This study demonstrated the protective role of nebivolol against CIN.

Background We investigated patient and technique survival and factors affecting mortality in Turkish peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Patients and Methods This was a retrospective study. 423 PD patients were included. The demographic, clinical, and biochemical data were collected from the medical records. Clinical outcomes were mortality and technique failure. Results Mean age at the start of PD was 46.0 ± 14.3 years and mean PD duration was 37.1 ± 28.3 (median: 30, range: 4 – 137) months. Diabetes mellitus was the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (35.2%), followed by hypertension (14.7%). There were 89 (21.0%) deaths. 25 (5.9%) patients received a kidney transplant, 74 (17.4%) patients were transferred to hemodialysis. Estimation of technique survival by Kaplan–Meier was 96.1%, 83.2%, 67.6%, 45.8%, and 33.6% at 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10 years. Technique failure was associated with peritonitis rate [relative risk (RR): 3.22, p < 0.001] and peritoneal Kt/V urea (RR: 0.38, p = 0.001) in the Cox proportional hazards model analysis. Estimation of patient survival by Kaplan–Meier was 96.9%, 83.8%, 68.8%, 50.2%, and 40.7% at 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10 years, respectively. In the Cox proportional hazards model analysis, age (RR: 1.01, p = 0.05), transfer to PD from hemodialysis (RR: 1.84, p = 0.03), comorbid cardiovascular disease (RR: 1.90, p = 0.004), serum creatinine level (RR: 0.75, p < 0.001), total Kt/V urea (RR: 0.34, p < 0.001), peritonitis rate (RR: 1.87, p < 0.001), and dialysate-to-plasma creatinine ratio (RR: 6.49, p = 0.04) predicted mortality. Conclusions Even though we cannot conclude with certainty that survival rates in Turkish patients are better than those in the United States and Europe, our results seem to suggest this and warrant further studies adjusted for more extensive demographic features and comorbidities. The factors affecting mortality in Turkish PD patients are similar to other populations.

Our results suggest that N/L ratio may predict the progression rate of stage 4 chronic kidney disease to dialysis. It is an easily accessible and useful marker for monitoring CKD patients in clinical practice.

The styloid process (SP) is a cylindrical, long cartilaginous bone located on the temporal bone. The normal SP length is approximately 20–30 mm. The styloid process elongation (SPE) can be assumed if either the SP or the adjacent stylohyoid ligament ossification shows an overall length in excess of 30 mm. Elongated SP is known as Eagle’s syndrome when it causes clinical symptoms as neck and cervicofacial pain. It is supposed that this symptoms and signs are due to the compression of the SP on some neural and vascular structures. It may also cause stroke due to the compression of carotid arteries. This syndrome is diagnosed by both radiographical and physical examination. Instead of many hypotheses and studies, the exact etiology of elongated SP and the role of ectopic calcification are unknown. Ectopic calcification (EC) might have a role for the elongation of SP. Abnormal calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and vitamin D metabolism is very common in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Therefore, this calcification in nonosseous soft tissue due to abnormal serum Ca and P levels is commonly associated with this disorder. EC due to the abnormality in this metabolism which is related to the duration of dialysis is also very important for this calcification. Therefore, a study in patients with ESRD investigating the prevalence of SP and the correlation between dialysis period and the SP length may help us explaining the role of EC in the elongation of SP. Because, this disease might be a good model for the investigation of the EC in this elongation. However, further studies and large samples are also needed to clarify the etiology of this disorder.

We observed that depression is a common psychiatric disorder and has no significant effect on proinflammatory cytokine levels in HD patients; no important improvement in cytokine levels was observed after antidepressant therapy.