Opinion in 2009

Calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA), a condition associated with high mortality, is most common among patients on dialysis. In this opinion article, Georg Schlieper and his colleagues discuss the evidence on the efficacy of administering sodium thiosulfate in the treatment of CUA. Given the lack of large clinical trials, the authors also evaluate the consultation of internet-accessible CUA case registries as a strategy to inform the treatment of this disease and to design future studies.

Weibel–Palade bodies, organelles of storage and secretion in endothelial cells, harbor a range of bioactive substances, including von Willebrand factor, angiopoietin 2, and interleukin 8. The authors of this Perspectives article examine the biogenesis and exocytosis of Weibel–Palade bodies and propose that these organelles could have key roles in the development of endothelial dysfunction and as a first-line response to acute stressors such as ischemia.