Berns on Nephrology

• Goodbye, With Gratitude   Dr Jeffrey Berns is moving on to a new position and retiring as editor-in-chief of Medscape Nephrology.
  Medscape Nephrology, January 13, 2017
• Disparities in Renal Replacement and Dialysis Therapies   Dr Jeffrey Berns comments on three articles examining the provision of dialysis services to patients and concludes that 'we need to address the racial and ethnic disparities.'
  Medscape Nephrology, December 16, 2016
• ESA Labeling and Payment Changes: The Health Impact on Patients   Dr Jeffrey Berns comments on two new studies that reassure about the impact of the 2011 CMS and FDA rule changes.
  Medscape Nephrology, November 17, 2016
• Folic Acid Supplementation for CKD? Not So Fast   Although folic acid supplementation was shown to benefit patients with CKD in a Chinese study, Dr Berns argues that it won't be much help to patients in the United States.
  Medscape Nephrology, November 07, 2016
• CKD Screening Is Not for Everyone   Screening everyone for chronic kidney disease is neither cost-efficient nor useful, says Dr Berns.
  Medscape Nephrology, October 19, 2016
• Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents May Increase Cancer Risk   Dr Jeffrey Berns explains how a flawed design limits the impact of this recent study.
  Medscape Nephrology, September 23, 2016
• Earlier RRT for AKI? Not So Fast, Says Dr Berns   Two recent studies compared 'early' with 'late' initiation of RRT in AKI, one showing a significant mortality benefit for early RRT. So, has Jeffrey Berns changed his practice?
  Medscape Nephrology, August 31, 2016
• Dialysis in the United States   How does dialysis for ESRD in the United States differ from that in other countries? Dr Berns comments on an article comparing differences in practice in more than 50 countries and regions.
  Medscape Nephrology, August 24, 2016
• Wasting Good Kidneys: The Weekend Effect   Why are more deceased donor kidneys discarded on weekends? Dr Berns reviews a new study about weekend kidney procurement.
  Medscape Nephrology, August 17, 2016
• ACE Inhibitors vs ARBs in CKD: A Toss-up?   ACE inhibitors and ARBs both have renoprotective effects, but is one better than the other?
  Medscape Nephrology, August 02, 2016
• New FDA Recommendations for Metformin   Dr Berns discusses the FDA's decision to change the labeling for metformin, which now provides recommendations for its use based on estimated glomerular filtration rate rather than serum creatinine.
  Medscape Nephrology, May 20, 2016
• A Simultaneous Liver-Kidney Transplant? Not So Fast   Do you really need that kidney first? Drs Berns and Reese discuss UNOS' new rules for kidney transplantation in liver transplant recipients.
  Medscape Nephrology, May 17, 2016
• Does This Biomarker Test for AKI 'Check' Out?   NephroCheck, a new biomarker test, can evaluate risk for acute kidney injury, but whether it has utility in predicting clinically significant patient outcomes remains to be seen, says Dr Jeffrey Berns.
  Medscape Nephrology, April 15, 2016
• When Desensitization Makes Sense and When It Doesn't   Dr Berns and kidney transplant specialist Dr Deirdre Sawinski discuss how developments in allocation practices and the potential for donor swaps may reduce the need for desensitization and its risks.
  Medscape Nephrology, April 08, 2016
• ESAs and QoL: Patient Selection Matters   A recent study finding little benefit in treating CKD patients with ESAs may have overlooked important patient subgroups, says Dr Jeffrey Berns.
  Medscape Nephrology, March 09, 2016
• Let's Avoid the 'Grope-o-Gram' on Kidney Testing   What is the diagnostic utility of all the tests being ordered for acute kidney injury? asks Dr Jeffrey Berns.
  Medscape Nephrology, February 22, 2016
• REVOKE IV Iron or FIND-CKD Patients?   Dr Jeffrey Berns discusses inconsistencies in the clinical trial evidence comparing intravenous iron with oral iron in patients with chronic kidney disease not on dialysis.
  Medscape Nephrology, February 11, 2016
• How Does Dialysis Care Differ for Minority Patients?   A large study found that patients from racial minority groups were less likely to receive certain types of dialysis or to receive kidney transplants.
  Medscape Nephrology, February 02, 2016
• Does Dialysis Trigger Cardiovascular Events?   Previous studies have documented a high rate of cardiovascular events during the first months after dialysis is initiated, but new research raises questions about what happens in the very first week.
  Medscape Nephrology, January 20, 2016
• Outcomes Worse in Dialysis Started Without Nephrologist Care   'Whatever it takes,' says Dr Jeffrey Berns, we need to get patients with advanced kidney disease into the care of a nephrologist before dialysis is initiated to reduce mortality during the first year.
  Medscape Nephrology, January 08, 2016