Carotid intima media thickness, oxidative stress, and inflammation in children with chronic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the association between inflammation and oxidative stress with carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) and elasticity increment module (E(inc)) in pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: This analytical, cross-sectional study assessed 134 children aged 6-17 years with CKD. Anthropometric measurements and biochemistry of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß, reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, and homocysteine were recorded. Bilateral carotid ultrasound (US) was taken. Patients were compared with controls for cIMT and E(inc) using ≥ 75 percentile (PC). RESULTS: Mean cIMT was 0.528 ± 0.089 mm; E(inc) was 0.174 ± 0.121 kPa × 10(3); cIMT negatively correlated with phosphorus (r -0.19, p =0.028) and the calcium × phosphorus (Ca × P) product (r -0.26, p =0.002), and positively with iPTH (r 0.19,p =0.024). After adjusting for potential confounders, hemodialysis (HD) (ß=0.111, p =<0.001), automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) (ß=0.064, p =0.026), and Ca x P product(ß=-0.002, p =0.015) predicted cIMT (R(2)=0.296). In patients on dialysis, HD (ß=0.068, p =0.010), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (ß=0.001, p =0.048), and GSH(ß=-0.0001, p=0.041) independently predicted cIMT (R(2)=0.204); HD, hypoalbuminemia, and high iPTH increased the risk of increased cIMT. In dialysis, E(inc) was inversely associated with GSH, and in predialysis, Ca × P correlated with/predicted E(inc) (ß=0.001, p =0.009). CONCLUSIONS: cIMT and E(inc) strongly associate with several biochemical parameters and GSH but not with other oxidative stress or inflammation markers.

Retinoic acid improves morphology of cultured peritoneal mesothelial cells from patients undergoing dialysis.

Patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis are classified according to their peritoneal permeability as low transporter (low solute permeability) or High transporter (high solute permeability). Factors that determine the differences in permeability between them have not been fully disclosed. We investigated morphological features of cultured human peritoneal mesothelial cells from low or high transporter patients and its response to All trans retinoic Acid (ATRA, vitamin A active metabolite), as compared to non-uremic human peritoneal mesothelial cells. Control cells were isolated from human omentum. High or low transporter cells were obtained from dialysis effluents. Cells were cultured in media containing ATRA (0, 50, 100 or 200 nM). We studied length and distribution of microvilli and cilia (scanning electron microscopy), epithelial (cytokeratin, claudin-1, ZO-1 and occludin) and mesenchymal (vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin) transition markers by immunofluorescence and Western blot, and transforming growth factor ß1 expression by Western blot. Low and high transporter exhibited hypertrophic cells, reduction in claudin-1, occludin and ZO-1 expression, cytokeratin and vimentin disorganization and positive α-smooth muscle actin label. Vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin and transforming growth factor-ß1 were overexpressed in low transporter. Ciliated cells were diminished in low and high transporters. Microvilli number and length were severely reduced in high transporter. ATRA reduced hypertrophic cells number in low transporter. It also improved cytokeratin and vimentin organization, decreased vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin expression, and increased claudin 1, occludin and ZO-1 expression, in low and high transporter. In low transporter, ATRA reduced transforming growth factor-ß1 expression. ATRA augmented percentage of ciliated cells in low and high transporter. It also augmented cilia length in high transporter. Alterations in structure, epithelial mesenchymal markers and transforming growth factor-ß1 expression were differential between low and high transporter. Beneficial effects of ATRA were improved human peritoneal mesothelial cells morphology tending to normalize structures.

Automated peritoneal dialysis as the modality of choice: a single-center, 3-year experience with 458 children in Mexico.

Automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) has been considered as the ideal dialysis modality for pediatric patients. This study reports the 3-year APD experience with 458 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) children who started APD in a single pediatric center in Mexico City between June 2003 and June 2006. By June 2003, there were 310 patients being treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). At that time, these patients were gradually switched to APD, with priority being given to those prescribed more than four exchanges per day, younger than 6 years of age, or presenting complications [hernias or decreased ultrafiltration (UF)]. An improvement of daily UF was observed when the patients were switched from CAPD (590 +/- 340 ml/day) to APD (846 +/- 335 ml/day). The presence of edema decreased (from 67% to 8%) as well as the percentage of patients requiring antihypertensive drugs (from 83% to 38%), the peritonitis rate improved from one episode every 35 patient/month to one episode every 47 patient/month, the total number of hospitalizations decreased (from 384 to 51), and 85% of children attended school. While waiting for renal transplant, APD is the dialysis modality of choice for ESRD children at the La Raza Medical Center in Mexico City.