Changes in lactate dehydrogenase on admission throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and possible impacts on prognostic capability.

Introduction: The enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a good marker of general hyperinflammation correlated with mortality for COVID-19, and is therefore used in prognosis tools. In a current COVID-19 clinical randomized trial (CRT), the blood level of LDH was selected as an inclusion criterion. However, LDH decreased during the pandemic; hence, the impact of this decrease on the prognostic value of LDH for mortality was evaluated. Methods: Data on LDH levels in 843 patients were obtained and analyzed. Relative risk, standard error and receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated for two cutoff values. Results: Relative risk lost validity and the area under the curve narrowed by trimester during the pandemic. Conclusion: The progressive decrease in LDH impacted the capacity to predict mortality in COVID-19. More studies are needed to validate this finding and its implications.

A.L.L. Y.O.U. N.E.E.D. I.S. L.O.V.E. Manual on health self-management and patient-reported outcomes among low-income young adult Mexicans on chronic dialysis: Feasibility study.

PURPOSE: We evaluated disease knowledge/self-management skills among low-income Mexican young adults maintained on dialysis and to test the effectiveness of the A.L.L. Y.O.U. N.E.E.D. I.S. L.O.V.E (AYNIL) Manual - Spanish Version on patient-reported outcomes. This is a low literacy teaching tool designed with patients and educators' input. DESIGN AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in 17 chronic dialysis patients at Mexico City's Hospital General de México, Dr. Eduardo Liceaga. Ages 18-30-year-old completed disease knowledge/self-management and quality of life measures before the intervention and 6 weeks later. RESULTS: Significant increases were observed on disease knowledge/self-management scores in the STARx questionnaire from 47 (IQ: 40,51) to 50 (IQ: 48,54) p = 0.04. The UNC-TRxANSITION Index increased significantly from 4.8 (IQ: 3.9,5.7) to 7.7 (IQ: 7.5,8.2) p ≤0.001. Significant increases in scores were detected in the "Burden of kidney disease" (p = 0.008), "Effects of kidney disease" " (p = 0.03) and " Dialysis staff encouragement" (p = 0.027) based on the KDQoL survey. CONCLUSIONS: In this vulnerable population, the Spanish version of the A.L.L. Y.O.U. N.E.E.D. I.S. L.O.V.E. - AYNIL Manual improved CKD/ESRD disease knowledge/self-management skills and HRQoL. This study highlighted the need for low-literacy educational tools to improve patient-reported outcomes. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Young adults with CKD/ESRD can benefit from patient-centered educational interventions to enhance their autonomy and the development of self-management behaviors that improve patient-reported outcomes and potential complications of the disease. Special attention is needed in low-income patients with low rates of adherence to treatments and poor self-management skills.

Prevalencia de polimorfismos del receptor de vitamina D en pacientes pediátricos mexicanos con enfermedad renal crónica / Prevalence of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms in Mexican children with chronic kidney disease

Introducción. La posible influencia de los diferentes polimorfismos del receptor de vitamina D sobre la regulación del eje calcio-hormona paratiroidea -vitamina D es particularmente importante en pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica, ya que cursan con trastornos en el metabolismo mineral óseo. El objetivo del trabajo fue describir la frecuencia de los polimorfismos rs7975232 (ApaI), rs731236 (TaqI) y rs1544410 (BsmI) en el receptor de vitamina D y su relación con el calcio, el fósforo, la fosfatasa alcalina y la hormona paratiroidea en pacientes pediátricos con enfermedad renal crónica. Métodos. Se incluyeron 31 pacientes con enfermedad renal crónica. Se tomaron muestras de sangre a cada uno para la determinación de marcadores bioquímicos y muestras de ADN para la genotipificación del gen del receptor a vitamina D utilizando el método de la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa y restricción enzimática. Resultados. La edad promedio de los pacientes fue de 15.6 ± 3.6 años. Para ApaI, fueron homocigotos AA siete pacientes (22.58%); Aa, 18 pacientes (58.06%) y AA, seis pacientes (19.35%). Para BsmI, 14 pacientes fueron BB (45.16%) y 17 pacientes fueron Bb (54.83%). Los pacientes BB tuvieron calcio sérico mayor que los Bb (p = 0.04). Para TaqI, fueron TT 19 pacientes (61.3%); Tt, once pacientes (35.48%) y uno, tt (3.22%). Aquellos con alelo t (Tt o tt) presentaron concentraciones de calcio sérico significativamente más bajas que el homocigoto TT. Conclusiones. Se reportaron las frecuencias de genotipos y alelos del receptor de vitamina D en niños mexicanos. Se obtuvieron valores de calcio sérico más elevados en aquellos con alelo BB o TT.

Background. The possible influence of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms on the regulation of the calcium-parathyroid hormone-vitamin D axis is particularly important in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients due to alterations in bone mineral metabolism. The aim of the study was to describe the frequency of VDR gene polymorphisms rs7975232 (ApaI), rs731236 (TaqI), rs1544410 (BsmI) and their relationship with serum calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase and parathyroid hormone in children with ESRD. Methods. Thirty one patients were included in the study. Blood samples were drawn for biochemical determinations and DNA extraction. VDR genotypes were analyzed as restriction fragment length polymorphisms using ApaI, BsmI and TaqI. Results. Mean age of the patients was 15.6 ± 3.6 years. For ApaI, seven patients were AA (22.58%), 18 patients were Aa (58.06%) and six patients were aa (19.35%). For BsmI, 14 patients were BB (45.16%) and 17 were Bb (54.83%). Patients who were homozygous for BB had higher serum calcium concentrations than Bb patients (p = 0.04). For TaqI, 19 patients were TT (61.3%), 11 were Tt (35.48%) and one was tt (3.22%). Those with t allele (Tt or tt) had serum calcium concentrations significantly lower than TT patients. Conclusions. Genotype and allele frequency of the VDR gene is reported in Mexican patients with ESRD. Those with BB or TT genotype had higher serum calcium concentrations.