Diagnostic value of aldosterone to renin ratio calculated by plasma renin activity or plasma renin concentration in primary aldosteronism: a meta-analysis

Background:Since the diagnostic value of aldosterone to renin ratio(ARR)calculated by plasma renin concentration(PRC)or plasma renin activity(PRA)is still inconclusive,we conducted a meta-analysis by systematically reviewing relevant literature to explore the difference in the diagnostic efficacy of ARR calculated by PRC or PRA,so as to provide guidance for clinical diagnosis.Methods:We searched PubMed,Embase,and Cochrane Library from the establishment of the database to March 2021.We included studies that report the true positive,false positive,true negative,and false negative values for the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism,and we excluded duplicate publications,research without full text,incomplete information,or inability to conduct data extraction,animal experiments,reviews,and systematic reviews.STATA 15.1 was used to analyze the data.Results:The pooled results showed that ARR(plasma aldosterone concentration[PAC]/PRC)had a sensitivity of 0.82(95%confidence interval[CI]:0.78-0.86),a specificity of 0.94(95%CI:0.92-0.95),a positive-likelihood ratio(LR)of 12.77(95%CI:7.04-23.73),a negative LR of 0.11(95%CI:0.07-0.17),and symmetric area under the curve(SAUC)of 0.982,respectively.Furthermore,the diagnostic odds ratio(DOR)of ARR(PAC/PRC)was 180.21.Additionally,the pooled results showed that ARR(PAC/PRA)had a sensitivity of 0.91(95%CI:0.86-0.95),a specificity of 0.91(95%CI:0.90-0.93),a positive LR of 7.30(95%CI:2.99-17.99),a negative LR of 0.10(95%CI:0.04-0.26),and SAUC of 0.976,respectively.The DOR of ARR(PAC/PRA)was 155.52.Additionally,we conducted a subgroup analysis for the different thresholds(<35 or≥35)of PAC/PRC.The results showed that the DOR of the cut-off≥35 groups was higher than the cut-off<35 groups(DOR=340.15,95%CI:38.32-3019.66;DOR=116.40,95%CI=23.28-581.92).Conclusions:The research results suggest that the determination of ARR(PAC/PRC)and ARR(PAC/PRA)was all effective screening tools for PA.The diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic value of ARR(PAC/PRC)are higher than ARR(PAC/PRA).In addition,within a certain range,the higher the threshold,the better the diagnostic value.

The effects of long-term low-dose hormone replacement therapy on blood pressure and vasoactive factors in postmenopausal women

Objective:To investigate the effects of long-term low-dose hormone replacement therapy(HRT)on blood pressure,the plasma renin activity(PRA),plasma angiotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ)leveland serum nitric oxide(NO)concentration in postmenopausal women.Methods:A total of 140 postmenopausal women were selected from the medical staff of thePeking Union Medical College Hospital.Of these,63 subjects who had been treated with low-dose sex hormone for over 5(5-32)years were set up as HRT group,and 77 age-matched sub-jects who had never received HRT were designed as control group.The levels of serum estradiol(E_2),follicle stimulating hormone(FSH)and nitric oxide(NO),the concentration of plasma an-giotensin Ⅱ(AngⅡ),plasma rennin activity(PRA)and the blood pressure were evaluated inthese two groups.Results:The serum level of estradiol in HRT group was significantly higher than that in con-trol group(median,interquartile range;124.0 pmol/L,113.4 vs.78.2 pmol/L,121.8)(P<0.05)and systolic blood pressure in HRT groups was significantly lower than that in control group[(126.7±14.4)mmHg vs.(132.4+19.8)mmHg](P<0.05).Diastolic blood pressure[(79.7±7.9)mmHg vs.(79.6±10.4)mmHg],the serum level of FSH[(54.4±18.9)IU/L vs.(60.4±24.4)IU/L],the plasma level of PRA(median,interquartile range;0.14 pg/L/hr,0.11vs.0.12 pg/L/hr,0.10),AngⅡ(median,interquartile range;46.0,31.1 pg/ml vs.44.4,33.0pg/ml)and serum level of NO(median,interquartile range;63.8 μmol/L,58.9 vs.56.0 μmol/L,94.8)showed no significant difference between HRT and control groups(P>0.05).Conclusions:Long-term low-dose HRT decreased the systolic blood pressure,but showed noeffects on the diastolic blood pressure,plasma level of AngⅡ,PRA,and serum level of NO inpostmenopausal women.

Pathophysiology and Prevention of Paracentesis-induced Circulatory Dysfunction:A Concise Review

Annually,10%of cirrhotic patients with ascites develop refractory ascites for which large-volume paracentesis(LVP)is a frequently used therapeutic procedure.LVP,although a safe method,is associated with circulatory dysfunction in a significant percentage of patients,which is termed para-centesis-induced circulatory dysfunction(PICD).PICD results in faster reaccumulation of ascites,hyponatremia,renal impairment,and shorter survival.PICD is diagnosed through laboratory results,with increases of>50%of baseline plasma renin activity to a value≥4 ng/mL/h on the fifth to sixth day after paracentesis.In this review,we discuss the pathophysi-ology and prevention of PICD.