Cardiovascular Effects of Home Intensive Hemodialysis - Christopher T. Chan

Link to abstract.  Advances in Chronic Kidney Disease - 16:3:173-178 - May 2009  
This review discusses recent advances of intensive hemodialysis on important cardiovascular outcomes including blood pressure control and cardiovascular geometry and function. Its impact on calcium-phosphate metabolism and anemia management as they relate to cardiovascular outcomes are highlighted.

Systematic review of the evidence underlying the association between mineral metabolism disturbances and risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular events in chronic kidn - Adrian Covic, Prajesh Kothawala, Myriam Bernal, Sean Robbins, Arpi Chalian, and David Goldsmith

Link to abstract.  Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation - 24:5:1506-1523 - May 2009  
Serious limitations were observed in the quality and methodology across studies. In spite of enormous heterogeneity across studies, a significant mortality risk was observed with mineral disturbances in dialysis patients. Data on risk in pre-dialysis patients were less conclusive due to even more limited (numerically) evidence.

Oral phosphate binders - Alastair J Hutchison

Link to full text article.  Kidney International - 75:9:906-914 - May 2009  
Achievement of opinion-based guidelines appears to have become an end in itself. Dialysis patient outcomes are worse than outcomes for many types of cancer, yet prospective, outcome-based randomized controlled trials are not being undertaken for reasons that are difficult to explain.

The emerging role of phosphate in vascular calcification - Cecilia M Giachelli

Link to full text article.  Kidney International - 75:9:890-897 - May 2009  
Vascular calcification is a major contributor to CVD in ESRD patients. Susceptibility to vascular calcification is genetically determined and involves a growing number of inducers and inhibitors. Hyperphosphatemia promotes vascular calcification in part by promoting SMCs to undergo an osteochondrogenic phenotype change through a mechanism requiring sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporters. Upregulation of sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporters in SMCs by disease state and cytokines may facilitate vascular calcification even when serum phosphate levels are in the normal range.

Elevated Serum Phosphate Predicts Mortality in Renal Transplant Recipients - Connolly, Grainne M.; Cunningham, Ronan; McNamee, Peter T.; Young, Ian S.; Maxwell, Alexander P.

Link to abstract.  Transplantation - 87:7:1040-1044 - April 15, 2009  
The results of this prospective study are the first to show that a higher serum phosphate is a predictor of mortality in patients with a renal transplant and suggest that serum phosphate provides additional, independent, prognostic information to that provided by traditional risk factors in the risk assessment of patients with a renal transplant.

Phosphate binders 'effective' in PD - Rebecca Ireland

Link to full text article.  Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology - 5:4:180 - April 2009  
Sevelamer is associated with reduced progression of cardiovascular calcification compared with calcium-based phosphate binders. "This study provides data to show that sevelamer is as effective and safe in patients on PD as in those on hemodialysis", says Evenepoel.