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To test whether dietary magnesium is associated with 10-year risk of a first hard atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease event.

Indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresyl sulfate (PCS), protein-bound uremic toxins, exacerbate the deterioration of renal function and increase the risk of cardiovascular events in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The effects of microbiota-driven therapy (probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics) on decreasing circulating IS and PCS concentrations are controversial; thus, we performed the present systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of microbiota-driven therapy on circulating IS and PCS concentrations in CKD patients. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched from inception to 22 July, 2021, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of microbiota-driven therapy on circulating IS and PCS concentrations in CKD patients were included. In all, 14 RCTs with 513 participants were eligible for the meta-analysis. The effects of microbiota-driven therapy on the circulating IS and PCS concentrations were evaluated with weighted mean differences (WMDs) measured by a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model. Compared with placebo, microbiota-driven therapy had no statistically significant effect on the circulating IS concentration (WMD: −1.64 mg/L; 95% CI: −3.46, 0.18 mg/L; P= 0.077) but it decreased the circulating PCS concentration (WMD: −2.42 mg/L; 95% CI: −3.81, −1.04 mg/L; P= 0.001). In the subgroup analyses, prebiotic (n= 6) and synbiotic (n= 3) supplementation significantly decreased the circulating PCS concentration, whereas probiotic (n= 3) supplementation did not. Meta-regression showed that the effects of microbiota-driven therapy were not associated with the supplementation time or the year of publication. Moreover, there was no significant evidence of publication bias. This review found that microbiota-driven therapy decreased the circulating PCS concentration in CKD patients. Additional large, well-designed RCTs with improved methodology and reporting are necessary to assess the effects of microbiota-driven therapy on circulating IS and PCS concentrations in the long term. This systematic review was registered at www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/as CRD42021269146.Statement of Significance: The findings of clinical studies investigating the effects of microbiota-driven therapy on the reduction of indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) concentrations in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are controversial. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to assess systematically the effects of microbiota-driven therapy on circulating IS and PCS concentrations in CKD patients.

Indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresyl sulfate (PCS), protein-bound uremic toxins, exacerbate the deterioration of renal function and increase the risk of cardiovascular events in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The effects of microbiota-driven therapy (probiotics, prebiotics, or synbiotics) on decreasing circulating IS and PCS concentrations are controversial; thus, we performed the present systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of microbiota-driven therapy on circulating IS and PCS concentrations in CKD patients. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched from inception to 22 July, 2021, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of microbiota-driven therapy on circulating IS and PCS concentrations in CKD patients were included. In all, 14 RCTs with 513 participants were eligible for the meta-analysis. The effects of microbiota-driven therapy on the circulating IS and PCS concentrations were evaluated with weighted mean differences (WMDs) measured by a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model. Compared with placebo, microbiota-driven therapy had no statistically significant effect on the circulating IS concentration (WMD: −1.64 mg/L; 95% CI: −3.46, 0.18 mg/L; P = 0.077) but it decreased the circulating PCS concentration (WMD: −2.42 mg/L; 95% CI: −3.81, −1.04 mg/L; P = 0.001). In the subgroup analyses, prebiotic (n = 6) and synbiotic (n = 3) supplementation significantly decreased the circulating PCS concentration, whereas probiotic (n = 3) supplementation did not. Meta-regression showed that the effects of microbiota-driven therapy were not associated with the supplementation time or the year of publication. Moreover, there was no significant evidence of publication bias. This review found that microbiota-driven therapy decreased the circulating PCS concentration in CKD patients. Additional large, well-designed RCTs with improved methodology and reporting are necessary to assess the effects of microbiota-driven therapy on circulating IS and PCS concentrations in the long term. This systematic review was registered at www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/as CRD42021269146.

Understanding the conformational dynamics of polymer chains interacting with colloidal particles is of great significance to manipulate the properties of nanocomposites and polymer–solid interfaces. Herein, the complexation between high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and silica nanoparticles (SPs) in dilute solution was investigated with viscometry, electron microscopy, and scattering techniques. In the presence of SPs, PEOs rapidly collapsed from an extended coil to a compact conformation onto the surface of silica, which simultaneously caused a decrease in solution viscosity. A viscosity minimum together with a compact complex structure was achieved. Further addition of SPs induced polymer chains to extend into the coil state, leading to a substantial viscosity increase and structural expansion of the complex. This phenomenon was rationalized by the delicate balance between noncovalent forces including hydrogen bonding between polymer and SPs, as well as electrostatic repulsion between SPs. A series of physiochemical conditions such as pH, ionic strength, polymer molecular weight, and particle size were systematically explored to unravel the factors governing polymer conformation changes. We envision that this research will shed light on the fundamental understanding of polymer–colloid nanocomposites at the nanoscale level and provide guidelines for the design of functional composite materials.