Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative tool in healthcare, offering significant advancements in providing accurate clinical information. However, the performance and applicability of AI models in specialized fields such as pediatric nephrology remain underexplored. This study is aimed at evaluating the ability of two AI-based language models, GPT-3.5 and GPT...
IgA nephropathy in children has a potential progression risk over decades of adult life. For this reason, pediatric nephrologists tend to treat the disease from the onset, aiming at halting the pathogenetic processes, based on expert opinion and general confidence with steroids for the lack of large pediatric controlled studies. Glucocorticosteroids are widely used, although...
Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) in children is the most common glomerular disease and is characterized by recurrent relapses. There is no community consensus on the treatment of relapsing forms of nephrotic syndrome in children, unlike that for the initial presentation. To date, available treatments only enable relapsing patients to be maintained in remission, rather than...
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) remains a cornerstone treatment for children with stage 5 chronic kidney disease, offering significant benefits in terms of quality of life and patient autonomy compared to hemodialysis. Recent advances in care protocols, particularly in infection prevention, have led to a substantial reduction in peritonitis and other infectious complications in...
Paediatric patients undergoing haemodialysis typically require intravenous (IV) iron therapy to replenish iron stores. Upon establishing our home haemodialysis service, the need for an efficient IV iron administration method prompted exploration beyond the conventional use of iron sucrose, which is associated with anaphylaxis and requires frequent infusions. Ferric carboxymaltose...
Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is the second leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in childhood. It represents a heterogeneous group of diseases with variable kidney outcomes that are still challenging to predict. In this study, our main objective is to describe predictive factors of remission states and kidney survival comparing genetic and non-genetic SRNS...
Kidney genetic services are being created worldwide, revolutionising the way in which we manage families with suspected monogenic kidney disease. There is potential to learn from one another, whether one is just embarking on this journey or within an established kidney genetics service model with aspirations to optimise it further. This concluding portion of our two-part...
Pediatric palliative care (PPC) aims to improve the quality of life for children with life-limiting conditions, such as advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), from the time of diagnosis. However, PPC is not commonly integrated into routine pediatric nephrology care. This study explores the perspectives and experiences of healthcare providers (HCPs) to better understand the...
Febrile urinary tract infections (fUTIs) are among the most common severe infections in the pediatric population, posing a significant risk to kidney health. The pathophysiology of fUTIs involves the direct bacterial invasion of kidney tissue, which triggers an inflammatory response. While this response is effective in eradicating the infection, it can also cause substantial...
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of pediatric cancer treatment that is suggested to increase the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Children with a kidney tumor may be at particular risk. This study aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors of AKI and its association with CKD during pediatric kidney tumor treatment. We analyzed data from a...
Genetic and genomic testing has transformed the practice of clinical nephrology. Yet nephrologists have identified genetic literacy and access to kidney genetic care models as critical barriers to utilising this technology in their practice. To accelerate the implementation of genomic medicine in clinical nephrology, we provide a two-part evidence-based educational review. This...
Pyelonephritis is the most common serious bacterial infection in pediatric patients. Several electrolyte abnormalities have been described with pyelonephritis, including metabolic acidosis. We sought to describe the frequency and clinical significance of metabolic acidosis in pediatric patients with acute Escherichia coli (E. coli) pyelonephritis, with comparison to parallel...
Alport kidney disease (AKD) presents one of the most prevalent genetic kidney disorders, characterized by a complex genetic background and diverse clinical manifestations. This study aimed to review the clinical and genetic features of pediatric patients with COL4A3–5 variants and identify novel genetic variants. Data were collected retrospectively at a national level from...
Childhood obesity is a well-known risk factor for primary hypertension (HTN), especially during puberty. Validated automated oscillometric devices based on universal protocols using proper cuffs according to arm sizes must be selected for blood pressure (BP) measurement in clinical practice. Recent recommendations have addressed the importance of accurate BP measurement in...
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been previously associated with a decline in oral health. This study aimed to examine the oral health of children with CKD, nephrotic syndrome (NS), and children that received kidney transplantation (KTR). A case–control study was conducted involving children with CKD stages 1–3, children with CKD stages 4–5, pediatric kidney transplant recipients...
Information on sequelae of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 infection is limited to follow-up of paediatric haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) cases. We investigate recorded long-term health outcomes experienced by individuals exposed to STEC O157 and STEC-HUS up to three decades on. We compared acute or new onset of chronic outcomes in individuals ≥ 1 year after...