Introduction. Acute kidney injury (PRAKI) continues to be common in developing countries. The aim of this paper is to study AKI characteristics in pregnancy and identify the factors related to the unfavorable evolution. Methods. This prospective study was conducted in the University Hospital Hassan II of Fez, Morocco, from February 01, 2011 to January 31, 2012. All patients presenting PRAKI were included. Results. 37 cases of PRAKI were listed. Their ages varied from 20 to 41 years old, with an average of 29.03 ± 6.3 years and an average parity of 1.83. High blood pressure was the most common symptom (55.6%). Thirty-nine percent were oliguric. PRAKI occurred during the 3rd trimester in 66.6% of the cases and 25% of the cases in the postpartum. Hemodialysis was necessary in 16.2% of cases. The main causes were preeclampsia, hemorrhagic shocks, and functional, respectively, in 66.6%, 25%, and 8.3% of the cases. The outcome was favorable, with a complete renal function recovery for 28 patients. Poor prognosis was related to two factors: age over 38 years and advanced stage of AKI according to RIFLE classification. Conclusion. Prevention of PRAKI requires an improvement of the sanitary infrastructures with the implementation of an obligatory prenatal consultation.

Fasting during Ramadan is prohibited when an individual's health is endangered. Little work has been published in this direction in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to evaluate the impact of fasting during Ramadan on the renal function of patients with CKD, adjusting for the initial degree of renal impairment. We prospectively studied 60 patients with CKD (35 females; mean age 45.6 ± 15.8 years). All study patients were older than 15 years, being followed-up at the nephrology clinic for more than six months, having a stable CKD during the preceding six months and who had fasted during Ramadan the previous year. Patients who had a medical contra-indication for fasting were excluded from the study [severe or resistant arterial hypertension, insulin-requiring diabetes, acute renal failure (ARF), active renal disease, repetitive urolithiasis or terminal chronic renal failure]. Statistical analysis was performed in collaboration with the epidemiology lab at the Fez Medical School using the SPSS software version 17. Three of the study patients developed ARF in the first week and four of them at the end of the month of the study period. The risk of developing ARF was significantly higher for patients with baseline creatinine clearance of <60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . However, the small sample size does not allow us to draw any firm conclusions on fasting during Ramadan in stable CKD patients. Studies on larger numbers of patients are recommended.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a rare but life-threatening complication of pregnancy. The aim of this paper is to study the characteristics of acute AKI in pregnancy and to emphasize on its management modalities in Moroccan hospitals. This is a national prospective study performed over six months from July 1 to December 31 2010 on AKI developing in pregnant patients, both preand post-partum period. Patients with pre-existing kidney disease were excluded from the study. Outcome was considered unfavorable when complete recovery of renal function was not achieved and/or maternal death occurred. Forty-four patients were included in this study. They were 29.6 ± 6 years old and mostly illiterate (70.6%). Most AKI occurred in the post-partum period, with 66% of the cases occurring in those who did not receive antenatal care. The main etiologies were pre-eclampsia (28 cases), hemorrhagic shock (six cases) and septic events (five cases). We noted three cases of acute fatty liver, one case of obstructive kidney injury and one case of lupus nephritis. Hemodialysis was necessary in 17 (38.6%) cases. The outcome was favorable in 29 patients. The maternal mortality rate was 11.4%. Two poor prognostic factors were identified: Age over 38 years and sepsis. AKI is a severe complication of pregnancy in developing countries. Its prevention necessitates the improvement of the sanitary infrastructure and the establishment of the obligatory antenatal care.

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BackgroundWater treatment systems are a critical variable in dialysis therapy. Rigorous control of hemodialysis water quality is particularly important in order to guarantee a better quality of life of the hemodialysis patients. The objective of the study was to evaluate the chemical, microbiological quality and antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from water and dialysate in a public HD center.MethodsFifty five samples of water and dialysate were collected weekly over a period of 4 months. The samples were collected from 4 points in the distribution loop. The microbiological and chemical analyses were performed according to our national standards. Antimicrobial susceptibilities patterns of isolated bacteria were determined by disk diffusion method.ResultsThe chemical and microbiological parameters in all dialysis water and dialysate samples are in accordance with national standards. However, 70 Gram-negative bacteria were identified: Pseudomonas sp, Ochrobactrum antropi and Burkholderia cepacia, isolated at 52.8%, 12.8% and 17% simultaneously. Fourteen per cent of the isolates were resistant to three or more antibiotics. All resistant bacteria belong to the genus of Pseudomonas, 80% were resistant to tetracycline and to co-trimoxazole, 30% to ceftazidime. No colistin and imipenem resistance was observed.ConclusionTo avoid a health risk due to bacterial contamination, an adequate system for water treatment, disinfection of the hemodialysis system and microbiological monitoring of the water and dialysate are necessary.

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Introduction The degree of interdialytic weight gain and ultrafiltration may influence anemia results in dialysis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of a blood volume monitor (BVM) in the management of renal anemia and its ability to avoid the variability of hematocrit (Hct) and hemoglobin values (Hb) depending on plasma volume through a simple method of monitoring the total hemoglobin mass (MtHb). Methods Predialysis blood samples for measurement were drawn at both the midweek treatment and the beginning‐of‐the‐dialysis‐week treatment in 30 patients. The MtHb was calculated as MtHb = Vb × Hb, where Vb is the absolute blood volume determined by online dialysate dilution using an online hemodiafiltration machine incorporating a relative BVM. Findings The MtHb and the total red cell volume (VRBC) as measured with the bolus method at the starting of the treatment were 540 ± 148 grams and 1544 ± 339 mL, respectively. There were significant differences between the Hb levels and between the hematocrit levels according to the time of dialysis. However, the MtHb remained constant. There was also an excellent correlation between the Hb measurements by the BVM and the blood sampling method (R = 0.89, P value <0.001). Conclusion Our study suggests that BVM could be very useful in the management of anemia in dialysis by computing the total Hb mass in clinical practice and may support better and more appropriate assessments of the factors influencing circulating Hb.

Patients undergoing hemodialysis therapy develop serious osteoarticular diseases. The treatment is based on prevention. The aim of our study is to determine the frequency and the associated factors to the rheumatic manifestations in hemodialysis patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted, including all hemodialysed patients in our dialysis unit. Information was obtained from patients' symptoms, examination findings, and biological and radiological signs. The frequency of symptoms was 70% in our patients. It was proportional to the duration of hemodialysis and number of hemodialysis sessions per week. Early transplantation is of course a plausible solution, but other therapies such as improved dialysis must be considered.