OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of governor vessel moxibustion combined with wenyang yiqi qiwei decoction on erectile dysfunction (ED) with spleen-kidney deficiency and to explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: A total of 130 ED patients with spleen-kidney deficiency were randomized into an observation group (65 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a control group (65 cases, 3 cases dropped off). The control group was given wenyang yiqi qiwei decoction orally, one dose daily. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, governor vessel moxibustion was applied from Dazhui (GV 14) to Yaoshu (GV 2) in the observation group, 110 min a time, once a day. The treatment of 4 weeks was required in both groups. Before and after treatment, 5-question international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) score, erection quality scale (EQS) score, erectile hardness assessment (EHS) score, TCM syndrome score, serum testosterone (T) level and vascular endothelial function indexes (prostaglandin I2 [PGI2], endothelin-1 [ET-1] and nitric oxide [NO] levels) were observed respectively, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated in both groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of IIEF-5, EQS, EHS and serum levels of T, PGI2, NO were increased compared before treatment (P<0.01), the TCM syndrome scores and serum ET-1 levels were decreased compared before treatment (P<0.01) in the two groups; the scores of IIEF-5, EQS, EHS and serum levels of T, PGI2, NO in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05), the TCM syndrome score and serum ET-1 level were lower than those in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). The total effective rate was 88.9% (56/63) in the observation group, which was superior to 74.2% (46/62) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Governor vessel moxibustion combined with wenyang yiqi qiwei decoction can improve the erectile function and increase the erection hardness and quality in ED patients with spleen-kidney deficiency, its mechanism may relate to improving serum T level and vascular endothelial function.
Humans ; Male ; Administration, Oral ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Erectile Dysfunction/therapy* ; Kidney/pathology* ; Kidney Diseases/complications* ; Moxibustion ; Spleen/pathology* ; Splenic Diseases/complications* ; Testosterone/blood* ; Combined Modality Therapy

OBJECTIVE: To observe the variability of hemoglobin (HB) level in patients with renal anemia, and to analyze its relationship with effect of repeated blood transfusion therapeutic in patients. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study and propensity score matching method were used, 60 patients with renal anemia who had effective treatment with repeated blood transfusion in Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital from May 2018 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed and set as the effective group; 153 patients with renal anemia who had ineffective treatment with repeated blood transfusion in the hospital in the same period were collected and set as the ineffective group, the propensity score matching method was used, the patients who were effective and ineffective in repeated blood transfusion were matched 1∶1 for analysis; the medical records and laboratory indexes of the two groups were checked; the Hb level of patients within 6 months (1/month) were recorded, the residual standard deviation (Res-SD) of Hb of patients was calculated according to the Hb level and evaluated the variability of Hb level; the relationship between HB variability level and therapeutic effect of repeated blood transfusion in patients with renal anemia was analyzed. RESULTS: After propensity score matching, there was no statistical significant difference between the two groups in terms of baseline data such as age, sex, dialysis age and BMI (P>0.05). The levels of serum albumin and transferrin of patients in the ineffective group were significantly lower than those of patients in the effective group (P<0.05); at 1 and 2 months of the observation period, there was no statistical significant difference in Hb levels of patients in both groups (P>0.05); the Hb level of patients in the ineffective group was significantly lower than that of patients in the effective group at 3, 5 and 6 months, and significantly higher than that of patients in the effective group at 4 months (P<0.05); the Res-SD of male patients and female patients in the ineffective group were respectively significantly higher than that of male patients and female patients in the effective group (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis results showed that high variability of Hb level (Res-SD) was a risk factor for the ineffective treatment of repeated blood transfusion in patients with renal anemia (OR>1, P<0.05); the decision curve results showed that, when the high-risk threshold was 0.0-1.0, Res-SD predicted the net benefit rates of male and female patients with renal anemia were greater than 0, which was clinically significant, the smaller the high-risk threshold in the above range, the greater the net benefit rate. CONCLUSION The therapeutic effect of repeated blood transfusion in patients with renal anemia may be related to the variability of Hb level.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Hemoglobins/therapeutic use* ; Anemia/therapy* ; Chronic Disease ; Blood Transfusion ; Kidney Diseases

Objective: To explore the prognostic value of simple renal cyst (SRC) for adverse events in patients receiving thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for Stanford B aortic dissection (TBAD). Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study. Consecutive patients receiving TEVAR for TBAD between January 2010 and December 2015 were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into SRC group and non-SRC group. With sex and age ±2 years old as matching factors, SRC group and non-SRC group were matched by 1∶1. Collect and compare the differences of clinical data between the two groups. Adverse events were recorded through outpatient, telephone follow-up and in-hospital review. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate Cox regression was used to analyze the risk factors of aortic adverse events. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the survival curve of SRC group and non-SRC group. Results: A total of 692 consecutive patients were recruited. Patients were divided into SRC group (n=235) and non-SRC group (n=457). After 1∶1 matching, there were 229 cases in SRC group and no SRC group respectively. The age of SRC group was (62.3±10.4) years old, 209 cases were male (91.3%), and the age of no SRC group was (62.0±10.2) years old, 209 cases were male (91.3%). Cox regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for confounding factors, comorbid SRC (HR=1.991, 95%CI: 1.090-3.673, P=0.025), TEVAR in the acute phase (HR=13.635, 95%CI: 5.969-31.147, P=0.001), general anesthesia (HR=2.012, 95%CI: 1.066-3.799, P=0.031) are independent factors of aortic-adverse events after TEVAR for TBAD. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative survival rate of SRC group was significantly lower than non-SRC group (log-rank P=0.031, 0.005). Conclusion: SRC is an independent predictor of aortic-related adverse events in patients following TEVAR for TBAD.
Aged ; Aortic Dissection/surgery* ; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic/surgery* ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation/methods* ; Endovascular Procedures/methods* ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases, Cystic/complications* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

INTRODUCTION: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a serious complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The most important predictor of CIN is renal function before PCI. Serum creatinine (SCr) is a commonly used biomarker of renal function, but an elevation in SCr lags behind the onset of kidney injury and is not viable for early detection of CIN after PCI. Our primary objective was to investigate whether preoperative cystatin C (CysC) before PCI was an early predictor of postoperative CIN. The secondary objective was to evaluate associations between preoperative CysC and renal biomarkers. METHODS: From December 2014 to December 2015, 341 patients with normal renal function were enrolled into the study at our medical centre. All patients were apportioned to normal CysC (≤1.03 mg/L) or high CysC (>1.03 mg/L) groups before PCI and were hydrated from four hours prior to PCI to 24 hours after it. Renal function was monitored at 48 hours after PCI. Clinical parameters were recorded before and after PCI. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in preoperative SCr between the CIN and non-CIN groups. However, preoperative CysC demonstrated significant difference between the two groups (p <0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that elevated CysC before PCI was a risk factor for CIN (p = 0.013). Furthermore, the linear regression models identified an association between CysC before PCI and renal function after PCI. CONCLUSION CysC before PCI was viable as a biomarker of renal function after PCI and high preoperative CysC was able to predict CIN earlier than SCr.
Humans ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Contrast Media/adverse effects* ; Coronary Angiography ; Creatinine/blood* ; Cystatin C/blood* ; Kidney Diseases/diagnosis* ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Risk Factors

Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cardiovascular System ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/therapy* ; Renal Dialysis

OBJECTIVE: This study summarizes and compares clinical and laboratory characteristics of 34 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for complications from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China from Jan. 22 to Mar. 5, 2020. METHODS: A total of 34 patients were divided into two groups, including those who required noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) with additional extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in 11 patients. Clinical features of COVID-19 patients were described and the parameters of clinical characteristics between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: The rates of the acute cardiac and kidney complications were higher in IMV cases than those in NIV cases. Most patients had lymphocytopenia on admission, with lymphocyte levels dropping progressively on the following days, and the more severe lymphopenia developed in the IMV group. In both groups, T lymphocyte counts were below typical lower limit norms compared to B lymphocytes. On admission, both groups had higher than expected amounts of plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), which over time declined more in NIV patients. The prothrombin time was increased and the levels of platelet, hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and IL-6 were higher in IMV cases compared with NIV cases during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS Data showed that the rates of complications, dynamics of lymphocytopenia, and changes in levels of platelet, hemoglobin, BUN, D-dimer, LDH and IL-6, and prothrombin time in these ICU patients were significantly different between IMV and NIV cases.
Acute Kidney Injury ; virology ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Betacoronavirus ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; therapy ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Female ; Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products ; analysis ; Heart Diseases ; virology ; Hemoglobins ; analysis ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; blood ; Lymphopenia ; virology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Noninvasive Ventilation ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; therapy ; Positive-Pressure Respiration ; Prothrombin Time ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate the relationship between serum cystatin C(CysC)level and vascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)patients with normal renal function. Methods Totally 218 T2DM patients who were treated in the Department of Endocrinology,Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College from January 2017 to May 2018 were enrolled.All subjects were divided into four groups based on the quartiles of serum CysC levels:G1 group:≤ 0.56 mg/L,58 cases;G2 group:0.57-0.73 mg/L,52 cases;G3 group:0.74-1.11 mg/L,56 cases;G4 group:≥ 1.12 mg/L,52 cases.The general data,biochemical indicators,glycated albumin,hemoglobin A
Biomarkers/blood* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/complications* ; Cystatin C/blood* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications* ; Humans ; Kidney ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Chinese medicine Wubi Shanyao pills on sexual function of kidney-yang-deficiency mice induced by hydrocortisone. METHODS: Male Kunming mice were injected with hydrocortisone for 10 days to prepare the kidney-yang-deficiency model, and administrated with Wubi Shanyao pills (0.91, 1.82, 2.73 g/kg) for 9 weeks. The general behaviors of mice (autonomous activity, grasping power) were observed; sexual behaviors (capture, straddle, ejaculation frequency and incubation period) of mice were detected by mating experiment. The serum levels of cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol (E RESULTS: Wubi Shanyao pills increased the number of independent activities, grasping power, capture frequency of model mice and shortened the capture latency (all CONCLUSIONS Wubi Shanyao pills can improve the sexual function of mice with kidney-yang-deficiency induced by hydrocortisone, which may be related to regulating the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis), promoting the proliferation of testicular cells, and inhibiting cell apoptosis.
Animals ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood* ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; Kidney/drug effects* ; Kidney Diseases/drug therapy* ; Male ; Mice ; Pituitary-Adrenal System/drug effects* ; Random Allocation ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/drug effects* ; Yang Deficiency/drug therapy*

BACKGROUND: To observe the effects of Chinese medicine (CM) Polygonum cuspidatum (PC) on adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), forkhead box O3α (FOXO3α), Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4), NACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression in a rat model of uric acid-induced renal damage and to determine the molecular mechanism. METHODS: A rat model of uric acid-induced renal damage was established, and rats were randomly divided into a model group, a positive drug group, and high-, medium-, and low-dose PC groups (n=12 per group). A normal group (n=6) was used as the control. Rats in the normal and model groups were administered distilled water (10 mL•kg) by intragastric infusion. Rats in the positive drug group and the high-, medium-, and low-dose PC groups were administered allopurinol (23.33 mg•kg), and 7.46, 3.73, or 1.87 g•kg•d PC by intragastric infusion, respectively for 6 to 8 weeks. After the intervention, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect AMPK, FOXO3α, TLR4, NLRP3, and MCP-1 mRNA and protein levels in renal tissue or serum. RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, the mRNA transcription levels of AMPK and FOXO3α in the model group were significantly down-regulated, and protein levels of AMPKα1, pAMPKα1 and FOXO3α were significantly down-regulated at the 6th and 8th weeks (P<0.01 or P<0.05). The mRNA transcription and protein levels of TLR4, NLRP3 and MCP-1 were significantly up-regulated (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Compared with the model group, at the 6th week, the mRNA transcription levels of AMPK in the high- and medium-dose groups, and protein expression levels of AMPKα1, pAMPKα1 and FOXO3α in the high-dose PC group, AMPKα1 and pAMPKα1 in the mediumdose PC group, and pAMPKα1 in the low-dose PC group were significantly up-regulated (P<0.01 or P<0.05); the mRNA transcription and protein levels of TLR4 and NLRP3 in the 3 CM groups, and protein expression levels of MCP-1 in the medium- and low-dose PC groups were down-regulated (P<0.01 or P<0.05). At the 8th week, the mRNA transcription levels of AMPK in the high-dose PC group and FOXO3α in the medium-dose PC group, and protein levels of AMPKα1, pAMPKα1 and FOXO3α in the 3 CM groups were significantly up-regulated (P<0.01 or P<0.05); the mRNA transcription levels of TLR4 in the medium- and low-dose PC groups, NLRP3 in the high- and low-dose PC groups and MCP-1 in the medium- and low-dose PC groups, and protein expression levels of TLR4, NLRP3 and MCP-1 in the 3 CM groups were down-regulated (P<0.01 or P<0.05). CONCLUSION PC up-regulated the expression of AMPK and its downstream molecule FOXO3α and inhibited the biological activity of TLR4, NLRP3, and MCP-1, key signal molecules in the immunoinflammatory network pathway, which may be the molecular mechanism of PC to improve hyperuricemia-mediated immunoinflflammatory metabolic renal damage.
AMP-Activated Protein Kinases ; physiology ; Animals ; Chemokine CCL2 ; blood ; Disease Models, Animal ; Fallopia japonica ; Forkhead Box Protein O3 ; physiology ; Hyperuricemia ; complications ; Kidney Diseases ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Male ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Uric Acid

BACKGROUND: In health examinations for local inhabitants in cadmium-polluted areas, only healthy people are investigated, suggesting that patients with severe cadmium nephropathy or itai-itai disease may be overlooked. Therefore, we performed hospital-based screening to detect patients with cadmium nephropathy in two core medical institutes in cadmium-polluted areas in Akita prefecture, Japan. METHODS: Subjects for this screening were selected from patients aged 60 years or older with elevated serum creatinine levels and no definite renal diseases. We enrolled 35 subjects from a hospital in Odate city and 22 from a clinic in Kosaka town. Urinary ß-microglobulin and blood and urinary cadmium levels were measured. RESULTS: The criteria for renal tubular dysfunction and the over-accumulation of cadmium were set as a urinary ß-microglobulin level higher than 10,000 μg/g cr. and a blood cadmium level higher than 6 μg/L or urinary cadmium level higher than 10 μg/g cr., respectively. Subjects who fulfilled both criteria were diagnosed with cadmium nephropathy. Six out of 57 patients (10.5% of all subjects) had cadmium nephropathy. CONCLUSIONS: This hospital-based screening is a very effective strategy for detecting patients with cadmium nephropathy in cadmium-polluted areas, playing a complementary role in health examinations for local inhabitants. REGISTRATION NUMBER No. 6, date of registration: 6 June, 2010 (Akita Rosai Hospital), and No. 1117, date of registration: 26 December, 2013 (Akita University).
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cadmium ; adverse effects ; urine ; Cadmium Poisoning ; blood ; complications ; urine ; Creatinine ; urine ; Environmental Exposure ; adverse effects ; Environmental Monitoring ; Environmental Pollutants ; adverse effects ; urine ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Japan ; Kidney Diseases ; chemically induced ; urine ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sex Distribution