Atrasentan and renal events in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (SONAR): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Short-term treatment for people with type 2 diabetes using a low dose of the selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan reduces albuminuria without causing significant sodium retention. We report the long-term effects of treatment with atrasentan on major renal outcomes. Methods: We did this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 689 sites in 41 countries. We enrolled adults aged 18–85 years with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)25–75 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 of body surface area, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR)of 300–5000 mg/g who had received maximum labelled or tolerated renin–angiotensin system inhibition for at least 4 weeks. Participants were given atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily during an enrichment period before random group assignment. Those with a UACR decrease of at least 30% with no substantial fluid retention during the enrichment period (responders)were included in the double-blind treatment period. Responders were randomly assigned to receive either atrasentan 0·75 mg orally daily or placebo. All patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine (sustained for ≥30 days)or end-stage kidney disease (eGFR <15 mL/min per 1·73 m 2 sustained for ≥90 days, chronic dialysis for ≥90 days, kidney transplantation, or death from kidney failure)in the intention-to-treat population of all responders. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of their assigned study treatment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01858532. Findings: Between May 17, 2013, and July 13, 2017, 11 087 patients were screened; 5117 entered the enrichment period, and 4711 completed the enrichment period. Of these, 2648 patients were responders and were randomly assigned to the atrasentan group (n=1325)or placebo group (n=1323). Median follow-up was 2·2 years (IQR 1·4–2·9). 79 (6·0%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 105 (7·9%)of 1323 in the placebo group had a primary composite renal endpoint event (hazard ratio [HR]0·65 [95% CI 0·49–0·88]; p=0·0047). Fluid retention and anaemia adverse events, which have been previously attributed to endothelin receptor antagonists, were more frequent in the atrasentan group than in the placebo group. Hospital admission for heart failure occurred in 47 (3·5%)of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 34 (2·6%)of 1323 patients in the placebo group (HR 1·33 [95% CI 0·85–2·07]; p=0·208). 58 (4·4%)patients in the atrasentan group and 52 (3·9%)in the placebo group died (HR 1·09 [95% CI 0·75–1·59]; p=0·65). Interpretation: Atrasentan reduced the risk of renal events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease who were selected to optimise efficacy and safety. These data support a potential role for selective endothelin receptor antagonists in protecting renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease. Funding: AbbVie

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to &lt;90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], &gt;300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of &lt;15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P&lt;0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P&lt;0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Avaliação da eficácia do uso intravenoso de sacarato de hidróxido de ferro III no tratamento de pacientes adultos com anemia ferropriva Evaluation of the efficacy of intravenous iron III-hydroxide saccharate for treating adult patients with iron deficiency anemia

O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a eficácia do uso intravenoso de sacarato de hidróxido de ferro III no tratamento de pacientes adultos com anemia ferropriva. No período de janeiro de 2003 a dezembro de 2005, estudamos cinqüenta pacientes com anemia ferropriva que apresentaram intolerância e/ou resposta inadequada ao tratamento com ferro por via oral e/ou valor de hemoglobina inferior a 7,0 g/dL. Os principais exames laboratoriais realizados foram: hemograma completo, contagem de reticulócitos, ferro sérico, capacidade total de ligação de ferro e ferritina sérica. Os pacientes receberam uma dose semanal de 200 mg de sacarato de hidróxido de ferro III diluído em 250 mL de soro fisiológico a 0,9%, administrado por via intravenosa em trinta minutos. O tratamento foi realizado até a obtenção do valor de hemoglobina igual ou maior que 12,0 g/dL para mulheres e 13,0 g/dL para homens, ou até a administração da dose total de ferro parenteral recomendada para cada paciente. A idade mediana dos cinqüenta pacientes estudados foi de 45 anos, variando entre 28 e 76 anos; quarenta (80,0%) eram do sexo feminino. A causa mais comum de anemia ferropriva no sexo feminino foi sangramento uterino anormal observado em 25/40 pacientes (62,5%) e, no sexo masculino, gastrectomia parcial em 7/10 (70,0%). Vinte e quatro (48,0%) pacientes foram incluídos nesse estudo por falta de resposta à terapia com ferro oral, 22 (44,0%) por intolerância ao ferro oral e quatro (8,0%) por hemoglobina < 7,0 g/dL. Os valores médios da hemoglobina e da ferritina sérica foram de 8,48 g/dL e 4,65 ng/mL (pré-tratamento) e 12,34 g/dL e 93,20 ng/mL (pós-tratamento)(p<0,001), respectivamente. O aumento médio de hemoglobina foi de 3,61 g/dL e de 4,83 g/dL para os sexos feminino e masculino, respectivamente. Correção da anemia foi obtida em 26 (65,0%) das quarenta pacientes do sexo feminino e em nove (90,0%) dos dez pacientes do sexo masculino. Seis pacientes haviam recebido transfusão de hemácias antes de iniciar o tratamento com ferro intravenoso. Dos cinqüenta pacientes estudados, nenhum recebeu transfusão de hemácias durante ou após o término do tratamento. O uso intravenoso de sacarato de hidróxido de ferro III é uma opção eficaz e segura no tratamento de pacientes adultos com anemia ferropriva que não obtiveram resposta satisfatória com a utilização do ferro oral. Esta opção terapêutica deve ser levada em consideração sobretudo nos pacientes com anemia sintomática a fim de se obter rápido aumento dos valores da hemoglobina e se evitar transfusão de hemácias.<br>The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous iron III-hydroxide saccharate to treat adult patients with iron deficiency anemia. Between January 2003 and December 2005 we studied 50 patients with iron deficiency anemia who presented intolerance or inadequate response to oral iron therapy, or hemoglobin level < 7 g/dL. The main laboratory tests performed were: complete blood cell count, reticulocyte count, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity and serum ferritin. The patients received a weekly dose of 200 mg of iron diluted in 250 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride solution administered intravenously during 30 minutes. It was performed until a hemoglobin level = 12.0 g/dL for women or13.0 g/dL for men was reached or completing the administration of the total dose of parenteral iron recommended for each patient. The median age of the patients studied was 45 years (age range from 18 to 76). Forty out of 25 patients (80%) were women. The most common cause of iron deficiency anemia was abnormal uterine bleeding observed in 62.5% of female patients (25 out of 40) and partial gastrectomy in 70% of male patients (7 out of 10). Twenty-four (48%) patients were included in this study due to a lack of response to oral iron therapy, 22 (44%) showed intolerance to oral iron and 2 (8%) presented with a hemoglobin level < 7.0 g/dL. The mean hemoglobin and ferritin values were 8.48 g/dL and 4.65 ng/mL (pretreatment) and 12.34 g/dL and 93.20 ng/mL (post-treatment) (p<0.001), respectively. The average increase of hemoglobin was 3.61 g/dL and 4.83 gdL for women and men, respectively. Correction of anemia was obtained in 26 out of 40 female patients (65%) and in 9 out of 10 male patients (90%). Six patients received blood transfusions before starting intravenous iron treatment. None of the 50 studied patients needed red blood cell transfusions during or after completing the treatment. The use of intravenous iron III-hydroxide saccharate is an efficacious and safe option in the treatment of adult patients with iron deficiency anemia who lack satisfactory response to oral iron therapy. This treatment option should be considered mainly in patients with severe anemia in order to obtain rapid increases in the hemoglobin levels and to avoid blood transfusions