Exploring the Molecular Level Interaction of Human Serum Albumin with Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate Crystals

Analysis of components and related risk factors of urinary stones: a retrospective study of 1055 patients in southern China

We conducted a retrospective study of 1055 patients with urinary stones who attended our single center from September 2017 to June 2024. Clinical data and laboratory indicators of patients were evaluated and compared with stone components. The most common type in our study was calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones (76.6%), followed by infection stones (13.2%) and uric acid (UA) stones (7.8%). Among the 1055 specimens, 899 (85.2%) cases were mixed component stones, of which calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) and calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD) mixture were the most frequent (34.8%). There were only 156 cases (14.8%) of pure-component stones, of which anhydrous UA was the most frequent (7.0%). There were 738 males and 317 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.33:1. Male dominance was evident in CaOx stones (79.0 vs. 71.0%, P = 0.005). Female dominance was noted in infection stones (21.1 vs. 9.8%, P < 0.001). The multivariate analysis showed that higher serum albumin level was a risk factor for CaOx stone formation (OR = 2.959; 95% CI 1.470-5.953, P = 0.002). Women were more likely to develop infection stones than men (OR = 1.796; 95% CI 1.150-2.803, P = 0.010). As the urine pH increased, the risk of infection stones formation increased (OR = 2.521; 95% CI 1.809-3.513, P < 0.001). Moreover, a history of hypertension (OR = 2.339; 95% CI 1.409-3.881, P = 0.001), low urine pH (OR = 0.242; 95% CI 0.147-0.399, P < 0.001), and low serum albumin level (OR = 0.351; 95% CI 0.125-0.988, P = 0.047) were risk factors for the formation of UA stones.

Relationship between Serum Selenium Level and Self-Reported History of Kidney Stone

A relationship may exist between selenium and kidney calculi, but there is a lack of research in this field at present. Our study explored the relationship between the serum selenium level and a medical history of adult kidney calculi. We utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2011 and 2016. Participants self-reported their history of kidney stones, while serum selenium levels were measured using inductively coupled plasma dynamic reaction cell mass spectrometry. Our findings indicate a negative correlation between serum selenium levels and the risk of kidney stone history. In the multiple-adjusted model, the lowest serum selenium level group had a higher risk than the other groups. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of ever having kidney stones for the highest serum selenium level group was 0.54 (0.33-0.88). In the results of stratified analysis, this relationship was still significant in the groups of women and those 40-59 years. We also found that as a nonlinear dose-response relationship between serum selenium levels and the history of kidney stones disease. In our research, we found that people with higher serum selenium levels had a lower risk of having a history of kidney stones. We concluded that selenium may have a protective effect on kidney stones. In the future, more population studies are needed to explore the relationship between selenium and kidney stones.