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Background In East Asian countries, patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have lower cardiovascular risk profiles and experience fewer cardiovascular events (CVEs) than those in Western countries. Thus the clinical predictive performance of well-known risk factors warrants further testing in this population. Methods The KoreaN cohort study for Outcome in patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD) is a multicenter, prospective observational study. We included 1579 participants with CKD G1–G5 without kidney replacement therapy between 2011 and 2016. The main predictor was the coronary artery calcium score (CACS). The primary outcome was a composite of nonfatal CVEs or all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes included 3-point major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs; the composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke), all CVEs and all-cause mortality. Results During a median follow-up of 5.1 years, a total of 123 primary outcome events occurred (incidence rate 1.6/100 person-years). In the multivariable Cox model, a 1-standard deviation log increase in the CACS was associated with a 1.67-fold [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.37–2.04] higher risk of the primary outcome. Compared with a CACS of 0, the hazard ratio associated with a CACS >400 was 4.89 (95% CI 2.68–8.93) for the primary outcome. This association was consistent for secondary outcomes. Moreover, inclusion of the CACS led to modest improvements in prediction indices of the primary outcome compared with well-known conventional risk factors. Conclusions In Korean patients with CKD, the CACS was independently associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause death. The CACS also showed modest improvements in prediction performance over conventional cardiovascular risk factors.

Background Complement activation has been highlighted in immunoglobulin (Ig) A nephropathy pathogenesis. However, whether the complement system can affect the downstream phenotype of IgA nephropathy remains unknown. Herein, we investigated the association of mesangial C3 deposition with the Oxford classification and their joint effects on worsening kidney function. Methods We investigated 453 patients with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy. C3 deposition was defined as an immunofluorescence intensity of C3 ≥2+ within the mesangium. The subjects were classified according to the combination of C3 deposition and Oxford classification lesions. The primary endpoint was a composite of ≥30% decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate or an increase in proteinuria ≥3.5 g/g during follow-up. Results Among the Oxford classification lesions, mesangial hypercellularity (M1), segmental glomerulosclerosis (S1) and tubulointerstitial fibrosis (T1–2) and crescentic lesion significantly correlated with C3 deposition. During a median follow-up of 33.0 months, the primary endpoint occurred more in patients with M1, S1, T1–2 and mesangial C3 deposition than in those without. In individual multivariable-adjusted Cox analyses, the presence of M1, S1, T1–2 and C3 deposition was significantly associated with higher risk of reaching primary endpoint. In the combined analyses of C3 deposition and the Oxford classification lesions, the hazard ratios for the composite outcome were significantly higher in the presence of C3/M1, C3/S1 and C3/crescent than in the presence of each lesion alone. Conclusions Complement deposition can strengthen the significance of the Oxford classification, and the presence of both components portends a poorer prognosis in IgA nephropathy.

Background and Aims Osteoprotegerin (OPG), which is an osteoclastic inhibitory factor, have been shown associated with adverse renal outcomes and progression of vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Anemia and CKD-bone mineral disorders (CKD-MBD) are also frequently observed in these patients. Since CKD-MBD and anemia might be closely linked, therefore, we further examined whether OPG level as a marker for bone turnover can predict the future development of anemia in a large-scale prospective cohort. Method Among 2,238 patients with non-dialysis CKD enrolled in the KoreaN cohort study for Outcome in patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD), 2,086 patients who measured hemoglobin, hepcidin, iron profiles and OPG level were included in the analysis. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin level of < 13.0 g/dL and 12.0 g/dL for male and female, respectively. Results The mean age was 53.6 ± 12.2 years and 1,270 (60.9%) patients were males. At baseline, anemia was found in 941 (45.1%) patients. Log transformed OPG levels significantly correlated with FGF23 levels, but inversely with iron profiles and hemoglobin levels at baseline. A multivariate logistic regression model showed that log OPG level was independently associated with the prevalence of anemia (odds ratio [OR], 2.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-3.48, P=0.001). Among 1110 patients without baseline anemia, 258 (25.3%) patients developed anemia during a median follow-up duration of 34.6 (interquartile range, 23-48) months. In the fully adjusted multivariable Cox models, risk of developing anemia was significantly higher in the fourth (hazard ratio [HR], 1.99; 95% CI, 1.08-3.67; P =0.028) than in the first OPG quartile. Similar association was observed in a model when OPG was treated as a continuous variable. Conclusion We showed that high serum OPG levels are associated with an increased risk of developing anemia in patients with non-dialysis CKD.

Background and Aims Anemia was frequently observed in chronic renal failure patients. The risk of osteoporosis is higher in patients with chronic anemia. Chronic anemia also showed a close relationship with bone mineral density. However, few studies have been done whether anemia affects bone mineral density with chronic kidney disease(CKD) patient. Therefore, the aim of our study is to evaluate the relationship between anemia and bone mineral density(BMD) in a large sample of non-dialysis CKD cohort. Method We performed an observational study in 2,089 patients who measured hemoglobin and BMD with non-dialysis CKD enrolled in the KoreaN cohort study for Outcome in patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD). Anemia was defined as hemoglobin(Hb) levels of < 13.0 g/dL for males and 12.0 g/dL for females, respectively. BMD was estimated by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry system. The observed variable was decline of BMD during follow up. Results The mean age was 53.6 ± 12.2 years and 1,292(61.1%) patients were males. The BMD score was positively correlated with hemoglobin levels (β, 0.007; 95% CI, 0.003-0.012; P 0.002), but inversely with prevalence of anemia (β, -0.03; 95% CI, -0.042--0.008; P 0.004). In the multivariable logistic regression model, the prevalence of osteoporosis was significantly higher in the anemia group than that in the normal hemoglobin levels (odds ratio [OR], 1.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-2.51, P=0.014). Among 881 patients except unavailable following BMD, 396 (19.7%) patients developed the decline of BMD during a median follow-up duration of 48 (interquartile range, 46-49) months. In the fully adjusted multivariable Cox models, risk of developing the decline of BMD was significantly higher in the anemia group (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.02-1.87; P= 0.036) as compared to normal hemoglobin group. Conclusion We found that anemia is independently and significantly correlated with an increased risk of osteoporosis with non-dialysis CKD. Our study suggests that prompt correction of anemia in CKD patients could be beneficial to preserving bone mineral density.

Background and Aims Osteoprotegerin (OPG), which is an osteoclastic inhibitory factor, is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, severity of vascular calcification, coronary artery disease, and chronic kidney disease. Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, however there are few studies about the relationship between OPG and obesity, especially in patients with CKD. This study aimed to investigate association between OPG level and obesity in a large-scale prospective cohort. Method Among 2,238 patients with non-dialysis CKD enrolled in the KoreaN cohort study for Outcome in patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD), 1,970 patients who measured body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and OPG level were included in the analysis. Obesity were defined as having a BMI >25 kg/m2 and WC > 90 cm in male, > 85 cm in female. Results The mean age was 53.6 ± 12.2 years and 1,196 (60.7%) patients were males. At baseline, obesity by BMI, WC, and composite of BMI and WC were found in 814 (41.3%), 208 (26.9%) and 1,137 (57.7%) patients. A multivariate logistic regression model showed that log transformed OPG level was independently associated with the prevalence of obesity by BMI, WC, composite of BMI and WC (odds ratio [OR], 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16-0.65, P Conclusion We showed that serum OPG levels are associated with obesity in patients with non-dialysis CKD.

Background and Aims Hypoxia has been considered to be a risk factor for osteoporosis. Several studies have reported on the close associations between the anemia and an increased risk of bone loss. However, the relationship between hemoglobin levels and bone mineral density(BMD) has not been established in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between BMD and anemia in a non-dialysis CKD cohort. Method Among 2,238 patients with non-dialysis CKD enrolled in the KoreaN cohort study for Outcome in patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD), 2,115 patients who measured hemoglobin(Hb) and BMD were included in the analysis. We defined anemia as hemoglobin(Hb) levels of < 13.0 g/dL and 12.0 g/dL for males and females, respectively. The primary endpoint was the onset of a 15% decline in Hemoglobin during follow-up. Results The mean age was 53.6 ± 12.2 years and 1,292(61.1%) patients were males. The BMD score was positively correlated with hemoglobin levels (β, 0.658; 95% CI, 0.215-1.101; P 0.004). In the multivariable logistic regression model, the prevalence of anemia was significantly higher in the osteoporosis group than that in the normal BMD group (odds ratio [OR], 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-2.46, P=0.038). Among 1010 patients without data of following hemoglobin levels, 396 (19.7%) patients developed 15% decline in hemoglobin level during a median follow-up duration of 36 (interquartile range, 10-60) months. In the fully adjusted multivariable Cox models, risk of developing the 15% decline of hemoglobin was significantly higher in the osteoporosis group (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.03-2.05; P= 0.035) as compared to normal BMD group. Conclusion This study showed that low bone mass density was independently related with anemia and hemoglobin levels in patients with non-dialysis CKD. Our findings suggest that preserve bone mass be important to maintain the levels of hemoglobin with CKD patients.

Background Delta neutrophil index (DNI), representing an elevated fraction of circulating immature granulocytes in acute infection, has been reported as a useful marker for predicting mortality in patients with sepsis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of DNI in predicting mortality in septic acute kidney injury (S-AKI) patients treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT).