Andrew S. Levey’s research while affiliated with Tufts Medical Center and other places

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Publications (907)


Correction: Filtration Markers as Predictors of ESRD and Mortality: Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis
  • Article

February 2025

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6 Reads

Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

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Josef Coresh

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[...]

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Andrew S Levey



The Incidence and Outcomes of Acute Kidney Disease in Critically Ill Children

January 2025

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2 Reads

Kidney360

Background Acute kidney disease (AKD) includes abnormalities of kidney function present for <90 days. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is defined as a subset of AKD, with onset within seven days. There is scant data on the rates of AKD in children and its association with outcomes. Our primary objective was to examine the rates of AKD with and without AKI and compare major adverse events (MAKE) in children in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of patients ≤18 years old who were admitted to a quaternary care PICU between 2009 and 2016 using the high-density pediatric database. All patients included in the primary analysis had a known baseline serum creatinine. Patients who had a baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m ² or a history of dialysis dependence or kidney transplant were excluded. AKI and AKD were defined by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes definitions. MAKE-90 was defined as a composite outcome of death, dialysis, or persistent kidney dysfunction 90 days after PICU admission. Results Among 5,922 children included in this study, 1,199 (20.2%) had AKD, of which 1,092 (91%) had AKD with AKI and 107 (8.9%) had AKD without AKI. MAKE-90 occurred in 26% (308/1,199) of those with AKD compared to 3.6% (172/4723) without (p=<0.001). MAKE-90 occurred in 26% (279/1,092) of AKD with AKI and 27% (29/107) of AKD without AKI. After adjusting for age, sex, and illness severity, compared to patients that had no AKD, patients with AKD with AKI (aOR: 14.39, 95% CI: 11.06-18.72) and patients with AKD without AKI (aOR: 7.83, 95% CI: 4.54-13.51) had a greater odds of MAKE-90. Conclusions More than a quarter of pediatric critically ill patients with AKD develop MAKE-90. Even in the absence of AKI, AKD is an independent risk factor for MAKE-90.



Schematic overview of our approach to estimate GFR robustly in new applications
Application of GFR estimating equations that was developed in one population (blue figures on the top left) will be less accurate in different populations (green figures on the top right) due to variation in the distribution of factors that determine the level of the filtration markers other than GFR (referred to as non GFR determinants). Non-GFR determinants of markers can affect GFR estimation accuracy by distorting markers in individual patients (plots on the left hand side) and causing systematic differences between development and application populations (plots on the right hand side). We propose methods to address both errors, using techniques to detect outlying predictor variables, robust estimation, and transfer learning. Finally, we combine these approaches for robust GFR estimates in new applications.
Regression models for mGFR using each marker by study
The average, minimum, and maximum correlations [Average r (minimum, maximum)] of each marker with mGFR across studies is provided within each plot.
Comparison of RMSE using all modeling and prediction approaches after mean and variance contamination of each marker individually
The color of the points represents the underlying outlier detection strategy, and the shape represents the robust estimation approach. Results are averaged across ten cross-validation iterations. RMSE: Root Mean Square Error.
Comparison of RMSE using all outlier detection and robust estimation after mean and variance contamination of two markers
The color of the points represents the underlying outlier detection strategy, and the shape represents the robust estimation approach. Results are averaged across ten cross-validation iterations. We show four of the 28 possible pairs of contaminated markers. The selected pairs represent the results after contaminated two excellent predictors (cystatin-c and pseudouridine, average correlation r with mGFR across studies -0.73 and -0.74, respectively), one excellent predictor and one good predictor (cystatin-c and creatinine, average r for creatinine and mGFR = -0.58), one excellent predictor and one poor predictor (cystatin-c and tryptophan, average r for tryptophan and mGFR = -0.30), and two poor predictors (tryptophan and phenylacetylglutamine, average r for phenylacetylglutamine and mGFR = -0.41). Results are averaged across ten cross-validation iterations. RMSE: Root Mean Square Error.
Comparison of RMSEs from naïve (red), study specific linear (blue) and transfer (green) learning models for various training sizes
RMSES are shown on the y-axis and the training sample size is shown in the x-axis. All models include all 8 predictors. RMSEs from linear models that were fit using all studies except for a single held out study used as the test dataset are shown in the horizontal red line (external Model). RMSEs from linear models fit within single studies are shown in blue. In this case, models were developed using a random sample of observations from the given study, and tested on the remaining observations in the study. RMSEs from transfer learning models, shown in green, were developed using a random sample of training observations from the target data and tested on the remaining observations. Given its relatively small total sample size (n = 55), we did not include Crisp in this analysis. Results are averaged across ten cross-validation iterations. RMSE: Root Mean Square Error.

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Panel estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR): Statistical considerations for maximizing accuracy in diverse clinical populations
  • Article
  • Full-text available

December 2024

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27 Reads

Assessing glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is critical for diagnosis, staging, and management of kidney disease. However, accuracy of estimated GFR (eGFR) is limited by large errors (>30% error present in >10–50% of patients), adversely impacting patient care. Errors often result from variation across populations of non-GFR determinants affecting the filtration markers used to estimate GFR. We hypothesized that combining multiple filtration markers with non-overlapping non-GFR determinants into a panel GFR could improve eGFR accuracy, extending current recognition that adding cystatin C to serum creatinine improves accuracy. Non-GFR determinants of markers can affect the accuracy of eGFR in two ways: first, increased variability in the non-GFR determinants of some filtration markers among application populations compared to the development population may result in outlying values for those markers. Second, systematic differences in the non-GFR determinants of some markers between application and development populations can lead to biased estimates in the application populations. Here, we propose and evaluate methods for estimating GFR based on multiple markers in applications with potentially higher rates of outlying predictors than in development data. We apply transfer learning to address systematic differences between application and development populations. We evaluated a panel of 8 markers (5 metabolites and 3 low molecular weight proteins) in 3,554 participants from 9 studies. Results show that contamination in two strongly predictive markers can increase imprecision by more than two-fold, but outlier identification with robust estimation can restore precision nearly fully to uncontaminated data. Furthermore, transfer learning can yield similar results with even modest training set sample size. Combining both approaches addresses both sources of error in GFR estimates. Once the laboratory challenge of developing a validated targeted assay for additional metabolites is overcome, these methods can inform the use of a panel eGFR across diverse clinical settings, ensuring accuracy despite differing non-GFR determinants.

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Citations (44)


... We speculated that CK might be associated with sarcopenia or low MM. On the one hand, serum CK levels are positively correlated with a number of parameters that directly re ect muscle mass, including BMI, creatinine, and urinary creatinine (UCR) (UCR is a known marker of muscle mass) (30,31). A cross-sectional study of 1086 hospitalized T2DM patients revealed that CK was inversely correlated with low MM and was positively correlated with the skeletal muscle index (SMI) (10). ...

Reference:

Association between serum creatine kinase levels and the risk of all-cause mortality among centenarians: A prospective cohort study in China
Serum creatinine and serum cystatin C as an index of muscle mass in adults
  • Citing Article
  • August 2024

Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension

... Previous studies have found that microbial effects on host phenotypes can be driven by changes in circulating metabolites, which then interact with host receptors or pathways 18,[49][50][51] . Studies focused on metabolites related to GFR in CKD patients found that some metabolites are positively but some are negatively associated with estimated GFR [52][53][54][55] . Of note, the secretion of microbial metabolites can be influenced by transporters such as organic anion transporter-1 (OAT-1) 56 . ...

Consistency of metabolite associations with measured glomerular filtration rate in children and adults

CKJ: Clinical Kidney Journal

... Highprotein diets, particularly those rich in meat, not only increase the risk of cardiovascular disease but also elevate CKD incidence and accelerate its progression as a result of increased intraglomerular pressure as well as glomerular hyperfiltration. Meat consumption raises the production of nitrogenous waste, exacerbates uremia, and may lead to constipation, resulting in hyperkalemia due to typically low fiber intake (50,51). Additionally, we should focus on the increasing burden of CKD caused by a diet high in red meat and a diet high in processed meat in countries and regions with high SDI levels. ...

Serum Metabolomic Markers of Protein-Rich Foods and Incident CKD: Results From the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Kidney Medicine

... However, SCr levels are influenced by factors such as age, gender, height, muscle mass, and dietary composition [18], leading to potential inaccuracies in SCr-based eGFR (eGFRs) calculations and a possible overestimation of the true eGFR [19]. Studies have shown that eGFR based on CYST is more sensitive than eGFRs in predicting cardiovascular outcomes in mild CKD and early kidney injury after kidney transplantation [20,21]. CYST is continuously transcribed and expressed in nucleated cells without specific histologic features. ...

Association of Low Glomerular Filtration Rate With Adverse Outcomes at Older Age in a Large Population With Routinely Measured Cystatin C
  • Citing Article
  • January 2024

Annals of Internal Medicine

... Accurate glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation is crucial for diagnosing kidney disease and prescribing renal risk medications [1][2][3]. In clinical practice, estimated GFR (eGFR) is typically determined by plasma creatinine levels adjusted for age and sex (eGFR cre ) [4]. However, creatinine is an imperfect metric of GFR, particularly in older (age ≥ 65 years) hospitalized patients, due to age-related changes in non-GFR factors such as muscle mass and nutritional status that affect creatinine level [5]. ...

Evaluation of novel candidate filtration markers from a global metabolomic discovery for glomerular filtration rate estimation
  • Citing Article
  • November 2023

Kidney International

... In general, we urge that caution be used in adopting disease-specific eGFRcr equations, or using disease status as a variable in eGFR equations for the general population. 8 Wider use of cystatin C with creatinine measures substantially improves the accuracy of GFR estimation in other settings, and future studies should evaluate eGFRcr-cystatin C equations in KTRs. In addition, wider implementation of mGFR procedures in transplant centers should be encouraged. ...

Do We Need a New Creatinine-Based Estimated GFR Equation for Kidney Transplant Recipients?
  • Citing Article
  • October 2023

American Journal of Kidney Diseases

... We could not address the question of accuracy without measured GFR. However, in the Swedish cohort study where concurrent plasma clearance of iohexol, SCR, and CysC were measured, eGFR SCR-CysC equations performed best with minimal variation among Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI), European Kidney Function Consortium, Revised Lund-Malmö 2011, and Caucasian, Asian, Pediatric and Adult 2014 eGFR equations [10]. The lower performance of CKD-EPI eGFR equations was attributed to differences in population characteristics and measurement methods and suggested that implementing eGFR SCR equations would require a trade-off between accuracy and uniformity across regions. ...

Accuracy of GFR-estimating equations based on creatinine, cystatin C or both in routine care

Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation

... While cystatin-based equations have shown promise in improving accuracy and reducing racial bias, creatinine remains widely used due to its accessibility and costeffectiveness. A recent study of >4000 adults indicated that both REFIT and EKFC are effective depending on the population being evaluated [22]. ...

CKD-EPI and EKFC GFR Estimating Equations: Performance and Other Considerations for Selecting Equations for Implementation in Adults
  • Citing Article
  • October 2023

Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

... This is consistent with the findings of a meta-analysis involving participants from the multinational CKD Prognosis Consortium, which showed that a diagnosis of CKD stage 4 (eGFR 15-29 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ) was strongly associated (HR > 280) with kidney failure requiring kidney replacement therapy among patients with or without albuminuria [34]. Additionally, the dispensation of potassium-removing resins and potassium-binding agents was associated with both the kidney failure/need for dialysis and worsening of CKD stage outcomes. ...

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, Albuminuria, and Adverse Outcomes: An Individual-Participant Data Meta-Analysis

JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association

... This could be due to the fact that these markers do not have the same non-GFR determinants or are at least partially independent of each other, so simultaneous use reduces the errors associated with each marker individually. Adingwupu et al. [58] conducted a systematic review that included 26 studies published between 2011 and 2023. The studies assessed mGFR and used a standardized assay for laboratory cystatin C and creatinine measurement in clinical populations with cancer, HIV, cirrhosis and liver transplant, heart failure, neuromuscular disease, and obesity. ...

Cystatin C as a GFR Estimation Marker in Acute and Chronic Illness: A Systematic Review

Kidney Medicine