Citations

Circulating extracellular vesicles, proinflammatory/pro-oxidant metabolites, and history of preeclampsia may be used as biomarkers for diagnosis of early CAC in postmenopausal women.

Background We aimed to assess the longitudinal changes of glycocalyx, a proteoglycan/glycoprotein layer that lines and protects endothelial cells in normotensive pregnancies (NPs); to correlate glycocalyx parameters with kidney injury markers (podocin‐positive to nephrin‐positive [P/N] ratio); and to explore changes in P/N ratio in preeclampsia. Methods Plasma and urine samples and glycocalyx measurements using side‐stream darkfield imaging were collected at each trimester from pregnant women (n=31). Plasma glycocalyx components were measured by ELISA, and urinary P/N‐positive extracellular vesicles by flow cytometry. Results In NPs (n=26), glycocalyx degradation increased from the first to the second trimester ( P =0.008) and returned to first‐trimester values in the third trimester ( P =0.008). Microvascular perfusion decreased from the first to the second trimester ( P =0.006) and increased back to first‐trimester values by the third trimester ( P =0.039). Plasma syndecan 1 level showed a steady increase from the first to the second trimester ( P <0.001) and further in the third trimester ( P <0.001); hyaluronic acid increased from the first to the second trimester ( P =0.016) without further changes. Glycocalyx degradation was associated with an increase in P/N ratio from the first to the second trimester of NPs and remained stable through the third trimester. P/N ratio strongly correlated with elevated syndecan 1 and hyaluronic acid levels in the third trimester. Comparison of P/N ratios between NP and preeclampsia (n=5) showed higher values in preeclampsia across all trimesters ( P =0.028). Conclusions Glycocalyx changes during NPs are associated with elevated urinary podocyte markers. Increase in P/N ratio across NPs, and further in preeclampsia, suggests that podocyte injury in preeclampsia is extension of physiological changes in pregnancy, which may predate its clinical presentation.

Key Points Circulating proteins independently associated with kidney stone diagnosis are related to kidney stone matrix. Lower circulating uromodulin and higher scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain-containing group B protein levels were associated with higher kidney stone risk, whereas kidney stone presence elevates plasma matrix metalloproteinase 7 level. The protective effect of uromodulin against kidney stones was independent of kidney function. Background Kidney stones are increasingly recognized as a systemic disorder with a high global prevalence. However, large proteomics studies are lacking. Methods An individual-level proteomics study with rigorous adjustments was performed on 35,331 UK Biobank participants to uncover the independent associations between 2922 circulating proteins and prevalent kidney stone disease. Mendelian randomization analysis was used to assess causal relationships. Findings were validated using genomic data from the Mayo Clinic Biobank ( N =43,744), concentration-response analysis, transcriptomics analyses, and additional genome-wide association studies. Results Nine plasma proteins were independently associated with a kidney stone diagnosis, including reduced uromodulin (UMOD; β , −0.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.15 to −0.05) and elevated scavenger receptor cysteine-rich domain-containing group B protein (SSC4D; β , 0.28; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.38) and were enriched in extracellular matrix pathways. Mendelian randomization analysis revealed that the presence of kidney stone contributed to elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase 7. Conversely, lower plasma UMOD (odds ratio [OR], 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90 to 0.97) and higher plasma SSC4D (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.18) were associated with kidney stone risk. These associations were consistently replicated in the Mayo Clinic Biobank dataset (UMOD; OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86 to 0.98; SSC4D; OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.27) and further validated by a concentration-response analysis. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing and quantitative trait loci analyses confirmed consistent associations between thick ascending limb UMOD expression and stone former status and with blood and urine UMOD concentrations. Genome-wide association study analysis, adjusted for eGFR, suggested that the protective role of UMOD against kidney stones was independent of kidney function. Conclusions This study highlights significant associations between concentrations of specific blood proteins and a history of kidney stones. Several implicated proteins are related to kidney stone matrix, with UMOD independently associated with lower risk and SSC4D with higher risk of kidney stones.

Abstract The incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is increasing, which may be due to several factors, including an increased age at pregnancy and more comorbid health conditions during reproductive years. Preeclampsia, the most severe hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, has been associated with an increased risk of future disease, including cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Cellular senescence, the process of cell cycle arrest in response to many physiologic and maladaptive stimuli, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and provide a mechanistic link to future disease. In this article, we will discuss the pathophysiology of preeclampsia, the many mechanisms of cellular senescence, evidence for the involvement of senescence in the development of preeclampsia, as well as evidence that cellular senescence may link preeclampsia to the risk of future disease. Lastly, we will explore how a better understanding of the role of cellular senescence in preeclampsia may lead to therapeutic trials. © 2023 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 13:5077‐5114, 2023.

Abstract Preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are major contributors to maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. This group of disorders includes chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension, and eclampsia. The body undergoes important physiological changes during pregnancy to allow for normal placental and fetal development. Several mechanisms have been proposed that may lead to preeclampsia, including abnormal placentation and placental hypoxia, impaired angiogenesis, excessive pro‐inflammatory response, immune system imbalance, abnormalities of cellular senescence, alterations in regulation and activity of angiotensin II, and oxidative stress, ultimately resulting in upregulation of multiple mediators of endothelial cell dysfunction leading to maternal disease. The clinical implications of preeclampsia are significant as there are important short‐term and long‐term health consequences for those affected. Preeclampsia leads to increased risk of preterm delivery and increased morbidity and mortality of both the developing fetus and mother. Preeclampsia also commonly leads to acute kidney injury, and women who experience preeclampsia or another hypertensive disorder of pregnancy are at increased lifetime risk of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. An understanding of normal pregnancy physiology and the pathophysiology of preeclampsia is essential to develop novel treatment approaches and manage patients with preeclampsia and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. © 2023 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 13:4231‐4267, 2023.

Key Points Common kidney stones are unlikely to be an independent and direct cause of CKD in the general population. CKD may protect against kidney stones because of changes in key urinary factors critical for stone formation. Background Kidney stones and CKD are common disorders with a substantial interaction. Although observational studies have suggested a potential for enhanced CKD risk after prior kidney stones, the exact relationship remains ambiguous. Methods Shared comorbidities between two diseases were identified using unbiased screening. Genome-wide association study summary statistics were obtained from the UK Biobank (UKBB), FinnGen, and CKDGen, followed by genetic association analyses across various traits. Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed to define causal links, complemented by multivariable MR that included the shared comorbidities including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Observational analyses were undertaken using cohorts from the Mayo Clinic and a UKBB subset. Results Despite identifying a total of 123 conditions as shared comorbidities, there was no significant genetic correlation between kidney stones and CKD. Unadjusted MR analysis revealed no significant association between kidney stones and CKD risk (UKBB [exposure]/FinnGen [outcome]: odds ratio [OR]=0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88 to 1.06; FinnGen/UKBB: OR=1.17, 95% CI, 0.98 to 1.39). Kidney stones did significantly associate with a higher urinary albumin-creatinine ratio ( β =0.014, 95% CI, 0.002 to –0.025), but this association disappeared in the multivariable MR model ( β =0.009, 95% CI, −0.003 to 0.020). Furthermore, in a cross-sectional analysis limited to the UKBB cohort, a robust regression model did not detect an independent association between kidney stones and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio ( β =0.16, 95% CI, −0.04 to 0.35) or eGFR ( β =0.10, 95% CI, −0.07 to 0.28). Conversely, CKD associated with a diminished risk of kidney stones in multivariable MR models (UKBB/FinnGen: OR=0.77, 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.87; FinnGen/UKBB: OR=0.73, 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.81). Furthermore, in the Mayo Clinic cohort with available urinary biochemistries, lower eGFR was associated with lower urinary calcium excretion and urinary calcium oxalate/phosphate supersaturation. Conclusions In this study, kidney stones were not independently associated with CKD. Conversely, CKD was associated with a lower risk of calcium kidney stones likely via changes in key urinary traits, including lower calcium excretion.