Metabolomic Salivary Signature of Pediatric Obesity Related Liver Disease and Metabolic Syndrome.

Pediatric obesity-related metabolic syndrome (MetS) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are increasingly frequent conditions with a still-elusive diagnosis and low-efficacy treatment and monitoring options. In this study, we investigated the salivary metabolomic signature, which has been uncharacterized to date. In this pilot-nested case-control study over a transversal design, 41 subjects (23 obese patients and 18 normal weight (NW) healthy controls), characterized based on medical history, clinical, anthropometric, and laboratory data, were recruited. Liver involvement, defined according to ultrasonographic liver brightness, allowed for the allocation of the patients into four groups: obese with hepatic steatosis ([St+], n = 15) and without hepatic steatosis ([St⁻], n = 8), and with (n = 10) and without (n = 13) MetS. A partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model was devised to classify the patients' classes based on their salivary metabolomic signature. Pediatric obesity and its related liver disease and metabolic syndrome appear to have distinct salivary metabolomic signatures. The difference is notable in metabolites involved in energy, amino and organic acid metabolism, as well as in intestinal bacteria metabolism, possibly reflecting diet, fatty acid synthase pathways, and the strict interaction between microbiota and intestinal mucins. This information expands the current understanding of NAFLD pathogenesis, potentially translating into better targeted monitoring and/or treatment strategies in the future.

Nutrition and Liver Disease.

Malnutrition in children and adults with advanced liver disease represents a tremendous challenge as the nutritional problems are multifactorial. This Editorial comments the articles appearing in this special issue of Nutrients, "Nutrition and Liver disease" dealing with multiple diagnostic and therapeutic features that relate the outcomes of liver disease to nutrition. To improve quality of life and prevent nutrition-related medical complications, patients diagnosed with advanced liver disease should have their nutritional status promptly assessed and be supported by appropriate dietary interventions. Furthermore specific food supplements and/or restriction diets are often necessary for those with hepatic conditions associated with an underlying metabolic or nutritional or intestinal disease.

Nutritional treatment in chronic kidney disease: the concept of nephroprotection.

Low-protein diets have been advocated for many decades as the cornerstone in the treatment of chronic kidney disease. Initially, the low intake of protein was used to reduce uremic symptoms; thereafter, albeit controversial, evidences suggested that dietary protein restriction can also slow the rate of progression of renal failure and the time until end-stage renal disease. This reviews focuses on the dietary factors and their influence on the loss of renal function and on the evidences in the literature supporting a nephroprotective role of the low-protein diet.

[Renal denervation in ADPKD: an exceptional case]. / Un caso eccezionale di denervazione renale in paziente affetto da ADPKD.

Sympathetic overactivity plays a crucial role in the genesis and aggravation of arterial hypertension in patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). Renal denervation has been shown to be effective and safe in reducing blood pressure (BP) in patients with treatment-resistant hypertension, even with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, there are no cases in hypertensive patients with ADPKD. We report the exceptional case of a woman with stage 4 CKD secondary to ADPKD and uncontrolled treatment-resistant hypertension. Because of the ineffectiveness of all pharmacological and surgical therapeutic strategies, including the uninephrectomy, renal denervation by radiofrequency ablation of the renal artery was performed. The patient decreased the requirement of antihypertensive medication and the BP showed a remarkable reduction, that resulted stable 12 months after the procedure.

Complications of native arteriovenous fistula: the role of color Doppler ultrasonography.

Color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) is a readily available, inexpensive and noninvasive method, which has improved the survival of native arteriovenous fistula (AVF) by increasing the early diagnosis of complications. Although angiography has been currently considered as the gold standard for imaging of vascular access abnormalities, CDUS may be superior in some aspects, since it provides information both on the morphology and on the function of vascular access and it is the only tool directly available to the nephrologist. In addition, CDUS offers the advantage of a non-invasive bedside procedure with lower costs and with no need for radiocontrast.

Role of reactive oxygen species in pathogenesis of radiocontrast-induced nephropathy.

In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated enhanced hypoxia and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the kidney following the administration of iodinated contrast media, which play a relevant role in the development of contrast media-induced nephropathy. Many studies indeed support this possibility, suggesting a protective effect of ROS scavenging or reduced ROS formation with the administration of N-acetylcysteine and bicarbonate infusion, respectively. Furthermore, most risk factors, predisposing to contrast-induced nephropathy, are prone to enhanced renal parenchymal hypoxia and ROS formation. In this review, the association of renal hypoxia and ROS-mediated injury is outlined. Generated during contrast-induced renal parenchymal hypoxia, ROS may exert direct tubular and vascular endothelial injury and might further intensify renal parenchymal hypoxia by virtue of endothelial dysfunction and dysregulation of tubular transport. Preventive strategies conceivably should include inhibition of ROS generation or ROS scavenging.