Ning Su

Background: Patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) often exhibit abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism. Pneumonia is an important infectious complication in PD patients. Diabetes mellitus (DM) and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are risk factors for pneumonia. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the co-existence of DM and low HDL-C and the occurrence of pneumonia in PD patients. Methods: This multicenter retrospective study was conducted across five PD centers from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2020. The primary outcome was new-onset pneumonia. Patients were divided into four groups based on the presence of DM and low HDL-C. Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between the co-existence of DM and low HDL-C and the development of pneumonia. Results: A total of 1,293 PD patients were included in this study. During a median follow-up period of 53 months, pneumonia occurred in 137 patients (10.6%). Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that patients with coexisting DM and low HDL-C had a significantly increased risk of pneumonia compared to those without either condition (HR = 2.252, 95% CI, 1.232–4.115). Consistent results were observed in subgroup analyses stratified by age, sex, and smoking history. Conclusion: The concurrent assessment of DM and low HDL-C may help identify high-risk individuals for pneumonia and guide the management strategies for PD patients.

The incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients was higher than that in the general population. Although there have been studies on the risk factors of UGIB in PD patients, few studies had established the model of UGIB in PD patients. The purpose of this study was to establish and verify a predictive model of UGIB in PD patients. This retrospective study was conducted between February 1, 2007, and November 15, 2021. The patients were divided into training and validation sets in a 1:1 ratio. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to screen potential risk factors for UGIB. These risk factors were used to generate a prognostic nomogram. The nomogram model predictive performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC)curves, calibration curves and decision curve analysis (DCA). A total of 2107 eligible patients were included in this study. 114 patients suffered from UGIB. After LASSO regression analysis, five representative variables were included in the nomogram: the use of calcium, the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the history of UGIB, hemoglobin, and uric acid. The C-index of the training set was 0.859 (0.810–0.909), and the C-index of the validation set was 0.874 (0.829–0.919). Using Calcium and PPIs, the history of UGIB, hemoglobin, and uric acid were important predictors of UGIB in PD patients. The nomogram developed and validated in this study has the potential to become an effective tool for clinicians to predict UGIB in PD patients.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is often complicated by left ventricular dysfunction, which is associated with a poor prognosis. This study aims to investigate the association between baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) plus left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) with outcomes in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. In this multicenter retrospective study, 1,511 incident Chinese patients on PD between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2021 were enrolled. Restricted cubic splines (RCS) were used to explore the non-linear associations between LVEF+LVEDD and the risk of mortality. Parametric models for interval-censored survival-time data (stintreg) were used to examine the association between LVEF+LVEDD quartiles and the outcomes. During 6,451.11 person-years of follow-up [median 4.81 (IQR 3.61-6.81) years], 247 (17.8%) patients died, including 88 cardiovascular deaths. RCS showed a U-shaped association between LVEF+LVEDD and the risks of all-cause and CV mortality. According to the quartiles, the optimal range of LVEF+LVEDD associated with the lowest risk of all-cause and CV mortality was 103-107, which was set as the reference range. Both higher (≥115) and lower (<103) levels of LVEF+LVEDD were associated with increased risks of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 2.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.58-3.07; HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.19-2.36) and cardiovascular mortality (HR 2.51, 95% CI 1.33-4.75; HR 1.86, 95% CI 0.96-3.61). Low and high levels of baseline LVEF+LVEDD were associated with increased risks of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in PD patients.

Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) significantly impact surgical outcomes, and Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score, a simple and easily available nutritional score, has been demonstrated to be significantly associated with postoperative patient outcomes and complications, including PPCs. However, there are few studies that specifically focus on patients undergoing radical surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 2,553 patients who underwent radical surgery for CRC at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. Patients were divided into three groups: normal nutrition group (CONUT≤1), mild malnutrition group (2 ≤ CONUT≤4), and moderate-to-severe malnutrition group (CONUT≥5). Risk factors for PPCs and all-cause mortality were evaluated by multivariate regression. In addition, we assessed surgical outcomes including ICU admission, hospital stay, 1-year mortality and tumor-related mortality. Results: The incidence of PPCs was 9.0% ( n = 230). Multiple regression showed that the higher the CONUT score, the higher the risk of PPCs (mild malnutrition group vs. normal nutrition group, OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.18–2.20, p = 0.003; moderate-to-severe malnutrition group vs. normal nutrition group, OR: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.51–3.84, p < 0.001). All-cause mortality was significantly higher in moderate-to-severe malnutrition group than that in normal nutrition group, HR: 1.88, (95% CI: 1.34–2.62, p < 0.001). Older age, male sex, chronic heart disease, open surgery, blood transfusion during surgery, distant metastasis of tumor and colon tumor were all risk factors for PPCs. Furthermore, the malnutrition groups had poor surgical outcomes including postoperative pneumonia (mild vs. normal nutrition, OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.07–2.52, p = 0.024; moderate-to-severe vs. normal nutrition, OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.36–4.62, p = 0.00), ICU admission (mild vs. normal nutrition, OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.31–3.56, p = 0.002; moderate-to-severe vs. normal nutrition, OR: 3.86, 95% CI: 2.07–7.20, p < 0.001), hospital stay ≥14 days (mild vs. normal nutrition, OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.08–1.56, p = 0.006) and 1-year mortality (mild vs. normal nutrition, HR: 1.65, 95% CI: 1.11–2.46, p = 0.014; moderate-to-severe vs. normal nutrition, HR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.28–4.02, p = 0.005). Conclusion: The preoperative CONUT score is a potential indicator for predicting PPCs and surgical outcomes in CRC patients.

Insulin resistance (IR) is prevalent in individuals undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) and is related to increased susceptibility to coronary artery disease and initial peritonitis. In recent investigations, correlations have been found between indices of IR and the incidence of all-cause mortality in various populations. However, such correlations have not been detected among individuals undergoing PD. Hence, the present study’s aim was to explore the connections between IR indices and the incidence of all-cause mortality in PD patients. Peritoneal dialysis patients (n = 1736) were recruited from multiple PD centres between January 2010 and December 2021. Cox proportional hazards and restricted cubic spline regression models were used to evaluate the connections between the triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index, triglyceride–glucose/body mass index (TyG–BMI), and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio and the occurrence of all-cause mortality. All three IR indices were integrated into the same model to assess the predictive stability. Furthermore, a forest plot was employed to display the findings of the subgroup analysis of PD patients. Overall, 378 mortality events were recorded during a median follow-up time of 2098 days. Among PD patients, a higher TyG index, TyG–BMI, and TG/HDL-C ratio were identified as independent risk factors for all-cause mortality according to Cox proportional hazards analyses (hazard ratio (HR) 1.588, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.261–2.000; HR 1.428, 95% CI 1.067–1.910; HR 1.431, 95% CI 1.105–1.853, respectively). In a model integrating the three IR indices, the TyG index showed the highest predictive stability. According to the forest plot for the TyG index, no significant interactions were observed among the subgroups. Significant associations were found between the TyG index, TyG–BMI, and TG/HDL-C ratio and the incidence of all-cause mortality among PD patients. The TyG index may be the most stable of the three surrogate IR markers. Finally, a correlation was identified between IR and the risk of all-cause mortality in patients undergoing PD.

Background: The senescence of renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) is crucial in the progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Accumulating evidence suggests a close association between insufficient mitophagy and RTEC senescence. Yeast mitochondrial escape 1-like 1 (YME1L), an inner mitochondrial membrane metalloprotease, maintains mitochondrial integrity. Its functions in DKD remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether YME1L can prevent the progression of DKD by regulating mitophagy and cellular senescence. Methods: We analyzed YME1L expression in renal tubules of DKD patients and mice, explored transcriptomic changes associated with YME1L overexpression in RTECs, and assessed its impact on RTEC senescence and renal dysfunction using an HFD/STZ-induced DKD mouse model. Tubule-specific overexpression of YME1L was achieved through the use of recombinant adeno-associated virus 2/9 (rAAV 2/9). We conducted both in vivo and in vitro experiments to evaluate the effects of YME1L overexpression on mitophagy and mitochondrial function. Furthermore, we performed LC–MS/MS analysis to identify potential protein interactions involving YME1L and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Results: Our findings revealed a significant decrease in YME1L expression in the renal tubules of DKD patients and mice. However, tubule-specific overexpression of YME1L significantly alleviated RTEC senescence and renal dysfunction in the HFD/STZ-induced DKD mouse model. Moreover, YME1L overexpression exhibited positive effects on enhancing mitophagy and improving mitochondrial function both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, our LC–MS/MS analysis uncovered a crucial mitophagy receptor, BCL2-like 13 (BCL2L13), as an interacting partner of YME1L. Furthermore, YME1L was found to promote the phosphorylation of BCL2L13, highlighting its role in regulating mitophagy. Conclusions: This study provides compelling evidence that YME1L plays a critical role in protecting RTECs from cellular senescence and impeding the progression of DKD. Overexpression of YME1L demonstrated significant therapeutic potential by ameliorating both RTEC senescence and renal dysfunction in the DKD mice. Moreover, our findings indicate that YME1L enhances mitophagy and improves mitochondrial function, potentially through its interaction with BCL2L13 and subsequent phosphorylation. These novel insights into the protective mechanisms of YME1L offer a promising strategy for developing therapies targeting DKD.

Malnutrition and inflammation are associated with mortality in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Serum albumin and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) are independently associated with mortality in PD patients. Combining albumin and non-HDL-C with mortality may be more plausible in clinical practice. This retrospective cohort study included 1954 Chinese PD patients from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2016. Kaplan-Meier curve was used to determine the relationship between albumin to non-HDL-C ratio and all-cause mortality. Cox regression analysis was applied to assess the independent predictive value while adjusting for confounding factors. Competitive risk analysis was used to examine the effects of other outcomes on all-cause mortality prognosis. In the 33-month follow-up period, there were 538 all-cause deaths. Kaplan-Meier analysis presented significant differences in all-cause mortality. Multivariate Cox regression showed that the risk of all-cause mortality was lower in the moderate group (9.36-12.79) (HR, 0.731; 95% CI, 0.593-0.902, p = 0.004) and the highest group (>12.79) (HR, 0.705; 95% CI, 0.565-0.879, p = 0.002) compared to the lowest group (≤9.36). Competitive risk analysis revealed significant differences for all-cause mortality (p < 0.001), while there was no statistical significance for other competing events. Low albumin to non-HDL-C ratio was associated with a high risk of all-cause mortality in PD patients. It may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in PD patients.

Serum uric acid to serum creatinine ratio (SUA/Scr) has emerged as a new biomarker, which is significantly associated with several metabolic diseases. However, no study has investigated the association between SUA/Scr and mortality among patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we enrolled CAPD patients in eight tertiary hospitals in China from 1 January 2005 to 31 May 2021. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the relationship between SUA/Scr and mortality. A total of 2480 patients were included; the mean age was 48.9 ± 13.9 years and 56.2% were males. During 12648.0 person-years of follow-up, 527 (21.3%) patients died, of which 267 (50.7%) deaths were caused by cardiovascular disease. After multivariable adjustment for covariates, per unit increase in SUA/Scr was associated with a 62.9% (HR, 1.629 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.420-1.867)) and 73.0% (HR, 1.730 (95% CI 1.467-2.041)) higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Results were similar when categorized individuals by SUA/Scr quartiles. Compared with the lowest quartile of SUA/Scr, the highest and the second highest quartile of SUA/Scr had a 2.361-fold (95% CI 1.810-3.080) and 1.325-fold (95% CI 1.003-1.749) higher risk of all-cause mortality, as well as a 3.701-fold (95% CI 2.496-5.489) and 2.074-fold (95% CI 1.387-3.100) higher risk of cardiovascular mortality. Multivariable-adjusted spline regression models showed nonlinear association of SUA/Scr with mortality in CAPD patients. Higher levels of SUA/Scr were associated with higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in CAPD patients.

Indolent T-cell lymphoma is a rare disease. Here we presented a 53-year-old male patient initially diagnosed as ulcerative colitis in 2000 that finally developed into extensive indolent T-cell lymphoma in 2022. We also described the differences between indolent T-cell lymphoma and inflammatory bowel disease, and the possible disease progression into lymphoma after biological therapy.