Gut Microbiota and Cardiovascular Uremic Toxicities.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major cause of high morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Numerous CVD risk factors in CKD patients have been described, but these do not fully explain the high pervasiveness of CVD or increased mortality rates in CKD patients. In CKD the loss of urinary excretory function results in the retention of various substances referred to as "uremic retention solutes".

Altered Gut Microbiota: A Link Between Diet and the Metabolic Syndrome.

Diet with increased intake of energy-rich foods has long been implicated in the etiology of metabolic syndrome. In recent years, an increasing body of evidence has emerged that suggests that the intestinal microbial flora or "gut microbiota" may play a crucial role in the development of metabolic syndrome and associated disorders. Studies on animals and humans have shown that diet-induced changes in gut microbiota may be causally involved in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome.

Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Chronic Kidney Disease: Ready for Prime Time?

Hypertension is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is the most important modifiable risk factor for CKD progression and adverse cardiovascular events in these patients. Diagnosis and successful management of hypertension are critically dependent on accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement. This is most relevant to CKD patients, in whom BP control is difficult to achieve and in whom early antihypertensive treatment is imperative to prevent kidney and cardiovascular complications.

Bioimpedance monitoring of cellular hydration during hemodialysis therapy.

Introduction The aim of this paper is to describe and demonstrate how a new bioimpedance analytical procedure can be used to monitor cellular hydration of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients during hemodialysis (HD). Methods A tetra-polar bioimpedance spectroscope (BIS), (UFI Inc., Morro Bay, CA), was used to measure the tissue resistance and reactance of the calf of 17 ESRD patients at 40 discrete frequencies once a minute during dialysis treatment.

Trimethylamine N-Oxide: The Good, the Bad and the Unknown.

Trimethylamine -oxide (TMAO) is a small colorless amine oxide generated from choline, betaine, and carnitine by gut microbial metabolism. It accumulates in the tissue of marine animals in high concentrations and protects against the protein-destabilizing effects of urea. Plasma level of TMAO is determined by a number of factors including diet, gut microbial flora and liver flavin monooxygenase activity.

Urea and protein carbamylation in ESRD: surrogate markers or partners in crime?

Protein carbamylation may result from chronic exposure to elevated levels of urea in patients with chronic kidney disease. Carbamylation could cause conformational changes in proteins resulting in alterations in binding sites and disturbances in cellular functions. Elevated levels of carbamylated protein have been shown to be associated with increased risk of death from cardiac causes in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Review of hyperuricemia as new marker for metabolic syndrome.

Hyperuricemia has long been established as the major etiologic factor in gout. In recent years, a large body of evidence has accumulated that suggests that hyperuricemia may play a role in the development and pathogenesis of a number of metabolic, hemodynamic, and systemic pathologic diseases, including metabolic syndrome, hypertension, stroke, and atherosclerosis. A number of epidemiologic studies have linked hyperuricemia with each of these disorders.

Monitoring intracellular, interstitial, and intravascular volume changes during fluid management procedures.

The bioimpedance spectroscopic (BIS) analytical algorithm described in this report allows for the non-invasive measurement of intravascular, interstitial, and intracellular volume changes during various fluid management procedures. The purpose of this study was to test clinical use feasibility and to demonstrate the validity of the BIS algorithm in computing compartmental volume shifts in human subjects undergoing fluid management treatment. Validation was performed using volume changes recorded from 20 end stage renal disease patients.

Potential effects of lignan-enriched flaxseed powder on bodyweight, visceral fat, lipid profile, and blood pressure in rats.

The potential effects of secoisolariciresinol diglucoside lignan-enriched flaxseed powder (LEFP) on bodyweight, visceral fat, lipid profile, adipokines, and blood pressure were investigated using rats, divided into four groups (n=8); a normal control diet (NC), a normal control diet with 0.02% LEFP (NCL), a high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFD), or a high-fat and high-fructose diet with 0.02% LEFP (HFDL).

Compact optical microfluidic uric acid analysis system.

We designed, fabricated and tested a novel compact fluorescence analysis system for quantification of uric acid (UA) in clinical samples at the point-of-care. To perform an analysis, diluted saliva, urine or blood samples are simply placed in a disposable thin-film sample holder using a dropper. A new enzyme immobilization technique was developed to retain within the sample holder two enzymes and a molecule, which transforms into a fluorescer in amounts depending on the UA concentration.

Osteoarthritis: another component of metabolic syndrome?

Osteoarthritis (OA) has become a major public health problem not only because of its increasing prevalence worldwide but also because of its frequent association with cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. There is growing evidence that OA is not simply a disease related to aging or mechanical stress of joints but rather a "metabolic disorder" in which various interrelated lipid, metabolic, and humoral mediators contribute to the initiation and progression of the disease process. Indeed, OA has been linked not only to obesity but also to other cardiovascular risk factors, namely, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and insulin resistance.

Role of dietary soy protein in obesity.

Soy protein is an important component of soybeans and provides an abundant source of dietary protein. Among the dietary proteins, soy protein is considered a complete protein in that it contains ample amounts of all the essential amino acids plus several other macronutrients with a nutritional value roughly equivalent to that of animal protein of high biological value. Soy protein is unique among the plant-based proteins because it is associated with isoflavones, a group of compounds with a variety of biological properties that may potentially benefit human health.

Modulation of carbohydrate metabolism and peptide hormones by soybean isoflavones and probiotics in obesity and diabetes.

Soybean and its isoflavones have been shown to have beneficial effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and on renal function. Probiotics may potentiate the beneficial effects of isoflavones by converting the inactive isoflavone glycoside to aglycones, which are biologically active, thereby producing a synergistic effect. We therefore studied the effects of soybean isoflavones in the presence and absence of probiotics on glucose and triglyceride metabolism and the peptide hormones involved in their metabolism.

Effects of soybean isoflavones, probiotics, and their interactions on lipid metabolism and endocrine system in an animal model of obesity and diabetes.

The effects of soybean isoflavones with or without probiotics on tissue fat deposition, plasma cholesterol, and steroid and thyroid hormones were studied in SHR/N-cp rats, an animal model of obesity, and were compared to lean phenotype. We tested the hypothesis that probiotics by promoting the conversion of isoflavone glycosides to their metabolically active aglycone form will have a synergistic effect on body fat, cholesterol metabolism, and the endocrine system. Obese and lean SHR/N-cp rats were fed AIN-93 diets containing 0.

Dietary flaxseed meal reduces proteinuria and ameliorates nephropathy in an animal model of type II diabetes mellitus.

Background: Evidence is emerging that varying the type or source of dietary protein intake can have beneficial effects on chronic renal disease. Consumption of soybean and soy-based food products, as the source of plant protein, can retard the development and progression of chronic renal disease. We studied the obese spontaneously hypertensive/NIH-corpulent (SHR/N-cp) rat, a model of obesity and type II diabetes mellitus that consistently develops nephropathy resembling diabetic nephropathy.

Dietary flaxseed meal is more protective than soy protein concentrate against hypertriglyceridemia and steatosis of the liver in an animal model of obesity.

Objective: Soy protein and flaxseed meal have been reported to have beneficial effects on many chronic diseases in humans and animals. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the beneficial effects of soy protein and flaxseed meal on hypertriglyceridemia and liver steatosis associated with obesity and diabetes. We compared the effects of dietary soy protein and flaxseed meal with that of casein on plasma and liver lipids in a genetic model of obesity, type II diabetes and insulin resistance, namely the SHR/N-cp rat.

Differential effects of dietary flaxseed protein and soy protein on plasma triglyceride and uric acid levels in animal models.

The effect of dietary soy protein and flaxseed meal on metabolic parameters was studied in two animal models, F344 rats with normal lipid levels and obese SHR/N-cp rats with elevated levels of cholesterol and triglyceride. The rats were fed AIN 93 diet differing only in the source of protein. The rats were fed either 20% casein, 20% soy protein or 20% flaxseed meal.

Beneficial role of dietary phytoestrogens in obesity and diabetes.

Evidence is emerging that dietary phytoestrogens play a beneficial role in obesity and diabetes. Nutritional intervention studies performed in animals and humans suggest that the ingestion of soy protein associated with isoflavones and flaxseed rich in lignans improves glucose control and insulin resistance. In animal models of obesity and diabetes, soy protein has been shown to reduce serum insulin and insulin resistance.