Level of inflammatory factors in chronic hemodialysis patients with and without cardiovascular disease

Haematological Parameters in People with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease versus Those Who are Only at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the foremost killer disease worldwide. ASCVD is one of the most common types of CVD. It is mainly associated with a condition called atherosclerosis. Its occurrence is linked to several risk factors. Hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, genetic factors, and so on are examples. The presence of ASCVD, as well as its risk factors, causes a variety of disruptions in the body's physiological and biological functions. The presence of abnormal physiological and biological functions, for example, tends to disrupt hematological parameters.

Purpose

The study's aim was to assess and compare the pattern of hematological parameters in people with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASVD) versus people with ASCVD risks alone who attended TASH Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as well as to correlate hematological parameters with the novel inflammatory marker hs-CRP.

Methods

A prospective cross-sectional comparative study with 100 study participants was conducted during where October 2019-March 2020 proposal development, sample collection, and lab analysis period, and from March 2020-June to 2021 data entry, analysis, and writing period. A serum sample was collected from each study participant for the lipid and hsCRP analyses and whole blood for hematological parameter determination. The socio-demographic characteristics of the study participants were obtained through a well-structured questionnaire.

Results

The ASCVD-risk group had significantly higher mean platelet volume (MPV), which was associated with the presence of the risk. Furthermore, hs-CRPs show a significant correlation with MPV in a correlation analysis of highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with hematological parameters. Thus, using these affordable, routinely tested, and easily available tests may help to infer future ASCVD risk as well as the presence of ASCVD morbidity while hsCRP level in comparison group vs cases requires further study.

Formerly bile-farmed bears as a model of accelerated ageing

Bear bile-farming is common in East and Southeast Asia and this farming practice often results in irreversible health outcomes for the animals. We studied long-term effects of chronic bacterial and sterile hepatobiliary inflammation in 42 Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) rescued from Vietnamese bile farms. The bears were examined under anesthesia at least twice as part of essential medical interventions. All bears were diagnosed with chronic low-grade sterile or bacterial hepatobiliary inflammation along with pathologies from other systems. Our main finding was that the chronic low-grade inflammatory environment associated with bile extraction in conjunction with the suboptimal living conditions on the farms promoted and accelerated the development of age-related pathologies such as chronic kidney disease, obese sarcopenia, cardiovascular remodeling, and degenerative joint disease. Through a biomimetic approach, we identified similarities with inflammation related to premature aging in humans and found significant deviations from the healthy ursid phenotype. The pathological parallels with inflammageing and immuno-senescence induced conditions in humans suggest that bile-farmed bears may serve as animal models to investigate pathophysiology and deleterious effects of lifestyle-related diseases.

The spleen size in patients undergoing hemodialysis

Introduction:

Inflammation promotes the progression of chronic renal failure, and the start of dialysis worsens inflammation. The enlargement of the spleen is associated with inflammation, and patients on hemodialysis may show a large spleen. The aim of the present study was to compare the spleen size of patients undergoing hemodialysis versus controls to update this thread.

Methods:

Controls and patients were eligible to participate in the study provided they were negative for serological markers of hepatitis B and C viruses and HIV, if they had no lymphoproliferative disorder, and if they were at least 18 years of age. Age, sex, and the duration of dialysis were recorded. Laboratory variables (hemoglobin, hematological cell count, serum creatinine) and the underlying cause of end-stage renal disease were analyzed. The spleen sizes of the patients were divided into tertiles.

Results:

The 75 controls and 168 patients selected were sex-matched. The patients were older, had larger spleens and lower platelet counts than controls. The relationship between spleen size and age in the controls and patients was quite similar. The patients in the first tertile of spleen size compared with those in the third were older and had a higher platelet counts. The underlying disease and dialysis vintage had no effect on spleen size.

Discussion:

The patients had larger spleens and a greater range of spleen sizes than the controls. In patients, the association between larger and smaller spleen with lower and higher platelet counts, respectively, sparked the speculation of occurrence of hypersplenism and hyposplenism.

The effects of remifentanil combined with propofol on the oxidative damage and the stress and inflammatory responses in cardiac surgery patients

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to explore the effects of remifentanil combined with propofol on the stress responses, oxidative damage, and inflammatory responses in cardiac surgery patients.

METHODS

One hundred and four patients who underwent cardiac surgery in our hospital from August 2017 to March 2019, were recruited as the study cohort and divided into control and observation groups. The 50 patients in the control group were anesthetized with fentanyl and propofol, and the 54 patients in the observation group were anesthetized with remifentanil and propofol. The general clinical data were observed and compared between the two groups. At different time points, changes in the oxidative stress response indicators (mean artery pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR)) and in the cardiac function indexes (left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), stroke volume (SV), and cardiac output (CO)) were observed. The inflammatory cytokine levels (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)) were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The patients' postoperative recovery (time to spontaneous respiration, time to opening eyes, extubation time) and their Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores were observed. Their pain at half an hour and at 24 hours after the operation were observed, as well as their postoperative adverse reactions.

RESULTS

There were no differences in the general data between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the patients in the control group, the patients in the observation group had better oxidative stress levels and better cardiac function indexes (P<0.05), better postoperative inflammatory cytokine levels (P<0.05), better postoperative recovery (P<0.05), lower postoperative pain scores (P<0.05), and a lower total incidence of adverse reactions (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Remifentanil combined with propofol can effectively reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in cardiac surgery patients.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Frailty and Mortality in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Hemodialysis is the most common type of treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Frailty is associated with poor outcomes such as higher mortality. ESRD patients have a higher prevalence of frailty. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify the prevalence and associated factors of frailty and examine whether it is a predictor of mortality among ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis. Five electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant studies up to 30 November 2020. A total of 752 articles were found, and seven studies with 2604 participants in total were included in the final analysis. The pooled prevalence of frailty in patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis was 46% (95% Confidence interval (CI) 34.2−58.3%). Advanced age, female sex, and the presence of diabetes mellitus increased the risk of frailty in ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis. Our main finding showed that patients with frailty had a greater risk of all-cause mortality compared with those without (hazard ratio (HR): 2.02, 95% CI: 1.65−2.48). To improve ESRD patient outcomes, healthcare professionals need to assess the frailty of older ESRD patients, particularly by considering gender and comorbidities. Comprehensive frailty screening tools for ESRD patients on hemodialysis need to be developed.

Impact of hot stone massage therapy on sleep quality in patients on maintenance hemodialysis: A randomized controlled trial

Background:

Many patients on maintenance hemodialysis experience sleep disorders. This problem is related to depression, anxiety, hospitalizations, chronic medical conditions, decreased quality of life, and increasing mortality rate in patients on maintenance hemodialysis. The objective of this research is to determine the impact of massage therapy by hot stone on quality of sleep in patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

Materials and Methods:

This was a randomized controlled trial conducted on 60 patients on maintenance hemodialysis. They were assigned via random allocation process into two groups of study: intervention group (n = 30), or control group (n = 30). Patients in the experimental group received massage therapy by hot basalt stone for 12 séances. During the massage therapy, each of five basalt stones were placed at the sites of the fifth, fourth, third, second, and first chakra. Control group received their treatment as usual without any massage therapy. Using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the global score and its components were computed in both groups of study, two times (before the intervention and 1 month after the intervention).

Results:

Although there were not any baseline differences between the two groups of study for the mean of global PSQI score (P = 0.92) before the study, the mean of global PSQI score in the intervention group, after the intervention decreased to 5.7 ± 3.06, but in the control group sleep quality increased to 10.7 ± 3.6. The difference between the mean of global score of PSQI among two groups of study after the massage therapy was statistically significant (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Applying massage therapy by hot stone in hemodialysis patients may contribute in enhancing their quality of sleep.

Relationship Among Denture Status, Remaining Teeth Number, and Malnutrition in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship among the denture status, number of remaining teeth, and malnutrition in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Seventy-three patients (43 men/30 women) who required hemodialysis were included in the study. Weight and height, Kt/V, urea reduction ratio, midweek interdialytic weight gain, ultrafiltration volume, and erythropoietin dosage were determined for all patients. Laboratory measurements and predialysis blood samples for biomarkers were collected within the monthly routine tests. Dental examination focused on the denture status and total number of remaining teeth. Denture status were classified into two groups as prosthesis group (patients have prosthesis) and no prosthesis group (patients do not have any kind of prosthesis). And also, patients were assigned to one of four categories based on the number of remaining natural teeth: (i) edentulous, (ii) 1-7 teeth, (iii) 8-19 teeth, and (iv) >20 teeth. The data were statistically analyzed (a = 0.05). Body mass index values were increased in the prosthesis patients. Serum albumin levels of the CKD patients were under the reference value (3.8 g/dL) both in prosthesis and no prosthesis groups. Patients who have eight and more teeth showed higher serum albumin levels, and patients who had 1-7 teeth showed lower serum albumin levels in prosthesis group. CKD patients' nutritional habits were affected by denture status (having prosthesis or not). The number of the remaining teeth in prosthesis group affected the serum albumin levels of CKD patients.

The Clinical Significance and Potential Role of C-Reactive Protein in Chronic Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Diseases

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein synthesized by hepatocytes in response to pro-inflammatory cytokines during inflammatory/infectious processes. CRP exists in conformationally distinct forms such as the native pentameric CRP and monomeric CRP (mCRP) and may bind to distinct receptors and lipid rafts and exhibit different functional properties. It is known as a biomarker of acute inflammation, but many large-scale prospective studies demonstrate that CRP is also known to be associated with chronic inflammation. This review is focused on discussing the clinical significance of CRP in chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, age-related macular degeneration, hemorrhagic stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, including recent advances on the implication of CRP and its forms specifically on the pathogenesis of these diseases. Overall, we highlight the advances in these areas that may be translated into promising measures for the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Detection of Apolipoprotein E Gene Polymorphism and Blood Lipid Level in Hemodialysis Patients

Background

The aim was to investigate the clinical characteristics of lipid metabolism and the effect of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism on lipid metabolism in hemodialysis patients.

Methods

The serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), ApoA1, ApoB, ApoE and lipoprotein Lp(a) were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length (PCR-RFLP).

Results

The level of serum TG was significantly increased and the level of HDLC was significantly decreased in hemodialysis patients. Serum TG level was 33% higher than normal, and HDLC was 10.4% less than normal. The correlation analysis showed that TG level was significantly correlated with serum albumin level and extracorporeal circulation blood flow during dialysis. HDLC was significantly correlated with KT/V. The incidence of hypertension in hemodialysis patients was 73.6% and cardiovascular disease was 25%. The level of TG in the cardiovascular disease group was significantly higher than that in the non-cardiovascular disease group, and there was no significant difference between the hypertensive group and the non-hypertensive group. ApoE gene polymorphism test showed that the frequency of ApoE genotype ε3/3 and allele ε3 was the highest in hemodialysis patients, and the levels of TC, TG and LDLC were higher in ApoE genotype ε3/4 + ε4/4.

Conclusion

The levels of serum TG and ApoB were significantly increased in patients with hemodialysis, and HDLC and other indexes were significantly decreased. The level of TG in patients with cardiovascular complications was significantly higher than in patients without complications. TG level was significantly correlated with serum albumin level and extracorporeal circulation blood flow during dialysis. HDLC was significantly correlated with KT/V. Hemodialysis patients who had ApoE allele ε4 are prone to lipid metabolism disorders.