Serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23): associations with hyperphosphatemia and clinical staging of feline chronic kidney disease.

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) is an independent monitor of the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in human medicine, and FGF-23 may have value as a biomarker in feline CKD. We evaluated the relationship between serum FGF-23 and CKD stages, and the effect of age on FGF-23 in normal cats. We measured FGF-23 and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) concentrations by ELISA, with intra- and inter-assay CVs ≤ 15%. The percentage recovery of FGF-23 and iPTH remained stable for up to 7 d in samples stored at -20°C and -80°C. We measured FGF-23 in 304 cats, among which 196 were diagnosed with CKD. The 108 clinically healthy cats were divided into 5 subgroups based on growth stage (0-2 y, 3-6 y, 7-10 y, 11-14 y, ≥ 15 y). No statistical difference was found in FGF-23 among age groups (p = 0.15) or by sex in healthy subjects. Using the International Renal Interest Society guideline, 34 cats were defined as CKD stage 1, 74 stage 2, 51 stage 3, and 37 stage 4. FGF-23 was higher in cats in all CKD stages than in controls. Higher serum phosphorus was observed in stage 3 (p = 0.04) and 4 (p < 0.01) compared to controls. iPTH increased as CKD progressed. Pearson analysis indicated a positive linear relationship between FGF-23 and iPTH (control: r = 0.70, p < 0.01; CKD: r = 0.46, p = 0.02). FGF-23 may be a useful biomarker of feline CKD and may precede hyperphosphatemia in advanced feline CKD.

Association between polymorphisms in the XRCC1 gene and male infertility risk: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) might correlate with male infertility susceptibility. This association has been described; however, the findings remain inconsistent. Consequently, this meta-analysis was conducted to characterize the relationship between XRCC1 SNPs and male infertility susceptibility. METHODS/MAIN RESULTS: Studies were systematically searched in databases to evaluate the association between SNPs of XRCC1 and infertility in males. The effect measures chosen were the 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and odds ratios (ORs). A total of 7 studies, including 6 case-controlled studies on XRCC1 Arg399Gln and 3 case-controlled studies on XRCC1 Arg194Trp, were included. Ultimately, the results of this analysis revealed that XRCC1 Arg399Gln SNPs were significantly associated with infertility in males in homozygote comparisons (GG vs GA+AA: OR = 0.614, 95% CI: 0.40-0.937, P = .024). This meta-analysis did not demonstrate a relationship between XRCC1 Arg194Trp and male infertility risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism was associated with a significantly decreased male infertility risk, but not XRCC1 Arg194Trp.