1.
[Effect of Qingshen Granules on inflammation/hepcidin axis and iron metabolism in patients with renal anemia: a single-center, randomized controlled trial].
Zhang, L, Wang, Y, Jin, H, Wang, D, Wei, L, Ren, K, Mao, Y
Nan fang yi ke da xue xue bao = Journal of Southern Medical University. 2019;(10):1155-1159
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Qingshen Granules on renal anemia in patients with damp-heat syndrome and explore the mechanisms in light of inflammation/hepcidin axis and iron metabolism. METHODS Sixty patients with renal anemia and dampness-heat syndrome were randomized into control group (n=30) and treatment group (n=30). All the patients were given routine treatment, and the patients in the treatment group received additional treatment with Qingshen Granules (3 times a day). After 12 weeks of treatments, the patients were examined for changes in the integral value of TCM syndrome, serum creatinine (Scr), glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), red blood cell (RBC) count, interleukin-6 (IL-6), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), ferritin, growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), serum iron (SI), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation (TAST), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and ferritin levels. RESULTS After the treatment, the scores of TCM syndrome were significantly improved in the treatment group and were better than those in the control group (P=0.000). Scr and eGFR were improved in both groups after the treatment. The levels of HGB, HCT and RBC were all improved in the two groups after treatment, and the improvements were more obvious in the treatment group (P=0.002, 0.002, and 0.017, respectively). The levels of IL-6, hs-CRP, hepcidine and GDF-15 were all lowered in the two groups after the treatment, and they were all significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (all P=0.000). The treatments increased the levels of SI and TAST in both of the groups, and compared with those in control group, the levels of TIBC, sTfR and ferritin were significantly lowered in the treatment group after the 12-week treatment (P=0.000). CONCLUSIONS Qingshen granules can effectively improve renal anemia in patients with damp-heat syndrome possibly by improving iron metabolism through alleviation of inflammation and reduction of hepcidine level.
2.
Catalytic iron in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock - A biomarker substudy of the IABP-SHOCK II-trial.
Fuernau, G, Traeder, F, Lele, SS, Rajapurkar, MM, Mukhopadhyay, B, de Waha, S, Desch, S, Eitel, I, Schuler, G, Adams, V, et al
International journal of cardiology. 2017;:83-88
Abstract
BACKGROUND Catalytic iron (CI) is unbound ferric iron with the potential to generate reactive oxygen species with further deleterious vascular effects. In acute coronary syndromes, high levels of CI are linked to all-cause mortality. The prognostic impact of CI and iron metabolism in cardiogenic shock (CS) is currently undetermined. Aims of this study were to investigate the prognostic impact of CI and to identify predictors of high CI levels in patients with CS complicating acute myocardial infarction. METHODS The Intraaortic Balloon Pump in Cardiogenic Shock II (IABP-SHOCK II) trial randomized 600 patients with CS to either therapy with intraaortic balloon pump or control. In 185 of these patients, blood samples were systematically collected at baseline and day 3. CI levels were measured using a modified bleomycin detectable iron assay. Furthermore, levels of free hemoglobin, total serum iron, transferrin, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, hepcidin, and transferrin saturation were assessed. RESULTS Patients with baseline CI levels in the highest quartile had a worse outcome in comparison to patients with lower CI (day 1: HR 1.91 [1.11-3.31], p=0.005; day 3: HR 2.15 [1.06-4.34], p=0.01). In multivariable Cox-regression analysis baseline CI remained an independent predictor of 30-day mortality (HR per 10LOG 2.08 [1.25-3.47], p=0.005). Predictors of CI levels on day 3 were baseline CI, bleeding events, and baseline troponin T. CONCLUSIONS CI levels were associated with increased short-term mortality in CS complicating acute myocardial infarction. High levels of CI at day 3 were associated with bleeding and high troponin levels.
3.
Effects of phlebotomy-induced reduction of body iron stores on metabolic syndrome: results from a randomized clinical trial.
Houschyar, KS, Lüdtke, R, Dobos, GJ, Kalus, U, Broecker-Preuss, M, Rampp, T, Brinkhaus, B, Michalsen, A
BMC medicine. 2012;:54
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metabolic syndrome (METS) is an increasingly prevalent but poorly understood clinical condition characterized by insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and obesity. Increased oxidative stress catalyzed by accumulation of iron in excess of physiologic requirements has been implicated in the pathogenesis of METS, but the relationships between cause and effect remain uncertain. We tested the hypothesis that phlebotomy-induced reduction of body iron stores would alter the clinical presentation of METS, using a randomized trial. METHODS In a randomized, controlled, single-blind clinical trial, 64 patients with METS were randomly assigned to iron reduction by phlebotomy (n = 33) or to a control group (n = 31), which was offered phlebotomy at the end of the study (waiting-list design). The iron-reduction patients had 300 ml of blood removed at entry and between 250 and 500 ml removed after 4 weeks, depending on ferritin levels at study entry. Primary outcomes were change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and insulin sensitivity as measured by Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA) index after 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes included HbA1c, plasma glucose, blood lipids, and heart rate (HR). RESULTS SBP decreased from 148.5 ± 12.3 mmHg to 130.5 ± 11.8 mmHg in the phlebotomy group, and from 144.7 ± 14.4 mmHg to 143.8 ± 11.9 mmHg in the control group (difference -16.6 mmHg; 95% CI -20.7 to -12.5; P < 0.001). No significant effect on HOMA index was seen. With regard to secondary outcomes, blood glucose, HbA1c, low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipoprotein ratio, and HR were significantly decreased by phlebotomy. Changes in BP and HOMA index correlated with ferritin reduction. CONCLUSIONS In patients with METS, phlebotomy, with consecutive reduction of body iron stores, lowered BP and resulted in improvements in markers of cardiovascular risk and glycemic control. Blood donation may have beneficial effects for blood donors with METS. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01328210 Please see related article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/10/53.