Nearly 10,000 participants are in Istanbul at  the congress of the ERA-EDTA (European Renal Association - European Dialysis and Transplant Association) to share their knowledge and discuss the latest research findings. New pioneering studies have been presented: 

- Gupta, A et al. "SOLUBLE FERRIC PYROPHOSPHATE (SFP) ADMINISTERED VIA HEMODIALYSATE REDUCES ESA USE" 

By SFP-iron administration, the ESA dose could be reduced by 35% while maintaining stable Hb levels. There were no SFP-related adverse effects and no cases of iron overload.

 - Van Eps, C. "THE EFFECTS OF TOPICAL ANTIBACTERIAL HONEY ON CATHETER-RELATED INFECTIONS IN PERITONEAL DIALYSISPATIENTS " 

The honey-containing wound gel was not superior to mupirocin application for the prophylaxis of PD catheter-associated infections.

 - Striker, GE et al. "RESTORATION OF REPRESSED ESTROGEN RECEPTOR alpha (ERalpha) AND ANTI-OXIDANT LEVELS IN WOMEN AND MEN WITHDIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE (DKD): POSSIBLE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD) BENEFITS" 

In response to treatment with Sevelamer there was significant upregulation of oestrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha); the known effect of this is a reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation. As a consequence, inflammatory markers and antioxidant levels also improved during treatment.

 - Marz, W et al. "PROGNOSTIC EFFECT OF HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL AND APOLIPOPROTEINS A1, A2, AND C3 INDIABETIC PATIENTS ON HEMODIALYSIS" 

The results revealed no association between HDL, apolipoprotein A1 and C3 concentrations and cardiovascular events. In contrast, high apolipoprotein A2 concentrations were associated with a lower cardiovascular risk and might possibly be as outcome marker.

 - Silbernagel, G et al. "CHOLESTEROL ABSORPTION PREDICTS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ATORVASTATIN FOR PREVENTING CARDIOVASCULARDISEASE IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS" 

High cholesterol absorption efficiency in a patient was predictive of the poor effectiveness of atorvastatin therapy in terms of cardiovascular endpoints. Consequently, measurement of cholesterol absorption might identify those dialysis patients who would benefit from statin therapy.

 - De Zeeuw, D et al. "THE SELECTIVE TYPE A ENDOTHELIN ANTAGONIST ATRASENTAN REDUCES RESIDUAL ALBUMINURIA IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES AND NEPHROPATHY" 

A greater than 30% reduction in albuminuria was recorded in more than half the patients treated with atrasentan. In addition, there were significant reductions in LDL cholesterol as well as triglyceride levels in the active treatment groups. Atrasentan might therefore be a highly promising new therapy, in addition to RAAS blockade, for reducing albuminuria in diabetic patients.

 - Cannata-Andia, JB et al. "THE USE OF PTH-LOWERING DRUGS IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED SURVIVAL IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS: RESULTS FROM COSMOS" 

As part of the COSMOS study, a 3-year European multicentre observational study conducted in 6273 HD patients, a prospective evaluation of the effect of PTH-lowering products on patients' outcome was performed: Patients benefited significantly from all PTH-lowering treatments.

 - Floege, J et al. "SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF PA21, A NOVEL IRON-BASED PHOSPHATE BINDER, IN PATIENTS WITH ESRD AND HYPERPHOSPHATEMIA: LONG-TERM RESULTS" 

This is a 28-week extension of a comparative study already presented in 2012 which had demonstrated similar efficacy for the two phosphate binders. In the study extension the phosphate-lowering effect of both treatments remained constant. In addition, it was shown that the adverse effects in the PA21 group diminished over time (in terms of its adverse effect profile, PA21 was inferior in the first study), with the two groups being comparable at the end of the study.

 - Floege, J et al. "EFFECT OF CINACALCET USE ON ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY: PARALLEL ANALYSES IN ARO INCIDENT OBSERVATIONAL EUROPEAN HEMODIALYSIS POPULATION AND IN EVOLVE TRIAL" 

This analysis in a cohort of the prospective observational ARO study (the design of the EVOLVE study was "reconstructed" in this analysis) showed a treatment effect comparable to that in EVOLVE. The authors concluded that the results of the randomized EVOLVE study can be transposed to a broader population.

 - Wang, A et al. "ORAL PARICALCITOL TREATMENT ON LEFT VENTRICULAR MASS AND FUNCTION IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE PATIENTS WITH CARDIAC HYPERTROPHY (OPERA STUDY): A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL" 

 The study investigated the effect of oral paricalcitol on left-ventricular mass after 52 weeks of therapy. The result revealed no significant difference from placebo in terms of left-ventricular mass index and also of the other cardiac endpoints. However, during treatment there was a significant improvement in the biochemical parameters of CKD-MBD (PTH and alkaline phosphatase).