title: Effects of AST-120 on left ventricular mass in predialysis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. One of the proposed mechanisms assumes that accumulated uremic toxins play an important role in the progression of CVD in CKD. Recently, it has been reported that AST-120 may attenuate progression of CVD through absorption of uremic toxins. In this study, we examined the association between the use of AST-120 and cardiac abnormalities in CKD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of predialysis CKD patients hospitalized in our institution between April 2008 and October 2009. We divided 107 patients into two groups based on whether AST-120 had been administered for more than 6 months (AST-120 group: n = 43) or not (control group: n = 64). Echocardiography and laboratory tests were performed for all patients; we examined the relationship between clinical characteristics and cardiac abnormalities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of patients with left ventricular (LV) concentric change was significantly smaller in the AST-120 group than in the control group. In multivariable analysis, the administration of AST-120, gender, and pulse pressure were significantly correlated with LV concentric change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that AST-120 prevents the development of LV concentric change in predialysis CKD patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology and Kidney Center, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakai
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Keiji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kono
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukagawa
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishi
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003956:Dialysis; D018450:Disease Progression; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D010087:Oxides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D010087:Oxides; D002244:Carbon; C040896:AST 120