Serum globulin is a novel predictor of mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

Serum globulin, which is composed mainly of immunoglobulins and acute phase proteins, can be considered as reflecting the inflammatory state. We conducted the present study to investigate the role of globulin in mortality risk in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). The study participants were categorized by the median globulin value (2.

The impact of acute kidney injury with or without recovery on long-term kidney outcome in patients undergoing living liver transplantation.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with an increased incidence of poor liver graft and renal outcomes in patients who have undergone liver transplantation (LT). To date, no comprehensive study has compared patients with and without post-LT AKI and analyzed patients who recovered from AKI versus those who did not.

Methods: Patients who received living LT between January 2003 and January 2019 were enrolled.

Infection in Living Donor Liver Transplantation Leads to Increased Risk of Adverse Renal Outcomes.

(1) Background: Little is known about the subsequent renal function change following incident infectious diseases in living-donor liver transplant (LT) recipients. (2) Methods: We studied patients who underwent living-donor LT from January 2003 to January 2019 to evaluate the association of incident hospitalization with major infections or pneumonia with adverse renal outcomes, including a sustained 40% reduction in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and renal composite outcome (a 40% decline in eGFR, end-stage renal disease, or death.).

Association of Albumin and Globulin with Mortality Risk in Incident Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.

Background: Nutrition and inflammation have been implicated in predicting mortality in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). Serum albumin and globulin can be regarded for the nutritional and inflammatory status. However, there is lack of data to evaluate the synergistic effect of albumin and globulin on mortality prediction.

Association of Hematuria with Renal Progression and Survival in Patients Who Underwent Living Donor Liver Transplant.

Background: This study aimed to determine the association between episodic or persistent hematuria after liver transplantation and long-term renal outcomes.

Methods: Patients who underwent living donor liver transplantation between July 2005 and June 2019 were recruited and divided into two groups based on the finding of microscopic or gross hematuria after transplantation. All patients were followed up from the index date until the end date in May 2020.

Superiority of albumin-globulin ratio over albumin to predict mortality in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis.

There is increasing evidence showing that albumin-globulin ratio (AGR) can predict the survival of patients in many types of malignancies. However, no study was done to explore the value of AGR in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. A total of 554 incident patients undergoing PD from January 2001 through July 2016 were enrolled for this retrospective observational study.

Synergistic Anticancer Effects of Gemcitabine with Pitavastatin on Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line MIA PaCa-2 in vitro and in vivo.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive malignancy with an overall 5-year survival rate of 9.3%, and this malignancy is expected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030. Gemcitabine resistance develops within weeks of PDAC patient's chemotherapeutic initiation.

The CHADS-VASc score predicts chronic kidney disease among patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: It is unclear how the CHA2DS2-VASc score can predict subsequent chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among atrial fibrillation (AF) patients.

Methods: We identified incident AF patients without CKD between 2000 and 2013 from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan and calculated the CHADS-VASc score for each patient. Adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was estimated from multivariate cause-specific Cox models to assess the risk of CKD and ESRD associated with the CHADS-VASc score.

Association between Albumin-Globulin Ratio and Mortality in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Malnutrition and inflammation are highly prevalent and tightly regulated with each other in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Inflammation can lead to malnutrition in patients with sufficient nourishment, while malnutrition may also induce an inflammatory response. This study investigated whether the albumin-globulin ratio (AGR) can predict the mortality risk in CKD patients.

Effects of Prevalent and Incident Atrial Fibrillation on Renal Outcome, Cardiovascular Events, and Mortality in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Little is known about how incident atrial fibrillation (AF) affects the clinical outcomes in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and whether there is a different influence between pre-existing and incident AF.

Methods: Incident CKD patients from 2000 to 2013 were retrieved from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan and they were classified as non-AF ( = 15,251), prevalent AF ( = 612), and incident AF ( = 588). The outcomes of interest were end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV) mortality, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke or systemic thromboembolism.

Effects of Prevalent and Incident Chronic Kidney Disease on Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a well-known complication of atrial fibrillation (AF) but how the incident CKD affects the clinical outcomes amongst AF patients is not clear.

Methods: Our study data were retrieved from National Health Insurance Research Data for the period from 1996 to 2013. Incident AF patients were classified as non-CKD group ( = 7272), prevalent CKD group ( = 2104), and incident CKD group ( = 1507) based on administrative codes.

Association and risk factors of chronic kidney disease and incident diabetes: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

Aims/hypothesis: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a known complication of diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance is a well-known complication of CKD. However, there is no consensus in the published data on the association of CKD with incident diabetes.

Methods: A total of 15,403 people with CKD were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to determine their risk of incident diabetes compared with that of 15,403 matched individuals without CKD.

Effect of New-Onset Diabetes Mellitus on Renal Outcomes and Mortality in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: The incidence rates of diabetes mellitus (DM) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are increasing worldwide and their coexistence can have a large negative impact on clinical outcomes. However, it is unclear how incident DM affects CKD patients.

Methods: Incident CKD patients between 2000 and 2013 were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan; they were classified as non-DM ( = 10,356), pre-existing DM ( = 6982), and incident DM ( = 1103).

Long-Term Effects of Spironolactone on Kidney Function and Hyperkalemia-Associated Hospitalization in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Spironolactone, a non-selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, can protect against cardiac fibrosis and left ventricular dysfunction, and improve endothelial dysfunction and proteinuria. However, the safety and effects of spironolactone on patient-centered cardiovascular and renal endpoints remain unclear.

Methods: We identified predialysis stage 3⁻4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients between 2000 and 2013 from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 (LHID 2005).

An Inverse Relationship between Hyperuricemia and Mortality in Patients Undergoing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis.

The results have been inconsistent with regards to the impact of uric acid (UA) on clinical outcomes both in the general population and in patients with chronic kidney disease. The aim of this study was to study the influence of serum UA levels on mortality in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Data on 492 patients from a single peritoneal dialysis unit were retrospectively analyzed.

Association between End-Stage Renal Disease and Incident Diabetes Mellitus-A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Glucose is one of the constituents in hemodialysates and peritoneal dialysates. How the dialysis associates with the incident diabetes mellitus (DM) remains to be assessed.

Methods: The claim data of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who initiated dialysis from and a cohort of matched non-dialysis individuals from 2000 to 2013 were retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to examine the risk of incident DM among patients on hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD).

The prognostic value of interaction between mean corpuscular volume and red cell distribution width in mortality in chronic kidney disease.

Recently, both red cell distribution width (RDW) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) have been associated with unfavorable outcomes in several medical conditions. Therefore, we conducted this retrospective study of 1075 patients with stage 3-5 chronic kidney disease to investigate whether interactions between RDW and MCV influence the risk of mortality. These patients were divided into four groups: group A (n = 415), RDW ≤ 14.

Relationship between uric acid and technique failure in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: a long-term observational cohort study.

Objectives: Uric acid (UA) is the product of purine or nucleotide metabolism via the pathway of xanthine oxidase or xanthine dehydrogenase. Although epidemiological studies assessing the role of UA in cardiovascular disease or mortality have produced inconsistent results, the correlation between UA and technique failure in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) remains to be assessed.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Association between red cell distribution width and mortality in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Although red cell distribution width (RDW) has emerged as a biomarker of clinical prognostic value across a variety of clinical settings in the last two decades, limited evidence is available for its role in end-stage renal disease. We enrolled 313 incident patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in this retrospective observational study from 2006 to 2015. In the fully adjusted model of Cox regression analysis, the adjusted hazard ratios for the high RDW group versus the low RDW group were 2.

Effects of stroke on changes in heart rate variability during hemodialysis.

Background: Stroke and low heart rate variability (HRV) are both associated with an unfavorable prognosis in hemodialysis patients. The relationship between stroke and changes in HRV during hemodialysis remains unclear.

Methods: This study measured differences between predialysis and postdialysis HRV (△HRV) in 182 maintenance hemodialysis patients, including 30 patients with stroke, to assess changes in HRV during hemodialysis, and also to compare results to 114 healthy controls.

Mean Corpuscular Volume and Mortality in Patients with CKD.

Background And Objectives: Mean corpuscular volume is the measure of the average size of the circulatory erythrocyte, and it is principally used as an index for the differential diagnosis of anemia. Recently, mean corpuscular volume has been associated with mortality in many clinical settings. However, the association of mean corpuscular volume with mortality in patients with CKD has not been fully addressed.

The Predictive Role of Red Cell Distribution Width in Mortality among Chronic Kidney Disease Patients.

Background: Recently, accumulating evidence has demonstrated that RDW independently predicts clinically important outcomes in many populations. However, the role of RDW has not been elucidated in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. We conducted the present study with the aim to evaluate the predictive value of RDW in CKD patients.

The role of uric acid in chronic kidney disease patients.

Aim: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is always associated with hyperuricaemia. However, the studies evaluating the clinical implications of hyperuricaemia have shown conflicting results in these patients.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted in 2408 stage 3-5 CKD patients.

U-shaped relationship between uric acid and residual renal function decline in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.

Aim: There is little information on the relationship between uric acid (UA) and residual renal function (RRF) in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The aim of this research is to study the influence of UA on RRF decline in CAPD patients.

Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study of 304 patients who started CAPD without anuria between 2001 and 2010 was conducted at a single medical center.

Predictors for and impact of high peritonitis rate in Taiwanese continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.

Aim: The influence of high peritonitis rate (HPR) on clinical outcomes of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients has been far less studied in the Chinese population than in those of the USA, Australia and Europe. Furthermore, concerning the peritonitis risk, most studies primarily examined the risk of developing the first peritonitis episode, rather than a HPR.

Methods: A single-center, retrospective, observational study was carried out over 10 years in Taiwan.