Intermuscular adipose tissue accumulation is associated with higher tissue sodium in healthy individuals.

Background And Aims: High tissue sodium accumulation and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) are associated with aging, type 2 diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. In this study, we aim to investigate whether high lower-extremity tissue sodium accumulation relates to IMAT quantity and whether systemic inflammatory mediators and adipocytokines contribute to such association.

Methods: Tissue sodium content and IMAT accumulation (percentage of IMAT area to muscle area) were measured in 83 healthy individuals using sodium imaging (Na-MRI) and proton (1H-MRI) imaging of the calf.

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential contributes to accelerated chronic kidney disease progression.

Background: Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is a common inflammatory condition of aging that causes myriad end-organ damage. We have recently shown associations for CHIP with acute kidney injury and with kidney function decline in the general population, with stronger associations for CHIP driven by mutations in genes other than (non- CHIP). Longitudinal kidney function endpoints in individuals with pre-existing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and CHIP have been examined in two previous studies, which reported conflicting findings and were limited by small sample sizes.

Multi-trait Analysis of GWAS for circulating FGF23 Identifies Novel Network Interactions Between HRG-HMGB1 and Cardiac Disease in CKD.

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous genetic loci associated with mineral metabolism (MM) markers but have exclusively focused on single-trait analysis. In this study, we performed a multi-trait analysis of GWAS (MTAG) of MM, exploring overlapping genetic architecture between traits, to identify novel genetic associations for fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23).

Methods: We applied MTAG to genetic variants common to GWAS of 5 genetically correlated MM markers (calcium, phosphorus, FGF23, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and parathyroid hormone (PTH)) in European-ancestry subjects.

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential is associated with acute kidney injury.

Age is a predominant risk factor for acute kidney injury (AKI), yet the biological mechanisms underlying this risk are largely unknown. Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) confers increased risk for several chronic diseases associated with aging. Here we sought to test whether CHIP increases the risk of AKI.