The Association Between GFR Evaluated by Serum Cystatin C and Proteinuria During Pregnancy

Development of liposomal contrast agent with high iodine concentration and minimal effect on renal function

Purpose

The use of contrast media is essential to achieve high accuracy in diagnostic imaging. Iodine contrast media, one of these contrast media, has nephrotoxicity as a side effect. Therefore, the development of iodine contrast media that can reduce nephrotoxicity is expected. Since liposomes are generally adjustable in size (100-300 nm) and are not filtered by the renal glomerulus, we hypothesized that iodine contrast media could be encapsulated in liposomes and administered to avoid the nephrotoxicity of iodine contrast media. The aim of this study is to develop an iomeprol-containing liposome (IPL) agent with high iodine concentration and to investigate the effect of intravenous administration of IPL on renal function in a rat model with chronic kidney injury.

Materials and methods

IPLs were prepared by encapsulating an iomeprol (400mgI/mL) solution in liposomes by a kneading method using a rotation-revolution mixer. Radiodensities of iomeprol and IPL were measured. IPL or iopamidol at normal dose (0.74 g I/kg) or high dose (3.7 g I/kg) was administered to healthy and 5/6-nephrectomized rats (n = 3-6). Serum creatinine (sCr) and histopathological change of tubular epithelial cells were evaluated after injection.

Results

The iodine concentration of IPL was 220.7 mgI/mL, equivalent to 55.2% of the iodine concentration of iomeprol. The CT values of IPL was 4731.6 ± 53.2 HU, 59.04% that of iomeprol. The ratios of change in sCr in 5/6-nephrectomized rats that received high-dose iopamidol were 0.73, which were significantly higher than that in 5/6-nephrectomized rats that received high-dose IPL (-0.03) (p = 0.006). Change in foamy degeneration of tubular epithelial cells was confirmed in 5/6-nephrectomized rats that received high-dose iopamidol than that in the sham control group and healthy rats that received normal dose iopamiron (p = 0.016, p = 0.032, respectively). Foamy degeneration of tubular epitherial cells was rarely observed in the IPL injection group.

Conclusions

We developed new liposomal contrast agents that have high iodine concentration and minimal effect on renal function.

The model of screening for preeclampsia in the second and third trimesters of gestation

<b>Purpose:</b> Preeclampsia (PE) is a specific syndrome of multiple organ insufficiency in case of pregnancy, which is included in the panel of major obstetric syndromes and is among the main causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in the whole world.<br /> <b>Material and methods</b>: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 91 pregnant women to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated use of maternal risk factors (2019 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics recommendations), placenta location (ultrasound at 18-20 weeks of gestation), and serum cystatin C (at 18-36 weeks of gestation) in screening for pe in the second and third trimesters of gestation.<br /> <b>Results: </b>In the subgroup of pregnant women with cystatin C levels greater than 1.0 mg/L (27 women), PE developed in 26 women, which is 96.29% in percentage terms. When calculating GFR for cystatin C in a group with PE there was a significant violation of the renal filtration system -52.46±2.08 (95% CI, 48.39-56.54), while in healthy group the indicator is within normal limits -97.6±1.64 (95% CI, 94.38-100.82). In the analysis of the ratio of cystatin C levels more than 1.0 mg / l and the development of PE, a sensitivity of 98.46%, specificity of 100% and accuracy of 98.9%, p&lt;0.001.<br /> <b>Conclusions: </b>The data show that the combined model of maternal factors, ultrasound of the placenta and serum cystatin C, is prognostically effective in pregnant women in the second and third trimesters of gestation and is a reliable marker for the development of pe.

The predict value of serum/urocystatin C on acute kidney injury in elderly patients with sepsis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the predict value of serum/urocystatin C in acute kidney injury (AKI) in elderly patients with sepsis.

METHODS

A retrospective study was performed and 80 senile patients with sepsis in ** hospital of China was included. According to the diagnosis of AKI, all patients were divided into non-AKI group and AKI group. The clinical characteristics, laboratory and physiological indicators of the two groups were compared. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the accuracy of the variables, including serum cystatin C, urocystatin C, and serum creatinine, to predict the occurrence of AKI in patients with sepsis.

RESULTS

Of the 80 elderly patients with sepsis in China, 29 patients had AKI. Compared with the non-AKI group, patients in the AKI group had higher APACHE II scores, higher SOFA scores, higher procalcitonin, and lower mean arterial pressure (P < 0.05). The levels of serum cystatin C, urocystatin C, and serum creatinine in the AKI group were significantly higher than those in the non-AKI group (P < 0.05), while the difference in intensive care unit (ICU) mortality rate between the two groups was not significantly different (P > 0.05). The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve of serum cystatin C was 0.893, the area under the curve of urocystatin C was 0.898, and the area under the curve of serum creatinine was 0.652.

CONCLUSION

Serum cystatin and urocystatin could be used to predict the occurrence of AKI in elderly patients with sepsis.