ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found that hyperuricaemia (HUA) is closely related to intestinal flora imbalance. AIM: The current study investigated the effects and safety of washed microbiota transplantation (WMT) on serum uric acid (SUA) levels in different populations. METHODS: A total of 144 patients who received WMT from July 2016 to April 2020 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University and had SUA data before treatment were selected. Changes in SUA levels before and after treatment were retrospectively reviewed based on short-term and mid-term effects of WMT regimens. SUA levels measured in the last test within 3 mo after the first WMT represented the short-term effect, and SUA levels measured in the last test within 3-6 mo after the first WMT represented the mid-term effect. The patients were divided into an HUA group (SUA > 416 µM) and a normal uric acid (NUA) group (SUA ≥ 202 µM to ≤ 416 µM) based on pretreatment SUA levels. RESULTS: Average short-term SUA levels in the HUA group decreased after WMT (481.00 ± 99.85 vs 546.81 ± 109.64 µM, n = 32, P < 0.05) in 25/32 patients and returned to normal in 10/32 patients. The short-term level of SUA reduction after treatment moderately correlated with SUA levels before treatment (r = 0.549, R² = 0.300, P < 0.05). Average SUA levels decreased after the first and second courses of WMT (469.74 ± 97.68 vs 540.00 ± 107.16 µM, n = 35, and 465.57 ± 88.88 vs 513.19 ± 78.14 µM, n = 21, P < 0.05). Short-term and mid-term SUA levels after WMT and SUA levels after the first, second and third courses of WMT were similar to the levels before WMT in the NUA group (P > 0.05). Only 1/144 patients developed mild diarrhea after WMT. CONCLUSION: WMT reduces short-term SUA levels in patients with HUA with mild side effects but has no obvious effect on SUA levels in patients with NUA.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and atrium natriuretic peptide (ANP) in chronic congestive heart failure. METHODS: Seventy-one coronary heart disease patients were enrolled in the study. Among them 58 patients were accompanied by heart failure and 13 with no heart failure. Plasma NT-ProBNP was determined with enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay method, and plasma ANP was determined with radioimmunoassay method. The results were compared with those of 30 healthy individuals. All patients were followed up accordingly. RESULTS: Compared with patients with no heart failure and healthy individuals, the patients with heart failure had a higher plasma NT-proBNP and ANP contents. Cardiac function grade IV patients had a significantly higher plasma NT-ProBNP than cardiac function grade II and III patients, and their plasma ANP level was significantly higher than that of cardiac function grade III patients, but there was no significantly difference in ANP content between cardiac function grade IV and II. The diagnostic sensitivity of NT-proBNP and ANP was 94.38% and 75.86%, respectively. The diagnostic specificity of NT-proBNP and ANP was 96.67%, 83.33%, respectively. In the heart failure group, after being followed up for (11.35+/-1.69) months, it was found that there was no significant difference in the plasma NT-proBNP and ANP between the deaths and surviving patients. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic value of NT-proBNP in chronic heart failure is higher than that of ANP. According to our follow-up result, the plasma NT-proBNP and ANP can not be relied upon to predict short-term cardiogenic death in heart failure.
