Canpolat N, et al. - Researchers assessed plasma concentrations of leptin and total ghrelin in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and evaluate their roles in protein-energy wasting (PEW). This investigation involved three different CKD populations (CKD group: 20 patients with non-dialysis CKD, dialysis group: 39 patients on dialysis, and kidney transplant [KTx] group: 35 KTx recipients) and a control group (18 healthy children). The investigators found that PEW was prevalent in dialysis patients and that low levels of leptin seemed to be correlated with PEW. Findings demonstrated that low leptin levels may be a consequence rather than a cause of PEW. There was also an observed independent association of low leptin level in dialysis patients with lower fat mass index and lower height-specific SD scores of body mass index.