Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of non-diabetic renal transplant recipients according to tertiles of total BCAA (n = 386).
| Tertile 1 (n = 127) | Tertile 2 (n = 130) | Tertile 3 (n = 129) | P-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General characteristics | ||||
| Age, years | 49.9 ± 13.3 | 52.8 ± 14.4 | 50.6 ± 12.9 | 0.19 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 81 (63.8) | 73 (56.2) | 88 (68.2) | <0.001 |
| Race (white), n (%) | 126 (99.2) | 129 (99.2) | 128 (99.2) | 1.00 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 25.4 ± 5.2 | 26.0 ± 4.2 | 26.3 ± 3.9 | 0.27 |
| Physical activity score (time x intensity) |
4930 (2100–7260) | 5905 (3315–8625) | 6100 (3120–9860) | 0.05 |
| Smoking status, n (%) | 0.10 | |||
| Never | 54 (42.5) | 58 (44.6) | 42 (32.6) | |
| Former | 47 (37.0) | 51 (39.2) | 67 (51.9) | |
| Current | 21 (16.5) | 17 (13.1) | 15 (11.6) | |
| Alcohol consumption, g/d | 1.6 (0.0–8.9) | 2.9 (0.1–11.3) | 4.3 (0.1–15.8) | 0.03 |
| Total energy intake, kcal/d | 2178 ± 631 | 2184 ± 724 | 2096 ± 578 | 0.51 |
| Urea excretion, mmol/24h | 335.1 ± 92.5 | 406.6 ± 117.2 | 423.2 ± 114.2 | <0.001 |
| Circulation | ||||
| Heart rate, b.p.m. | 70.3 ± 12.3 | 66.0 ± 12.5 | 65.8 ± 11.0 | 0.005 |
| SBP, mmHg | 134.9 ± 17.8 | 133.9 ± 18.2 | 136.4 ± 16.1 | 0.51 |
| DBP, mmHg | 81.7 ± 11.8 | 80.4 ± 11.4 | 84.1 ± 10.4 | 0.03 |
| Transplant characteristics | ||||
| Transplant vintage, years | 5.0 (1.8–14.9) | 4.7 (1.7–12.0) | 4.9 (1.3–10.8) | 0.37 |
| Living donor, n (%) | 56 (44.1) | 39 (30.0) | 50 (38.8) | 0.06 |
| Pre-emptive transplant, n (%) | 33 (26.0) | 22 (16.9) | 22 (17.1) | 0.12 |
| Dialysis duration, months | 34.5 (11.0–63.0) | 47.0 (14.0–60.5) | 37.0 (22.5–58.5) | 0.81 |
| Age donor, years | 42.7 ± 15.5 | 44.7 ± 15.6 | 45.5 ± 14.4 | 0.33 |
| Renal allograft function | ||||
| Serum creatinine, µmol/L | 124.0 (98.0–175.0) | 123.0 (99.8–154.5) | 134.0 (104.0–180.5) | 0.23 |
| eGFR, ml/min per 1.73 m2 | 50.1 ± 21.1 | 52.8 ± 19.3 | 50.1 ± 18.2 | 0.44 |
| Proteinuria, n (%) | 28 (22.0) | 28 (21.5) | 26 (20.2) | 0.92 |
| Glucose homeostasis | ||||
| Plasma glucose (mmol/L) | 5.1 (4.6–5.5) | 5.1 (4.7–5.4) | 5.0 (4.7–5.6) | 1.00 |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.6 ± 0.3 | 5.6 ± 0.4 | 5.7 ± 0.4 | 0.10 |
| Lipids and lipoproteins | ||||
| Total cholesterol, mmol/L | 5.2 ± 1.0 | 5.1 ± 1.1 | 5.2 ± 1.3 | 0.62 |
| HDL-cholesterol, mmol/L | 1.5 ± 0.5 | 1.4 ± 0.4 | 1.3 ± 0.4 | <0.001 |
| LDL-cholesterol, mmol/L | 3.0 ± 0.8 | 3.0 ± 1.0 | 3.1 ± 1.0 | 0.43 |
| Triglycerides, mmol/L | 1.6 (1.2–2.1) | 1.6 (1.2–2.2) | 1.7 (1.3–2.4) | 0.19 |
| Medication | ||||
| Calcineurin inhibitor, n (%) | 0.57 | |||
| Cyclosporine | 53 (41.7) | 54 (41.5) | 50 (38.8) | |
| Tacrolimus | 19 (15.0) | 19 (14.6) | 28 (21.7) | |
| Trough level cyclosporine (µg/L) | 112.0 (78.3–143.3) | 102.0 (74.8–141.5) | 105.0 (74.5–156.5) | 0.85 |
| Trough level tacrolimus (µg/L) | 5.5 (3.9–8.0) | 7.7 (6.0–9.7) | 7.4 (6.0–9.6) | 0.08 |
| Proliferation inhibitor, n (%) | 0.04 | |||
| Azathioprine | 34 (26.8) | 25 (19.2) | 19 (14.7) | |
| Mycofenol | 71 (55.9) | 84 (64.6) | 96 (74.4) | |
| Prednisolone, n (%) | 127 (100.0) | 128 (98.5) | 127 (98.4) | 0.37 |
| Prednisolone dose, mg/24h | 10.0 (7.5–10.0) | 10.0 (7.5–10.0) | 10.0 (7.5–10.0) | 0.19 |
| Antihypertensive drugs, n (%) | 107 (84.3) | 117 (90.0) | 117 (90.7) | 0.21 |
| Statins, n (%) | 53 (41.7) | 66 (50.8) | 67 (51.9) | 0.20 |
| Amino acids | ||||
| Total BCAA, µM | 297.1 ± 33.7 | 366.6 ± 20.4 | 467.9 ± 64.7 | <0.001 |
| Valine, µM | 159.1 ± 20.7 | 194.5 ± 18.4 | 240.5 ± 35.3 | <0.001 |
| Leucine, µM | 107.6 ± 21.5 | 133.3 ± 17.3 | 168.2 ± 29.3 | <0.001 |
| Isoleucine, µM | 31.6 ± 10.0 | 39.1 ± 11.2 | 59.1 ± 18.0 | <0.001 |
Data are represented as mean ± SD, median (interquartile range) or n (%). Differences were tested by analysis of variance or Kruskal–Wallis for continuous variables and with χ 2-test for categorical variables. SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; LP-IR, lipoprotein insulin resistance index; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; BCAA, branched-chain amino acids.