This study compared clinical outcomes of patient survival and arteriovenous fistula (AVF) patency between incident hemodialysis patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Between January 2011 and December 2013, 384 consecutive incident hemodialysis patients with confirmed first upper-extremity AVF placement were divided into a T2DM group (n = 180, 46.9%) and a non-DM group (n = 204, 53.1%) and analyzed retrospectively. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and secondary outcome was AVF patency. Patients in the T2DM group had a higher prevalence of hypertension (P = .02), smoking (P < .01), cardiovascular disease (P < .01), history of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) (P < .01), and peripheral arterial occlusive disease (P < .01) than those in the non-DM group. On Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, the overall survival and AVF patency rates were significantly higher in the non-DM group relative to the T2DM group (both P < .01). In the adjusted model, older age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.06; P < .01), T2DM (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.12–2.77; P = .014), and history of CVA (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.04–2.98; P = .04) were significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality. Older age and T2DM were independently associated with decreased primary (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02–1.04; P < .01, HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.22–2.33; P < .01, respectively) and secondary (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01–1.04; P < .01, HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.42–3.00; P < .01, respectively) AVF patency during follow-up. Compared with patients in the non-DM group, patients in the T2DM group had a higher mortality rate and worse AVF patency rates.

Background: Carotid artery stenosis is a dynamic process associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. However, knowledge of biomarkers useful for identifying and quantifying high-risk carotid plaques associated with the increased incidence of cerebrovascular events is insufficient. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the expression of ATP binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1) and validate its target microRNA (miRNA) candidates in human carotid stenosis arteries to identify its potential as a biomarker. Methods: In human carotid stenosis arterial tissues and plasma, the expression of ABCA1 and its target miRNAs (miRNA-33a-5p, 33b-5p, and 148a-3p) were evaluated by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The expression of ABCA1 was significantly decreased in the plasma of stenosis patients, but its expression was not different in arterial tissues (p < 0.05). However, significantly more target miRNAs were secreted by stenosis patients than normal patients (p < 0.05). Interestingly, lipotoxicity induced by the oleic and palmitic acid (OAPA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) dramatically enhanced the gene expression of adipogenic and inflammatory factors, whereas ABCA1 expression was significantly decreased. Conclusions: Therefore, miRNA-33a-5p, 33b-5p, and 148a-3p represent possible biomarkers of carotid artery stenosis by directly targeting ABCA1.

Lee SA, et al. Ann Surg Treat Res. 2023 Jun;104(6):339-347. https://doi.org/10.4174/astr.2023.104.6.339

Gwon JG, et al. Ann Surg Treat Res. 2022 Dec;103(6):372-377. https://doi.org/10.4174/astr.2022.103.6.372