Goce Spasovski

• Professor at Saints Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje

Atherosclerosis is a closely related complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), driven by endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress. The progression of atherosclerosis is accelerated by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and hyperlipidemia. Novel antidiabetic agents, SGLT2 inhibitors, and GLP-1 agonists improve glycemic control and o...

Omics technologies have significantly advanced the prediction and therapeutic approaches for chronic kidney disease (CKD) by providing comprehensive molecular insights. This is a review of the current state and future prospects of integrating biomarkers into the clinical practice for CKD, aiming to improve patient outcomes by targeted therapeutic i...

Background/Objectives: Survival prospects following SARS-CoV-2 infection may extend beyond the acute phase, influenced by various factors including age, health conditions, and infection severity; however, this topic has not been studied in detail. Therefore, within this study, the mortality risk post-acute COVID-19 in the CRIT-COV-U cohort was inve...

Introduction: Kidney transplantation significantly improves the lives of those with end-stage kidney disease, offering best alternative to dialysis. However, transplant success is threatened by the acute and chronic rejection mechanisms due to complex immune responses against the new organ. Areas covered: The ongoing research into biomarkers hol...

Hyponatraemia is the most common electrolyte disorder in hospital patients associated with increased morbidity, mortality, hospital stay and financial burden. The speed of a correction with 3% sodium chloride as a 100- to 150-ml intravenous bolus or continuous infusion depends on the severity and persistence of the symptoms and needs frequent bioch...

Survival prospects following SARS-CoV-2 infection extend beyond the acute phase, influenced by various factors including age, health conditions, and infection severity. We investigated mortality risk among 651 post-acute COVID-19 patients, assessing the association between urinary peptides and future death. Data spanning until December 2023 were co...

The relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cognitive function has received increased attention in recent years. Antibacterial agents (ABs) represent a critical component of therapy regimens in patients with CKD due to increased susceptibility to infections. Following our reviewing work on the neurocognitive impact of long-term medica...

Background and Aims The life expectancy among survivors of SARS-CoV-2 infection may be influenced by age, pre-existing health conditions, and the severity of the initial infection. This study aimed to investigate the life expectancy in patients that survived the acute phase of COVID-19 and the association with kidney function. Method Survival data...

Physiologically, GFR level should be stable up to the end of the fifth decade of life. When measured more frequently, wide dispersion of GFR results have been seen, but, after 5th decade GFR is expected to reduce by 1ml/min/1,73m2 yearly. The aim of this study was to calculate the change of estimated GFR on annual level and its correlations in heal...

Kidney donors are considered healthy, but with a need for continued medical follow up and encouragement for continued healthy lifestyle, especially when expanded criteria for donation are applied. This study aims to analyse the five years follow up of kidney donors after explanation, encountering risks of kidney function decline and donors’ morta...

More than 90% of diabetic patients have type 2 diabetes, which causes microvascular and macrovascular complications that are distressing for patients and caregivers alike and impose a significant strain on healthcare systems. Both the incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes T2D are rising internationally, despite a better understanding of the r...

A perturbation in the water balance rather than any change in salt content is the main cause of hyponatremia, the most frequent electrolyte abnormality, defined as a serum sodium concentration <135 mEq/L. Hyponatremia may be divided between mild (Na > 120 mEq/L) or severe (Na < 120 mEq/L) hyponatremia, and is most frequently observed in elderly ICU...

Aim Lifestyle modifications can postpone the progression of chronic kidney disease toward its terminal stage. This mini-review aims to explore the impact of salt and water intake on the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and provide insights into the optimal consumption levels to preserve the glomerular filtration rate. Methods We reviewe...

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the most reliable parameter of renal function. Regarding the complexity of the gold standard inulin clearance, different estimating equations have been developed with CKD-EPI creatinine equation recommended as the most reliable one. In some clinical situations where creatinine based equations might not be valid,...

Introduction : In COVID-19 patients, acute kidney injury (AKI) is recognized as a cause of high mortality. The aim of our study was to assess the rate and the predictors of AKI as well as survival among COVID-19 patients. Methods : We analyzed clinical and laboratory admission data, predictors of AKI and outcomes including the need for renal replac...

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious complication in patients with transplanted kidney, leading to graft loss and a high mortality rate. We present a case of native valve endocarditis in a 51-year-old male with transplanted kidney that had atypical clinical course. The patient experienced prolonged subfebrile temperature with paroxysmal arrhyth...

People living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) frequently suffer from mild cognitive impairment and/or other neurocognitive disorders. This review in two parts will focus on adverse drug reactions (ADR) resulting in cognitive impairment as a potentially modifiable risk factor in CKD patients. Many patients with CKD have a substantial burden of com...

There is growing evidence that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment especially due to vascular damage, blood-brain barrier disruption and uremic toxins. Given the presence of multiple comorbidities, the medication regimen of CKD patients often becomes very complex. Several medications such as psychotro...

The perturbation in water balance rather than any change in salt content is the main cause of hyponatremia, the most frequent electrolyte abnormality defined as serum sodium concentration <135 mEq/L. Hyponatremia may be divided as mild (Na>120 mEq/L) or severe (Na<120 mEq/L) hyponatremia, most frequently observed in elderly ICU hospitalized patient...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 850 million people globally and is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. The prevalence of cognitive impairment among CKD patients ranges from 30 to 60%, and the link between CKD and cognitive impairment is partially understood. Methodological challenges and biases in studying...

Even though nephrology has made much progress, reducing the progression of the chronic kidney disease remains, in fact, one of the biggest challenges. Long before the renal replacement therapy (RRT), it was known that limiting the protein could help almost all uremia symptoms. Although it was proposed as early as the 1960s, it only became widely us...

Thyroid hormone (TH) imbalances, particularly subclinical hypothyroidism (SCHT), are associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). SCHT is more prevalent in CKD and ESKD patients than in the general population, and this condition increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. The risk...

Background Cognitive impairment is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and early intervention may prevent the progression of this condition. Methods Here, we review interventions for the complications of CKD (anemia, secondary hyperparathyroidism, metabolic acidosis, harmful effects of dialysis, the accumulation of uremic toxins)...

Background and Aims Kidney transplantation is considered the best renal replacement therapy (RRT) for patients with end-stage renal disease, nevertheless, some dialysis patients refuse to be transplanted. Many patients are concerned about their quality of life as a patient on dialysis compared to life with a new, functioning kidney. The results fro...

Background and Aims Kidney Failure (KF) is treated with three modalities of renal replacement therapy (RRT): kidney transplantation (Tx), hemodialysis (HD), and peritoneal dialysis (PD). Our study aimed to present the trend of RRT in N. Macedonia from 2015 to 2020. Method The epidemiological retrospective study analyzed the patients with kidney fa...

Background and Aims Better removal capacities for middle and large middle molecules in hemodialysis was achieved in (HD) treatment with the new medium cut-off (MCO) membranes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long term removal efficacy of Theranova® in standard HD in comparison with standard high-flux HD. Method 11 patients were assigned...

Background and Aims After nephrectomy kidney transplant donors lose 50% of their renal mass. Shortage of donors and long waiting list for deceased donor transplantation expanded the living donor criteria. The aim of this study to identify pretransplant donor related factors associated with renal function decline. Method We retrospectively studied...

Background and Aims Kidneys in COVID-19 patients demonstrate high vulnerability and acute kidney injury (AKI) is recognized as a cause of poor outcome and high mortality, in those requiring hospitalisation. The aim of our study was to assess the predictors and rate of AKI involvement among COVID-19 hospitalised patients at the day of admission, and...

Although rare, hereditary diseases, such as autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and Fabry disease (FD) may significantly progress towards severe nephropathy. It is crucial to characterize it accurately, predict the course of the illness and estimate treatment effectiveness. A huge effort has been undertaken to find reliable biomark...

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a phosphaturic hormone produced mainly in osteocytes. In chronic kidney disease (CKD) FGF23 levels increase due to higher production, but also as the result of impaired cleavage and reduced excretion from the body. FGF23 has a significant role in disturbed bone and mineral metabolism in CKD, which leads to a h...

Aims: Baseline diabetic retinopathy (DR) and risk of development of microalbuminuria, kidney function decline, and cardiovascular events (CVEs) in type 2 diabetes. Methods: Post-hoc analysis of the PRIORITY study including 1758 persons with type 2 diabetes and normoalbuminuria followed for a median of 2.5 (IQR: 2.0-3.0) years. DR diagnosis inclu...

Percutaneous nephrostomy is a first-line minimal invasive treatment option for ureteral obstruction following kidney transplantation, with high effectiveness and a low complication rate. Percutaneous nephrostomy might be used as a temporary salvage therapy, providing acute decompression of the kidney collecting system and preventing graft loss. It...

Background: The determination of blood flow rate (BFR) is a useful tool for assessing the function of arteriovenous fistula (AVF). Methods: Eighty patients with a newly created radio cephalic AVF were analyzed. Hemodynamics and morphological characteristics of the blood vessels were assessed by Doppler ultrasound. Results: The mean age of pati...

Background Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular complication of diabetes highly associated to cardiovascular disease and diabetic kidney disease. However, these associations are not thoroughly investigated at an early type 2 diabetes disease stage. This study therefore evaluated the association between baseline DR status and development of...

Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a worldwide challenge. The CRIT-CoV-U pilot study generated a urinary proteomic biomarker consisting of 50 peptides (COV50), which predicted death and disease progression from SARS-CoV-2. After the interim analysis presented for the German Government, here, we aimed to analyse the full dataset to consolidate th...

Introduction: Although early rejection episodes are successfully controlled, the problem of unrecognized production of de novo anti HLA antibodies and associated chronic rejection still persists. Areas covered: In addition to the standard induction and maintenance therapy, we present a couple of new drugs as induction (Alemtuzumab), CNI free pro...

The nervous system and the kidneys are linked under physiological states to maintain normal body homeostasis. In chronic kidney disease (CKD), damaged kidneys can impair the central nervous system, including cerebrovascular disease and cognitive impairment (CI). Recently, kidney disease has been proposed as a new modifiable risk factor for dementia...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Doppler Ultrasound (DUS) is a superior tool for the assessment of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) functionality. The aim of the study was to determine the association between morphological and haemodynamic characteristics of the blood vessels with AVF maturation. METHOD The study was prospective that analysed 80 patients with chron...

Neurocognitive disorders are frequent among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Identifying and characterizing cognitive impairment (CI) can help to assess the ability of adherence to CKD risk reduction strategy, identify potentially reversible causes of cognitive decline, modify pharmacotherapy, educate the patient and caregiver and provide app...

Background The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains a worldwide challenge. The CRIT-Cov-U pilot study generated a urinary proteomic biomarker consisting of 50 peptides (COV50), which predicted death and disease progression. Following the interim analysis demanded by the German government, the full dataset was analysed to consolidate findings and propose cli...

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a 36-amino-acid peptide member of a family also including peptide YY and pancreatic polypeptide, which are all ligands to Gi/Go coupled receptors. NPY regulates several fundamental biologic functions including appetite/satiety, sex and reproduction, learning and memory, cardiovascular and renal function and immune functions....

Although kidney transplantation is the best treatment option for end stage kidney disease, it is still associated with long-term graft failure. One of the greater challenges for transplant professionals is the ability to identify grafts with a high risk of failure before initial decline of eGFR with irreversible graft changes. Transplantation medic...

Kidney function has two important elements: glomerular filtration and tubular function (secretion and reabsorption). A persistent decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR), with or without proteinuria, is diagnostic of chronic kidney disease (CKD). While glomerular injury or disease is a major cause of CKD and usually associated with proteinuria...

Kidney dysfunction can profoundly influence many organ systems, and recent evidence suggests a potential role for increased albuminuria in the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. Epidemiological studies conducted in different populations have demonstrated that the presence of increased albuminuria is associated with a higher...

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a 36-amino-acid peptide member of a family also including peptide YY and pancreatic polypeptide which are all ligands to Gi/Go coupled receptors. NPY regulates several fundamental biologic functions including appetite/satiety, sex and reproduction, learning and memory, cardiovascular and renal function and the immune functio...

Neurocognitive disorders are frequent among chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Identifying and characterizing cognitive impairment (CI) can help to assess the ability of adherence to CKD risk reduction strategy, identify potentially reversible causes of cognitive decline, modify pharmacotherapy, educate the patient and caregiver and provide app...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) perturbs the crosstalk with others organs, with the interaction between the kidneys and the heart having been studied most intensively. However, a growing body of data indicates that there is an association between kidney dysfunction and disorders of the central nervous system. In epidemiological studies, CKD is associa...

Metabolic acidosis, defined as a plasma or serum bicarbonate concentration <22 mmol/L, is a frequent consequence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and occurs in ~10–30% of patients with advanced stages of CKD. Likewise, in patients with a kidney transplant, prevalence rates of metabolic acidosis range from 20% to 50%. CKD has recently been associated...

Background: Kidney transplantation is the best treatment option for end stage kidney disease but is still associated with long term graft failure. In this study, we evaluated the application of urinary proteomics to identify grafts with high failure risk before initial decline of eGFR with irreversible graft changes. Methods: Fifty-two living do...

Complex coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease. We report a case of a patient on peritoneal dialysis, preloaded with Prasugrel and acetylsalicylic acid as а potent dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). The patient underwent a high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) due to bifurcation st...

Identification of significant changes in urinary peptides may enable improved understanding of molecular disease mechanisms. We aimed towards identifying urinary peptides associated with critical course of COVID‐19 to yield hypotheses on molecular pathophysiological mechanisms in disease development. In this multicentre prospective study urine samp...

Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) appears to be one of the most promising biomarkers and predictors of cardiovascular risk in patients with heart disease and normal kidney function, but moreover in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This review summarizes the current knowledge of FGF23 mechanisms of action in the myocardium in the physiolog...

Abstract: Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) appears to be one of the most promising biomarkers and predictors of cardiovascular risk in patients with heart disease and normal kidney function, but moreover in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This review summarizes the current knowledge of FGF23 mechanisms of action in the myocardium in the...

Background COVID-19 prediction models based on clinical characteristics, routine biochemistry and imaging, have been developed, but little is known on proteomic markers reflecting the molecular pathophysiology of disease progression. Methods he multicentre (six European study sites) Prospective Validation of a Proteomic Urine Test for Early and Ac...

World Kidney Day (WKD) is a global campaign to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and associated health problems worldwide. Kidney disease is a non-communicable disease (NCD) and currently affects around 850 million people worldwide. One in ten adults has chron...

In patients with critical or mild COVID19 (WHO stages 6-8 [n=53] and stages 1-3 [n=66]), 593 urinary peptides significantly affected by disease severity were identified, reflecting the molecular pathophysiology associated with the course of the infection. The peptide profiles were similar compared with those observed in kidney disease, a prototype...

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became binding law in the European Union Member States in 2018, as a step toward harmonizing personal data protection legislation in the European Union. The Regulation governs almost all types of personal data processing, hence, also, those pertaining to biomedical research. The purpose of this article...

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health problem because of its high prevalence, associated complications and high treatment costs. Several aspects of CKD differ significantly in the Eastern European nephrology community compared with Western Europe because of different geographic, socio-economic, infrastructure, cultural and educational feat...

BACKGROUND: Excess mortality is defined as mortality above what would be expected based on the non-crisis mortality rate in the population of interest. AIM: In this study, we aimed to access weather the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic had impact on the in-hospital mortality during the first 6 months of the year and compare it with the data...

Background: A new medium cut-off (MCO) membranes has been designed to achieve better removal capacities for middle and large middle molecules in hemodialysis (HD) treatment. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the removal efficacy of Theranova® in standard HD in comparison with standard high-flux HD. Methods: Four HD patients (M/F 1/4)...

Objectives: Incidence of vascular anomalies in donor kidneys varies from 18% to 30% and presents a challenge for a transplant surgeon in kidney transplant. Here we present our personal experience for man - agement of the complicated and unexpected cases. Materials and methods: A total of 250 kidney transplants (226 living, 24 deceased) were perf...

The Macedonian Society for Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Artificial Organs (MSNDTAO) was established on September 1, 1992 in order to stimulate the development of nephrology and to unite experts from all professions interested in the research and treatment of kidney patients. Momir H. Polenakovic was elected President of MSNDTAO. The Fi...

Medical societies have a social responsibility to disseminate knowledge and inform health authorities on threats to public health posed by various diseases. Advocacy for health protection programmes and for medical research funding is now embedded into the missions of most scientific societies. To promote kidney research funding in Europe, the Euro...

Prof. Dr. Dimitar T. Hrisoho was born on June 11, 1924 in Bitola, R. Macedonia. He died in Struga on September 22, 1986, and was buried in Skopje. He completed primary and secondary education in Bitola. He graduated from the Medical Faculty in Belgrade in 1951 as one of the best students of his generation (average grade of 9.75). In 1953 he was emp...

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has recently emerged in the world. There are limited data describing the clinical progression of COVID-19 in transplanted patients. In the general population, clinical presentation ranges from asymptomatic infection to severe pneumonia and may also develop renal fail...

Contacts between organ donors and recipients might be possible in the near future in Italy. As suggested by The Italian Committee of Bioethics “anonymity is requested by the Italian National Transplant Centre” before transplantation anonymity shall be strict in order to grant privacy, gratuity, justice, solidarity and benefits and avoids organ traf...

An arteriovenous fistula (AVF) remains the best choice of vascular access (VA) for hemodialysis (HD). The aim of the study was to determine the factors associated with the achievement of adequate blood flow (BF) of AVFs at the 4th week after creation. Created AVFs in 63 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4/5 and CKD stage 5 on hemodia...

Background and Aims After the first year following kidney transplantation approximately 3-5% of grafts fail each consecutive year. Many factors have impact on the graft function and only a few may be modifiable. Monitoring of the graft function by serum creatinine concentrations and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are recommended method...

Background and Aims HLA compatibility between donor and recipient is an important factor that influences graft outcomes after kidney transplantation. Increasing number of class I (HLA-AB) and class II (HLA-DR) mismatches are associated with an increased risk of acute rejection and graft loss. Recent developments have increased our understanding of...

Background and Aims Non-compliant dialysis patients are at increased risk of mortality. Compliance depends on patient demographics, educational level and income. Family support and marital status might also influence the patients compliance, as well as the quality of life. Missed/shortened dialysis sessions, adherence to prescribed medications, exc...

Background and Aims An arteriovenous fistula (AVF) remains the best choice of vascular access (VA) for hemodialysis (HD). The aim of our study was determination of factors associated with achieved adequate blood flow (BF) of AVF during 4-th week after creation Method : Created AVF in 63 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4, 5 and 5-H...

Background and Aims Kidney size has been found to be correlated with anthropometric features and is different among different ethnicities. In this study, we used ultrasonography for measurement of kidney volumes in healthy individuals and evaluated the relationships with body height, age and gender. Method We conducted a cross-sectional observatio...

Background and Aims The life expectancy in dialysis patients depends on patients’ age and comorbidities. Frailty in elderly patients is a state of impaired homeostasis with loss of physiologic reserve and a consequent impaired responses to dialysis burden. In this study we assessed the impact of age, comorbidities and frailty on dialysis patients’...

Background Microalbuminuria is an early sign of kidney disease in people with diabetes and indicates increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We tested whether a urinary proteomic risk classifier (CKD273) score was associated with development of microalbuminuria and whether progression to microalbuminuria could be prevented with the mineralocortic...

Cardiovascular (CV) disease is highly prevalent in the population with chronic kidney disease (CKD), where the risk of CV death in early stages far exceeds the risk of progression to dialysis. The presence of chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) has shown a strong correlation with CV events and mortality. As a non-atheromatous...

Introduction. Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for Hemo-dialysis (HD) is a surgical anastomosis between the native blood vessels, and it has become a symbol for superior vascular access (VA) for patients on HD. The aim our study was to compare the successful creation and adequate maturation of AVF using vessel loops instead of arterial bulldogs (small m...

Introduction : Asymptomatic hypoglycaemia has been reported in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients on haemodialysis. Uremic symptoms as inadequate appetite, nausea and vomiting worsen the risk of hypoglycaemia at dialysis initiation. As a standard therapeutic approach for decreasing this risk and dis-equilibrium syndrome at our dialysis unit, a...

In the period from 26 th until 29 th of September 2019, the 15th BANTAO Congress (Balkan Cities Association of Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Artificial Organs) in conjunction with the 6th Congress of the Macedonian Society of Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Artificial Organs (MSNDTAO) was held in Skopje, Republic of North Mace...

The Balkan Cities Association of Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Artificial Organs (BANTAO) was established in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia on October 9, 1993 during the First Congress of the Macedonian Society of Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Artificial Organs (MSNDTAO). The idea of the founders was that such Society would ha...

Background The impact of serum uric acid (UA) on morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients is quite controversial in relation to the general population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of serum UA with both mortality and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in HD patients. Methods This longitudinal study enrolled 22...

Abstract The causes of the increased cardiovascular risk associated with kidney diseases partly reside in the chronic kidney disease–mineral bone disorder (CKD–MBD) syndrome. Three cardiovascular risk factors [hyperphosphatemia, vascular calcification, and elevated fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23)] levels have been discovered within the CKD–MBD...

In January 2019, the ERA-EDTA surveyed nephrologists with questions on kidney care and kidney research designed to explore comprehension of the impact of alterations to organization of renal care and of advancements in technology and knowledge of kidney disease. Eight hundred and twenty-five ERA-EDTA members, ∼13% of the whole ERA-EDTA membership,...

The strengths and the limitations of research activities currently present in Europe are explored in order to outline how to proceed in the near future. Epidemiological and clinical research and public policy in Europe are generally considered to be comprehensive and successful, and the European Renal Association - European Dialysis and Transplant...