Sex-Specific Associations of Aldosterone and Renin with Body Composition: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Context: Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation is closely linked to obesity; however, the sex-specific associations between RAAS activity and body composition among individuals without obesity are not well understood.

Objective: To investigate the associations of aldosterone and renin with body composition according to sex in the general population.

Design: Population-based cohort study.

Subclinical Primary Aldosteronism and Cardiovascular Health: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Primary aldosteronism, characterized by overt renin-independent aldosterone production, is a common but underrecognized form of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Growing evidence suggests that milder and subclinical forms of primary aldosteronism are highly prevalent, yet their contribution to cardiovascular disease is not well characterized.

Methods: This prospective study included 1284 participants between the ages of 40 and 69 years from the randomly sampled population-based CARTaGENE cohort (Québec, Canada).

Impact of Successive Office Blood Pressure Measurements During a Single Visit on Cardiovascular Risk Prediction: Analysis of CARTaGENE.

Background: Multiple office blood pressure (BP) readings correlate more closely with ambulatory BP than single readings. Whether they are associated with long-term outcomes and improve cardiovascular risk prediction is unknown. Our objective was to assess the long-term impact of multiple office BP readings.

Screening for Primary Aldosteronism Among Hypertensive Adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Retrospective Population-Based Study.

Background: Hypertension plus obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is recommended in some guidelines as an indication to screen for primary aldosteronism (PA), yet prior data has brought the validity of this recommendation into question. Given this context, it remains unknown whether this screening recommendation is being implemented into clinical practice.

Methods: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of all adult Ontario (Canada) residents with hypertension plus OSA from 2009 to 2020 with follow-up through 2021 utilizing provincial health administrative data.

Prediction of Cardiovascular Events by Pulse Waveform Parameters: Analysis of CARTaGENE.

Background Waveform parameters provide approximate data about aortic wave reflection. However, their association with cardiovascular events remains controversial and their role in cardiovascular prediction is unknown. Methods and Results We analyzed participants aged between 40 and 69 from the population-based CARTaGENE cohort.

Accuracy Difference of Noninvasive Blood Pressure Measurements by Sex and Height.

Importance: Women are at higher risk of cardiovascular events than men with similar blood pressure (BP). Whether this discrepancy in risk is associated with the accuracy of brachial cuff BP measurements is unknown.

Objectives: To examine the difference in brachial cuff BP accuracy in men and women compared with invasively measured aortic BP and to evaluate whether noninvasive central BP estimation varies with sex.

Can Peer Review Be Kinder? Supportive Peer Review: A Re-Commitment to Kindness and a Call to Action.

Peer review aims to select articles for publication and to improve articles before publication. We believe that this process can be infused by kindness without losing rigor. In 2014, the founding editorial team of the (CJKHD) made an explicit commitment to treat authors as we would wish to be treated ourselves.

Meta-GWAS Reveals Novel Genetic Variants Associated with Urinary Excretion of Uromodulin.

Background: Uromodulin, the most abundant protein excreted in normal urine, plays major roles in kidney physiology and disease. The mechanisms regulating the urinary excretion of uromodulin remain essentially unknown.

Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for raw (uUMOD) and indexed to creatinine (uUCR) urinary levels of uromodulin in 29,315 individuals of European ancestry from 13 cohorts.

Screening Rates for Primary Aldosteronism Among Individuals With Hypertension Plus Hypokalemia: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Primary aldosteronism is a common, yet highly underdiagnosed, cause of hypertension that leads to disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease. Hypertension plus hypokalemia is a guideline-recommended indication to screen for primary aldosteronism, yet the uptake of this recommendation at the population level remains unknown. We performed a population-based retrospective cohort study of adults ≥18 years old in Ontario, Canada, with hypertension plus hypokalemia (potassium <3.

Increased Excess Pressure After Creation of an Arteriovenous Fistula in End-Stage Renal Disease.

Background: Reservoir-wave analysis (RWA) separates the arterial waveform into reservoir and excess pressure (XSP) components, where XSP is analogous to flow and related to left ventricular workload. RWA provides more detailed information about the arterial tree than traditional blood pressure (BP) parameters. In end-stage renal disease (ESRD), we have previously shown that XSP is associated with increased mortality and is higher in patients with arteriovenous fistula (AVF).

Prediction of Cardiovascular Events by Type I Central Systolic Blood Pressure: A Prospective Study.

Compared with brachial blood pressure (BP), central systolic BP (SBP) can provide a better indication of the hemodynamic strain inflicted on target organs, but it is unclear whether this translates into improved cardiovascular risk stratification. We aimed to assess which of central or brachial BP best predicts cardiovascular risk and to identify the central SBP threshold associated with increased risk of future cardiovascular events. This study included 13 461 participants of CARTaGENE with available central BP and follow-up data from administrative databases but without cardiovascular disease or antihypertensive medication.

Association of Glomerular Hyperfiltration and Cardiovascular Risk in Middle-Aged Healthy Individuals.

Importance: Glomerular hyperfiltration is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease in high-risk conditions, but its significance in low-risk individuals is uncertain.

Objective: To determine whether glomerular hyperfiltration is associated with increased cardiovascular risk in healthy individuals.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a prospective population-based cohort study, for which enrollment took place from August 2009 to October 2010, with follow-up available through March 31, 2016.

Impact of updated recommendations on acetylsalicylic acid use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in Canada: a population-based survey.

Background: The debate over acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) therapy for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has recently resurfaced, but scarce data are available on prophylactic ASA use in Canada for this purpose. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and factors associated with ASA use, and the potential impact of implementing the most recent (2016) US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for primary CVD prevention in a Canadian setting.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis using data from the CARTaGENE study, which included a representative sample ( = 20 004) of the 2018 general population of the province of Quebec.

Incidence of fractures in middle-aged individuals with early chronic kidney disease: a population-based analysis of CARTaGENE.

Background: Previous studies evaluating fractures in chronic kidney disease (CKD) have mostly focused on hip or major fractures in aged populations with moderate to advanced CKD. We aimed at evaluating the association between early CKD and fracture incidence at all sites across age and sex in middle-aged individuals.

Methods: We analyzed CARTaGENE, a prospective population-based survey of 40- to 69-year-old individuals from Quebec (Canada).

Determinants of Increased Central Excess Pressure in Dialysis: Role of Dialysis Modality and Arteriovenous Fistula.

Background: Arterial reservoir-wave analysis (RWA)-a new model of arterial hemodynamics-separates arterial wave into reservoir pressure (RP) and excess pressure (XSP). The XSP integral (XSPI) has been associated with increased risk of clinical outcomes. The objectives of the present study were to examine the determinants of XSPI in a mixed cohort of hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, to examine whether dialysis modality and the presence of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) are associated with increased XSPI.

Clinical Value of Complement Activation Biomarkers in Overt Diabetic Nephropathy.

Background: Experimental studies support a role of complement activation in diabetic nephropathy (DN), yet few clinical correlates exist. We evaluated urinary levels of sC5b-9 membrane attack complex (MAC) in patients with overt DN, and examined its association with the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline, proteinuria, and inflammatory biomarkers. We explored different complement pathways and compared our findings to autoimmune glomerulonephritis.

Fracture status in middle-aged individuals with early CKD: cross-sectional analysis of the CARTaGENE survey.

Unlabelled: Whether early chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with fracture in middle-aged adults is unclear. In a cross-sectional analysis of the CARTaGENE survey, we observed that early CKD was not associated with increased fracture, did not modify the association between calcaneal QUS and fracture, but modified the association between clinical, pharmacological parameters and fracture.

Introduction: The association between advanced CKD and increased fracture risk is well described.

Uromodulin in a Pathway Between Decreased Renal Urate Excretion and Albuminuria.

Background: The mechanism explaining the inverse association between renal urate and albumin excretion remains unclear. First, we evaluated the impact of candidate variants in the main urate transporter genes (i.e.

An Adjustable Dalteparin Sodium Dose Regimen for the Prevention of Clotting in the Extracorporeal Circuit in Hemodialysis: A Clinical Trial of Safety and Efficacy (the PARROT Study).

Background: Dalteparin sodium, a low-molecular-weight heparin, is indicated for prevention of clotting in the extracorporeal circuit during hemodialysis (HD). Product labeling recommends a fixed single-bolus dose of 5000 international units (IU) for HD sessions lasting up to 4 hours, but adjustable dosing may be beneficial in clinical practice.

Objective: The aim of the PARROT study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of an adjustable dose of dalteparin in patients with end-stage renal disease requiring 3 to 4 HD sessions per week.

Central and Brachial Blood Pressures, Statins, and Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol: A Mediation Analysis.

Central blood pressure may be a better predictor of cardiovascular disease than brachial pressure. Although statins reduce brachial pressure, their impact on central pressure remains unknown. Furthermore, whether this effect is mediated through a decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) is unknown.

Uric acid association with pulsatile and steady components of central and peripheral blood pressures.

Objective: Whether the cardiovascular risk attributed to elevated uric acid levels may be explained by changes in central and peripheral pulsatile and/or steady blood pressure (BP) components remains controversial.

Methods: In a cross-sectional analysis of normotensive and untreated hypertensive participants of the CARTaGENE populational cohort, we examined the relationship between uric acid, and both pulsatile and steady components of peripheral and central BP, using sex-stratified linear regressions.

Results: Of the 20 004 participants, 10 161 individuals without antihypertensive or uric acid-lowering drugs had valid pulse wave analysis and serum uric acid levels.

The impact of renal protection clinics on prescription of and adherence to cardioprotective drug therapy in chronic kidney disease patients.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of follow-up in renal protection clinics on the prescription of and adherence to cardioprotective drugs in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We studied stage 4 and 5 CKD patients who initiated follow-up in three renal protection clinics. The prescription pattern of antihypertensive agents (AHA) and lipid-lowering agents (LLAs) was measured as the percentage of patients who are prescribed the agents of interest at a given time.

Formulas for Calculated Osmolarity and Osmolal Gap: A Study of Diagnostic Accuracy.

Background: The osmolal gap has been used for decades to screen for exposure to toxic alcohols. However, several issues may affect its reliability. We aimed to develop equations to calculate osmolarity with improved performance when used to screen for intoxication to toxic alcohols.