Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem worldwide, and proteinuria is a well-established marker of disease progression in CKD patients. Propolis, a natural resin produced by bees from plant materials, has anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-oxidant properties, as well as having been shown to have an antiproteinuric effect in experimental CKD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Brazilian green propolis extract on proteinuria reduction and the changes in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Methods This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study including patients with CKD caused by diabetes or of another etiology, 18–90 years of age, with an eGFR of 25–70 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 and proteinuria (urinary protein excretion > 300 mg/day) or micro- or macro-albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio > 30 mg/g or > 300 mg/g, respectively). We screened 148 patients and selected 32, randomly assigning them to receive 12 months of Brazilian green propolis extract at a dose of 500 mg/day ( n = 18) or 12 months of a placebo ( n = 14). Results At the end of treatment, proteinuria was significantly lower in the propolis group than in the placebo group—695 mg/24 h (95% CI, 483 to 999) vs. 1403 mg/24 h (95% CI, 1031 to 1909); P = 0.004—independent of variations in eGFR and blood pressure, which did not differ between the groups during follow-up. Urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 was also significantly lower in the propolis group than in the placebo group—58 pg/mg creatinine (95% CI, 36 to 95) vs. 98 pg/mg creatinine (95% CI, 62 to 155); P = 0.038. Conclusions Brazilian green propolis extract was found to be safe and well tolerated, as well as to reduce proteinuria significantly in patients with diabetic and non-diabetic CKD. Trial Registration. ( ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT02766036. Registered: May 9, 2016). Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12882-019-1337-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background and objectives AKI is associated with short-and long-term mortality. However, the exact contribution of AKI complications to the burden of mortality and whether RRT has any beneficial effect on reducing mortality rates in critically ill AKI patients are unknown.Design, setting, participants, & measurements This was a retrospective analysis using data from the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II project. A total of 18,410 adult patients were enrolled from four intensive care units from a university hospital from 2001 to 2008.Results Overall, 10,245 patients developed AKI. After adjustments, the odds ratios (ORs) for hospital mortality were 1.73 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.52 to 1.98) for AKI stage 1, 1.88 (95% CI, 1.57 to 2.25) for stage 2, and 2.89 (95% CI, 2.41 to 3.46) for stage 3. Totals of 33%, 59%, and 70% of the excess mortality rates associated with AKI stages 1, 2, and 3, respectively, were attenuated by the inclusion of each AKI-related complication in the model. The main burden of excess hospital mortality associated with AKI was attenuated by metabolic acidosis and cumulative fluid balance. Long-term mortality was not attenuated by any of the associated complications. Next, we used two different approaches to explore the associations between RRT, AKI complications, and hospital mortality: multivariate analysis and propensity score matching. In both approaches, the sensitivity analysis for RRT was associated with a better hospital survival in only the following AKI-related subgroups: hyperkalemia (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.35 to 0.85), metabolic acidosis (OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.92), cumulative fluid balance .5% of body weight (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.88), and azotemia (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.81).Conclusions A majority of the excess risk of mortality associated with AKI was attenuated by its fluid volume and metabolic complications, particularly in severe AKI. In addition, this study demonstrated that RRT is associated with a better outcome in patients with AKI-related complications.

OBJECTIVE:Depression is the most important neuropsychiatric complication in chronic kidney disease because it reduces quality of life and increases mortality. Evidence demonstrating the association between dialysis shift and depression is lacking; thus, obtaining such evidence was the main objective of this study.METHOD:This cross-sectional study included patients attending a hemodialysis program. Depression was diagnosed using Beck's Depression Inventory. Excessive daytime sleepiness was evaluated using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.RESULTS:A total of 96 patients were enrolled (55 males, age 48±14 years). Depression and excessive daytime sleepiness were observed in 42.7% and 49% of the patients, respectively. When comparing variables among the three dialysis shifts, there were no differences in age, dialysis vintage, employment status, excessive daytime sleepiness, hemoglobin, phosphorus levels, or albumin levels. Patients in the morning shift were more likely to live in rural areas (p<0.0001), although patients in rural areas did not have a higher prevalence of depression (p = 0.30). Patients with depression were more likely to be dialyzed during the morning shift (p = 0.008). Independent risk factors for depression were age (p<0.03), lower levels of hemoglobin (p<0.01) and phosphorus (p<0.01), and dialysis during the morning shift (p = 0.0009). The hospitalization risk of depressive patients was 4.5 times higher than that of nondepressive patients (p<0.008).CONCLUSION:These data suggest that depression is associated with dialysis shift, higher levels of phosphorus, and lower levels of hemoglobin. The results highlight the need for randomized trials to determine whether this association occurs by chance or whether circadian rhythm disorders may play a role.

The pathogenic role of inflammation and oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is well known. Anti-inflammatories and antioxidant drugs has demonstrated significant renoprotection in experimental nephropathies. Moreover, the inclusion of natural antioxidants derived from food and herbal extracts (such as polyphenols, curcumin and lycopene) as an adjuvant therapy for slowing CKD progression has been largely tested. Brazilian propolis is a honeybee product, whose anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant effects have been widely shown in models of sepsis, cancer, skin irritation and liver fibrosis. Furthermore, previous studies demonstrated that this compound promotes vasodilation and reduces hypertension. However, potential renoprotective effects of propolis in CKD have never been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a subtype of Brazilian propolis, the Red Propolis (RP), in the 5/6 renal ablation model (Nx). Adult male Wistar rats underwent Nx and were divided into untreated (Nx) and RP-treated (Nx+RP) groups, after 30 days of surgery; when rats already exhibited marked hypertension and proteinuria. Animals were observed for 90 days from the surgery day, when Nx+RP group showed significant reduction of hypertension, proteinuria, serum creatinine retention, glomerulosclerosis, renal macrophage infiltration and oxidative stress, compared to age-matched untreated Nx rats, which worsened progressively over time. In conclusion, RP treatment attenuated hypertension and structural renal damage in Nx model. Reduction of renal inflammation and oxidative stress could be a plausible mechanism to explain this renoprotection.

ObjectiveTo evaluate risk factors for mortality in patients with Fournier's gangrene (FG), with emphasis in the Simplified Fournier Gangrene Severe Index Score (SFGSI).Materials and MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study that was carried out from January 2010 to December 2014, with 124 patients treated for FG in a General Hospital. Several clinical and laboratory variables, including SFGSI, were evaluated and correlated with mortality through univariate analysis and logistic regression.ResultsOf the 124 patients, 99 were men (79.8%), the mean age was 50.8±19.5 years and the main comorbidity was diabetes mellitus (51.6%). The mortality rate was 25.8%. Variables that presented independent correlation with mortality were the extension of the lesion to the abdomen (OR=4.0, CI=1.10-14.68, p=0.03), hematocrit (OR=0.81, CI=0.73-0.90, p<0.0001), potassium (OR=2.41, CI=1.13-5.10, p=0.02) and creatinine (OR=2.15, CI= 1.04-4.41, p=0.03). When hematocrit, potassium and creatinine were tested together, as part of the SFGSI, a >2 result was the largest of the independent predictors of mortality (OR=50.2; CI=13.18-191.47; p<0.0001).ConclusionThe SFGSI >2 presented a higher correlation with mortality than any variable tested alone. It seems to be a promising alternative to evaluate predictors of mortality in Fournier's gangrene. The main advantage is easy applicability because it contains only three parameters and can be used immediately after patient's admission.

Many features of chronic kidney disease may be reversed, but it is unclear whether advanced lesions, such as adhesions of sclerotic glomerular tufts to Bowman's capsule (synechiae), can resolve during treatment. We previously showed, using a renal ablation model, that the renoprotective effect of the AT-1 receptor blocker, losartan, is dose-dependent. Here we determined if moderate and advanced glomerular lesions, associated with streptozotocin-induced diabetes, regress with conventional or high-dose losartan treatment. Using daily insulin injection for 10 months, we maintained diabetic adult male Munich-Wistar rats in a state of moderate hyperglycemia. Following this period, some rats continued to receive insulin with or without conventional or high-dose losartan for an additional 2 months. Diabetic rats pretreated with insulin for 10 months and age-matched non-diabetic rats served as controls. Mesangial expansion was found in the control diabetic rats and was exacerbated in those rats maintained on only insulin for an additional 2 months. Conventional and high-dose losartan treatments reduced this mesangial expansion and the severity of synechiae lesions below that found prior to treatment; however, the frequency of the latter was unchanged. There was no dose-response effect of losartan. Our results show that regression of mesangial expansion and contraction of sclerotic lesions is feasible in the treatment of diabetes, but complete resolution of advanced glomerulosclerosis may be hard to achieve.

Red propolis protects kidney against acute ischemic renal failure and this protection is associated with reduced oxidative stress and eNOS and heme-oxygenase up regulation.

Chronic kidney disease is associated with a high prevalence of depression, which increases inversely with the glomerular filtration rate. This paper aims to evaluate the factors associated with a low quality of life and depression in patients on haemodialysis. Two hundred patients undergoing haemodialysis answered the Medical Outcomes Study 36 - Item Short - Form Health Survey (SF-36) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Clinical and laboratory variables were analysed and correlated with these two tools. The prevalence of depression was 29%. Anaemia and hypoalbuminemia were independent risk factors for depression. All SF-36 domains showed worse results in patients with depression, and the pain domain presented the highest correlation. Our findings provide evidence that patients on haemodialysis have a low quality of life and a high prevalence of depression. A greater number of comorbidities, an excessive number of medications, diabetes mellitus, anaemia and hypoalbuminemia were associated with a reduced quality of life.