Vibrational Spectroscopy of Peritoneal Dialysis Effluent for Rapid Assessment of Patient Characteristics

Effects of High Flux Hemodialysis Combined with L-Carnitine on Microinflammation and Arteriovenous Fistula in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

Objective

To explore the effects of high-flux hemodialysis combined with L-carnitine on microinflammation and arteriovenous fistulas in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Methods

A total of 65 patients admitted to our hospital from May 2017 to May 2019 were selected and divided into a control group of 30 cases and an experimental group of 35 cases according to the selected treatment plan. Combined with L-carnitine, the cardiac function of the two groups of patients before and after the treatment was evaluated, the microinflammatory indexes of the two groups were compared, and the clinical efficacy of the combined treatment on MHD patients was analyzed.

Results

The two groups were not significantly different in general information such as age, gender, course of disease, and past medical history (P > 0.05). The experimental group generated a notably higher total effective rate of treatment in relation to the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, lower heart function levels of LVST and LEVDD were observed in the experimental group as compared to the control group, but LVEF was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The GQOLI-74 score of the experimental group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The incidence of venous fistula complications in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The microinflammatory index hs-CRP in the experimental group was lower (P < 0.05) and the microinflammatory index TNF-α was significantly lower (P < 0.05). The HAD score after treatment of the experimental group was better than that of the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

High-flux hemodialysis combined with L-carnitine therapy has achieved satisfactory results in patients with MHD in terms of alleviating the level of inflammatory factors, improving heart function, enhancing patients' living standards, reducing complications of intravenous fistula, and boosting the prognosis. It is worthy of promotion.

Optical Chemical Sensor Based on Fast-Protein Liquid Chromatography for Regular Peritoneal Protein Loss Assessment in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis

Point-of-care testing (POCT) devices are becoming increasingly popular in the medical community as an alternative to conventional laboratory testing, especially for home treatments or other forms of outpatient care. Multiple-use chemical sensors with minimal requirements for disposables are among the most practical and cost-effective POC diagnostic instruments, especially in managing chronic conditions. An affordable, simple, and easy-to-use optical sensor based on fast protein liquid chromatography with direct UV absorption detection was developed for the rapid determination of the total protein concentration in effluent peritoneal dialysate and for the assessment of protein losses in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on constant ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The sensor employs non-disposable PD-10 desalting columns for the separation of molecules with different molecular weights and a deep UV LED (maximum at 285 nm) as a light source for optical detection. The analytic procedure is relatively simple, takes 10–15 min, and potentially can be performed by patients themselves or nursing staff without laboratory training. Preliminary clinical trials on a group of 23 patients on CAPD revealed a good concordance between the protein concentrations in dialysate samples measured with the sensor and an automated biochemical analyzer; the mean relative error was about 10%, which is comparable with routine clinical laboratory methods.

Molecular Mechanisms of Peritoneal Membrane Pathophysiology

The peritoneal membrane is the largest internal membrane of the human body, having a surface area that approximates the surface area of the skin [...]

Chemical Fingerprinting of Heat Stress Responses in the Leaves of Common Wheat by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is known to be negatively affected by heat stress, and its production is threatened by global warming, particularly in arid regions. Thus, efforts to better understand the molecular responses of wheat to heat stress are required. In the present study, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, coupled with chemometrics, was applied to develop a protocol that monitors chemical changes in common wheat under heat stress. Wheat plants at the three-leaf stage were subjected to heat stress at a 42 °C daily maximum temperature for 3 days, and this led to delayed growth in comparison to that of the control. Measurement of FTIR spectra and their principal component analysis showed partially overlapping features between heat-stressed and control leaves. In contrast, supervised machine learning through linear discriminant analysis (LDA) of the spectra demonstrated clear discrimination of heat-stressed leaves from the controls. Analysis of LDA loading suggested that several wavenumbers in the fingerprinting region (400-1800 cm-1) contributed significantly to their discrimination. Novel spectrum-based biomarkers were developed using these discriminative wavenumbers that enabled the successful diagnosis of heat-stressed leaves. Overall, these observations demonstrate the versatility of FTIR-based chemical fingerprints for use in heat-stress profiling in wheat.

Distinguishing active from quiescent disease in ANCA-associated vasculitis using attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy

The current lack of a reliable biomarker of disease activity in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis poses a significant clinical unmet need when determining relapsing or persisting disease. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy offers a novel and functional candidate biomarker, distinguishing active from quiescent disease with a high degree of accuracy. Paired blood and urine samples were collected within a single UK centre from patients with active disease, disease remission, disease controls and healthy controls. Three key biofluids were evaluated; plasma, serum and urine, with subsequent chemometric analysis and blind predictive model validation. Spectrochemical interrogation proved plasma to be the most conducive biofluid, with excellent separation between the two categories on PC2 direction (AUC 0.901) and 100% sensitivity (F-score 92.3%) for disease remission and 85.7% specificity (F-score 92.3%) for active disease on blind predictive modelling. This was independent of organ system involvement and current ANCA status, with similar findings observed on comparative analysis following successful remission-induction therapy (AUC > 0.9, 100% sensitivity for disease remission, F-score 75%). This promising technique is clinically translatable and warrants future larger study with longitudinal data, potentially aiding earlier intervention and individualisation of treatment.