Attenuation of diabetic nephropathy by Chaihuang-Yishen granule through anti-inflammatory mechanism in streptozotocin-induced rat model of diabetics

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Traditional Chinese medical herbs have been used in China for a long time to treat different diseases. Based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) principle, Chaihuang-Yishen granule (CHYS) was developed and has been employed clinically to treat chronic kidney disease including diabetic nephropathy (DN). The present study was designed to investigate its mechanism of action in treatment of DN.

Materials and methods

Diabetic rats were established by having a right uninephrectomy plus a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ. Rats were divided into four groups of sham, diabetes, diabetes with CHYS and diabetes with fosinopril. CHYS and fosinopril were given to rats by gavage for 20 weeks. Samples from blood, urine and kidney were collected for biochemical, histological, immunohistochemical and molecular analyses.

Results

Rats treated with CHYS showed reduced 24 h urinary protein excretion, decreased serum TC and TG levels, but CHYS treatment did not affect blood glucose level. Glomerular mesangial expansion and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in diabetic rats were significantly alleviated by CHYS treatment. Moreover, CHYS administration markedly reduced mRNA levels of NF-κB p65 and TGF-β1, as well as decreased protein levels of NF-κB p65, MCP-1, TNF-α and TGF-β1 in the kidney of diabetic rats.

Conclusions

CHYS ameliorates renal injury in diabetic rats through reduction of inflammatory cytokines and their intracellular signaling.     

舒张性心力衰竭治疗的现状和展望

舒张性心力衰竭（心衰）的治疗主要是针对高血压、糖尿病、高脂血症等原发疾病,积极纠正不良的生活习惯、进行饮食及运动疗法,必要时给予相应的药物治疗。临床及基础研究均证实,高血压可应用ACEI或ARB、长效钙离子拮抗剂、β受体阻断剂;高胆固醇血症可应用他汀类药物;2型糖尿病可以应用胰岛素增敏剂（注意体液潴留所致的淤血）来改善舒张功能障碍。其中,人们期望他汀类药物不仅可以使收缩性心衰患者获益,也可以让舒张性心衰患者获得良好的治疗效果（尚待论证）。目前认为舒张功能的控制与血管内皮细胞来源的NO密切相关（除了前述药物外还有开放KATP通道的药物、利钠肽等）。然而,在舒张功能不全的临床治疗方面仍存在许多问题,需要今后进一步的探讨和研究。     

血压控制及其注意事项

众所周知,高血压与糖尿病都是动脉硬化的危险因素,两者共存则能导致高度危险状态。伴随年龄的增长患高血压和糖尿病的人也随之增多,当然,合并高血压糖尿病的患者也在增加。另一方面,老年高血压、糖尿病患者与其他年龄段患者相比,其病况及治疗原则也存在差异。本文就老年糖尿病患者中的高血压治疗进行阐述。     

Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is extremely common in older adults and the potential benefits of secondary prevention are perhaps greater in this population than in younger patients. While there is good evidence that secondary prevention efforts are justified in patients up to 80 years of age, limited data are available on secondary prevention in octogenarians and there is no evidence to guide treatment in patients ≥ 90 years of age. Further, the value of secondary prevention may be confounded by prevalent comorbidities, polypharmacy, and limited life expectancy. It is therefore essential that all management decisions be made in relation to individual preferences and goals of care, with understanding by patients that benefits as well as risks may increase with age. Furthermore, research is needed to refine markers to better delineate which older adults are most likely to benefit from preventive therapies.     

Is ivabradine suitable to control undesirable tachycardia induced by dobutamine in cardiogenic shock treatment?

Inotropic treatment remains the cornerstone for cardiogenic shock, an emergency that requires immediate resuscitative therapy before shock irreversibly damages vital organs. Although the sympathomimetic drug dobutamine is the most widely-used inotropic drug worldwide, it has several side effects including sinus tachycardia. Dobutamine partly restores systolic heart failure (HF); however, it increases the heart rate (HR) which counterbalances the beneficial effects. Ivabradine, a new selective I_f inhibitor, provides specific HR reduction and is indicated in stable coronary artery disease and in stable chronic HF with left ventricular dysfunction. Despite scarce data indicating beneficial effects of ivabradine in sinus tachycardia in various clinical settings, this drug remains contraindicated in acute HF. We propose that ivabradine could help to prevent the dobutamine-induced side effects, and that their combination in clinical practice could lead to pure inotropic effects, useful for the management of cardiogenic shock.     

Thyroid Status and Death Risk in US Veterans With Chronic Kidney Disease

Objective

Given that patients with non–dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD) have a disproportionately higher prevalence of hypothyroidism compared with their non-CKD counterparts, we sought to determine the association between thyroid status, defined by serum thyrotropin (TSH) levels, and mortality among a national cohort of patients with NDD-CKD.

End-Stage Renal Disease and Mortality Outcomes Across Different Glomerulonephropathies in a Large Diverse US Population

Objective

To compare renal function decline, incident end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and mortality among patients with 5 common glomerular diseases in a large diverse population.

Trajectories of fasting plasma glucose variability and mortality in type 2 diabetes

Aim

To investigate the effect of changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) variability, as assessed by 2-year trajectories of FPG variability, on mortality risk in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).