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Lu KC, Hung KC, Liao MT, Shih LJ, Chao CT. Vascular Calcification Heterogeneity from Bench to Bedside: Implications for Manifestations, Pathogenesis, and Treatment Considerations. Aging Dis 2024:AD.2024.0289. [PMID: 38739930 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2024.0289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Vascular calcification (VC) is the ectopic deposition of calcium-containing apatite within vascular walls, exhibiting a high prevalence in older adults, and those with diabetes or chronic kidney disease. VC is a subclinical cardiovascular risk trait that increases mortality and functional deterioration. However, effective treatments for VC remain largely unavailable despite multiple attempts. Part of this therapeutic nihilism results from the failure to appreciate the diversity of VC as a pathological complex, with unforeseeable variations in morphology, risk associates, and anatomical and molecular pathogenesis, affecting clinical management strategies. VC should not be considered a homogeneous pathology because accumulating evidence refutes its conceptual and content uniformity. Here, we summarize the pathophysiological sources of VC heterogeneity from the intersecting pathways and networks of cellular, subcellular, and molecular crosstalk. Part of these pathological connections are synergistic or mutually antagonistic. We then introduce clinical implications related to the VC heterogeneity concept. Even within the same individual, a specific artery may exhibit the strongest tendency for calcification compared with other arteries. The prognostic value of VC may only be detectable with a detailed characterization of calcification morphology and features. VC heterogeneity is also evident, as VC risk factors vary between different arterial segments and layers. Therefore, diagnostic and screening strategies for VC may be improved based on VC heterogeneity, including the use of radiomics. Finally, pursuing a homogeneous treatment strategy is discouraged and we suggest a more rational approach by diversifying the treatment spectrum. This may greatly benefit subsequent efforts to identify effective VC therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuo-Cheng Lu
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, Buddhist Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, New Taipei, Taiwan
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Chin Hung
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Min-Sheng General Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Pharmacy, Tajen University, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Min-Tser Liao
- Department of Pediatrics, Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital, Hsinchu Branch, Hsinchu, Taiwan
- Department of Pediatrics, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Li-Jane Shih
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medical Science, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ter Chao
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Toxicology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
- Center of Faculty Development, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Min-Sheng General Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
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Lee SY, Chao CT, Han DS, Chiang CK, Hung KY. A combined circulating microRNA panel predicts the risk of vascular calcification in community-dwelling older adults with age strata differences. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2024; 120:105333. [PMID: 38262252 DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2024.105333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Older adults have a higher risk of developing vascular calcification (VC). Circulating miRNAs can be potential risk indicators. However, prior studies used single miRNA mostly, whereas miRNA panels were rarely evaluated. We aimed to examine whether a miRNA panel outperformed each miRNA alone, and analyzed whether advanced age affected VC risk predictive performance offered by the miRNA panel. METHODS We prospectively enrolled older adults (age ≥65 years) during their annual health checkup in 2017, and examined their VC severity followed by analyzing sera for VC regulatory miRNAs (miR-125b-5p, miR-125b-3p, and miR-378a-3p). We used multiple regression analyses to determine associations between each miRNA or a 3-combind panel and VC risk, followed by area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve (AUROC) analysis. Participants were further divided to those of 65-75 and ≥75 years for comparison. RESULTS From 199 older adults screened, 169 (median age, 73.3 years) with available calcification assessment were analyzed, among whom 74.6 % having VC. Those with VC had significantly lower circulating miR-125b-5p, miR-125b-3p, and miR-378a-3p levels than those without. Regression analyses showed that the 3-combined miRNA panel exhibited significant associations with VC risk, with significantly higher AUROC than those of models based on individual miRNA. Importantly, in those ≥75 years, the miRNA-predicted risk of VC was more prominent than that in the 65-75 years group. CONCLUSION A miRNA panel for VC risk prediction might outperform individual miRNA alone in older adults, and advanced age modified the association between circulating miRNAs and the risk of VC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szu-Ying Lee
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin branch, Yunlin County, Taiwan; Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ter Chao
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Toxicology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Min-Sheng General Hospital, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
| | - Der-Sheng Han
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital BeiHu Branch, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Kang Chiang
- Graduate Institute of Toxicology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Integrative diagnostics and Therapeutics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kuan-Yu Hung
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, New Taipei City, Taiwan
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Deep Learning-Assisted Repurposing of Plant Compounds for Treating Vascular Calcification: An In Silico Study with Experimental Validation. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2022; 2022:4378413. [PMID: 35035662 PMCID: PMC8754599 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4378413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Background Vascular calcification (VC) constitutes subclinical vascular burden and increases cardiovascular mortality. Effective therapeutics for VC remains to be procured. We aimed to use a deep learning-based strategy to screen and uncover plant compounds that potentially can be repurposed for managing VC. Methods We integrated drugome, interactome, and diseasome information from Comparative Toxicogenomic Database (CTD), DrugBank, PubChem, Gene Ontology (GO), and BioGrid to analyze drug-disease associations. A deep representation learning was done using a high-level description of the local network architecture and features of the entities, followed by learning the global embeddings of nodes derived from a heterogeneous network using the graph neural network architecture and a random forest classifier established for prediction. Predicted results were tested in an in vitro VC model for validity based on the probability scores. Results We collected 6,790 compounds with available Simplified Molecular-Input Line-Entry System (SMILES) data, 11,958 GO terms, 7,238 diseases, and 25,482 proteins, followed by local embedding vectors using an end-to-end transformer network and a node2vec algorithm and global embedding vectors learned from heterogeneous network via the graph neural network. Our algorithm conferred a good distinction between potential compounds, presenting as higher prediction scores for the compound categories with a higher potential but lower scores for other categories. Probability score-dependent selection revealed that antioxidants such as sulforaphane and daidzein were potentially effective compounds against VC, while catechin had low probability. All three compounds were validated in vitro. Conclusions Our findings exemplify the utility of deep learning in identifying promising VC-treating plant compounds. Our model can be a quick and comprehensive computational screening tool to assist in the early drug discovery process.
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Chao CT, Lin SH. Uremic Toxins and Frailty in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Molecular Insight. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22126270. [PMID: 34200937 PMCID: PMC8230495 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22126270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of uremic toxins (UTs) is a prototypical manifestation of uremic milieu that follows renal function decline (chronic kidney disease, CKD). Frailty as a potential outcome-relevant indicator is also prevalent in CKD. The intertwined relationship between uremic toxins, including small/large solutes (phosphate, asymmetric dimethylarginine) and protein-bound ones like indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresyl sulfate (pCS), and frailty pathogenesis has been documented recently. Uremic toxins were shown in vitro and in vivo to induce noxious effects on many organ systems and likely influenced frailty development through their effects on multiple preceding events and companions of frailty, such as sarcopenia/muscle wasting, cognitive impairment/cognitive frailty, osteoporosis/osteodystrophy, vascular calcification, and cardiopulmonary deconditioning. These organ-specific effects may be mediated through different molecular mechanisms or signal pathways such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1-α (PGC-1α), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP2), osterix, Notch signaling, autophagy effectors, microRNAs, and reactive oxygen species induction. Anecdotal clinical studies also suggest that frailty may further accelerate renal function decline, thereby augmenting the accumulation of UTs in affected individuals. Judging from these threads of evidence, management strategies aiming for uremic toxin reduction may be a promising approach for frailty amelioration in patients with CKD. Uremic toxin lowering strategies may bear the potential of improving patients’ outcomes and restoring their quality of life, through frailty attenuation. Pathogenic molecule-targeted therapeutics potentially disconnect the association between uremic toxins and frailty, additionally serving as an outcome-modifying approach in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Ter Chao
- Nephrology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital BeiHu Branch, Taipei 10845, Taiwan;
- Graduate Institute of Toxicology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100233, Taiwan
- Nephrology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100255, Taiwan
- Nephrology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 100233, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Hua Lin
- Nephrology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
- Correspondence: or
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Chao CT, Han DS, Huang JW. Circulating microRNA-125b Levels Are Associated With the Risk of Vascular Calcification in Healthy Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021; 8:624313. [PMID: 33693036 PMCID: PMC7937626 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.624313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Vascular calcification (VC) is a subclinical manifestation of vascular disease burden among older adults, conferring an elevated mortality risk. Biomarkers capable of detecting and risk-stratifying VC associated with advanced age remains unavailable, impeding our effort to provide optimal care to geriatric patients. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate whether circulating miR-125b served as a potential indicator for VC in relatively healthy older adults. Methods: Community-dwelling older adults (age ≥65) were prospectively recruited during 2017, followed by clinical features documentation and VC rating based on aortic arch calcification (AAC) and abdominal aortic calcification (AbAC). Multiple logistic regression was done to evaluate the relationship between circulating miR-125b levels, VC presence and severity, followed by selecting the optimal cutoff point for VC diagnosis. Results: A total of 343 relatively healthy older adults (median age, 73.8 years; 40% male; 59.8% having AAC) were enrolled, with a median circulating miR-125b level of 0.012 (interquartile range, 0.003–0.037). Those with more severe AAC had progressively decreasing miR-125b levels (p<0.001). Multiple regression analyses showed that having higher miR-125b levels based on the median value were associated with a substantially lower risk of AAC [odds ratio (OR) 0.022, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.011–0.044] compared to those having lower ones. An optimal cutoff of miR-125b for identifying AAC in older adults was 0.008, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.86 and 0.80, respectively. Similar findings were obtained when using AbAC as the endpoint. Conclusions: We found that miR-125b serves as an independent indicator for VC in relatively healthy older adults, and may potentially be linked with VC pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Ter Chao
- Nephrology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital BeiHu Branch, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Toxicology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Geriatric and Community Medicine Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital BeiHu Branch, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Der-Sheng Han
- Geriatric and Community Medicine Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital BeiHu Branch, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital BeiHu Branch, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jenq-Wen Huang
- Nephrology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan
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