Diabetes mellitus in dialysis and renal transplantation

Application and management of continuous glucose monitoring in diabetic kidney disease

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus that contributes to the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Wide glycemic var-iations, such as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, are broadly found in diabetic patients with DKD and especially ESKD, as a result of impaired renal metabolism. It is essential to monitor glycemia for effective management of DKD. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) has long been considered as the gold standard for monitoring glycemia for > 3 months. However, assessment of HbA1c has some bias as it is susceptible to factors such as anemia and liver or kidney dysfunction. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has provided new insights on glycemic assessment and management. CGM directly measures glucose level in interstitial fluid, reports real-time or retrospective glucose concentration, and provides multiple glycemic metrics. It avoids the pitfalls of HbA1c in some contexts, and may serve as a precise alternative to estimation of mean glucose and glycemic variability. Emerging studies have demonstrated the merits of CGM for precise monitoring, which allows fine-tuning of glycemic management in diabetic patients. Therefore, CGM technology has the potential for better glycemic monitoring in DKD patients. More research is needed to explore its application and management in different stages of DKD, including hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplantation.

The role of basal insulins in the treatment of people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease: A narrative review

The majority of cases of chronic kidney disease (CKD) worldwide are driven by the presence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), resulting in an increase in CKD rates over the past few decades. The existence of CKD alongside diabetes is associated with increased burden of cardiovascular disease and increased risk of death. Optimal glycaemic control is essential to prevent progression of CKD, but achieving glycaemic targets in people with CKD and diabetes can be challenging because of increased risk of hypoglycaemia and limitations on glucose-lowering therapeutic options. This review considers the challenges in management of T2D in people with impaired kidney function and assesses evidence for use of basal insulin analogues in people with CKD.

Partial replacement of d-glucose with d-allose ameliorates peritoneal injury and hyperglycaemia induced by peritoneal dialysis fluid in rats

BACKGROUND

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a crucial dialysis method for treating end-stage kidney disease. However, its use is restricted due to high glucose-induced peritoneal injury and hyperglycaemia, particularly in patients with diabetes mellitus. In this study, we investigated whether partially replacing d-glucose with the rare sugar d-allose could ameliorate peritoneal injury and hyperglycaemia induced by peritoneal dialysis fluid (PDF).

METHODS

Rat peritoneal mesothelial cells (RPMCs) were exposed to a medium containing d-glucose or d-glucose partially replaced with different concentrations of d-allose. Cell viability, oxidative stress and cytokine production were evaluated. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were administrated saline, a PDF containing 4% d-glucose (PDF-G4.0%) or a PDF containing 3.6% d-glucose and 0.4% d-allose (PDF-G3.6%/A0.4%) once a day for 4 weeks. Peritoneal injury and PD efficiency were assessed using immuno-histological staining and peritoneal equilibration test, respectively. Blood glucose levels were measured over 120 min following a single injection of saline or PDFs to 24-h fasted SD rats.

RESULTS

In RPMCs, the partial replacement of d-glucose with d-allose increased cell viability and decreased oxidative stress and cytokine production compared to d-glucose alone. Despite the PDF-G3.6%/A0.4% having a lower d-glucose concentration compared to PDF-G4.0%, there were no significant changes in osmolality. When administered to SD rats, the PDF-G3.6%/A0.4% suppressed the elevation of peritoneal thickness and blood d-glucose levels induced by PDF-G4.0%, without impacting PD efficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

Partial replacement of d-glucose with d-allose ameliorated peritoneal injury and hyperglycaemia induced by high concentration of d-glucose in PDF, indicating that d-allose could be a potential treatment option in PD.

Low dose tacrolimus exposure and early steroid withdrawal with strict body weight control can improve post kidney transplant glucose tolerance in Japanese patients

The development of diabetes mellitus (DM) after living donor kidney transplantation (KT) is a risk factor for worsening transplant kidney function, cardiac disease, and cerebrovascular disease, which may affect prognosis after KT. At our institution, all patients' glucose tolerance is evaluated perioperatively by oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) at pre-KT, and 3, 6, and 12 month (mo.) after KT. We analyzed the insulinogenic index (ISI) and homeostasis model assessment beta cell (HOMA-β) based on the immunoreactive insulin (IRI) levels to determine how glucose tolerance changed after KT in 214 patients who had not been diagnosed with DM before KT. In addition, we analyzed the body mass index (BMI) which may also influence glucose tolerance after KT. The concentration of tacrolimus (TAC) in blood was also measured as the area under the curve (AUC) to examine its effects at each sampling point. The preoperative-OGTTs showed that DM was newly diagnosed in 22 of 214 patients (10.3%) who had not been given a diagnosis of DM by the pre-KT fasting blood sugar (FBS) tests. The glucose tolerance was improved in 15 of 22 DM patients at 12 mo. after KT. ISI and IRI deteriorated only at 3 mo. after KT but improved over time. There was a trend of an inverse correlation between HOMA-β and TAC-AUC. We also found inverse correlations between IRI and an increase in BMI from 3 to 12 mo. after KT. Early corticosteroid withdrawal or the steroid minimization protocol with tacrolimus to maintain a low level of diabetogenic tacrolimus and BMI decrease after KT used by our hospital individualizes lifestyle interventions for each patient might contribute to an improvement in post-KT glucose tolerance.

The structure of mineral and bone disorders in patients with сhronic kidney disease of the 5th dialysis stage, taking into account the presence or absence of a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND: In patients with end-stage CKD, receiving renal replacement therapy (RRT) with programmed hemodialysis (HD), the severity of complications is associated with metabolic disturbances: accumulation of uremic toxins, nephrogenic anemia, secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), extraskeletal calcification, impaired clearance and rhythm of hormone secretion.

AIM: To evaluate the main biochemical and hormonal parameters, and manifestations of mineral bone disease (MBD) in patients receiving RRT with HD, before and after hemodialysis, taking into account the presence or absence of diabetes mellitus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We divided all patients receiving RRT with HD in two groups: #1 (n=24) — patients with DM, #2 (n=16) — patients without DM. All of them had their blood analyzed before and immediately after the HD. Data analysis was performed with the Statistica 13 (StatSoft, USA). A prognostically significant model was considered at p<0.05.

RESULTS: The level of iPTH, both at baseline and after HD, was lower in group #1 (p<0.001). The level of alkaline phosphatase (AP) was significantly higher in group #2 (p=0.012). In both groups before HD, a high incidence of hypocalcemia was detected (according to albumin-corrected calcium in group #1 in 58.3%, in group #2 in 43.7% of cases, p = 0.366) and hyperphosphatemia (in 66.7% and in 43 .7% of cases, respectively, p=0.151). Hypocalcemia after HD in group #1 persisted in 14%, in group #2 — in 20% of cases (p>0.05); hyperphosphatemia in group #1 was completely leveled, in group #2 it persisted in 7% of cases (p=0.417). Prior to the HD session, group #1 had significantly higher levels of RAGE, glucagon, immunoreactive insulin (IRI), cortisol, and glucose than after the HD session (p<0.05). In group #2, after HD, the levels of glucagon, IRI and cortisol significantly decreased (p<0.05), and the level of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-HT) increased significantly (p=0.026). In group #1, fibrocalcinosis of the heart valves according to ECHO and calcification of the arteries of the lower extremities according to ultrasonic doplerography were more common than in group #2 (42% vs 25%, p<0.001 and 75% vs 37.5%, p=0.018, respectively). (χ2)). Compression fractures occurred with the same frequency in both groups (60%). A decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) to the level of osteopenia was noted more often in group #1 (50% vs 18.8%), and osteoporosis was more common in group #2 (68.8% vs 33.3%) (p<0.001, χ2).

CONCLUSION: The low level of PTH in group #1 may reflect the effect of diabetes on calcium-phosphorus metabolism. Patients with DM have an increased risk of renal osteodystrophy with a low bone turnover because of a number of metabolic factors inherent in diabetes. At the same time, the dynamics of phosphorus and calcium indicators during the HD procedure were similar.

Peritoneal Dialysis for Potential Kidney Transplant Recipients: Pride or Prejudice?

Kidney transplantation (KT) is recognized as the gold-standard of treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that receiving a pre-emptive KT ensures the best recipient and graft survivals. However, due to an overwhelming discrepancy between the organs available and the patients on the transplant waiting list, the vast majority of transplant candidates require prolonged periods of dialysis before being transplanted. For many years, peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) have been considered competitive renal replacement therapies (RRT). This dualistic vision has recently been questioned by evidence suggesting that an individualized and flexible approach may be more appropriate. In fact, tailored and cleverly planned changes between different RRT modalities, according to the patient’s needs and characteristics, are often needed in order to achieve the best results. While home HD is still under scrutiny in this particular setting, current data seems to favor the use of PD over in-center HD in patients awaiting a KT. In this specific population, the demonstrated advantages of PD are superior quality of life, longer preservation of residual renal function, lower incidence of delayed graft function, better recipient survival, and reduced cost.