Nara Shin

Cinacalcet lowering of serum fibroblast growth factor-23 concentration may be independent from serum Ca, P, PTH and dose of active vitamin D in peritoneal dialysis patients: a randomized controlled study.

BackgroundElevated serum level of fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) is associated with adverse outcomes in dialyzed patients.ObjectivesThe CUPID study compared the efficacy of a cinacalcet-based regimen with conventional care (vitamin D and P binders) for achieving the stringent NKF-K/DOQI targets for peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Additionally, we analyzed change in FGF23 levels between two treatments to explore the cinacalcet effect in lowering FGF23.DesignMulticenter, open-labeled, randomized controlled study.SettingSeven university-affiliated hospitals in Korea.ParticipantsOverall, 66 peritoneal dialysis patients were enrolled.InterventionSixty six patients were randomly assigned to treatment with either cinacalcet + oral vitamin D (cinacalcet group, n = 33) or oral vitamin D alone (control group, n = 33) to achieve K/DOQI targets. CUPID included a 4-week screening for vitamin D washout, a 12-week dose-titration, and a 4-week assessment phases. We calculated mean values of iPTH, Ca, P, Ca x P, during assessment phase and final FGF23 to assess the outcome.Main outcome measuresAchievement of >30% reduction of iPTH from baseline (primary) and FGF23 reduction (secondary).Results72.7% (n = 24) of the cinacalcet group and 93.9% (n = 31) of the control group completed the study. Cinacalcet group received 30.2 ± 18.0 mg/day of cinacalcet and 0.13 ± 0.32 μg/d oral vitamin D (P < 0.001 vs. control with 0.27 ± 0.18 μg/d vitamin D). The proportion of patients who reached the primary endpoint was not statistically different (48.5% vs. 51.5%, cinacalcet vs. control, P = 1.000). After treatment, cinacalcet group experienced a significant reduction in FGF23 levels (median value from 3,960 to 2,325 RU/ml, P = 0.002), while an insignificant change was shown for control group (from 2,085 to 2,415 RU/ml). The percent change of FGF23 after treatment was also significantly different between the two groups (− 42.54% vs. 15.83%, P = 0.008). After adjustment, cinacalcet treatment was independently associated with the serum FGF23 reduction.ConclusionCinacalcet treatment was independently associated with the reduction of FGF23 in our PD patients.Trial registrationControlled trials NCT01101113

Visceral obesity is associated with microalbuminuria in nondiabetic Asians

Microalbuminuria is an indicator of renal disease and is known to be related to obesity. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between the cross-sectional area of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and the prevalence of microalbuminuria. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1154 subjects who underwent routine checkups, including computed tomography (CT) scans of abdominal adipose tissue. We used the lowest tertile as a reference of abdominal fat. The highest tertile of VAT was related to the highest prevalence of microalbuminuria (odds ratio (OR): 1.96; 95% CI: 1.12–3.43). Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) was not associated with microalbuminuria. In men, the highest tertile for VAT was associated with the highest prevalence of microalbuminuria (OR: 2.74; 95% CI: 1.44–5.22). In women, VAT or SAT was not associated with microalbuminuria. In nondiabetic subjects, the highest tertile for VAT was associated with the highest prevalence of microalbuminuria (OR: 2.23; 95% CI: 1.15–4.32). Among subjects without metabolic syndrome or with body mass index <25 kg m−2, the highest tertile for VAT was associated with microalbuminuria in age- and sex-adjusted model, respectively (OR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.01–2.31; OR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.05–4.65). The analysis of the association of VAT and insulin resistance (IR) indicated that a higher VAT was associated with a higher IR (highest tertile for VAT—OR: 2.91; 95% CI: 1.70–4.96). In conclusion, the highest VAT of the current study was significantly correlated with the highest prevalence of microalbuminuria, even in traditionally low-risk subjects without diabetes, and this association is potentially related with a higher IR.

Lower serum uric acid level predicts mortality in dialysis patients

AbstractWe evaluated the impact of serum uric acid (SUA) on mortality in patients with chronic dialysis. A total of 4132 adult patients on dialysis were enrolled prospectively between August 2008 and September 2014. Among them, we included 1738 patients who maintained dialysis for at least 3 months and had available SUA in the database. We categorized the time averaged-SUA (TA-SUA) into 5 groups: <5.5, 5.5–6.4, 6.5–7.4, 7.5–8.4, and ≥8.5 mg/dL. Cox regression analysis was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) of all-cause mortality according to SUA group. The mean TA-SUA level was slightly higher in men than in women. Patients with lower TA-SUA level tended to have lower body mass index (BMI), phosphorus, serum albumin level, higher proportion of diabetes mellitus (DM), and higher proportion of malnourishment on the subjective global assessment (SGA). During a median follow-up of 43.9 months, 206 patients died. Patients with the highest SUA had a similar risk to the middle 3 TA-SUA groups, but the lowest TA-SUA group had a significantly elevated HR for mortality. The lowest TA-SUA group was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (adjusted HR, 1.720; 95% confidence interval, 1.007–2.937; P = 0.047) even after adjusting for demographic, comorbid, nutritional covariables, and medication use that could affect SUA levels. This association was prominent in patients with well nourishment on the SGA, a preserved serum albumin level, a higher BMI, and concomitant DM although these parameters had no significant interaction in the TA-SUA-mortality relationship except DM. In conclusion, a lower TA-SUA level <5.5 mg/dL predicted all-cause mortality in patients with chronic dialysis.

Effects of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease on long-term mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting

BACKGROUND Both acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are important issues in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), particularly with regard to mortality. However, their synergistic or discrete effects on long-term mortality remain unresolved. METHODS A total of 1,899 patients undergoing CABG were retrospectively analyzed. The adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause mortality were calculated after stratifying the timeframes. To evaluate the synergistic effects between AKI and CKD, the relative excess risk due to interaction was applied. RESULTS The presence of AKI, CKD, or both increased the hazard ratios for mortality, compared with the absence of both: AKI alone, 1.84 (1.464-2.319); CKD alone, 2.46 (1.735-3.478); and AKI and CKD together, 3.21 (2.301-4.488). However, the relationships with mortality were different between AKI and CKD, according to the timeframes: AKI primarily affected early mortality, particularly within 3 years, whereas CKD had a relatively constant effect on both the early and late periods. When the parameters from the relative excess risk due to interaction were obtained, there was a synergistic additive effect on early mortality between AKI and CKD. CONCLUSIONS The relationships with mortality after CABG were different between AKI and CKD. However, their effects were not exclusive but synergistic.

Correlation between periodontitis and chronic kidney disease in Korean adults

Background Periodontitis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are important health issues; however, the association between periodontitis and CKD markers, especially in Korean adults, remains elusive. Methods Data on 15,729 Korean adults were obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys IV and V. The CKD markers included a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR;<60 mL/min/1.73 m2), proteinuria, and hematuria. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were measured using stepwise multivariate logistic regression analyses for CKD markers based on the presence of periodontitis. Results Patients with periodontitis had greater unadjusted ORs for CKD markers compared to those without periodontitis, as follows: decreased eGFR, 4.07 (3.11–5.33); proteinuria, 2.12 (1.48–3.05); and hematuria, 1.25 (1.13–1.39, all P<0.001). Periodontitis was a significant predictor of decreased eGFR independent of all covariates [1.39 (1.03–1.89), P=0.034]. However, the effect of periodontitis on decreased eGFR seemed to be affected by hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Periodontitis was not an independent predictor of proteinuria; the significance disappeared after adjusting for hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Periodontitis was significantly correlated with hematuria, leading to similar ORs regardless of the adjustment for covariates [1.29 (1.15–1.46), P<0.001]. Conclusion This study confirms the correlation between periodontitis and CKD markers, including decreased eGFR, proteinuria, and hematuria in Korean adults.

Synthesis of Monomers for Polyamide-type TPEs from Oleic Acid

We have developed the synthetic processes for the monomers of polyamide-type TPEs (thermoplastic elastomers, TPAEs) obtained from vegetable oil. TPAEs have several superior physical properties to those of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). From the common starting material, oleic acid, which is commonly found in various vegetable oils, we have synthesized three ω-amino acid monomers (C9, C10 and C11 ω-amino acid) and three α, ω-dicarboxylic acids(C9, C10 and C11 α, ω-dicarboxylic acid) for TPAEs in good yields.