Rong Lv

Remote ischemic preconditioning for prevention of acute kidney injury: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) to prevent acute kidney injury (AKI) following cardiac and vascular interventions is a controversial practice. STUDY DESIGN We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis using the MEDLINE database (1966 through November 2013), EMBASE (1988 through November 2013), and Cochrane Library database. SETTING & POPULATION Patients undergoing cardiac and vascular interventions. SELECTION CRITERIA FOR STUDIES Randomized controlled trials comparing patient outcome with or without RIPC for prevention of AKI following cardiac and vascular interventions. INTERVENTION RIPC using an inflatable tourniquet around the limb or cross-clamping the iliac arteries versus non-RIPC. OUTCOMES AKI, need for renal replacement therapy, postoperative kidney biomarkers, in-hospital mortality, and length of intensive care unit and hospital stay. RESULTS 13 trials (1,334 participants) were included. RIPC decreased the risk of AKI for patients undergoing cardiac and vascular interventions compared with the control group (11 trials; 1,216 participants; risk ratio [RR], 0.70; 95% CI, 0.48-1.02; P = 0.06; I(2) = 45%) with marginal statistical significance. There were no differences in levels of postoperative kidney biomarkers (serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate), incidence of renal replacement therapy, in-hospital mortality, hospital stay, or intensive care unit stay between the 2 groups. Metaregression analysis indicated that contrast intervention was not a covariate contributing significantly to heterogeneity on the risk estimate for AKI incidence; also, there was no dose effect of RIPC using tourniquet cuff around the limb on AKI prevention based on different ischemia duration. LIMITATIONS Different AKI definitions adopted in the trials included. CONCLUSIONS RIPC might be beneficial for the prevention of AKI following cardiac and vascular interventions, but the current evidence is not robust enough to make a recommendation. Adequately powered trials are needed to provide more evidence in the future.

Effect of the intensity of continuous renal replacement therapy in patients with sepsis and acute kidney injury: a single-center randomized clinical trial

INTRODUCTION Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major complication in patients with sepsis and is an independent predictor of mortality. However, the optimal intensity of renal replacement therapy for such patients is still controversial. METHODS From 1 January 2004 to 30 September 2009, we randomly assigned 280 patients with sepsis and AKI to continuous renal replacement therapy by high-volume hemofiltration (50 mL/kg/h, HVHF) or extra high-volume hemofiltration (85 mL/kg/h, EHVHF). The primary study outcome was death from any cause within 28, 60 and 90 days. Results were analyzed by univariate and multivariate methods and by Kaplan-Meier survival curves. RESULTS A total of 141 patients were given EHVHF and 139 were given HVHF. The two groups had similar baseline characteristics and received treatment for an average of 9.38 days (EHVHF group) and 8.88 days (HVHF group). There were no significant differences between the groups in number of deaths at 28, 60 or 90 days. There were also no differences between the groups in renal outcome of survivors at 90 days. Multivariate analysis indicated that inotropic support by norepinephrine, time in hospital of >7 days, blood platelet count <8 × 10(9)/L, Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score >25, total bilirubin >100 μmol/L, prothrombin time >18 s, serum creatinine <250 μmol/L and blood urea nitrogen >20 mmol/L were independent risk factors for death at 90 days after initiation of renal replacement therapy. CONCLUSIONS In patients with sepsis and AKI, increasing the intensity of renal replacement therapy from 50 (HVHF) to 85 mL/kg/h (EHVHF) had no effect on survival at 28 and 90 days.

Successful Prevention of Cuffed Hemodialysis Catheter-Related Infection Using an Antibiotic Lock Technique by Strictly Catheter-Restricted Antibiotic Lock Solution Method

Background: Catheter-related infection (CRI) is associated with increased all-cause mortality and morbidity in hemodialysis patients and may be reduced by using antimicrobial lock solutions. But the safety of long-term use of antimicrobial lock still needs to be defined. Methods: Patients with a new inserted permanent tunneled cuffed hemodialysis catheter were randomly assigned to an antibiotic lock solution of gentamicin (4 mg/ml) heparin (G group) or heparin alone (H group). Results: A total of 140 patients were enrolled in this study. CRI rates were 0.06/1,000 catheter-days for the G group versus 0.67 in the H group (p = 0.014). The risk of CRI was 10.54 higher in patients with a heparin-alone locked catheter (p = 0.025) than that with gentamicin. The serum-measured gentamicin levels were very low. Conclusions: Gentamicin lock solution reduces CRI and improves catheter survival rates in hemodialysis patients. It is relatively safe in strictly catheter-restricted antibiotic lock solution therapy.

Pre-transplant serum concentrations of anti-endothelial cell antibody in panel reactive antibody negative renal recipients and its impact on acute rejection

Abstract Background: Endothelial cell antigens are important targets in acute rejection (AR). Our goal was to measure the serum concentrations of pre-transplant anti-endothelial cell antibody (AECA) in panel reactive antibody (PRA) negative recipients and its impact on AR within 6 months following renal transplantation. Methods: We retrospectively examined pre-transplant sera from 392 patients using cellular enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with substrate from a permanent endothelial cell line EAhy926. Equal volumes of serum from 40 healthy volunteers were mixed and used as the negative control. Results: The positive rate of AECA was 15.8%. There were no significant differences with respect to age, gender, original disease, dialysis history, immune suppressive regimen, cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigen positive rate, complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) level and soluble CD30 (sCD30) levels between the AECA positive group and AECA negative group. AR rate in the AECA positive group was higher than that in the AECA negative group (35.5% vs. 22.4%, p=0.023). The AECA positive patients had significantly higher rates of acute grade II T-cell mediated rejection (TMR) and acute antibody mediated rejection (AMR) compared with AECA negative patients. The concentrations of sCD30, and AECA were independent risk factors for AR within 6 months; the odds ratios were 7.005 and 2.469, respectively. Conclusions: Positive AECA was an independent risk factor for AR and appeared to correlate with relatively severe rejection subtypes. Clin Chem Lab Med 2009;47:1265–9.

Screening and study enrolment in the Randomized Evaluation of Normal vs. Augmented Level (RENAL) Replacement Therapy Trial

Background and Objectives: Aspects of trial design, screening and study efficiency can affect recruitment and the findings of the trial itself. A clear understanding of the screening and study inclusion process will assist clinicians in interpreting trial results. Design: Prospective observational data collection on all patients screened for possible inclusion in a randomized controlled trial of normal vs. augmented renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients (the RENAL Trial). Setting: 35 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. Participants: All patients screened for the RENAL Trial. Results: We screened 4,551 patients. Of these patients, 767 were ineligible because of lack of inclusion criteria and 2,085 because of exclusion criteria. Of the remaining 1,699, 1,508 (88.7%) were enrolled. The three most common exclusion criteria which prevented recruitment of potentially eligible patients were that the patient had end-stage kidney failure and was already on chronic dialysis (484; 23.2%), the patient’s body weight was either <60 or >120 kg (456; 21.8%), and the fact that the patient had already received renal replacement therapy during the index admission. Important modifiable impediments to recruitment were inability to obtain consent in 191 cases, unavailability of research staff in 124 cases, physician objection in 89 cases, and inability to deliver the trial protocol in 78 cases. Conclusion: The RENAL Trial’s enrolment efficiency was high and compared favourably with previous large intensive care units trials and with that of trials in patients with acute renal failure. The high rate of enrolment suggests that the results can be applied with confidence to most patients with de novo acute renal failure. The loss of close to 1.5% of patients due to consent issues highlights a common problem in critical care trials. The low rate of physician objection suggests clinical equipoise.

Hypophosphatemia during continuous veno-venous hemofiltration is associated with mortality in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury.

IntroductionThe primary aim of this study was to determine whether hypophosphatemia during continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) is associated with the global outcome of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI).Methods760 patients diagnosed with AKI and had received CVVH therapy were retrospectively recruited. Death during the 28-day period and survival at 28 days after initiation of CVVH were used as endpoints. Demographic and clinical data including serum phosphorus levels were recorded along with clinical outcome. Hypophosphatemia was defined according to the colorimetric method as serum phosphorus levels < 0.81 mmol/L (2.5 mg/dL), and severe hypophosphatemia was defined as serum phosphorus levels < 0.32 mmol/L (1 mg/dL). The ratio of CVVH therapy days with hypophosphatemia over total CVVH therapy days was calculated to reflect the persistence of hypophosphatemia.ResultsThe Cox proportional hazard survival model analysis indicated that the incidence of hypophosphatemia or even severe hypophosphatemia was not associated with 28-day mortality independently (p = 0.700). Further analysis with the sub-cohort of patients who had developed hypophosphatemia during the CVVH therapy period indicated that the mean ratio of CVVH therapy days with hypophosphatemia over total CVVH therapy days was 0.58, and the ratio independently associated with the global outcome. Compared with the patients with low ratio (< 0.58), those with high ratio (≥ 0.58) conferred a 1.451-fold increase in 28-day mortality rate (95% CI 1.103–1.910, p = 0.008).ConclusionsHypophosphatemia during CVVH associated with the global clinical outcome of critically ill patients with AKI. The ratio of CVVH therapy days with hypophosphatemia over total CVVH therapy days was independently associated with the 28-day mortality, and high ratio conferred higher mortality rate.

A New Strategy for the Discrimination of Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups in Han Population

Abstract:  Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup discrimination is interesting not only for phylogenetic and clinical but also for forensic studies. We discriminated the mtDNA haplogroups of 570 healthy unrelated Han people from Zhejiang Province, Southeast China, by comprehensive analysis mutations of the hypervariable segments‐I sequence and diagnostic polymorphisms in mtDNA coding region using real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), which was compared with the widely used PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) method. The results showed that in superhaplogroup M, haplogroup D was the most common haplotype within this assay to 24.6%, and in the other superhaplotype N, haplogroup B and F were the most common groups. Samples re‐identified by PCR‐RFLP showed the consistent results that were got with RT‐PCR. In conclusion, the RT‐PCR strategy appears to be an accurate, reproducible, and sensitive technique for the discrimination of mtDNA haplogroups, especially for mass screenings quickly and economically.

Capillary Deposition of Complement C4d and C3d in Chinese Renal Allograft Biopsies

Background. C3d is a product of both the classic and the alternative complement cascades; however, few studies have addressed the role of C3d in renal biopsies and its relationship with long-term graft survival rate is not very clear. Methods. 94 patients with biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes were included in the study. We investigated the associations between histological findings, clinical examinations, and outcome. Results. The overall prevalence for C4dPTC and C3dPTC was 42.6% and 29.8%. There was a significant association between C3dPTC and C4dPTC (P < 0.001). C3dPTC and C4dPTC were related with histological types (P = 0.024 and P < 0.001, resp.). The long-term survival rate for C4dPTC positive transplants was lower than that of C4dPTC negative transplants, but it was not statistic significant in our study (P = 0.150). The survival rate of C3dPTC positive group was much lower than the negative group (P = 0.014). Patients with double positives for C4dPTC and C3dPTC exhibited the lowest survival rate significantly different from those of the C3dPTC only and C4dPTC only groups (P = 0.01 and P = 0.0037). Conclusions. This longitudinal cohort study has demonstrated that C3d deposition in the PTC was closely related to renal dysfunction and pathological changes.

Impact of Clinical Condition at Restarting Dialysis on Outcome After Kidney Allograft Loss: A Single-Center Experience

BACKGROUND The purpose of this paper was to determine the impact of the clinical condition of the patient at the restart of dialysis on long-term survival after renal graft loss. METHODS We performed an analysis of 110 patients with renal allograft failure compared with 115 hemodialysis patients without kidney transplantation. RESULTS There was a relatively high glomerular filtration rate, low serum albumin, and greater prevalence of infection among graft loss patients compared with the never-transplanted patients. Patient survival after allograft loss was significantly lower than that of never-transplanted patients (P = .024) with 63.4% patients succumbing in the first 3 months. Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) positivity, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and malnutrition were independent risk factors for graft loss patient upon COX regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS Serum HBV positive, complicated with CVD and malnutrition were independent risk factors for the graft loss among patients who restarted hemodialysis. More attention should be paid to treat complications of transplant recipients in K/DOQI 4 and 5 stages.