Introduction: Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI) is one of the main causes of acute renal failure in hospitalized patients, following the administration of iodinated contrast medium used for CT scans and angiographic procedures. CIAKI determines a high cardiovascular risk and appears to be one of the most feared complications of coronary angiography, causing a notable worsening of the prognosis with high morbidity and mortality. Aim: To evaluate a possible association between the renal resistive index (RRI) and the development of CIAKI, as well as an association with the main subclinical markers of atherosclerosis and the main cardiovascular risk factors. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 101 patients with an indication for coronary angiography. Patients underwent an assessment of renal function (serum nitrogen and basal creatinine, 48 and 72 h after administration of contrast medium), inflammation (C reactive protein (CRP), serum calcium and phosphorus, intact parathormone (iPTH), 25-hydroxyvitaminD (25-OH-VitD), serum uric acid (SUA), total cholesterol, serum triglycerides, serum glucose and insulin). All patients also carried out an evaluation of RRI, intima-media thickness (IMT), interventricular septum (IVS) and the ankle-brachial index (ABI). Results: 101 patients (68 male), with a mean age of 73.0 ± 15.0 years, were enrolled for the study; 35 are affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus. A total of 19 cases of CIAKI were reported (19%), while among diabetic patients we reported an incidence of 23% (8 patients). In our study, patients with CIAKI had significantly higher RRI (p < 0.001) and IMT (p < 0.001) with respect to the patients who did not develop CIAKI. Furthermore, patients with CIAKI had significantly higher CRP (p < 0.001) and SUA (p < 0.006). Conclusions: We showed a significant difference in RRI, IMT, SUA and CRP values between the population developing CIAKI and patients without CIAKI. This data appears relevant considering that RRI and IMT are low-cost, non-invasive and easily reproducible markers of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is an inherited kidney disease which leads to progressive kidney failure. About 5–10% of patients requiring renal replacement therapy are affected by ADPKD. Cardiovascular diseases are the main causes of morbidity and mortality in these patients with ADPKD; arterial hypertension (AH) is the first symptom with a very early onset. Anyway, some other cardiovascular abnormalities have been reported in ADPKD regardless of the presence of AH. With this background, we conducted a systematic review, collecting all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs found on the main databases; we evaluated the evidence about different imaging techniques to grade the cardiovascular risk in a very early stage of disease. This review aims to describe all cardiovascular assessments in ADPKD patients to improve clinicians’ ability to discover cardiovascular involvement early, allowing appropriate therapies promptly.

Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the intricate interplay between viral infections and preexisting health conditions. In the field of kidney diseases, patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) face unique challenges when exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This study aims to evaluate whether SARS-CoV-2 virus infection impacts renal function differently in patients suffering from ADPKD and CKD when compared to patients suffering only from CKD. Materials and methods: clinical data from 103 patients were collected and retrospectively analyzed. We compared the renal function of ADPKD and CKD patients at two distinct time points: before COVID-19 infection (T0) and 1 year after the infection (T1). We studied also a subpopulation of 37 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min and affected by ADPKD and CKD. Results: clinical data were obtained from 59 (57.3%) ADPKD patients and 44 (42.7%) CKD patients. At T1, ADPKD patients had significantly higher serum creatinine levels compared to CKD patients, and a significantly lower eGFR was observed only in ADPKD patients with eGFR < 60 mL/min compared to CKD patients (p < 0.01, p < 0.05; respectively). Following COVID-19 infection, ADPKD–CKD patients exhibited significantly higher variation in both median serum creatinine (p < 0.001) and median eGFR (p < 0.001) compared to CKD patients. Conclusion: the interplay between COVID-19 and kidney disease is complex. In CKD patients, the relationship between COVID-19 and kidney disease progression is more established, while limited studies exist on the specific impact of COVID-19 on ADPKD patients. Current evidence does not suggest that ADPKD patients are at a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, in our study we showed a significant worsening of the renal function among ADPKD patients, particularly those with an eGFR < 60 mL/min, in comparison to patients with only CKD after a one-year follow-up from COVID-19 infection.

Background: Onconephrology is an emerging field addressing renal and cardiovascular complications in patients with cancer. Kidney disease and cardiovascular risk frequently coexist and may significantly affect oncological outcomes. Methods: We conducted a single-center, prospective, observational study including adult oncological patients. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after 1, 3, and 12 months. Renal outcomes (Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), AKI on CKD, Acute Kidney Disease (AKD)), cardiovascular risk assessment scores (using the SCORE/SCORE2 systems), and major adverse kidney events (MAKEs) were recorded. Results: Eighty-three patients were enrolled (mean age 69.8 ± 11.6 years, 60.2% male). At baseline, AKI was present in 30.4%, CKD in 27.8%, and AKI on CKD in 16.5% of patients. Overall, 96.7% of the cohort was classified as having a high or very high cardiovascular risk. During follow-up, 18.1% experienced new AKI, and MAKEs occurred in 30.4% of patients, driven primarily by mortality. Male sex emerged as the main predictor of death. Conclusions: Onconephrology patients suffer from a high burden of renal disease and cardiovascular risk. Integrated nephrological and cardiovascular assessment may represent a key component of personalized cancer care.