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AIM To investigate the long term effects of cardiac events on renal function, a prospective study of patients with acute myocardial infarction was conducted. METHODS A total of 137 patients with acute myocardial infarction were followed for 1 year. The change of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in cardiac patients was compared with that in background-matched controls, and the factors associated with eGFR changes were analyzed. RESULTS The eGFR decrease was much larger after myocardial infarction, from 73.7 ± 1.9 ml/min/1.73 m2 (mean ± SEM) at baseline to 64.7 ± 1.7 at 1 year, (p < 0.001), compared with that of controls (from 72.8 ± 1.2 to 72.1 ± 1.3, p = 0.305). Multiple regression analysis showed that eGFR change was associated negatively with age, baseline eGFR, proteinuria, and positively with the administration of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers, but not the severity of cardiac damage and comorbidities. Longitudinal analysis 1 year before and 2 years after myocardial infarction showed that eGFR decrease was larger during baseline and 6 months after the event (-7.0 ± 1.0). CONCLUSIONS Renal decline was rapid after myocardial infarction and was affected by clinical characteristics of patients. Careful follow-up of renal function is recommended to prevent the progression of renal and cardiac disease.

Background. A cluster of proinflammatory cytokines plays an important role in the development of various renal diseases, and the expression of these cytokines is genetically modified. To examine the association between polymorphisms of proinflammatory cytokine genes and albuminuria, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the general population. Methods. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six proinflammatory cytokine genes, including interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a ,C C chemokine ligand 1 (CCL1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), were genotyped in 2927 Japanese subjects. Urine albumin–creatinine ratio (UACR) was measured in morning spot urine samples. Results. Albuminuria (UACR � 30 mg/g) was significantly associated with the A/A 1 A/G genotype at rs2069852 in the IL-6 gene (P ¼ 0.01) and the A/A genotype at rs228269 in the CCL1 gene (P ¼ 0.002). Multivariate analysis with adjustment for traditional risk factors showed that these genotypes independently predicted albuminuria [odds ratio (OR) 1.782, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.171–2.712, P ¼ 0.007 for the A/A 1 A/G genotype at rs2069852 in IL-6, and OR 1.432, 95% CI 1.128–1.770, P ¼ 0.003 for the A/A genotype at rs228269 in CCL1]. The prevalence of albuminuria and the UACR were increased along with the increase of risk genotypes. Conclusions. This study revealed that SNPs in the IL-6 and CCL1 genes were associated with albuminuria, and the combination of these genotypes had an additive effect on the prevalence and severity of albuminuria. This indicates that genetic factors influencing inflammatory responses may affect the development of renal injury in the Japanese general population.

OBJECTIVE Treatment with either vitamin D or phosphorus binder alone improves the survival of dialysis patients. This multicenter observational study investigated whether a combination of these drugs was related to prognosis in Japanese dialysis patients. METHODS Maintenance dialysis patients (n = 466) were registered in 2003 and followed for up to 5 years. Group survival according to their use of vitamin D and phosphorous binder were compared using Cox-proportional hazard analysis. RESULTS During the follow-up period, 132 deaths (63 cardiovascular and 69 non-cardiovascular deaths) occurred. Compared with the patients who used vitamin D and phosphorus binder concomitantly (n = 269), all-cause mortality was higher in patients using neither drug (n = 36, hazard ratio [HR] 3.53, 95% CI 1.39−8.94, p = 0.008), using phosphorus binder alone (n = 115, HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.19–3.90, p = 0.011), and using vitamin D alone (n = 46, HR 1.38, 95% CI 0.55−3.46, p = 0.496) after adjustment with possible confounders. The advantage for patients who used both drugs concomitantly was also significant in cardiovascular mortality, but not in non-cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSIONS The combination of vitamin D and phosphorus binder was significantly related to survival in dialysis patients. Dial. Transplant. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This is a preprint of an article published in JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE PART B-POLYMER PHYSICS. 44(2): 398-408 (2005), Article, JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE PART B-POLYMER PHYSICS. 44(2): 398-408 (2006)

Essential hypertension is a multifactorial disorder and a risk factor for renal failure and cardiovascular disease. Recently it was hypothesized that subtle acquired renal injury such as renal microvascular and tubulointerstitial damage induces salt-sensitive hypertension. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between blood pressure and renal abnormalities in the Japanese general population. The participants in this community-based, cross-sectional study were 1,965 subjects over 40 years old, without renal insufficiency and antihypertensive medication. Urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) and beta2-microglobulin-creatinine ratio (UBCR) were measured in single spot urine samples, as markers of renal microvascular and tubulointerstitial damage, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis showed a significant positive correlation of blood pressure with UACR and UBCR, but not with estimated glomerular filtration rate. In multiple logistic regression analysis, the increases in UACR and UBCR were independently associated with hypertension, after adjustment for possible confounders. Higher levels of UACR (≥ 5.9 mg g(-1)) and UBCR (≥ 145 μg g(-1)) were associated with a significantly higher risk of hypertension, compared with UACR ≤ 5.8 mg g(-1) and UBCR ≤ 84.5 μg g(-1), respectively. Furthermore, there was a positive relationship between urinary sodium excretion and blood pressure in subjects with high UBCR tertile. This study showed that the increases in urinary albumin and beta2-microglobulin were independently associated with blood pressure in a general population. These renal abnormalities may be differentially related to the development of hypertension.

Injury to renal tubules plays an important role in the development of various renal diseases; however, the prevalence and significance of renal tubular damage in the general population are unclear. To clarify this point, we conducted a community-based study, using urinary β(2)-microglobulin as a marker of tubular damage.The subjects studied were 3,444 Japanese over the age of 40 years. The urinary β(2)-microglobulin-creatinine ratio (UBCR) was assessed in morning spot urine samples.In this population, the distribution of the UBCR among these subjects was skewed towards higher values and a high UBCR (≥300 μg/g) was identified in 438 (12.7%) subjects. However, overlap with macroalbuminuria and renal insufficiency [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)] was observed in only 25 (5.7%) and 58 (13.2%) of these subjects, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that a high UBCR was positively associated with aging, hypertension, macroalbuminuria and increased urinary sodium excretion. A 5-year longitudinal analysis in 899 subjects indicated a greater decline in eGFR in parallel with the increase in baseline UBCR. After adjustment for possible confounders, a high UBCR was an independent risk factor for rapid decline in eGFR [-10 mL/min/1.73 m(2); odds ratio 1.79 (95% confidence interval 1.07-2.99), P = 0.026].This study showed that renal tubular damage was common and was an independent risk factor for renal deterioration in the Japanese population. More attention should be paid to occult renal tubular damage in order to prevent end-stage renal disease.

Nephronophthisis (NPHP) 4 gene coding nephrocystin-4 is involved in the development of renal tubules and its congenital mutations cause juvenile end-stage renal disease, NPHP. To investigate the association between single-point single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of NPHP4 gene and renal function, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Japanese population. The subjects of this study were non-diabetic general population consisting of 2604 individuals40 years in Takahata town, Japan. We genotyped 11 SNPs within NPHP4 gene that displayed frequent minor allele frequencies (0.1) in Japanese general population. Among 11 SNPs in NPHP4 gene, only rs1287637 that induces amino acid substitution (A (Gln)/T (Leu)), located in the acceptor site of exon 21, showed a significant association with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; T/T: 81.3±15.6 (n=1886), A/T: 82.0±15.5 (n=652) and A/A: 87.4±21.4 ml min(-1) per 1.73m(2) (n=66); mean±s.d., P=0.006). This SNP was not in linkage disequilibrium with the surrounding SNPs. The multivariate analysis adjusted with possible confounders showed that the A/T+T/T genotype of rs1287637 was independently associated with reduced renal function (eGFR90 ml min(-1) per 1.73m(2); odds ratio (OR) 1.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-2.94, P=0.033). These results indicate the novel and independent association between single-point SNP rs1287637 in NPHP4 gene and renal function in non-diabetic Japanese population.