working Group. Methods Data of patients who underwent renal biopsy and received the diagnosis of PGD were recorded in the database prepared for the study. A total of 4399 patients from 47 centers were evaluated between May 2009 and May 2019. The data obtained at the time of kidney biopsy were analyzed. After the exclusion of patients without light microscopy and immunofluorescence microscopy findings, a total of 3875 patients were included in the study. Results The mean age was 41.5 ± 14.9 years. 1690 patients were female (43.6%) and 2185 (56.3%) were male. Nephrotic syndrome was the most common biopsy indication (51.7%). This was followed by asymptomatic urinary abnormalities (18.3%) and nephritic syndrome (17.8%). The most common PGD was IgA nephropathy (25.7%) followed by membranous nephropathy (25.6%) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (21.9%). The mean total number of glomeruli per biopsy was 17 ± 10. The mean baseline systolic blood pressure was 130 ± 20 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure was 81 ± 12 mmHg. The median proteinuria, serum creatinine, estimated GFR, and mean albumin values were 3300 (IQR: 1467–6307) mg/day, 1.0 (IQR: 0.7–1.6) mg/dL, 82.9 (IQR: 47.0–113.0) mL/min and 3.2 ± 0.9 g/dL, respectively. Conclusions The distribution of PGDs in Turkey has become similar to that in other European countries. IgA nephropathy diagnosed via renal biopsy has become more prevalent compared to membranous nephropathy.