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Background. This retrospective study examines the relationship between admission Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) levels and clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis from two separate cohorts in the Czech Republic and the United States. Methods. The study included 9126 patients with sepsis between January 2014 and December 2018. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression were used to analyse the data. An optimal cut-off was calculated by means of the Youden-Index. Results. BUN at ICU admission was categorized as 10-20, 20-40 and >40 mg/dL. Comparing the group with the highest BUN levels to the one with lowest levels, we found HR for 28 days mortality 2.764 (CI 95% 2.37-3.20; P<0.001). We derived an optimal cut-off for prediction of 28 days mortality of 23 mg/dL. The association between BUN and 28 days mortality remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders - for APACHE IV (HR 1.374; 95%CI 1.20-1.58; P<0.001), SAPS2 (HR 1.545; 95%CI 1.35-1.77; P<0.001), eGFR (HR 1.851; 95%CI 1.59-2.16; P<0.001) and several other variables in an integrative model. Conclusions. Our findings support the BUN level as an independent and easily available predictor of 28 days mortality in septic critically ill patients admitted to an ICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Romanian Journal of Intellectual Property Law / Revista Română de Dreptul Proprietăţii Intelectuale is the property of Universul Juridic Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cukurova Medical Journal / Çukurova Üniversitesi Tip Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Cukurova University, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Dehydration, electrolyte disturbance, and acid-base imbalance are the most significant consequences of diarrhea in calves. We aimed to determine blood gas, hematological, electrolyte, and biochemical values and investigate the relationship between the physical status and blood parameters in Korean native calves (KNCs) with diarrhea. One hundred eighty KNCs with diarrhea (age < 75 days) were investigated. Blood samples were collected from the external jugular vein and analyzed using a portable clinical blood gas analyzer. The measured parameters were statistically compared according to the status of physical activity, dehydration, or prognosis. The mean values of parameters in the Calves with diarrhea showed metabolic acidosis, hyponatremia, and azotemia. The mean values of potassium, chloride, hematocrit, and hemoglobin were in the upper limit of their reference ranges. More than 75% of the calves had metabolic acidosis caused by bicarbonate loss, and 63.6% had high blood urea nitrogen (BUN) values. Moreover, BUN showed the highest correlation with the physical activity status and dehydration. pH, base excess of the extracellular fluid (BE), anion gap, potassium, hematocrit, bicarbonate, and hemoglobin were closely correlated with physical deterioration and dehydration (p < 0.001). BUN, pH, BE, and anion gap were closely correlated with physical deterioration and dehydration. These correlations between clinical symptoms and blood gas parameters can be clinically relevant in predicting the status of parameters according to clinical symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amylases were extracted from the ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) and their effect on cake and bun qualities was studied. The amylolytic activity showed a good stability over a wide pH ranging from 2 to 10 with two pH optima: the first at pH 5 (Amy A) and the second at pH 8 (Amy B). This suggests that there are two amylases in M. crystallinum extracts. HPLC analysis of the hydrolysis products showed that these enzymes predominantly formed maltose and glucose. The extract containing AmyA and AmyB might be potentially beneficial to the baking industry. The incorporation of a M. crystallinum extract into cake and bun formulations was evaluated. Four different concentrations of the amylase extracts were used. At 0.01 and 2.76 × 10−3 U/g, respectively, for cakes and buns, a significant (P<0.05) decrease in water absorption, bulk density, microstructural characteristics and instrumentally color parameters (L*, a* and b*) were observed. Texture was evaluated instrumentally using the texture profile analysis with cakes and buns. An increase of textural properties (hardness, springiness and cohesion) for formulated products was observed. Sensory evaluation confirmed that the sensory scores for both cakes and buns were improved. Correlations between overall acceptability and sensory characteristics were observed. Given these results, these amylases from ice plant could be considered for use in baking formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Salidroside, an active component from Traditional Chinese Medicine Rhodiola rosea L., has various pharmacological functions including anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-oxidative properties. However, whether salidroside plays a beneficial role in diabetic nephropathy is still unclear.Purpose: The objective of this work was to investigate the potential roles of salidroside against diabetic nephropathy and the underlying molecular mechanisms.Methods: Streptozocin was given to obese mice to generate diabetic nephropathy animal model. Salidroside was administered to these mice and proteinuria, podocyte integrity, renal morphology and fibrosis, mitochondrial biogenesis were examined.Results: Our results showed that salidroside treatment greatly attenuates diabetic nephropathy as evidenced by decreased urinary albumin, blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. Morphological analysis indicated that salidroside improves renal structures in diabetic nephropathy. The decreases in nephrin and podocin expression were markedly reversed by salidroside. Moreover, kidney fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy mice was largely prevented by salidroside. Mechanistically, in salidroside-treated mice, the mitochondrial DNA copy and electron transport chain proteins were significantly enhanced. Meanwhile, the reduced Sirt1 and PGC-1α expression in diabetic nephropathy was almost completely counteracted in the presence of salidroside.Conclusions: Our data showed that salidroside plays a beneficial role against diabetic nephropathy in mice, which probably via Sirt1/PGC-1α mediated mitochondrial biogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of numerous heart and kidney troubles. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) and cardiomyopathy (DC) are major causes of death. The pathophysiology of DN/DC includes inflammatory and oxidative stress mechanisms. NF-κB is one of the transcription factor that mediates signal transduction processes. Nowadays, it is suggested that inhibition of NF-κB activation could delay the development of DN and DC. 6-shogaol was reported to modulate NF-κB besides its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, it is worth testing it against diabetic complications. Rats were divided to 4 groups: Normal control (NC), 6-shogaol (6S), diabetic control (DC), diabetic rats treated with 6-shogaol (DC+6S). BGL, BUN, serum creatinine, total urine protein, creatine kinase (CK), LDH, NO, TNF-α, NF-κB were determined in serum. Heart and kidney tissues were isolated for GSH, MDA, SOD measurement and histopathology. NF-κB was estimated in kidney tissues using immunohistopathology and western blot techniques. Results showed that diabetic rats left untreated for 16 weeks showed kidney injury as evidenced from elevated BUN, serum creatinine, urine protein, TNF-α and NF-κB. Heart tissue damage was evidence from elevated CK, LDH. Diabetic rats simultaneously treated with 6-shogaol showed a protective effect on both kidney and heart as evidenced biochemically and histopathologically. Therefore, using 6-shogaol may be of value in protection against diabetic complications in kidney and heart of rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present research was to establish reference intervals for renal function indexes (Cystatin C, Blood Urea Nitrogen Creatinine and Uric Acid) in pregnant women in China. Blood samples were collected from 203 healthy non-pregnant women and 623 healthy pregnant women in different trimesters. Samples from 23 healthy consecutive pregnant women were collected to validate. Serum Cystatin C was measured by latex particle enhanced immune turbidity assay (Dade Behring, Germany) using Centaur 2400 (Siemens, New York, USA). Creatinine, Blood Urea Nitrogen and Uric Acid were measured by conventional enzymatic assay using a Centaur 2400 (Siemens, New York, USA). The calculated reference intervals for serum cystatin C were (0.76±0.12) mg/L, (0.70±0.14) mg/L, (0.75±0.16) mg/L, (1.19±0.23) mg/L in control group, 1st trimester, 2nd trimester and 3rd trimester, respectively. Creatinine were (54.21±7.49) μmol/L, (45.90±8.55) μmol/L, (44.56±8.65) μmol/L, (52.78±11.76) μmol/L in each group. Blood Urea Nitrogen were (4.74±1.24) mmol/L, (3.52±1.44) mmol/L, (3.81±2.32) mmol/L, (3.95±1.54) mmol/L. And Uric Acid were (281.35±63.61) μmol/L, (226.93±25.20) μmol/L, (252.39±62.32) μmol/L, (350.86±93.31) μmol/L. In addition, all the data of consecutive pr egnant women were in the central 95% intervals. The results show the necessity to establish the special reference intervals for pregnancy, even each trimester. Different areas show the different intervals, indicating we need own ones in our region, and we provided. And Cystatin C is the most stable between these indexes. But we also should cautiously treat it in the 3st trimester. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary or caloric restriction confers various clinical benefits. Short-term fasting of mice is a common experimental procedure that may involve systemic metabolic remodeling, which may significantly affect experimental outputs. This study evaluated adaptive cellular responses after 1- or 2-day fasting in 13 mouse tissues by quantitative PCR using 15 marker primer sets for the activation of ubiquitin–proteasome ( Atrogin-1 and MuRF1 ), autophagy–lysosome ( LC3b , p62 and Lamp2 ), amino acid response ( Asns , Trib3 , Herpud1 , xCT , and Chop ), Nrf2-mediated antioxidant ( HO-1 and Gsta1 ), and amino acid transport ( Slc38a2 , Slc7a5 , and Slc7a1 ) systems. Differential activation profiles obtained in seven highly (thymus, liver, spleen, and small intestine) or mildly (stomach, kidney, and colon) atrophied tissues as well as in six non-atrophied tissues (brain, eye, lung, heart, skeletal muscle, and testis) suggested tissue-specific active metabolic remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study was aimed to determine the effects of oral administration of selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) on blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and total protein changes during intense exercise in donkey. Eight female donkeys, 2-5 years of age, weighing 130-190 kg, were randomly divided in two groups: treated and control groups receiving Se NPs 0.5 mg/kg and normal saline for 10 consecutive days, respectively. Blood samples were taken at the beginning of the experiment (before supplementation), closely after Se NPs supplementation (before exercise), and at 2-, 24-, and 72-hour postexercise recovery times. Results showed that serum selenium concentration was significantly increased in response to Se NPs supplementation and intense exercise. Creatinine concentration of both groups was significantly increased at 2-hour postexercise recovery time and sharply decreased in treated group at 72-hour postexercise recovery time (P < .05). A similar pattern was obtained for BUN changes in control group; as such its concentration was significantly increased at 2-hour postexercise recovery time in comparison with the Se NPs-supplemented group (P < .05). These findings may explain the positive effects of Se NPs supplementation on serum BUN and creatinine changes in response to intense exercise in donkey. The positive effect of Se NPs might be related to the incorporation of Se into proteins such as selenocysteine and its preventive role on tissue oxidative damages. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: The function of kidney during exercise is extremely important. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), and cystatin C (Cys-C) have been considered as parameters to examine kidney functions. The aim of this study was to compare the kidney function biomarkers during endurance and speed trainings. Methods and Participants: Twenty healthy young male volunteers in two groups performed different protocols of endurance and speed trainings to evaluate the variation of the serum levels of Cys-C, BUN, and Cr. The endurance group (group 1) was subjected to one acute endurance session, then a six-week endurance training, and again one acute endurance session. Similarly, speed group (group2) was participated in one acute speed session, and then a six-week speed training, and again one acute speed session. Blood sample was obtained before initiation of exercise (T0), 12 hours after first acute session (T1), 36 hours after the last training session (T2), and 12 hours after the last acute exercise session (T3) for determination of the kidney function biomarkers. Results: With regard to the baseline data, the two groups were not significantly different. Although the serum levels of Cys-C and Cr varied during the training protocols, no significant difference was observed between two groups. The serum level of BUN and the BUN/Cr ratio in the endurance group were statistically different from the speed group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The variation of serum Cr and Cys-C levels were not dependent on training protocols; however, the serum level of BUN and BUN/Cr ratio were influenced by exercise protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is the most common infection among patients with cirrhosis. To improve stratification of patient care, we performed a systematic review to identify the most robust predictors of mortality in cirrhotic patients with SBP. Methods: We reviewed prognostic studies (English language only) of adult patients with SBP, defined as a polymorphonuclear ascitic fluid cell count of 250 cells/mm3 or more, with or without positive results from culture of ascitic fluid. We reviewed only studies that performed survival and multivariate analyses and reported in-hospital or mortalities within 30 days. Results: Of 2008 available references, 18 were included in the study (median, 115 patients per trial). The median age of patients was 56 years (68% male). The most common predictors of death were renal dysfunction, lack of SBP resolution, immunosuppressive factors, and hospital-acquired SBP. Sensitivity analysis using the 12 best-quality studies identified renal dysfunction and levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine as the most important variables. The mortality rate among patients with renal dysfunction was 67%, compared with only 11% of patients who maintained normal renal function. Conclusions: Renal dysfunction is the main prognostic factor for cirrhotic patients with SBP, followed by the MELD score. Further studies are needed to determine whether these factors identified retain prognostic value in high-risk patients who receive albumin. Risk stratification might be used to select additional treatments, such as early vasoconstrictor therapy, for the highest-risk group. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Renal ischemia as a course of renal transplantation is a common cause of renal dysfunction as renal failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of ascorbic acid on blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr) and resistive index (RI) for dog models with renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Renal ischemia was induced on 6 Beagle dogs. The left kidney was exposed to normothermic ischemia for a short period at 30 min followed by reperfusion. On the blood Cr level and RI, there was no significant difference comparing both groups. 14 days after I/R injury a significant reduction on the blood BUN level was observed in the vehicle group (34.06 mg/dl) compared to that of ischemia induced treated group (10.3mg/dl) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, administration of ascorbic acid for renal ischemic-reperfusion injury had influence on blood BUN level, but it was not revealed the influence on blood Cr and RI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many patients with cirrhosis who undergo esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) screening for esophageal varices (EVs) are found to have no or only small EVs. Endoscopic screening for EVs is therefore a potentially deferrable procedure that increases patient risk and healthcare cost. We developed and validated a scoring system, based on readily-available data, to reliably identify patients with EVs that need treatment. We collected data from 238 patients with cirrhosis undergoing screening EGD from January 2016 through December 2017 at 3 separate hospitals in Los Angeles (training cohort). We abstracted data on patient sex, age, race/ethnicity, platelet counts, and levels of hemoglobin, serum sodium, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, international normalized ratio, albumin, urea nitrogen, and creatinine. We also included etiology of cirrhosis, presence of ascites, and presence of hepatic encephalopathy. We used a random forest algorithm to identify factors significantly associated with the presence of EVs and varices needing treatment (VNT) and calculated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). We called the resulting formula the EVendo score. We tested the accuracy of EVendo in a prospective study of 109 patients undergoing screening EGDs at the same medical centers from January 2018 through December 2018 (validation cohort). We developed an algorithm that identified patients with EVs and VNT based on international normalized ratio, level of aspartate aminotransferase, platelet counts, urea nitrogen, hemoglobin, and presence of ascites. The EVendo score identified patients with EVs in the training set with an AUROC of 0.84, patients with EVs in the validation set with and AUROC of 0.82, and EVs in patients with cirrhosis Child-Turcotte-Pugh class A (n = 235) with an AUROC of 0.81. The score identified patients with VNT in the training set with an AUROC of 0.74, VNT in the validation set with and AUROC of 0.75, and VNT in patients with cirrhosis Child-Turcotte-Pugh class A with and AUROC of 0.75. An EVendo score below 3.90 would have spared 30.5% patients from EGDs, missing only 2.8% of VNT. The same cutoff would have spared 40.0% of patients with Child-Turcotte-Pugh class A cirrhosis from EGDs, missing only 1.1% of VNT. We algorithmically developed a formula, called the EVendo score, that can be used to predict EVs and VNT based on readily available data in patients with cirrhosis. This score could help patients at low risk for VNT avoid unnecessary EGDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]