This manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of the monocyte–macrophage–dendritic cell system in renal disease.

This paper describes the spectrum of acute kidney injury (AKI) in a general hospital in rural Ethiopia. Most patients were young, had pre-renal AKI, and the mortality was no different from those with no AKI. Despite limitations, the study brings out differences with AKI seen in developed World.

The authors investigated 123 hemodialysis patients (male 47.2%) and found that 70.7% of them had experienced some GI symptoms, significantly more than controls (P < 0.05). These patients had more anorexia, nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, irregular bowel habit and bleeding per rectum (all P < 0.05). The authors concluded that GI and psychosomatic symptoms are common among hemodialysis patients.

The authors conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing the prognosis and safety of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) versus azathioprine (AZA) used as maintenance therapy for lupus nephritis. Although the evidence was limited, they did derive a conclusion that MMF was as useful, or safer than AZA for maintenance therapy of lupus nephritis.

This study demonstrates that anorexia and gastrointestinal motility dysfunction in rats with chronic renal failure are correlated with the reduction of hypothalamic ghrelin and growth hormone secretagogue receptor.

An observation study in mice suggesting that the chromatin of macula densa cells undergoes loss of structural complexity that is most pronounced immediately after birth and remains during the first month of postnatal life. The findings add to the knowledge about the changes that take place in the kidney during postnatal development function and tissue structural organization, which are linked to changes in physiological function.

The authors have examined whether the suggested novel marker, IgA/C3 ratio, is valid to predict the prognosis of IgAN in this patient population with IgAN.

This manuscript analyzes the incidence of hyponatraemia in 387 Korean peritoneal dialysis patients and determines their fluid status with simultaneous bioelectrical impedance analysis measurement. The results demonstrate low residual renal function and long duration of peritoneal dialysis were associated with development of hyponatraemia by appropriate water gain. In addition the prevalence of hyponatraemia increases along with the increased comorbidity status. On multivariate analysis, age, hypoalbuminaemia, low residual renal function and increasing comorbidities were associated with higher mortality in this peritoneal dialysis population.

This is an animal study that demonstrated reduced peritoneal angiogenesis through the blockade of transforming growth factor-β, through signalling with Smad7. This presents a novel therapeutic approach to decrease ultrafiltration failure and hence increase peritoneal dialysis technique longevity.

This study demonstrates that high haemoglobin variability in the first 6 months post-transplant is independently associated with inferior graft survival in patients after kidney transplantation. While no inference on the effect of haemoglobin variability on outcomes can be made, the association is very interesting and warrants further consideration.