HCV infection does not seem to influence patient and graft survival within a medium-time follow up in living allograft recipients, and anti-HCV-antibody positive status (alone) is not a contraindication for renal transplantation. However, further studies are needed to better define the role of HCV infection in long-term prognosis.

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The number of patients with dialysis-dependent renal failure has increased in the past years worldwide. Several parameters have been introduced for the quantitative assessment of dialysis adequacy. The National Cooperative Dialysis Study results indicated that Kt/V and time-averaged concentration of urea (TAC) are predictors of mortality in patients who receive maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Also, the protein catabolic ratio (PCR), which is an indicator of nutritional status, can predict patients' mortality. Our aim was to assess the impact of parameters that show dialysis adequacy on indices of nutrition or inflammation. A total of 46 patients were included in the study; eight patients were excluded during the course of the study and 38 patients were enrolled in the final analysis. All patients were receiving HD for at least for three months. HD was administered three times per week and the study lasted for two months. Kt/V, TAC and PCR were assessed at the beginning of the study based on patients' urea and blood urea nitrogen in the first week of our study; these calculations were repeated at the end of the first and second months using the mean of the mentioned values in the month. Both adequacy indices significantly and positively correlated with changes in PCR (P <0.001). However, no significant correlation was detectable between Kt/V and TAC with either body mass index and albumin or C-reactive protein. Based on the Kt/V values, patients with adequate dialysis had slower decrease in the PCR (P <0.001). Our results indicate that adequacy of dialysis is correlated with patients' nutritional status. No correlation was observed between dialysis adequacy and inflammatory status.

Introduction: Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) is found as a bone derived hormone which can influence the serum levels of parathormone, phosphorous and 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D. FGF23 may be a cardiovascular biomarker in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). While, FGF23 is inversely correlated with serum adiponectin level, thus it is possible that FGF23 is correlated to fat mass and related to dyslipidemia in CKD. Objectives: In this investigation, we studied the association of serum levels of FGF23 with serum lipid profile, body mass index (BMI), and various cardiovascular risk factors in patients with CKD. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, which was conducted on 80 non-dialysis patients (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] <60 cc/min) with CKD. Laboratory results and demographic information recorded in pre-defined data sheets and their relationship with FGF23 were analyzed. Results: Eighty patients were studied. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) of serum creatinine and FGF23 were 2.18 ± 0.73 mg/dl and 15.028 ± 20.20 RU/ml respectively. The correlation between FGF23, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), ApoA, ApoB, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), calcium, phosphorous, alkaline phosphatase, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, BMI, waist girth, serum triglyceride and cholesterol was not significant (P > 0.05). In this study, the correlations of FGF23, with serum albumin (P = 0.036) and systolic blood pressure (P = 0.001) were significant. Conclusion: Our study showed that there are not any significant correlations among FGF23, BMI and lipid profile. There are not any significant correlations between FGF23 and age, sex, and level of calcium, phosphorous, vitamin D. However, the relationships between FGF23 and serum albumin was negatively significant. Additionally we detected a positive significant correlation of FGF23 with level of systolic blood presure.

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