Effects of Vitamin K2 and D Supplementation on Coronary Artery Disease in Men: A RCT.

Background: Extent and progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC) are strong predictors of myocardial infarction and mortality.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate if vitamin K2 and D supplementation can reduce CAC progression.

Methods: A total of 389 participants were randomized to supplementation with vitamin K2 (720 μg/day) and D (25 μg/day) vs placebo in a multicenter double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

No Detectable Coagulation Activation After Vitamin K (MK-7) Supplementation in Patients on Dialysis With Functional Vitamin K Deficiency: A One-Year Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Objective: Patients on dialysis treatment have poor functional vitamin K status, and this may increase the risk of vascular calcification. Vitamin K supplementation may therefore be relevant in patients on dialysis, but the procoagulant effects have not been studied. We evaluated effects of menaquinone-7 (MK-7) supplementation on biomarkers of coagulation in patients on dialysis.

Vitamin K supplementation and arterial calcification in dialysis: results of the double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled RenaKvit trial.

Background: Arterial calcification is associated with cardiovascular mortality in dialysis patients. Active matrix Gla protein (MGP) is a vitamin K-dependent inhibitor of arterial calcification. Elevated plasma concentrations of inactive MGP, i.

Effects of menaquinone-7 supplementation in patients with aortic valve calcification: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Aortic stenosis is a common heart valve disease, and due to the growing elderly population, the prevalence is increasing. The disease is progressive with increasing calcification of the valve cusps. A few attempts with medical preventive treatment have failed; thus, presently, the only effective treatment of aortic stenosis is surgery.

The Effect of High Dose Cholecalciferol on Arterial Stiffness and Peripheral and Central Blood Pressure in Healthy Humans: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Low levels of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D are associated with increased arterial stiffness and hypertension. Supplementation with vitamin D precursors has been proposed as a treatment option for these conditions. We examined the effect of oral cholecalciferol on arterial stiffness and blood pressure in healthy normotensive adults.

Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of a 13-mer LNA-inhibitor-miR-221 in Mice and Non-human Primates.

Locked nucleic acid (LNA) oligonucleotides have been successfully used to efficiently inhibit endogenous small noncoding RNAs in vitro and in vivo. We previously demonstrated that the direct miR-221 inhibition by the novel 13-mer LNA-i-miR-221 induces significant antimyeloma activity and upregulates canonical miR-221 targets in vitro and in vivo. To evaluate the LNA-i-miR-221 pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, novel assays for oligonucleotides quantification in NOD.

Nutritional Status of Maintenance Dialysis Patients: Low Lean Body Mass Index and Obesity Are Common, Protein-Energy Wasting Is Uncommon.

Background And Aims: Maintenance dialysis patients are at increased risk of abnormal nutritional status due to numerous causative factors, both nutritional and non-nutritional. The present study assessed the current prevalence of protein-energy wasting, low lean body mass index and obesity in maintenance dialysis patients, and compared different methods of nutritional assessment.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted in 2014 at Roskilde Hospital, Denmark, we performed anthropometry (body weight, skinfolds, mid-arm, waist, and hip circumferences), and determined plasma albumin and normalized protein catabolic rate in order to assess the prevalence of protein-energy wasting, low lean body mass index and obesity in these patients.

Effects of high doses of cholecalciferol in normal subjects: a randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Vitamin D repletion with high doses of vitamin D is often recommended to patients and healthy subjects. The safety, especially concerning changes in urinary calcium excretion is of great importance.

Methods: In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study in 40 healthy volunteers, we examined the changes in mineral metabolism during supplementation with 3000 IU of oral cholecalciferol daily during 4 months.

Agreement between public register and adjudication committee outcome in a cardiovascular randomized clinical trial.

Unlabelled: The objective of this study is to describe the agreement between randomized trial outcome assessment by committee and outcomes entirely identified through public registers.

Methods: In the CLARICOR trial, 4,372 patients with stable coronary heart disease received a short course of clarithromycin versus placebo and were followed up for 2.6 years.

In vitro and in vivo activity of a novel locked nucleic acid (LNA)-inhibitor-miR-221 against multiple myeloma cells.

Background & Aim: The miR-221/222 cluster is upregulated in malignant plasma cells from multiple myeloma (MM) patients harboring the t(4;14) translocation. We previously reported that silencing of miR-221/222 by an antisense oligonucleotide induces anti-MM activity and upregulates canonical miR-221/222 targets. The in vivo anti-tumor activity occurred when miR-221/222 inhibitors were delivered directly into MM xenografts.

A microRNA-21 surge facilitates rapid cyclin D1 translation and cell cycle progression in mouse liver regeneration.

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is thought to be an oncomir because it promotes cancer cell proliferation, migration, and survival. miR-21 is also expressed in normal cells, but its physiological role is poorly understood. Recently, it has been found that miR-21 expression is rapidly induced in rodent hepatocytes during liver regeneration after two-thirds partial hepatectomy (2/3 PH).

Good interobserver agreement was attainable on outcome adjudication in patients with stable coronary heart disease.

Objective: In clinical trials, agreement on outcomes is of utmost importance for valid estimation of intervention effects. As there is limited knowledge about adjudicator agreement in cardiology, we examined the level of agreement among three cardiology specialists adjudicating all possible events in a randomized controlled clinical trial of patients with stable coronary heart disease.

Study Design And Setting: All information (hospital records, death certificates, etc.

MicroRNAs control hepatocyte proliferation during liver regeneration.

Unlabelled: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a new class of regulators of gene expression. Among other actions, miRNAs have been shown to control cell proliferation in development and cancer. However, whether miRNAs regulate hepatocyte proliferation during liver regeneration is unknown.

Application of basic and composite thrombelastography parameters in monitoring of the antithrombotic effect of the low molecular weight heparin dalteparin: an in vivo study.

Background: Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is in vast usage for treatment of thromboembolic diseases such as deep venous thrombosis and acute coronary syndromes. There are certain clinical situations where a quick point of care testing of the effect of LMWH would be useful. At this point there are no point of care devices available in the market for monitoring the effect of LMWH.

How the early sporulation sigma factor sigmaF delays the switch to late development in Bacillus subtilis.

Sporulation in Bacillus subtilis is a primitive differentiation process involving two cell types, the forespore and the mother cell. Each cell implements two successive transcription programmes controlled by specific sigma factors. We report that activity of sigma(G), the late forespore sigma factor, is kept in check by Gin, the product of csfB, a gene controlled by sigma(F), the early forespore sigma factor.

Longitudinal membrane function in functionally anuric patients treated with APD: data from EAPOS on the effects of glucose and icodextrin prescription.

Background: Peritoneal dialysis is associated with changes in membrane function that can lead eventually to ultrafiltration (UF) failure. Factors driving these changes are thought to include hypertonic glucose exposure, but previously reported associations are confounded by the presence of residual renal function.

Methods: Longitudinal membrane function (solute transport and UF capacity) were measured annually in a prospective cohort of 177 functionally anuric patients as part of the European Automated Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes Study (EAPOS).

Acute interstitial nephritis associated with the use of mesalazine in inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: In the last 10 years several reports have linked oral 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) therapy to acute and chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis, but to our knowledge only 2 patients have been reported with terminal end-stage renal disease due to mesalazine (5-ASA). After 1 year of treatment with 5-ASA annual monitoring of serum creatinine is recommended.

Results: We report the development of end-stage renal disease in a patient 10 months after the last assessment of serum creatinine, which was normal at 71 micromol/l.