65 research outputs found

    A New Methodology for Quantification of Alternatively Spliced Exons Reveals a Highly Tissue-Specific Expression Pattern of WNK1 Isoforms

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    Mutations in the WNK1 gene, encoding a serine-threonine kinase of the WNK (With No lysine (K)) family, have been implicated in two rare human diseases, Familial Hyperkalemic Hypertension (FHHt) and Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy type 2 (HSAN2). Alternative promoters give rise to a ubiquitous isoform, L-WNK1, and a kidney-specific isoform, KS-WNK1. Several other isoforms are generated through alternative splicing of exons 9, 11 and 12 but their precise tissue distribution is not known. Two additional exons, 8b and HSN2, involved in HSAN2, are thought to be specifically expressed in the nervous system. The purpose of this study was to establish an exhaustive description of all WNK1 isoforms and to quantify their relative level of expression in a panel of human and mouse tissues and in mouse nephron segments. For the latter purpose, we developed a new methodology allowing the determination of the proportions of the different isoforms generated by alternative splicing. Our results evidenced a striking tissue-specific distribution of the different isoforms and the unexpected presence of exon HSN2 in many tissues other than the nervous system. We also found exon 26 to be alternatively spliced in human and identified two new exons, 26a and 26b, within intron 26, specifically expressed in nervous tissues both in humans and mice. WNK1 should therefore no longer be designated as a 28- but as a 32-exon gene, with 8 of them - 8b, HSN2, 9, 11, 12, 26, 26a and 26b - alternatively spliced in a tissue-specific manner. These tissue-specific isoforms must be considered when studying the different roles of this ubiquitous kinase

    Relationships between components of blood pressure and cardiovascular events in patients with stable coronary artery disease and hypertension

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    Observational studies have shown a J-shaped relationship between diastolic blood pressure (BP) and cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease. We investigated whether the increased risk associated with low diastolic BP reflects elevated pulse pressure (PP). In 22 672 hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease from the CLARIFY registry (Prospective Observational Longitudinal Registry of Patients With Stable Coronary Artery Disease), followed for a median of 5.0 years, BP was measured annually and averaged. The relationships between PP and diastolic BP, alone or combined, and the primary composite outcome (cardiovascular death or myocardial infarction) were analyzed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Adjusted hazard ratios for the primary outcome were 1.62 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40–1.87), 1.00 (ref), 1.07 (95% CI, 0.94–1.21), 1.54 (95% CI, 1.32–1.79), and 2.34 (95% CI, 1.95–2.81) for PP<45, 45 to 54 (reference), 55 to 64, 65 to 74, and ≥75 mm Hg, respectively, and 1.50 (95% CI, 1.31–1.72), 1.00 (reference), and 1.58 (95% CI, 1.42–1.77) for diastolic BPs of <70, 70 to 79 (ref), and ≥80 mm Hg, respectively. In a cross-classification analysis between diastolic BP and PP, the relationship between diastolic BP and the primary outcome remained J-shaped when the analysis was restricted to patients with the lowest-risk PP (45–64 mm Hg), with adjusted hazard ratios of 1.53 (95% CI, 1.27–1.83), 1.00 (ref), and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.34–1.75) in the <70, 70 to 79 (reference), and ≥80 mm Hg subgroups, respectively. The J-shaped relationship between diastolic BP and cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients with coronary artery disease persists in patients within the lowest-risk PP range and is therefore unlikely to be solely the consequence of an increased PP reflecting advanced vascular disease

    Rescaling creatinine makes GFR estimation equations generally applicable across populations - validation results for the Lund-Malmö equation in a French cohort of sub-Saharan ancestry.

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    peer reviewed[en] OBJECTIVES: To make glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimating equations applicable across populations with different creatinine generation by using rescaled serum creatinine (sCr/Q) where sCr represents the individual creatinine level and Q the average creatinine value in healthy persons of the same population. METHODS: GFR measurements (mGFR, plasma clearance of 51Cr-EDTA) were conducted in 964 adult Black Europeans. We established the re-expressed Lund-Malmö revised equation (r-LMR) by replacing serum creatinine (sCr) with rescaled creatinine sCr/Q. We evaluated the r-LMR equation based on Q-values of White Europeans (r-LMRQ-white; Q-values females: 62 μmol/L, males: 80 μmol/L) and Black Europeans (r-LMRQ-Black; Q-values females: 65 μmol/L, males: 90 μmol/L), and the European Kidney Function Consortium equation (EKFCQ-White and EKFCQ-Black) regarding bias, precision (interquartile range, IQR) and accuracy (percentage of estimates within ±10 % [P10] and ±30 % [P30] of mGFR). RESULTS: Median bias of r-LMRQ-White/r-LMRQ-Black/EKFCQ-White/EKFCQ-Black were -9.1/-4.5/-6.3/-0.9 mL/min/1.73 m2, IQR 14.7/14.5/14.5/15.6 mL/min/1.73 m2, P10 25.1 %/34.8 %/30.3 %/37.2 % and P30 74.2 %/84.1 %/80.6 %/83.6 %. The improvement of bias and accuracy when using proper Q-values was most pronounced in men. Similar improvements were obtained above and below mGFR 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and at various age and BMI intervals, except for BMI<20 kg/m2 where bias increased, and accuracy decreased. CONCLUSIONS: GFR estimating equations may be re-expressed to include rescaled creatinine (sCr/Q) and used across populations with different creatinine generation if population-specific average creatinine concentrations (Q-values) for healthy persons are established

    Optimal or standard control of systolic and diastolic blood pressure across risk factor categories in patients with chronic coronary syndromes

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    Aims: Guidelines have lowered blood pressure (BP) targets to &lt;130/80 mmHg. We examined the benefit of intensive control for each BP component, versus the burden of other modifiable risk factors, in patients with chronic coronary syndromes (CCS). Methods and results: The CLARIFY registry (ISRCTN43070564) enrolled 32 703 CCS patients, from 2009−2010, with a 5-year follow-up. Patients with either BP component below European guideline safety boundaries (120/70 mmHg) were excluded, leaving 19 167 patients (mean age 63.8 ± 10.1 years, 78% men) in the present analysis. A multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model showed a gradual increase in cardiovascular risk (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) when the number of uncontrolled risk factors (active smoking, no physical activity, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥100 mg/dL, and diabetes with glycated haemoglobin ≥7%) increased [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.17−1.52, 1.65 (1.40−1.94), and 2.47 (1.90−3.21) for 1, 2, and 3 or 4 uncontrolled risk factors, respectively, versus 0], without significant interaction with BP. Although uncontrolled systolic (≥140 mmHg) and diastolic (≥90 mmHg) BP were both associated with higher risk than standard BP, standard BP was associated with higher risk than optimal control for only the diastolic component (adjusted HR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.94−1.25 for systolic BP 130−139 versus 120−129 mmHg and 1.43; 95% CI: 1.27−1.62 for diastolic BP 80−89 versus 70−79 mmHg). Conclusions: Our results suggest that optimal BP target in CCS may be ≤139/79 mmHg, and that optimizing the burden of other risk factors should be prioritized over further reduction of systolic BP

    Estimating Extracellular Fluid Volume in Healthy Individuals: Evaluation of Existing Formulae and Development of a New Equation

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    peer reviewedIntroduction: Several clinical settings require an accurate estimation of the physiologically expected extracellular fluid volume (ECFV). We aimed to analyze the performances of existing ECFV-estimating equations and to develop a new equation. Methods: The performances of 11 ECFV-estimating equations were analyzed in 228 healthy kidney donor candidates (Bichat Hospital, Paris, France) who underwent ECFV measurement using the distribution volume of 51Cr-labeled EDTA (51Cr-EDTA). An equation was developed using a penalized linear modeling approach (elastic net regression) and externally (Tenon Hospital, Paris, France, N = 142) validated. Results: Participants from Bichat (mean age 45.2 ± 12.0 years, 43.0% men) and Tenon (47.8 ± 10.3 years, 29.6% men) hospitals had a mean measured ECFV of 15.4 ± 2.8 l and 15.1 ± 2.1 l, respectively. Available ECFV-estimating formulae have highly variable precision and accuracy. The new equation incorporating body weight, height, sex, and age had better precision and accuracy than all other equations in the external validation cohort, with a median bias of −0.20 (95% CI: −0.35 to −0.05) l versus −2.63 (−2.87 to −2.42) l to −0.57 (− 0.83 to −0.40) l and 0.21 (0.12 to 0.43) l to 2.89 (2.65 to 3.11) l, for underestimating and overestimating equations, respectively, an interquartile range for the bias of 0.88 (0.70 to 1.08) l versus 0.91 (0.71 to 1.20) l to 1.93 (1.67 to 2.25) l, and an accuracy within 10% of 90.9% (83.8 to 94.4) versus 88.0% (81.0 to 92.3) to 8.5% (4.2 to 13.4). These results were consistent across subgroups defined by sex, body mass index (BMI), body surface area (BSA), age, and ethnicity. Conclusion: We developed and validated a new equation to estimate the individual reference value of ECFV, which is easily usable in clinical practice. Further validation in cohorts including individuals of extreme age and corpulence remains needed

    Chronic kidney disease has a graded association with death and cardiovascular outcomes in stable coronary artery disease: an analysis of 21,911 patients from the CLARIFY registry

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    Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk in a broad spectrum of populations. However, the risk associated with a reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with stable coronary artery disease receiving standard care in the modern era, independently of baseline cardiovascular disease, risk factors, and comorbidities, remains unclear. We analyzed data from 21,911 patients with stable coronary artery disease, enrolled in 45 countries between November 2009 and July 2010 in the CLARIFY registry. Patients with abnormal renal function were older, with more comorbidities, and received slightly lower—although overall high—rates of evidence-based secondary prevention therapies than patients with normal renal function. The event rate of patients with CKD stage 3b or more (eGFR &lt;45 mL/min/1.73 m2) was much higher than that associated with any comorbid condition. In a multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, lower eGFR was independently associated with a graded increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, with adjusted HRs (95% CI) of 0.98 (0.81–1.18), 1.31 (1.05–1.63), 1.77 (1.38–2.27), and 3.12 (2.25–4.33) for eGFR 60–89, 45–59, 30–44, and &lt;30 mL/min/1.73 m2, compared with eGFR ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2. A strong graded independent relationship exists between the degree of CKD and cardiovascular mortality in this large cohort of patients with chronic coronary artery disease, despite high rates of secondary prevention therapies. Among clinical risk factors and comorbid conditions, CKD stage 3b or more is associated with the highest cardiovascular mortality
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