Endothelial dysfunction in uremic patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)

Venous thromboembolism, factor VIII and chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 30 million Americans and is associated with approximately a two-fold increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). There is a graded increased risk of VTE across declining kidney function, as measured by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria. When patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) experience VTE they are more likely than the general population to be hospitalized and they have a higher mortality. The incidence and consequences of VTE may also differ depending on the cause of kidney disease. In addition, kidney transplant patients with VTE are at a greater risk for death and graft loss than transplant patients without VTE. The reasons that patients with CKD are at increased risk of VTE are not well understood, but recent data suggest that factor VIII is a mediator. Factor VIII is an essential cofactor in the coagulation cascade and a strong risk factor for VTE in general. It is inversely correlated with eGFR and prospective studies demonstrate that factor VIII activity predicts incident CKD and rapid eGFR decline. The etiology of CKD may also influence factor VIII levels. This review summarizes the epidemiology VTE in CKD and reviews the biochemistry of factor VIII and determinants of its levels, including von Willebrand factor and ABO blood group. We explore mechanisms by which the complications of CKD might give rise to higher factor VIII and suggests future research directions to understand how factor VIII and CKD are linked.

Effect of Sodium Thiosulfate on Arterial Stiffness in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients Undergoing Chronic Hemodialysis (Sodium Thiosulfate-Hemodialysis Study): A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Arterial stiffness (AS) and vascular calcification are significantly related to a high cardiovascular mortality risk in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Intravenous sodium thiosulfate (IV STS) can prevent and delay the vascular calcification progression in uremic states; however, the STS effect on AS has not been assessed. This study aimed to evaluate the STS efficacy on vascular calcification and AS in HD patients.

METHODS

Fifty HD patients with abnormal AS, as measured via the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI ≥8), were prospectively randomized to open-label 12.5 g IV STS during the last HD hour twice weekly for 6 months (n = 24) or the usual care (control group; n = 26). Patients and treating physicians were not blinded. The CAVI, coronary artery calcification (CAC) score, hemodynamics, and biochemical parameters were measured at the baseline and at 3 and 6 months.

RESULTS

All the baseline parameters were comparable. The IV STS significantly reduced the CAVI when compared to the control group (mean CAVI difference = -0.53; 95% CI -1.00 to -0.06; p = 0.03). A significant CAVI improvement was seen in those patients without diabetes mellitus. The natural logarithm of the CAC volume score was significantly increased in the control group. The high sensitivity C-reactive protein level was slightly lowered in the IV STS group (not significant).

CONCLUSION

The intradialytic STS treatment significantly reduced the AS, as measured by the CAVI, and stabilized the vascular calcification in the HD patients. STS may be a novel therapeutic strategy for delaying and treating the structural and functional vascular wall abnormalities in HD patients.

The serum levels of MMP-9, MMP-2 and vWF in patients with low doses of urokinase peritoneal dialysis decreased uremia complicated with cerebral infarction

To investigate the effect of MMP-9, MMP-2 and vWF in patients with low doses of urokinase peritoneal dialysis decreased uremia complicated with cerebral infarction. 112 cases of uremia complicated with cerebral infarction were randomly divided into the peritoneal dialysate with urokinase treatment group (66 cases) and the conventional treatment group (46 cases). At the same time, 50 cases of healthy people who were more than 45 years old were enrolled in the control group. The basic treatment in both treatment groups was the same. In urokinase therapy group based on the conventional treatment, urokinase was added into peritoneal dialysis fluid, and changes of serum MMP-9, MMP-2 and vWF were observed by drawing blood at different time points within 8 weeks. The changes of serum MMP-2, MMP-9 and vWF were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. At the time of the onset of uremia complicated with cerebral infarction patients the serum MMP-9, MMP-2, vWF were significantly higher (P<0.05, P<0.05, P<0.01). Conventional antiplatelet therapy in brain protection only reduce MMP-9 to the normal range (P>0.05) within 8 weeks. But the MMP-2 and vWF cannot be reduced to the normal range (P<0.01, P<0.01). Low doses of urokinase can reduce MMP-9 (7 d) and MMP-2 (14 d) to the normal range (P>0.05, P>0.05) at the early stage and decrease the vWF to a normal range within 8 weeks (P>0.05). At the time of the onset of uremia complicated with cerebral infarction patients the serum MMP-9, MMP-2 and vWF increased significantly. Low doses of urokinase dialysis can reduce serum MMP-9, MMP-2, and vWF in acute uremia complicated with cerebral infarction without recurrence of cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhagic transformation, indicating that low dose of urokinase peritoneal dialysis may have a certain effect on the early treatment of this disease.