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While the relationship between circulating osteoprotegerin (OPG) and cardiovascular events is well-established in the general population, its association with cardiovascular risks in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients remains less robust. This study hypothesized that elevated circulating OPG levels might be associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in CKD patients, a total of 2,109 patients with CKD stages 1 through pre-dialysis 5 from the KNOW-CKD cohort were categorized into quartiles based on serum OPG levels. The primary outcome of the study was 3-point MACE, defined as a composite of nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiac death. The median follow-up duration was 7.9 years. The cumulative incidence of 3-point MACE significantly varied across serum OPG levels in Kaplan–Meier curve analysis (P < 0.001, log-rank test), with the highest incidence observed in the 4th quartile. Cox regression analysis indicated that, relative to the 1st quartile, the risk of 3-point MACE was significantly higher in the 3rd (adjusted hazard ratio 2.901, 95% confidence interval 1.009 to 8.341) and the 4th quartiles (adjusted hazard ratio 4.347, 95% confidence interval 1.410 to 13.395). In conclusion, elevated circulating OPG levels are associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in pre-dialysis CKD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a growing disease worldwide, including Korea. This is an important condition that affects patient outcome. To provide optimal management for mineral disturbance, vascular calcification, and bone disease in ESRD patients, the Korean dialysis cohort for mineral, vascular calcification, and fracture (ORCHESTRA) study was conducted by enrolling Korean dialysis patients. Methods: Sixteen university-affiliated hospitals and one Veterans' Health Service Medical Center participated in this study. This prospective cohort study enrolled approximately 900 consecutive patients on dialysis between May 2019 and January 2021. Enrolled subjects were evaluated at baseline for demographic information, laboratory tests, radiologic imaging, and bone mineral densitometry (BMD) scans. After enrollment, regular assessments of the patients were performed, and their biospecimens were collected according to the study protocol. The primary outcomes were the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events, invasive treatment for peripheral artery disease, and osteoporotic fractures. The secondary outcomes were hospitalization for cerebrovascular disease or progression of abdominal aortic calcification. Participants will be assessed for up to 3 years to determine whether primary or secondary outcomes occur. Results: Between May 2019 and January 2021, all participating centers recruited 900 consecutive dialysis patients, including 786 undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and 114 undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). The mean age of the subjects was 60.4 ± 12.3 years. Males accounted for 57.7% of the total population. The mean dialysis vintage was 6.1 ± 6.0 years. The HD group was significantly older, had a longer dialysis vintage, and more comorbidities. Overall, the severity of vascular calcification was higher and the level of BMD was lower in the HD group than in the PD group. Conclusion: This nationwide, multicenter, prospective cohort study focused on chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder and aimed to provide clinical evidence to establish optimal treatment guidelines for Asian dialysis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aims: Obesity has known to be a modifiable risk factor associated with worse outcomes in chronic kidney disease (CKD), but few studies have examined the impact of obesity on CKD incidence in the general population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) as predictors of incident CKD and to evaluate the impact of weight reduction on CKD prevention., Methods: A total of 2,711 participants from a community-based cohort with normal renal function were prospectively analyzed. Among participants with obesity, we analyzed the change in WHR to evaluate the association of obesity reduction with CKD development., Results: During a mean follow-up of 11.03 ± 4.22 years, incident CKD occurred in 190 (7.0%) participants. In the fully adjusted multivariable Cox proportional hazard models, the risk of incident CKD increased with higher BMI (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.11; p = 0.033) and higher WHR (hazard ratio, 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.66; p = 0.009). In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, cumulative adverse renal events were significantly more common in the maintained obesity group than in the reduced obesity group (p = 0.001)., Conclusions: Both higher BMI and WHR were associated with development of CKD, but the magnitude of the effect of WHR was higher than that of BMI. Moreover, reducing obesity would be beneficial for renal prognosis.

Background: Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) is a prominent sepsis complication, often resulting in adverse clinical outcomes. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), known for its anti-inflammatory characteristics, antioxidant effects, and ability to deliver high oxygen tension to hypo-perfused tissues, offers potential benefits for SA-AKI. This study investigated whether HBOT improved renal injury in sepsis and elucidated its underlying mechanisms., Methods: A lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia model was established using 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice. Thirty minutes post-LPS administration, a group of mice underwent HBOT at a 2.5 atmospheric pressure absolute with 100% oxygen for 60 minutes. After 24 hours, all mice were euthanized for measurements., Results: Our results demonstrated that HBOT effectively mitigated renal tubular cell apoptosis. Additionally, HBOT significantly reduced phosphorylated p53 proteins and cytochrome C levels, suggesting that HBOT may attenuate renal apoptosis by impeding p53 activation and cytochrome C release. Notably, HBOT preserved manganese-dependent levels of superoxide dismutase, an antioxidant enzyme, compared to the LPS group. Furthermore, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)/Smad4 and alpha smooth muscle actin expressions were significantly reduced in the LPS + HBOT group., Conclusion: An early single session of HBOT exhibited renoprotective effects in LPS-induced endotoxemia mice models by suppressing p53 activation and cytochrome C levels to mitigate apoptosis. The observed TGF-β decrease, downstream Smad expression reduction, and antioxidant capacity preservation following HBOT may contribute to these effects.

Background: Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal disorder caused by α-galactosidase A enzyme activity deficiency. Although glycosphingolipid analogs have been identified in the plasma or urine of patients with FD, there is a limited understanding of altered metabolomics profiles beyond the globotriaosylceramide accumulation in FD., Methods: Metabolomics study was performed for monitoring of biomarker and altered metabolism related with disease progression in serum and urine from male α-galactosidase A knockout mice and age-matched wild-type mice at 20 and 40 weeks. Profiling analysis for metabolites, including organic acids, amino acids, fatty acids, kynurenine pathway metabolites, and nucleosides in the serum and urine was performed using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry combined with star symbol patterns and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA)., Results: A total of 27 and 23 metabolites from the serum and urine of Fabry mice were distinguished from those of wild-type mice, respectively, based on p-value (<0.05) and variable importance in projection scores (>1.0) of PLS-DA. In the serum, metabolites of the glutathione, glutathione disulfide, citrulline, and kynurenine pathways that are related to oxidative stress, nitric oxide biosynthesis, and inflammation were increased, whereas those involved in pyruvate and tyrosine metabolism and the tricarboxylic acid cycle were altered in the 20- and 40-week-old urine of FD model mice., Conclusion: Altered metabolic signatures associated with disease progression by oxidative stress, inflammation, nitric oxide biosynthesis, and immune regulation in the early and late stages of FD.

Although renal infarction (RI) is not a rare disease, its outcomes have not been well-documented. Furthermore, transient resolution and recurrence of RI have not been captured through imaging. We report a case of idiopathic RI that recurred within a short period following transient resolution, as demonstrated by serial computed tomography (CT). A 53-year-old man diagnosed with RI was transferred to the emergency room. An abdominal CT scan at the local hospital revealed a segmental wedge-shaped perfusion defect in the left kidney and a focal thrombotic filling defect in the anterior segmental branch of the left renal artery. Since his left flank pain improved, another CT scan was performed again 6 hours after the initial CT scan. A repeat CT scan showed that the thrombus in the renal artery remained, but the perfusion defect had spontaneously resolved. We initiated anticoagulant therapy using unfractionated heparin. On the sixth day of hospitalization, the left flank pain recurred, prompting another CT scan. The follow-up CT scan confirmed that RI had recurred in the same area as before. We continued anticoagulant therapy and switched to warfarin. After treatment, his symptoms improved, and he was discharged. RI can recur at any time, even after it has spontaneously resolved, as evidenced by our case. Therefore, it is crucial to closely monitor patients who experience resolution of RI for any recurrence of symptoms, and repeat radiological evaluation should be performed even within a short period., Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Korean Society for Electrolyte and Blood Pressure Research.)

Background: Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1/redox factor-1 (APE1/Ref-1) is a multipotent protein that plays essential roles in cellular responses to oxidative stress., Methods: To examine the role of APE1/Ref-1 in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injuries and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced renal tubular apoptosis, we studied male C57BL6 mice and human proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells treated with H2O2 at different concentrations. The colocalization of APE1/Ref-1 in the proximal tubule, distal tubule, thick ascending limb, and collecting duct was observed with confocal microscopy. The overexpression of APE1/Ref-1 with knockdown cell lines using an APE1/Ref-1-specific DNA or small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used for the apoptosis assay. The promotor activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) was assessed and electrophoretic mobility shift assay was conducted., Results: APE1/Ref-1 was predominantly localized to the renal tubule nucleus. In renal I/R injuries, the levels of APE1/Ref-1 protein were increased compared with those in kidneys subjected to sham operations. The overexpression of APE1/Ref-1 in HK-2 cells enhanced the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio as a marker of apoptosis. Conversely, the suppression of APE1/Ref-1 expression by siRNA in 1-mM H2O2-treated HK-2 cells decreased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2, p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) 1/2, and NF-κB. In HK-2 cells, the promoter activity of NF-κB increased following H2O2 exposure, and this effect was further enhanced by APE1/Ref-1 transfection., Conclusion: The inhibition of APE1/Ref-1 with siRNA attenuated H2O2-induced apoptosis through the modulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways mediated by ERK, JNK, and p38 and the nuclear activation of NF-κB and proapoptotic factors.

Background: Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by the deficient activity of α-galactosidase (α-Gal A), affecting multiple organs including kidney. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of FD in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) including those on renal replacement therapy in Korea., Methods: This is a national, multicenter, observational study performed between August 24, 2017 and February 28, 2020. Patients with the presence of proteinuria or treated on dialysis were screened by measuring the α-Gal A enzyme activity using either dried blood spot or whole blood, and plasma globotriaosylsphingosine (lyso-GL3) concentration. A GLA gene analysis was performed in patients with low α-Gal A enzyme activity or increased plasma lyso-GL3 concentration., Results: Of 897 screened patients, 405 (45.2%) were male and 279 (31.1%) were on dialysis. The α-Gal A enzyme activity was measured in 891 patients (99.3%), and plasma lyso-GL3 concentration was measured in all patients. Ten patients were eligible for a GLA gene analysis: eight with low α-Gal A enzyme activity and two with increased plasma lyso-GL3 concentration. The GLA mutations were analyzed in nine patients and one patient was found with a pathogenic mutation. Therefore, one patient was identified with FD, giving a prevalence of 0.1% (1 of 897) in this CKD population., Conclusion: Although the prevalence of FD in the CKD population was low (0.1%), screening tests are crucial to detect potential diseases in patients with relatives who can benefit from early treatment.