The Renoprotective Effect of Linagliptin in Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Severely Increased Albuminuria.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have suggested that linagliptin may represent renoprotective effects besides its anti-hyperglycemic properties in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, there is a lack of decisive evidence to support this assumption. This study aimed to address the effect of linagliptin in type 2 diabetic patients with severely increased albuminuria. METHODS: In this randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, type 2 diabetic patients with severely increased albuminuria (albuminuria ≥ 300 mg/24 h) were enrolled. Patients were randomized to linagliptin (5 mg/d) and placebo based on a computer-generated list of random numbers. Biochemical (fasting blood sugar (FBS) (mg/dL), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (%), proteinuria (mg/24h), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (mg/dL), serum creatinine (mg/dL)) and clinical variables (weight (kg), systolic, and diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)) were measured at baseline and 3 and 6 months post intervention. RESULTS: At baseline, no statistically significant difference was detected in demographic characteristics between the two groups (P > .05). A significant decrease was observed in proteinuria, FBS, weight, SBP, and DBP in the intervention group after 6 months (Ptime < .05), however; none of the clinical and biochemical variables showed a significant difference between groups after 6 months (Pgroup > .05). CONCLUSION: Linagliptin may serve as a renoprotective therapeutic option in diabetic patients with severely increased albuminuria due to its role in proteinuria reduction. Results of this study can be used for future large-scale, long-term studies investigating the renoprotective effects of linagliptin in patients with diabetic nephropathy. DOI: 10.52547/ijkd.6110.

Does Omega-3 supplementation decrease carotid intima-media thickening in hemodialysis patients?

OBJECTIVE: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed to assess the effect of omega-3 supplementation (3 g/day) on atherosclerosis progression by measuring carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS: A total of 54 HD patients were randomized into two groups: Intervention group (n = 27), in which patients were given 3 g/day omega-3 for 6 months and placebo group (n = 27), in which patients received placebo using the same administration protocol. All patients underwent a carotid artery ultrasound scan to measure cIMT at baseline and at 6 months. FINDINGS: cIMT decreased significantly in omega-3 group (0.79 ± 0.21 mm at baseline vs. 0.65 ± 0.18 mm at 6 months, P < 0.001). On the other hand, a nonsignificant increase in cIMT was seen in placebo group (0.75 ± 0.17 mm at baseline vs. 0.79 ± 0.17 mm at 6 months, P = 0.12). Moreover, cIMT was statistically significantly different between omega-3 and placebo groups at 6 months (P < 0.001). After 6 months, a statistically significant increase was observed in high-density lipoprotein level in omega-3 group compared to placebo group (P = 0.03). Urea reduction ratio was also statistically significantly higher in omega-3 than placebo group at 6 months (P = 0.03). No significant difference was observed in terms of other variables between the two groups. CONCLUSION: These data suggested that omega-3 supplementation plays a protective role in the progression of atherosclerosis in HD patients.

Low-dose pamidronate for treatment of early bone loss following kidney transplantation: a randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Kidney transplantation is associated with rapid loss of bone mineral density (BMD) in the first months after transplantation. The effect of pamidronate on bone loss after transplantation was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients were enrolled in this study (16 in the pamidronate group and 24 in the control group). Pamidrinate was administered as 30-mg intravenous infusion within 2 days after transplantation and 3 months later. All of the patients received calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Laboratory parameters and BMD (lumbar spine and femoral neck) were measured at baseline and 6 months after kidney transplantation. RESULTS: Bone mineral density at the initiation of study had no significant differences between the two groups. In each group, BMD of femoral neck and lumbar spine had no significant differences 6 months after transplantation in comparison to pretransplantation values. There was no significant difference in BMD changes after intervention between two groups. Parathyroid hormone level normalized in both of the pamidronate and control groups 6 months after kidney transplantation. Glomerular filtration rate at the end of study was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that administration of calcium and vitamin D following transplantation may be beneficial to counterbalance the substantial bone loss occurring within 6 months after transplantation, and addition of pamidronate has no beneficial effect in BMD in this short interval after kidney transplantation.