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Introduction: Outcomes in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) have remained poor. Worsening renal function (WRF) is common among patients with ADHF. However, the impact of WRF on the prognosis is controversial. We hypothesized that in patients with ADHF, the achievement of concomitant decongestion would diminish the signal for harm associated with WRF. Methods: We performed a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library up to December 2019 for studies that assessed signs of decongestion in patients with WRF during ADHF admission. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality and heart transplantation. Results: Thirteen studies were selected with a pooled population of 8138 patients. During the follow-up period of 60–450 days, 19.2% of patients died. Unstratified, patients with WRF versus no WRF had a higher risk for mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.71 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.45–2.01]; P < 0.0001). However, patients who achieved decongestion had a similar prognosis (OR, 1.15 [95% CI, 0.89–1.49]; P = 0.30). Moreover, patients with WRF who achieved decongestion had a better prognosis compared with those without WRF or decongestion (OR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.46–0.86]; P = 0.004). This tendency persisted for the sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Decongestion is a powerful effect modifier that attenuates harmful associations of WRF with mortality. Future studies should not assess WRF as an endpoint without concomitant assessment of achieved volume status.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), a progressive loss of renal function, can lead to serious complications if underdiagnosed. Many studies suggest that the oral microbiota plays important role in the health of the host; however, little is known about the association between the oral microbiota and CKD pathogenesis. Methods: In this study, we surveyed the oral microbiota in saliva, the left and right molars, and the anterior mandibular lingual area from 77 participants (18 with and 59 without CKD), and tested their association with CKD to identify microbial features that may be predictive of CKD status. Results: The overall oral microbiota composition significantly differed by oral locations and was associated with CKD status in saliva and anterior mandibular lingual samples. In CKD patients, we observed a significant enrichment of Neisseria and depletion of Veillonella in both sample types and a lower prevalence of Streptococcus in saliva after adjustment for other comorbidities. Furthermore, we detected a negative association of Neisseria and Streptococcus genera with the kidney function as measured by estimated glomerular filtration rate. Neisseria abundance also correlated with plasma interleukin-18 levels. Conclusion: We demonstrate the association of the oral microbiome with CKD and inflammatory kidney biomarkers, highlighting a potential role of the commensal bacteria in CKD pathogenesis. A better understanding of the interplay between the oral microbiota and CKD may help in the development of new strategies to identify at-risk individuals or to serve as a novel target for therapeutic intervention.