Elevated creatinine in a patient on IVIG-therapy

Imperata cylindrica polysaccharide ameliorates intestinal dysbiosis and damage in hyperuricemic nephropathy

In this study, a combination of adenine and potassium oxonate was utilized to establish a hyperuricemic nephropathy (HN) mouse model, aiming to elucidate the effect through which Imperata Cylindrica polysaccharide (ICPC-a) ameliorates HN. In HN mice, an elevation in the abundance of Erysipelatoclostridium, Enterococcus, Prevotella, and Escherichia-Shigella was observed, whereas Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium declined. Additionally, the systemic reductions in the levels of acetate, propionate, and butyrate, along with a significant increase in indole content, were noted. HN mice demonstrated intestinal barrier impairment, as evidenced by diminished mRNA expression of ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-1 and increased Mmp-9 levels. The pro-inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-17, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and COX-2 were overexpressed. Subsequent gavage intervention with ICPC-a markedly mitigated the inflammatory response and ameliorated colon tissue damage. ICPC-a effectively regulated the abundance of gut microbiota and their metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile acids (BAs), and indole, promoting the correction of metabolic and gut microbiota imbalances in HN mice. These findings underscored the capacity of ICPC-a as a prebiotic to modulate gut microbiota and microbial metabolites, thereby exerting a multi-pathway and multi-targeted therapeutic effect on HN.

A novel assay for serum creatinine using a creatine kinase cycling reaction

For assaying serum creatinine, the enzymatic method is regarded as accurate. However, a reliable measurement of low levels is problematic. We have developed a new method that utilizes an enzymatic cycling reaction involving creatine kinase (CK) in the presence of excess ATP and IDP and implicated the application to a serum creatinine assay by incorporating with creatininase. Here, we evaluated applying the CK cycling method to a serum creatinine assay. In this study, we focused on assessing whether an accurate measurement could be achieved, especially in the reference interval and the lower concentration range. The effective sensitivity of the assay using 30 U/mL CK was approximately 4-fold greater than that of a commercial reagent. Under these conditions, 0.19 mg/dL of creatinine was accurately detected. The correlation coefficient of the comparison study with an existing commercial reagent was 0.995. Moreover, the effect of the increased signal intensity on accuracy and precision was assured.