Cardiac performance in various stages of renal failure

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) May Be a Striking Link Between Modern Diet and Health

The Maillard reaction is a simple but ubiquitous reaction that occurs both in vivo and ex vivo during the cooking or processing of foods under high-temperature conditions, such as baking, frying, or grilling. Glycation of proteins is a post-translational modification that forms temporary adducts, which, on further crosslinking and rearrangement, form permanent residues known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Cooking at high temperature results in various food products having high levels of AGEs. This review underlines the basis of AGE formation and their corresponding deleterious effects on the body. Glycated Maillard products have a direct association with the pathophysiology of some metabolic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2), acute renal failure (ARF), Alzheimer’s disease, dental health, allergies, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The most glycated and structurally abundant protein is collagen, which acts as a marker for diabetes and aging, where decreased levels indicate reduced skin elasticity. In diabetes, high levels of AGEs are associated with carotid thickening, ischemic heart disease, uremic cardiomyopathy, and kidney failure. AGEs also mimic hormones or regulate/modify their receptor mechanisms at the DNA level. In women, a high AGE diet directly correlates with high levels of androgens, anti-Müllerian hormone, insulin, and androstenedione, promoting ovarian dysfunction and/or infertility. Vitamin D3 is well-associated with the pathogenesis of PCOS and modulates steroidogenesis. It also exhibits a protective mechanism against the harmful effects of AGEs. This review elucidates and summarizes the processing of infant formula milk and the associated health hazards. Formulated according to the nutritional requirements of the newborn as a substitute for mother’s milk, formula milk is a rich source of primary adducts, such as carboxy-methyl lysine, which render an infant prone to inflammation, dementia, food allergies, and other diseases. We therefore recommend that understanding this post-translational modification is the key to unlocking the mechanisms and physiology of various metabolic syndromes.

Cardiac function is preserved following 4 weeks of voluntary wheel running in a rodent model of chronic kidney disease

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of 4 wk of voluntary wheel running on cardiac performance in the 5/6 ablation-infarction (AI) rat model of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We hypothesized that voluntary wheel running would be effective in preserving cardiac function in AI. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three study groups: 1) sham, sedentary nondiseased control; 2) AI-SED, sedentary AI; and 3) AI-WR, wheel-running AI. Animals were maintained over a total period of 8 wk following AI and sham surgery. The 8-wk period included 4 wk of disease development followed by a 4-wk voluntary wheel-running intervention/sedentary control period. Cardiac performance was assessed using an isolated working heart preparation. Left ventricular (LV) tissue was used for biochemical tissue analysis. In addition, soleus muscle citrate synthase activity was measured. AI-WR rats performed a low volume of exercise, running an average of 13 ± 2 km, which resulted in citrate synthase activity not different from that in sham animals. Isolated AI-SED hearts demonstrated impaired cardiac performance at baseline and in response to preload/afterload manipulations. Conversely, cardiac function was preserved in AI-WR vs. sham hearts. LV nitrite + nitrate and expression of LV nitric oxide (NO) synthase isoforms 2 and 3 in AI-WR were not different from those of sham rats. In addition, LV H2O2 in AI-WR was similar to that of sham and associated with increased expression of LV superoxide-dismutase-2 and glutathione peroxidase-1/2. The findings of the current study suggest that a low-volume exercise intervention is sufficient to maintain cardiac performance in rats with CKD, potentially through a mechanism related to improved redox homeostasis and increased NO.

Cardiac function and tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion injury in chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND

Cardiac dysfunction is an independent risk factor of ischemic heart disease and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, yet the relationship between impaired cardiac function and tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in experimental CKD remains unclear.

METHODS

Cardiac function was assessed in 5/6 ablation-infarction (AI) and sham male Sprague-Dawley rats at 20 weeks of age, 8 weeks post-surgery using an isolated working heart system. This included measures taken during manipulation of preload and afterload to produce left ventricular (LV) function curves as well as during reperfusion following a 15-min ischemic bout. In addition, LV tissue was used for biochemical tissue analysis.

RESULTS

Cardiac function was impaired in AI animals during preload and afterload manipulations. Cardiac functional impairments persisted post-ischemia in the AI animals, and 36% of AI animals did not recover sufficiently to achieve aortic overflow following ischemia (versus 0% of sham animals). However, for those animals able to withstand the ischemic perturbation, no difference was observed in percent recovery of post-ischemic cardiac function between groups. Urinary NOx (nitrite + nitrate) excretion was lower in AI animals and accompanied by reduced LV endothelial nitric oxide synthase and NOx. LV antioxidants superoxide dismutase-1 and -2 were reduced in AI animals, whereas glutathione peroxidase-1/2 as well as NADPH-oxidase-4 and H(2)O(2) were increased in these animals.

CONCLUSIONS

Impaired cardiac function appears to predispose AI rats to poor outcomes following short-duration ischemic insult. These findings could be, in part, mediated by increased oxidative stress via nitric oxide-dependent and -independent mechanisms.

Hemodynamics in diabetic renal failure

Cardiac performance was assessed by left ventricular catheterization in ten insulin-dependent diabetics with non-dialysis-requiring uremia. None of the patients had a history or clinical signs of ischemic or valvular heart disease or congestive heart failure. Cardiac output at rest was normal in all patients. During exercise, one patient had somewhat low cardiac output and nine showed impaired ability to increase stroke work. This impairment was accompanied by elevation of the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. The abnormal cardiac performance could not be ascribed to the degree of anemia or uremia or to volume overload. Arterial hypertension possibly contributed. The observations suggest that in diabetic patients with moderate uremia there is also left ventricular dysfunction. Renal transplantation should therefore be considered for these patients earlier than is customary for uremics without diabetes.

Factors limiting physical working capacity in predialytic uraemic patients

The exercise capacity of 20 predialytic uraemic patients (mean age 43 +/- 12 years) was studied prospectively. Nine of these patients were examined twice in a longitudinal study. The maximal working capacity, measured by standardized exercise test on a bicycle ergometer, averaged 74 +/- 19% of the expected normal. Normal exercise ECG were registered in 16 out of 20 patients. Total hemoglobin/kg body weight (THb) was 67 +/- 16% of the expected normal and serum parathyroid hormone concentration (PTH) was 39 +/- 39 micrograms/l (normal range 0.5-1.5). Partial correlation showed a correlation between exercise capacity and PTH (p less than 0.05). In the longitudinal study the decrease in steady state exercise capacity was correlated to the decrease in THb (p less than 0.05), but not to the increase in PTH. In conclusion, patients with predialytic uraemia have a reduced maximal working capacity, due to several possible factors one of which is a reduced THb. Ischaemic heart disease seems to be of minor importance.

Importance of early dialysis for acute renal failure after an open-heart surgery

Coronary artery disease is a major cause of death in patients with a renal dysfunction. Among the patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting, renal dysfunction is known to be a major predictor of in-hospital and out-of-hospital mortality. From 2004 to 2007, we performed elective open-heart surgeries on 2380 patients in whom there was no primary renal failure. Of those patients, only 185 in whom acute renal failure (ARF) was developed were included in the study. The patients were divided into 2 groups: a late dialysis group (n=90) and an early dialysis group (n=95). The mean age of the patients was 62.3+/-6.4 in the late dialysis group and 64.5+/-5.2 in the early dialysis group. There were 32 female and 58 male patients in the late dialysis group and 36 female and 59 male patients in the early dialysis group. Acute renal failure developed only in 185 patients out of 2380 open-heart surgery patients. The overall mortality in the 2380 open-heart surgery patients was 1.97%. Mortality among the ARF patients was 5.9%. However, there was no significant difference in hospital mortality between the 2 groups. Major complications, such as postoperative pneumonia, prolonged ventilation time, arrhythmia, the number of times postoperative hemodialysis was performed, development of chronic renal failure, time spent in the intensive care unit and the period of hospitalization, sepsis, and low cardiac output, were significantly higher in the late dialysis group. There was no difference in mortality between the 2 groups. Early dialysis for open-heart surgery patients who develop ARF postoperatively does not decrease mortality. However, it decreases morbidity, the amount of time spent in intensive care, and the period of hospitalization and thus reduces patient costs.

Myocardial function, energy provision, and carnitine deficiency in experimental uremia

Cardiac complications are the leading cause of mortality in patients with chronic renal failure. Secondary carnitine deficiency, which is frequently observed in hemodialysis patients, has been associated with cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure and may impair myocardial fatty acid oxidation. In chronic kidney disease, impaired carnitine homeostasis also may affect myocardial metabolism. In this study, myocardial function and substrate oxidation in conjunction with carnitine deficiency were investigated in experimental renal failure. Uremia was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats via a two-stage five-sixths nephrectomy. Cardiac function and substrate oxidation were assessed in vitro by means of isovolumic perfusion using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance at 3 and 6 wk of uremia. Renal impairment as assessed by serum creatinine was more severe initially and was associated with a significant deficiency in serum free carnitine (43%; P < 0.001) and elevated acyl carnitine/free carnitine ratio. Myocardial tissue carnitine concentrations, however, were unaffected. A moderate degree of cardiac hypertrophy (10 to 14%; P < 0.05) was observed in uremia without evidence of dysfunction or changes in myocardial substrate utilization. It is concluded that renal dysfunction is associated with cardiac hypertrophy in the presence of normal myocardial carnitine levels, despite a significant depletion in serum carnitine. This may be a factor in maintaining normal cardiac function and metabolism.

Diastolic dysfunction and abnormality of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger in single uremic cardiac myocytes

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease, possibly due to a specific "uremic cardiomyopathy". This study investigated the function of the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger in single cardiac myocytes from a model of early renal impairment. Mild uremia was induced by partial (5/6) nephrectomy in male Wistar rats. After 4 weeks, ventricular myocytes were isolated, loaded with the fluorescent Ca(2+) indicator indo-1, and contractile function and calcium transients recorded following electrical pacing at 0.2 Hz. Relaxation from rapid cooling contractures (RCCs) was also studied. Cells from uremic animals (U) were hypertrophied compared with controls (C), with a significant increase in width (14%; P<0.02) and cross-sectional area (13%; P<0.03). There was a significant increase in diastolic intracellular Ca(2+) ratio in the uremic cells (C, 0.33+/-0.00 vs U, 0.37+/-0.02; P<0.02), although the amount of calcium released per twitch was similar. Uremic cells were slower to relax following RCCs, however when Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange was inhibited using a Na(+)-free/Ca(2+)-free solution, this difference was abolished. Under these conditions, there was little difference in the relaxation rate of control cells, indicating that the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger plays only a minor role in relaxation in normal rat myocytes. However in uremia, the data indicate that the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger actively interfered with relaxation, possibly by working in reverse rather than forward mode. These results indicate that myocyte relaxation and Ca(2+) handling are abnormal in early uremia and may provide further evidence for the existence of a specific "uremic cardiomyopathy".

Prophylactic dialysis in patients with renal dysfunction undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery

BACKGROUND

Preoperative creatinine values higher than 2.5 mg/dL are associated with markedly increased risk for both mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. We aimed to determine the effects of prophylactic perioperative hemodialysis on operative outcome in patients with nondialysis-dependent moderate renal dysfunction.

METHODS

Forty-four adult patients with creatinine levels greater than 2.5 mg/dL but not requiring dialysis underwent coronary artery bypass surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. In group 1 (dialysis group, 21 patients), perioperative prophylactic hemodialysis was performed in all patients. Group 2 (23 patients) was taken as a control group and hemodialysis was performed only if postoperative acute renal failure was diagnosed.

RESULTS

The hospital mortality was 4.8% (1 patient) in the dialysis group, and 30.4% (7 patients) in the control group (p = 0.048). Postoperative acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis was seen in 1 patient (4.8%) in the dialysis group and in 8 patients (34.8%) in the control group (p = 0.023). Thirty-three postoperative complications were observed in the control group for an early morbidity of 52.2% (12 patients) and 13 complications occurred in 8 patients in the dialysis group (38.1%). The average length of the intensive care unit and postoperative hospital stay were shorter in the dialysis group than in the control group (p = 0.005 and p = 0.023, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative creatinine levels higher than 2.5 mg/dL, increase the risk of mortality and the development of acute renal failure and prolong the length of hospital stay after on-pump coronary artery bypass surgery. Perioperative prophylactic hemodialysis decreases both operative mortality and morbidity in these high-risk patients.

Myocardial morphology and cardiac function in rats with renal failure

The effects of chronic renal failure on cardiac performance and myocardial morphology were studied in rats: 17 with 5/6 nephrectomy (CRF rats) and 12 with sham operation (controls). Cardiac function was assessed 8 weeks postoperatively, using the Langendorff technique for an isolated working heart model. After the hemodynamic study the hearts were fixed for electron and light microscopy. In the CRF rats left ventricular systolic pressure was significantly higher at all preloads (10-20 cmH2O) and afterloads (70-90 cmH2O), and left ventricular stroke work was significantly increased at preload 20 cmH2O with afterloads 70 or 90 cmH2O. Light microscopy revealed fibronecrotic lesions consisting of fibroblastic proliferation with newly formed collagen interposed between or entrapping degenerative myocytes. The changes were focally distributed, with perivascular accentuation and were most frequent in the basal half of the ventricular wall. Electron microscopy of non-necrotic myocytes showed intact myocytes, with mitochondria morphometrically similar in the 2 groups, but a significantly lower incidence of mitochondrial granules in the CRF rats. Thus 8 weeks of CRF showed no cardiac dysfunction associated with the focally distributed fibronecrotic myocardial lesions and decrease in mitochondrial granules. The precise mechanism of the discrepancy between the morphological change and the cardiac function is unclear. One possible explanation may be that because the pathological changes in the myocardium were focal or mild to moderate, some compensation mechanism may be involved or it may be the turning point of functional change from acute renal failure to the chronic state.

Cardiac effects of exercise rehabilitation in hemodialysis patients

Exercise training has well documented beneficial effects in a variety of cardiac disorders. End stage renal disease patients present many cardiovascular complications and suffer from impaired exercise capacity. No study to date has adequately examined the cardiac responses to exercise training in renal patients on hemodialysis (HD). To determine the effects of an exercise rehabilitation program on the left ventricular function at rest and during submaximal effort, 38 end-stage renal disease patients on maintenance HD were randomised into three groups. Sixteen of them (group A--mean age 46.4+/-13.9 years), without clinical features of heart failure, participated in a 6-month supervised exercise renal rehabilitation program consisting of three weekly sessions of aerobic training, 10 (group B--mean age 51.4+/-12.5 years) followed a moderate exercise program at home, and the other 12 (group C--mean age 50.2+/-7.9 years) were not trained and remained as controls. The level of anemia and the HD prescription remained constant during the study. Fifteen sex- and age-matched sedentary individuals (group D--mean age 46.9+/-6.4 years) were the healthy controls. All subjects at the start and end of the program underwent physical examination, laboratory tests, treadmill exercise testing, M-mode and 2-D echocardiograms performed at rest and at peak of supine bicycle exercise. Left ventricular volumes (EDV, ESV) and mass (LVM) were measured and ejection fraction (EF), stroke volume index (SVI) and cardiac output index (COI) were calculated by standard formulae. The maximal oxygen consumption increased by 43% (P<0.001) and the exercise time by 33% (P<0.001) after training in group A, by 17% (P<0.001) and 14% (P<0.01), respectively, in B, and both remained unchanged in group C. Training in group A was also associated with an increase in LVIDd (from 52.1+/-6.4 to 54.0+/-6.1 mm, P<0.001) and LVM (226+/-67 to 240+/-84 g, P<0.05) at rest with no change noted in groups B and C. Following a 6-month exercise training in group A an increase was also found in the resting EF by 5% (P<0.01) and SVI by 14% (P<0.001). There was no change found in groups B and C. Supine bicycle exercise after training in group A was associated with an improvement in EF by 14% compared to the pre-training change (P<0.001), SVI by 14% (P<0.001) and COI by 73% (P<0.001). These changes from rest to submaximal exercise were less pronounced in group B following training at home. The untrained patients demonstrated no changes in LV systolic function over the 6-month period. These results demonstrate that intense exercise training improves LV systolic function at rest in HD patients; both intense and moderate physical training leads to enhanced cardiac performance during supine submaximal exercise.

Exercise training by individuals with predialysis renal failure: cardiorespiratory endurance, hypertension, and renal function

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 4 months of exercise training (ET) on cardiorespiratory function and endurance, blood pressure, muscle strength, hematology, blood lipids, and renal function in individuals with chronic renal failure (CRF) who were not yet on dialysis. Sixteen subjects were recruited to volunteer for participation in this study, but only eight completed all study phases. Subjects were first evaluated before and after a 2-month baseline (BL1 and BL2), after 4 months of ET, and again after 2 months of detraining (DT). ET did not change hematology, blood lipids, or echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular function and mass. Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressures decreased significantly from BL after the ET (146 +/- 15.7/87 +/- 9 mm Hg to 124 +/- 17.5/78 +/- 9.5 mm Hg; P < 0.02), and then increased significantly after DT (139 +/- 14.7 mm Hg and 87 +/- 9.9 mm Hg; P < 0.01). Peak oxygen consumption (pVO2) changed significantly during the study (1.3 +/- 0.3 L/min, 1.5 +/- 0.3 L/min, and 1.4 +/- 0.3 L/min for BL2, ET, and DT, respectively; P < 0.02), as did the VO2 at the ventilatory threshold (0.65 +/- 0.18 L/min, 0.92 +/- 0.19 L/min, and 0.68 +/- 0.23 L/min for BL2, ET, and DT, respectively; P < 0.01). Knee flexion peak torque increased after ET (43.4 +/- 25.6 Nm to 51.0 +/- 30.5 Nm; P < 0.02). GFR, as measured by creatinine clearance, continued to deteriorate during the course of the study (25.3 +/- 12.0 mL/min, 21.8 +/- 13.2 mL/min, and 21.8 +/- 13.2 mL/min for BL2, ET, and DT, respectively; P < 0.001). Individuals with predialysis CRF who undergo ET improve in functional aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and blood pressure.

Heart failure in Nigerian hypertensive patients: the role of renal dysfunction

Heart failure in hypertensive patients is known to be dependent not only on the absolute value of blood pressure but also on other factors, hence the prognosis varies. In this study, the effect of renal dysfunction on the development of heart failure in hypertensive patients was assessed. Fifty-five patients who were admitted in hypertensive heart failure (HHF) were compared with 55 hypertensive patients who had never been in heart failure (HT), in their renal function, assessed by serum creatinine and urea levels. The haemoglobin (Hb) and serum albumin (Alb) levels were also measured. The two groups were matched for age, sex, level of blood pressure and body mass index. The duration of hypertension was similar in both groups. Mean serum creatinine was higher in the HHF group: 4.50 +/- 0.90 vs. 0.97 +/- 0.06 mg/100ml (P < 0.001). Also the Hb and Alb levels were lower in the HHF than the HT group: 11.63 +/- 0.40 vs. 13.2 +/- 0.21 g/100 ml (P < 0.001) and 3.7 +/- 0.1 vs. 4.40 +/- 0.09 g/100 ml (P < 0.001), respectively. The proportion with abnormal renal function (creatinine > 1.5 mg%) was also significantly higher in HHF: 28/55 vs. 8/54, chi 2 = 16.3 (P < 0.001). When adjustment was made for low serum albumin, Hb and fundal changes by multivariate analysis, serum creatinine was significantly higher in the HHF group: F = 4.294 (P < 0.05). Low serum albumin was also independent of haemoglobin and creatinine: F = 19.52 (P < 0.001), but Hb was not significantly different after adjustment for Alb and creatinine. This study suggests that renal dysfunction is independently associated with the development of heart failure in HT patients.

Impairment of cardiac function and energetics in experimental renal failure

Cardiac function and energetics in experimental renal failure in the rat (5/6 nephrectomy) have been investigated by means of an isolated perfused working heart preparation and an isometric Langendorff preparation using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (31P NMR). 4 wk after nephrectomy cardiac output of isolated hearts perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer was significantly lower (P < 0.0001) at all levels of preload and afterload in the renal failure groups than in the pair-fed sham operated control group. In control hearts, cardiac output increased with increases in perfusate calcium from 0.73 to 5.61 mmol/liter whereas uremic hearts failed in high calcium perfusate. Collection of 31P NMR spectra from hearts of renal failure and control animals during 30 min normoxic Langendorff perfusion showed that basal phosphocreatine was reduced by 32% to 4.7 mumol/g wet wt (P < 0.01) and the phosphocreatine to ATP ratio was reduced by 32% (P < 0.01) in uremic hearts. During low flow ischemia, there was a substantial decrease in phosphocreatine in the uremic hearts and an accompanying marked increase in release of inosine into the coronary effluent (14.9 vs 6.1 microM, P < 0.01). We conclude that cardiac function is impaired in experimental renal failure, in association with abnormal cardiac energetics and increased susceptibility to ischemic damage. Disordered myocardial calcium utilization may contribute to these derangements.

Factors influencing physical working capacity in renal transplant patients

Clyne N, Jogestrand T, Lins L-E & Pehrsson SK. Division of Nephrology and Cardiology, Department of Medicine and Department of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. We have examined uraemic patients' exercise capacity, and the factors influencing this capacity, before and after successful renal transplantation. Eleven uraemic patients (mean age 41 +/- 10 years) with an average glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 5 +/- 4 ml/min x 1.73 before and 45 +/- 19 ml/min x 1.73 after transplantation participated in the study. The maximal exercise capacity, measured by standardized exercise test on a bicycle ergometer, averaged 106 +/- 25 W before and 126 +/- 35 W (p less than 0.05) after transplantation. The patients interrupted the tests prior to and after transplantation because of general fatigue, leg tiredness or both. No patient experienced angina pectoris. All, but one, had a normal ECG reaction during exercise. Total haemoglobin (THb) was 55 +/- 8% of the expected normal before and 84 +/- 19% after transplantation (p less than 0.01). The increase in working capacity was linearly correlated to the increase in THb (r = 0.84, p less than 0.01), but not to the improvement in GFR nor to the decrease in parathyroid hormone. In conclusion, successful renal transplantation improves working capacity. The results indicate that an increased THb is a major determinant for this increase in working capacity.

Occurrence and significance of heart disease in uraemia. An autopsy study

The occurrence of heart disease in uraemic patients was evaluated from study of 94 autopsied cases of chronic renal failure. The most common autopsy-ascertained causes of death were congestive heart failure (37%), acute myocardial infarction (13%) and tamponading pericarditis (8%). Death from congestive heart failure was significantly more common among the patients aged 60 or more than in the younger group. Hypertension was recorded in 59% of the patients, including all those with fatal myocardial infarction. Coronary arteriosclerosis was graded as absent to mild in about 40% of the patients. More severe grades occurred predominantly in the older patients. Tamponading pericarditis almost exclusively affected patients in haemodialysis. The authors conclude that most deaths among patients with end-stage renal failure were due to congestive heart failure. Ischaemic heart disease did not seem to be a more common cause of death than in the general population.