Recent advances in nephrology: Highlights from the 35th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Nephrology

The 35th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Nephrology, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (October 30 to November 4, 2002) presented the newest advances in basic and clinical nephrology science. Several presentations and symposia discussed the effects of various interventions and risk factors in clinical outcomes in dialysis patients. The recent evidences of pure red cell aplasia secondary to neutralizing antibodies against erythropoietin were also extensively discussed in a special symposium. Recent advances in the management of calcium phosphorus metabolism and secondary hyperparathyroidism, such as the clinical efficacy and safety of AMG-073, a new calcimimetic agent in the control of hyperparathyroidism in chronic kidney disease patients, or the use of sevelamer or lanthanum carbonate as phosphate binders, were presented. The results in animal models on improved sparing of renal function with rapamycin versus cyclosporin A represent a promising advance in renal transplantation. Finally, the recent discoveries with the newly identified disease gene PKHD1, which causes autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, were also presented at the meeting. (C) 2002 Prous Science. All rights reserved.