Associations of Increased Plant Protein Intake Ratio with Adherence of Low-Protein Diet, Acid-Base Status, and Body Composition in CKD Stage 3-5.

: Increasing evidence indicates that a vegetarian diet may provide renal protection and improve metabolic health in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, transitioning from an omnivorous to a vegetarian diet can be challenging. A more practical alternative could be to increase the consumption of plant protein.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors use and the risks of genital and urinary tract infection: What should we know?

Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have convincingly demonstrated efficacy in reducing cardiovascular (CV) and renal complications in patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and heart failure. However, their use is also linked to the concern of some adverse events, the most common being genital and urinary tract infections (UTIs). This review summarizes the risks of genital and UTIs of SGLT2 inhibitors across large-scale clinical trials, meta-analyses, and real-world cohort studies.

Gut-derived uremic toxins and cardiovascular health in chronic kidney disease.

Uremic toxins (UTs) are bioactive compounds that accumulate in chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to impaired renal clearance, exacerbating disease progression and cardiovascular (CV) complications. These toxins originate from endogenous metabolism, gut microbiota, and dietary intake and include protein-bound UTs such as p-cresyl sulfate, indoxyl sulfate, and indole acetic acid, as well as small, water-soluble toxins such as trimethylamine-N-oxide and phenylacetylglutamine. Their accumulation promotes oxidative stress, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction, contributing to vascular damage and associated with CV risk.

Serum -Cresyl Sulfate Is Independently Associated with Aortic Stiffness in Non-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

-Cresyl sulfate (PCS), a gut-derived uremic toxin with proinflammatory and cytotoxic effects, has been implicated in cardiovascular injuries among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Aortic stiffness (AS), assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), is a recognized predictor of cardiovascular risk. This study investigated the association between serum PCS levels and AS in patients with nondialysis-dependent CKD.

Serum Indoxyl Sulfate as a Potential Biomarker of Peripheral Arterial Stiffness in Patients with Non-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Stages 3 to 5.

Indoxyl sulfate (IS), which is a protein-bound uremic toxin, is involved in vascular dysfunction and cardiovascular risk in subjects with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, its role in peripheral arterial stiffness (PAS) remains unclear. This cross-sectional study evaluated the relationship between IS and PAS in patients diagnosed with CKD stages 3 through 5 who are not undergoing dialysis.

Volatile organic compound exposure is associated with hyperuricemia in the general population: an analysis of 6878 adults from the NHANES.

Background: Hyperuricemia is clinically significant as the primary risk factor for gout and is strongly associated with cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. However, its relationship with exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) remains unclear. This study explores the association between urinary VOC metabolite concentrations and the prevalence of hyperuricemia.

Endothelial dysfunction in chronic kidney disease: Mechanisms, biomarkers, diagnostics, and therapeutic strategies.

Endothelial cells regulate vascular tone, blood flow, coagulation, and inflammation, with heterogeneous populations serving specific roles throughout the body. In the kidney, endothelial cells maintain vascular integrity and function, contribute to filtration, and support other renal structures. Nitric oxide (NO) is a key signaling molecule that maintains vascular tone and endothelial function.

Decreased Serum Decorin Levels Are Correlated with Aortic Stiffness as Assessed Using Carotid-Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity in Patients with Peritoneal Dialysis.

In patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD), aortic stiffness (AS) is a common cardiovascular condition that can predict cardiovascular events and mortality. Decorin is a small leucine-rich proteoglycan that plays a vital role in extracellular matrix organization and vascular remodeling. The relationship between decorin and AS in patients with PD remains unclear.

Intradialytic Exercise: Effects on Arterial Stiffness and Gait Speed in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND The benefits of exercise for vascular and physical health in patients on chronic hemodialysis (CHD) are controversial. This study evaluated the outcomes of an intradialytic aerobic exercise program on carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV, an index of arterial stiffness), gait speed, and a sit-to-stand test in patients with CHD. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 114 CHD patients were randomly assigned to the exercise or the control (regular care) group.

Pterostilbene Exhibits Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Activity by Targeting the Enterovirus Capsid, Inactivating Viral Particles, Blocking Viral Binding, and Protecting Mice From Lethal EV-A71 Challenge.

Human enteroviruses (EVs) are a major public health issue worldwide owing to their potential to cause respiratory illnesses, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and severe neurological complications. Currently, no effective drugs or multivalent vaccines are available. Pterostilbene (Pte), a naturally occurring compound found in blueberries and other plants, is a type of stilbene with a similar structure to resveratrol.

Comprehensive Insights into Sarcopenia in Dialysis Patients: Mechanisms, Assessment, and Therapeutic Approaches.

Sarcopenia, defined as the progressive loss of muscle mass, strength, and function, is largely prevalent but still clinically underrecognized among patients undergoing chronic dialysis therapy. The pathogenesis involves a complex interplay of chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, metabolic acidosis, hormonal imbalances, protein waste, malnutrition, and reduced physical activity. This multifactorial condition profoundly impairs quality of life and may lead to significant clinical consequences, including frailty, an increased risk of falls and hospitalization, and elevated mortality.

Effectiveness and mechanism of cisplatin combined with PDT on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells transplanted tumor in nude mice.

This study aims to investigate the effect and mechanism of photodynamic therapy (PDT) combined with cisplatin on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells transplanted tumors in nude mice, and to provide a theoretical basis for clinical PDT. Construction of a nude mouse lung cancer transplantation tumor model using the human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell line, and the mice were randomly divided into four groups: the control group, the cisplatin alone group, the PDT alone group, and the cisplatin combined PDT group. The apoptosis of tumor cells in the four groups was observed and compared by the TUNEL method, and the mRNA expression levels of apoptosis-related genes Bax, caspase-3 and Survivin, as well as the expression levels of the corresponding proteins, were detected by the real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and the protein immunoblotting technique (Western blot) respectively.

Oral FPR2/ALX modulators tune myeloid cell activity to ameliorate mucosal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease.

Current treatments of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) largely depend on anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive strategies with unacceptable efficacy and adverse events. Resolution or repair agents to treat IBD are not available but potential targets like formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2/ALX) may fill the gap. In this study we evaluated the therapeutic effects of two small molecule FPR2/ALX modulators (agonist Quin-C1 and antagonist Quin-C7) against IBD.

NDUFB7 mutations cause brain neuronal defects, lactic acidosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction in humans and zebrafish.

Complex I of the mitochondrial electron transfer chain is one of the largest membrane protein assemblies ever discovered. A patient carrying a homozygous NDUFB7 intronic mutation died within two months after birth due to cardiorespiratory defects, preventing further study. Here, we report another patient with compound heterozygous mutations in NDUFB7 who suffers from pons abnormality, lactic acidosis, prematurity, prenatal and postnatal growth deficiency, incomplete closure of the abdominal wall (ventral hernia), and a poorly functioning gastrointestinal tract (pseudo-obstruction).

Association between hemoglobin level and clinical outcomes in ischemic stroke patients with high-grade carotid artery stenosis.

Objective: Abnormal hemoglobin levels may influence stroke outcome, while high-grade carotid artery stenosis (CAS) is linked to distal hemodynamic compromise. The relationship between hemoglobin and ischemic stroke (IS) outcome in patients with high-grade CAS remains unclear. We aimed to investigate this association in acute IS patients with high-grade CAS.

INCREASED CIRCULATORY KREBS CYCLE METABOLITES IN SEPSIS IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED INTERLEUKIN-6 RELEASE AND WORSE SURVIVAL.

Objective : Recent studies have proposed that Krebs cycle metabolites may serve as potential biomarkers for prognosis in sepsis. However, whether these metabolites are associated with disease severity and can be applied to improve the effectiveness of current prognosis assessment in sepsis remains unclear and is explored in this study. Methods : This prospective multicenter cohort study was conducted in medical intensive care units (ICUs).

Effect of Occupational Noise on Employee Health: A Longitudinal Study.

Objective: This study investigated the long-term health risks associated with occupational noise exposure. By using 9 years of health examination data from a major manufacturing company in Taiwan, this study compared the health indices of employees in noise-intensive and non-noise-intensive work environments.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 6278 health examination reports spanning 9 years was conducted to compare 20 health indices among 166 employees evenly distributed between noise-intensive and non-noise-intensive workgroups.

Effective Mucosal Adjuvantation of the Intranasal Enterovirus A71 Vaccine With Zymosan.

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) has caused hand, foot, and mouth disease with an increased prevalence of neurological complications and acute mortality, threatening young children around the globe. By provoking mucosal immunity, intranasal vaccination has been suggested to prevent EV-A71 infection. However, antigens delivered via the nasal route usually fail to induce a protective memory response.

The Association Between Serum Trimethylamine -Oxide and Arterial Stiffness in Chronic Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Trimethylamine -oxide (TMAO), a gut microbiome-derived metabolite, participates in the atherogenesis and vascular stiffening that is closely linked with cardiovascular (CV) complications and related deaths in individuals with kidney failure undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy. In these patients, arterial stiffness (AS) is also an indicator of adverse CV outcomes. This study assessed the correlation between serum TMAO concentration quantified with high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry and central AS measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) in patients with chronic PD.

Relationship Between Serum Myostatin and Endothelial Function in Non-Dialysis Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background/objectives: Myostatin, primarily produced by skeletal muscle, inhibits muscle growth and promotes protein degradation. It has been implicated in conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease. However, its association with endothelial function in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients remains unclear.

Association of urinary volatile organic compounds and chronic kidney disease in patients with diabetes: real-world evidence from the NHANES.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is common in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are widespread pollutants that may impact DM development.

Objective: This study aims to explore the association between urinary VOC metabolites and CKD in patients with DM.