Albuminuria-lowering effect of dapagliflozin, exenatide, and their combination in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized cross-over clinical study.

AIM: To evaluate the albuminuria-lowering effect of dapagliflozin, exenatide, and the combination of dapagliflozin and exenatide in patients with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria or macroalbuminuria. METHODS: Participants with type 2 diabetes, an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of more than 30 ml/min/1.73m2 and an urinary albumin: creatinine ratio (UACR) of more than 3.5 mg/mmol and 100 mg/mmol or less completed three 6-week treatment periods, during which dapagliflozin 10 mg/d, exenatide 2 mg/wk and both drugs combined were given in random order. The primary outcome was the percentage change in UACR. Secondary outcomes included blood pressure, HbA1c, body weight, extracellular volume, fractional lithium excretion and renal haemodynamic variables as determined by magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: We enrolled 20 patients, who completed 53 treatment periods in total. Mean percentage change in UACR from baseline was -21.9% (95% CI: -34.8% to -6.4%) during dapagliflozin versus -7.7% (95% CI: -23.5% to 11.2%) during exenatide and -26.0% (95% CI: -38.4% to -11.0%) during dapagliflozin-exenatide treatment. No correlation was observed in albuminuria responses between the different treatments. Numerically greater reductions in systolic blood pressure, body weight and eGFR were observed during dapagliflozin-exenatide treatment compared with dapagliflozin or exenatide alone. Renal blood flow and effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) did not significantly change with either treatment regimen. However, all but four and two patients in the dapagliflozin and dapagliflozin-exenatide groups, respectively, showed reductions in ERPF. The filtration fraction did not change during treatment with dapagliflozin or exenatide, and decreased during dapagliflozin-exenatide treatment (-1.6% [95% CI: -3.2% to -0.01%]; P = .048). CONCLUSIONS: In participants with type 2 diabetes and albuminuria, treatment with dapagliflozin, exenatide and dapagliflozin-exenatide reduced albuminuria, with a numerically larger reduction in the combined dapagliflozin-exenatide treatment group.

Using genetics to understand the role of kidney function in COVID-19: a mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Kidney dysfunction occurs in severe COVID-19, and is a predictor of COVID-19 mortality. Whether kidney dysfunction causes severe COVID-19, and hence is a target of intervention, or whether it is a symptom, is unclear because conventional observational studies are open to confounding. To obtain unconfounded estimates, we used Mendelian randomization to examine the role of kidney function in severe COVID-19. METHODS: We used genome-wide significant, uncorrelated genetic variants to predict kidney function, in terms of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), and then assessed whether people with genetically instrumented higher eGFR or lower UACR, an indication of better kidney function, had a lower risk of severe COVID-19 (8779 cases, 1,001,875 controls), using the largest available cohorts with extensive genotyping. For comprehensiveness, we also examined their role in COVID-19 hospitalization (24,274 cases, 2,061,529 controls) and all COVID-19 (1,12,612 cases, 2,474,079 controls). RESULTS: Genetically instrumented higher eGFR was associated with lower risk of severe COVID-19 (odds ratio (OR) 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83, 0.98) but not related to COVID-19 hospitalization or infection. Genetically instrumented UACR was not related to COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Kidney function appears to be one of the key targets for severe COVID-19 treatment. Use of available medications to improve kidney function, such as antihypertensives, might be beneficial for COVID-19 treatment, with relevance to drug repositioning.

Urinary cytokines correlate with acute kidney injury in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury is common in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU. Urinary biomarkers are a non-invasive way of assaying renal damage, and so far, urinary cytokines are not fully investigated. The current study aimed to assess urinary cytokine levels in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Urine was collected from COVID-19 patients (n = 29) in intensive care and compared to a preoperative group of patients (n = 9) with no critical illness. 92 urinary cytokines were analyzed in multiplex using the Olink Target 96 inflammation panel and compared to clinical characteristics, and urinary markers of kidney injury. RESULTS: There were strong correlations between proinflammatory cytokines and between urinary cytokines and urinary kidney injury markers in 29 COVID-19 patients. Several cytokines were correlated to kidney injury, 31 cytokines to AKI stage and 19 cytokines correlated to maximal creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary inflammatory cytokines from a wide range of immune cell lineages were significantly upregulated during COVID-19 and the upregulation correlated with acute kidney injury as well as urinary markers of kidney tissue damage.

Acute Kidney Injury and Kidney Damage in COVID-19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This disease, which is quickly spreading worldwide, has high potential for infection and causes rapid progression of lung lesions, resulting in a high mortality rate. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on renal function in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: From February 21 to April 24, 2020, 66 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at Chungnam National University Hospital were analyzed; all patients underwent routine urinalysis and were tested for serum creatinine, urine protein to creatinine ratio (PCR), and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR). RESULTS: Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurred in 3 (4.5%) of the 66 patients, and 1 patient with AKI stage 3 underwent hemodialysis. Upon follow-up, all 3 patients recovered normal renal function. Compared with patients with mild COVID-19, AKI (n = 3) occurred in patients with severe COVID-19, of whom both urine PCR and ACR were markedly increased. CONCLUSION: The incidence of AKI was not high in COVID-19 patients. The lower mortality rate in SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with previous Middle East respiratory syndrome and SARS-CoV infections is thought to be associated with a low incidence of dysfunction in organs other than the lungs.