Renal tubular injury is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is involved in diabetic nephropathy. Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is an effective inhibitor of ER stress. Here, we investigated the role of TUDCA in the progression of tubular injury in DN. For eight weeks, being treated with TUDCA at 250 mg/kg intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) twice a day, diabetic db/db mice had significantly reduced blood glucose, albuminuria and attenuated renal histopathology. These changes were associated with a significant decreased expression of ER stress markers. At the same time, diabetic db/db mice had more TUNEL-positive nuclei in the renal tubule, which were attenuated by TUDCA treatment, along with decreases in ER stress–associated apoptotic markers in the kidneys. In summary, the effect of TUDCA on tubular injury, in part, is associated with inhibition of ER stress in the kidneys of diabetic db/db mice. TUDCA shows potential as a therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of DN.
Background Although the relation between serum uric acid (SUA) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) has been studied for decades, however, their association remains debatable. Methods This is a retrospective study in which a total of 435 hospitalized Chinese patients with type 2 DKD were enrolled. The subjects were stratified into quartiles according to SUA level. LVH was assessed by two-dimensional guided M-mode echocardiography. Results There was a significant increase in the prevalence of LVH in patients with type 2 DKD across SUA quartiles (28.9, 26.5, 36.1, and 49.5%; p < 0.001). The Spearman analysis indicated that SUA was positively correlated to LVMI and negatively correlated to eGFR. The logistic regression analysis revealed that the odd ratio for LVH in the highest SUA quartile was 2.439 (95% CI 1.265–4.699; p = 0.008; model 1) or 2.576 (95% CI 1.150–5.768; p = 0.021; model 2) compared with that in the lowest SUA quartile. However, there was no significant increased risk of LVH in the subjects with the highest SUA quartile after adjusting the eGFR (OR = 1.750; 95% CI 0.685–4.470; p = 0.242; model 3). Conclusions In selected population, such as type 2 DKD, the elevated SUA level is positively linked with the increased risk of LVH, but this relationship is not independent of eGFR.
The influence of sediment media on the blade pressure and cavitation of a tubular turbine was investigated in this study. The Zwart–Geber–Belamri cavitation model and the shear stress transport k–w turbulence model were applied to numerically simulate and experimentally validate the full flow path of the tubular turbine under combined conditions for sediment particle sizes of 0.01 and 0.05 mm and concentrations of 1%, 1.5%, and 2%. The results show that the pressure of the blade increases with the sediment concentration. Cavitation mainly occurs between the blade shroud and the leading edge. The higher the sediment concentration, the lower the vapor volume fraction at the same sediment particle size. The presence of sediments inhibits further cavitation development, and the inhibition effect is significant. At the same concentration, the larger the particle size of the sediment, the lower the vapor volume fraction. Thus, the increase in the particle size inhibits cavitation, but the inhibition effect is not significant.
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