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Background It is becoming increasingly evident that the accurate assessment of fluid status is critical to ensure optimal care in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Various fluid parameters, including overhydration (OH) and overhydration/extracellular water (OH/ECW%), which can be obtained using a bioimpedance spectroscopy device have been used to indicate the hydration status in such patients. This study aimed to explore the effect of these fluid parameters on cardiovascular events and determine which parameter was a better predictor of cardiovascular events (CVEs). Methods A total of 227 patients who underwent HD at the Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were enrolled in this prospective study between December 2017 and August 2018. Clinical data were collected, and the fluid status of patients was assessed using a body composition monitor. The patients were followed up until December 2020. The primary outcomes were CVEs. The association between fluid parameters and CVEs was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of receiver operating characteristic analysis and improvement in the global chi-squared value were used to compare the predictive values of fluid parameters for CVEs. Results During a median follow-up of 31 months, 66 CVEs were recorded. The patients with a higher absolute hydration index (OH) and a relative hydration index (OH/ECW%) exhibited an increased risk of developing CVEs. After adjusting for confounding factors, both OH [hazard ratio (HR) 1.279 per L, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.047–1.562; p = 0.016] and OH/ECW% (HR 1.061 per %, 95% CI 1.017–1.108; p = 0.006) were independently associated with CVEs. The predictive ability of the absolute hydration index was superior to the relative hydration index based on AUC calculations for CVEs. Furthermore, a greater change in χ 2 in predicting CVEs was noted for the absolute hydration index. Conclusions Both absolute hydration index and relative hydration index were found to be independent predictors of CVEs in univariate and multivariate analyses. Furthermore, the absolute hydration index had a better additive predictive value than the relative hydration index in predicting CVEs.

Background Muscle mass is important in determining patients’ nutritional status. However, measurement of muscle mass requires special equipment that is inconvenient for clinical use. We aimed to develop and validate a nomogram model for predicting low muscle mass in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). Methods A total of 346 patients undergoing HD were enrolled and randomly divided into a 70% training set and a 30% validation set. The training set was used to develop the nomogram model, and the validation set was used to validate the developed model. The performance of the nomogram was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, a calibration curve, and the Hosmer–Lemeshow test. A decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical practicality of the nomogram model. Results Age, sex, body mass index (BMI), handgrip strength (HGS), and gait speed (GS) were included in the nomogram for predicting low skeletal muscle mass index (LSMI). The diagnostic nomogram model exhibited good discrimination with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.906 (95% CI, 0.862–0.940) in the training set and 0.917 (95% CI, 0.846–0.962) in the validation set. The calibration analysis also showed excellent results. The nomogram demonstrated a high net benefit in the clinical decision curve for both sets. Conclusions The prediction model included age, sex, BMI, HGS, and GS, and it can successfully predict the presence of LSMI in patients undergoing HD. This nomogram provides an accurate visual tool for medical staff for prediction, early intervention, and graded management.

Background Excessive salt intake is associated with the deterioration of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Aldosterone is also known as an independent risk factor for kidney injury. Dietary sodium intake acts as a main stimulator in aldosterone-mediated kidney injury. Hence, this study aimed to further investigate the renal protective effects and safety of a low-sodium diet in combination with spironolactone (SPL) in stage 1-3a CKD. Methods This single-center, SPL-blinded randomized controlled trial recruited patients with stage 1-3a CKD, randomized into three groups, low-sodium (3 g/d salt) + placebo, medium-sodium (5 g/d salt) + SPL, and low-sodium (3 g/d salt) + SPL. Patients received 12 weeks of intervention. The primary and secondary endpoints were 24-h urine protein and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the end of the intervention, respectively. Results A total of 74 patients were analyzed eventually. Significantly decreased 24-h urine protein was found in all three groups, from 0.37 to 0.23 g/d (P = 0.004) in the low-sodium+placebo group, from 0.44 to 0.29 g/d (P = 0.020) in the medium-sodium+SPL group, and from 0.35 to 0.31 g/d (P = 0.013) in the low-sodium +SPL group. There were no significant differences among the three groups in 24-h urine protein amount change after intervention from pre-treatment values (P = 0.760, ITT set). The results of the 24-h urine protein by using PP set analysis was similar to the ITT set. No significant differences in eGFR, nutritional, metabolic, inflammatory, and other biomarkers were observed across all three groups (P > 0.05). No safety signal was observed. Conclusion No additional benefit was observed when SPL was prescribed to patients already on a low-sodium diet (3.0 g/d). Still, small doses of SPL may benefit patients with poor sodium restriction. A combination of short-term low-dose SPL and ARB is safe for patients with stage 1-3a CKD, but blood potassium must be regularly monitored. Trial registration Name of the registry: Chinese clinical trial registry. Trial registration number: ChiCTR1900026991. Date of registration: Retrospectively registered 28 October 2019. URL of trial registry record: http://www.chictr.org.cn/searchproj.aspx?title=&officialname=&subjectid=&secondaryid=&applier=&studyleader=ðicalcommitteesanction=&spo