Excretion of Nitrogenous Waste Products from the Intestinal Fluid Simulator Using Super Absorbent Polymer: A New Generation Dialysis.

INTRODUCTION: End stage kidney disease (ESKD) is a life-threatening disorder, which results from loss of function of more than 75% of renal tissue. Many treatment modalities have been attempted for this disease, but only renal transplantation, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis have been practically accepted. Each of these methods have certain disadvantages, therefore other treatment modalities are needed for better management of these patients. Colonic dialysis (CD) has been proposed as one of the appropriate candidate methods for the removal of electrolytes, nitrogen waste products and excess fluid, using intestinal fluid environment. METHODS: Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) were synthesized to be used in CD. The intestinal fluid was simulated in terms of concentrations of nitrogenous waste products, electrolytes, temperature and pressure. The simulated environment was treated with 1 g of synthesized polymer at 37 °C. Concentrations of urea, creatinine and uric acid were measured before and after polymer treating. RESULTS: Intestinal fluid simulator contained 40g urea, 0.3g creatinine, and 0.25g uric acid. SAP adsorbed up to 4000 to 4400% of its weight in the intestinal fluid simulator (1g polymer can absorb 40g fluid). The amount of urea, creatinine and uric acid decreased to 25g, 0.16g and 0.1g, respectively, in the intestinal fluid simulator. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that CD is an appropriate method for removal of electrolytes, nitrogenous waste products and excess fluid from an intestinal fluid simulator. Creatinine is absorbed appropriately in SAP, as a neutral molecule. In contrast, urea and uric acid, as weak acids, are absorbed weakly in polymer network.  DOI: 10.52547/ijkd.6965.

Tiny Non-coding RNAs in Body Fluids, Possible Biomarkers for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease.

The functional and structural disease with autosomal dominant inheritance (ADPKD) shows a poly cystic nature is described by the presence of epithelial cysts in the human renal parenchyma. There are no standard and reliable biomarkers for the detection of ADPKD in early stages which delays the therapeutic approaches. Ideal biomarkers of ADPKD, should have high sensitivity, specificity, and excellent association with disease pathogenesis and development. Both in vitro cellular and in vivo studies on animal models proved the significant roles of miRNAs in the course of ADPKD. In addition, different studies have explored miRNAs up or down regulation both in renal tissue and extracellular fluids in ADPKD which represent novel indicators applicable for diagnosis or targeted therapy. Since urine is a non-invasive, easily accessible sample for ADPKD, it could be the best sample for diagnosis. Additionally, due to early action of miRNAs for regulation the gene expression or because of their unique chemical properties, detectable urine miRNAs can be employed as appropriate biomarkers for timely diagnosis or intensive care of the progression of renal destruction or response to treatment. In this review, the specific microRNAs involved in the pathogenesis of PKD will be discussed with a particular focus on extracellular miRNAs with possibility for application as biomarkers.

Amylose resistant starch (HAM-RS2) supplementation increases the proportion of Faecalibacterium bacteria in end-stage renal disease patients: Microbial analysis from a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Many of the deleterious effects associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are secondary to the resultant systemic inflammation. The gut microbial changes caused by CKD are thought to perpetuate systemic inflammation. Therefore, strategies aimed at modulating the gut microbiota may be helpful in reducing complications associated with CKD. We hypothesized that supplementation with high-amylose maize resistant starch type 2 (HAM-RS2) would beneficially alter the gut microbiome and lead to lower levels of systemic inflammation. METHODS: A double-blind, parallel, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was performed comparing dietary supplementation of HAM-RS2 with placebo in patients with end-stage CKD. Fecal microbial data were obtained from a subset of patients after DNA extraction and 16s sequencing. FINDINGS: Supplementation of HAM-RS2 led to a decrease in serum urea, IL-6, TNFα, and malondialdehyde (P < 0.05). The Faecalibacterium genus was significantly increased in relative abundance following HAM-RS2 supplementation (HAM-RS2-Day 0: 0.40 ± 0.50 vs. HAM-RS2-Day 56: 3.21 ± 4.97 P = 0.03) and was unchanged by placebo (Control-Day 0: 0.72 ± 0.72 vs. Control-Day 56: 0.83 ± 1.57 P = 0.5). DISCUSSION: Supplementation of amylose resistant starch, HAM-RS2, in patients with CKD led to an elevation in Faecalibacterium and decrease in systemic inflammation. Microbial manipulation in CKD patients by using the prebiotic fiber may exert an anti-inflammatory effect through an elevation in the bacterial genera Faecalibacterium.

Effects of fermentable high fiber diet supplementation on gut derived and conventional nitrogenous product in patients on maintenance hemodialysis: a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Gut derived toxins such as p-cresol, p-cresyl sulfate (pCS) and indoxyl sulfate (IS), which belong to protein-bound uremic toxins that promote development of fibrosis inflammatory state associated with chronic kidney disease. One possible way to suppress the production of IS and pCS is to increase dietary fiber intake. The aim of the present study was to assess whether increasing dietary fiber, as high amylose diet, can affect the level of conventional and protein bound nitrogenous products. METHODS: Fifty patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) on maintenance hemodialysis were randomly assigned to receive a diet containing resistant starch (HAM-RS2) or placebo over 8 weeks spanning February and September 2017 in the 29 Bahman hospital hemodialysis ward in Tabriz, Iran. Of these, 44 patients (23 from HAM-RS2 and 21 control) completed the study. Plasma levels of urea, creatinine, uric acid and other routine parameters were measured at the beginning and after 8 weeks of starting the supplementation. The levels of IS and p-cresol in the collected serum samples were also determined by HPLC at baseline and after intervention. RESULTS: There was significant reduction of creatinine and uric acid levels in HAM-RS2 supplemented patients when compared with control group (P < 0.05). Serum levels of IS was not changed significantly in both HAM-RS2 treated and control patients, whereas p-cresol level was reduced significantly during the study period in HAM-RS2 treated patients (P = 0.039). The change of other parameters including Hb, lipids, bone markers and hs-CRP were non-significant during the study in both groups. CONCLUSION: Administration of fermentable high fiber diet as HAM-RS2 decreased serum levels of some nitrogenous products such as serum creatinine and p-cresol as a gut derived nitrogenous product without change in IS levels in maintenance hemodialysis patients. Due to safety, without important side effects the administration of diet enriched with fermentable fiber is suitable for patients on maintenance dialysis.

Renal structural image processing techniques: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Renal disease, such as nephritis and nephropathy, is very harmful to human health. Accordingly, how to achieve early diagnosis and enhance treatment for kidney disorders would be the important lesion. Nevertheless, the clues from the clinical data, such as biochemistry examination, serological examination, and radiological studies are quite indirect and limited. It is no doubt that pathological examination of kidney will supply the direct evidence. There is a requirement for greater understanding of image processing techniques for renal diagnosis to optimize treatment and patient care. METHODS: This study aims to systematically review the literature on publications that has been used image processing methods on pathological microscopic image for renal diagnosis. RESULTS: Nine included studies revealed image analysis techniques for the diagnosis of renal abnormalities on pathological microscopic image, renal image studies are clustered as follows: Glomeruli Segmentation and analysis of the Glomerular basement membrane (55/55%), Blood vessels and tubules classification and detection (22/22%) and The Grading of renal cell carcinomas (22/22%). CONCLUSIONS: A medical image analysis method should provide an auto-adaptive and no external-human action dependency. In addition, since medical systems should have special characteristics such as high accuracy and reliability then clinical validation is highly recommended. New high-quality studies based on Moore neighborhood contour tracking method for glomeruli segmentation and using powerful texture analysis techniques such as the local binary pattern are recommended.

Effect of high amylose resistant starch (HAM-RS2) supplementation on biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in hemodialysis patients: a randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic inflammation and oxidative stress play a central role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and numerous other complications of CKD. Recent studies demonstrated that consumption of a diet enriched with amylose (HAM-RS2), attenuates oxidative stress and inflammation, and improves intestinal microbiome in CKD rats. The present study was designed to explore the effect of dietary amylose supplementation in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: Forty-six stable hemodialysis patients were randomized to receive biscuits containing 20 g/day during the first four weeks and 25 g/day in the next four weeks of either HAM-RS2 or wheat-flour. Fasting predialysis blood samples obtained before, during and at the end of trial were processed for biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation. FINDINGS: There was no significant difference in baseline clinical or biochemical parameters between the two groups. Serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and malondialdehyde declined significantly (P < 0.05) in the HAM-RS2-treated group but remained unchanged in the placebo-treated group. No significant difference was observed in serum Interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and hs-CRP concentrations and total antioxidant activity between two groups. Serum urea and creatinine concentrations significantly declined and severity of constipation improved in HAM-RS2-treated patients (P < 0.05). HAM-RS2 consumption was well tolerated and did not cause discernible side effects. DISCUSSION: Administration of HAM-RS2 for eight weeks significantly reduced levels of inflammatory and oxidative markers in hemodialysis patients confirming the results observed in CKD animals. Long term trials are needed to explore the impact of HAM-RS2 supplementation on clinical outcomes in end stage renal disease population.

Cross-linked Polyelectrolyte and Its Function in Adsorption of Fluid and Excess Nitrogen Waste Products: an Experimental Study on Dialysate Effluent Fluid.

INTRODUCTION: One of the most important issues in patients with chronic kidney disease is fluid retention and volume overload accompanied by retention of nitrogenous waste products and some electrolytes. Bowel fluid contains high levels of urea, creatinine, uric acid, and electrolytes, which make it a potential candidate for intestinal excretion of nitrogen wastes and electrolytes. Cross-linked polyelectrolyte (CLP) is a polymer that, given orally, absorbs excess fluid, electrolyte, and nitrogenous waste products. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In an experimental study on 30 hemodialysis patients, the effect of CLP on adsorption of fluid, urea, creatinine, uric acid, sodium, and potassium were evaluated. For this purpose, 500 mL of effluent fluid of each patient were collected at the 1st hour of dialysis. The concentrations of the abovementioned products were measured by standard methods. Then the dialysate effluent samples were treated with 6 g of CLP and incubated for 4 hours at 37°C. RESULTS: Up to 80% of effluent fluid water was adsorbed by CLP. There were significant reductions in urea, creatinine, uric acid, and sodium levels in the remaining effluent fluid (P < .001). In contrast, the amount of potassium increased in the effluent fluid. CONCLUSIONS: Using CLP in addition to functional medical super adsorbents can be a possible adequate substitute for conventional dialysis methods, especially hemodialysis.

The effect of traditional Persian music on the cardiac functioning of young Iranian women.

In the past few decades, several studies have reported the physiological effects of listening to music. The physiological effects of different music types on different people are not similar. Therefore, in the present study, we have sought to examine the effects of traditional Persian music on the cardiac function in young women. Twenty-two healthy females participated in this study. ECG signals were recorded in two conditions: rest and music. For each of the 21 ECG signals (15 morphological and six wavelet based feature) features were extracted. SVM classifier was used for the classification of ECG signals during and before the music. The results showed that the mean of heart rate, the mean amplitude of R-wave, T-wave, and P-wave decreased in response to music. Time-frequency analysis revealed that the mean of the absolute values of the detail coefficients at higher scales increased during rest. The overall accuracy of 91.6% was achieved using polynomial kernel and RBF kernel. Using linear kernel, the best result (with the accuracy rate of 100%) was attained.

Future of the Renal Biopsy: Time to Change the Conventional Modality Using Nanotechnology.

At the present time, imaging guided renal biopsy is used to provide diagnoses in most types of primary and secondary renal diseases. It has been claimed that renal biopsy can provide a link between diagnosis of renal disease and its pathological conditions. However, sometimes there is a considerable mismatch between patient renal outcome and pathological findings in renal biopsy. This is the time to address some new diagnostic methods to resolve the insufficiency of conventional percutaneous guided renal biopsy. Nanotechnology is still in its infancy in renal imaging; however, it seems that it is the next step in renal biopsy, providing solutions to the limitations of conventional modalities.

Investigating the effect of traditional Persian music on ECG signals in young women using wavelet transform and neural networks.

OBJECTIVE: In the past few decades, several studies have reported the physiological effects of listening to music. The physiological effects of different music types on different people are different. In the present study, we aimed to examine the effects of listening to traditional Persian music on electrocardiogram (ECG) signals in young women. METHODS: Twenty-two healthy females participated in this study. ECG signals were recorded under two conditions: rest and music. For each ECG signal, 20 morphological and wavelet-based features were selected. Artificial neural network (ANN) and probabilistic neural network (PNN) classifiers were used for the classification of ECG signals during and before listening to music. RESULTS: Collected data were separated into two data sets: train and test. Classification accuracies of 88% and 97% were achieved in train data sets using ANN and PNN, respectively. In addition, the test data set was employed for evaluating the classifiers, and classification rates of 84% and 93% were obtained using ANN and PNN, respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study investigated the effect of music on ECG signals based on wavelet transform and morphological features. The results obtained here can provide a good understanding on the effects of music on ECG signals to researchers.