Efficacy and safety of belimumab in patients with lupus nephritis: a real-world retrospective observational study.

Objectives: To evaluate the differences in efficacy and safety between Lupus Nephritis (LN) patients who received belimumab plus standard therapy and those who received only standard therapy in real world practice.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with LN at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from November 2012 to July 2023 were identified, and eligible cases were divided into two groups according to whether they received additional treatment with belimumab during the course of the disease.

Results: A total of 1,169 LN patients were identified from our follow-up database.

Transcriptional Landscape of Enhancer RNAs in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: Enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), a class of non-coding RNAs, play indispensable roles in regulating target gene transcription and maintaining cell identity in cooperation with promoters. In this study, we investigated the transcriptional landscape and potential functions of eRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: PBMCs from five patients with stable SLE, five patients with active SLE, and ten healthy individuals (HCs) were subjected to RNA-sequencing.

Relationship of complement activation pathway to clinical and pathological characteristics and renal outcome in patients with lupus nephritis.

Background: Involvement of the complement system in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN) is well accepted, but its exact role remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of complement activation pathway to clinical and pathological characteristics and renal outcome in patients with LN.

Material And Methods: Patients with LN were divided into two groups: those in whom the complement system was mainly activated through the classical pathway (low serum C3 and C4 levels; CP group); and those in whom the complement system was solely activated through the alternative pathway (low serum C3 with normal C4 levels; AP group).

Cryptococcal meningitis in adult patients with primary nephrotic syndrome .

Background: Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is a rare condition in patients with primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS). Here, we describe the clinical characteristics, possible risk factors, and outcomes of eleven patients with PNS and CM.

Materials And Methods: A systematic review of medical records from 11 patients with PNS and CM admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from April 2005 to April 2015 was performed.

microRNA-199a may be involved in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis via modulating the activation of NF-κB by targeting Klotho.

Klotho is considered to have renal protective effect by prohibiting the activation of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway, while the role of microRNA-199a (miR-199a)/Klotho in lupus nephritis (LN) is still unknown. A single dose of pristane (0.5 ml) was intraperitoneally injected into 8 weeks-old female mice to establish the LN model.

Icariin alleviates murine lupus nephritis via inhibiting NF-κB activation pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome.

Aims: Lupus nephritis (LN) is a kidney inflammatory disease caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Both NF-κB activation and NLRP3 inflammasome activation are implicated in LN pathogenesis, suggesting they are potential targets for LN treatment. Icariin, which is isolated from Chinese medicine Horny Goat Weed (Ying Yang Huo), has been shown to have anti-inflammation activity, and inhibit activations of both NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors of severe infections in hospitalized adult patients with primary nephrotic syndrome.

Objective Infection is a common condition in patients with nephrotic syndrome. The objective of the present study is to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of infections in adult patients with primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS). Methods Medical charts of 138 consecutive patients with PNS and infections who were admitted to hospital from April 2013 to April 2016 were systematically reviewed.

Plasma levels of the tissue inhibitor matrix metalloproteinase-3 as a potential biomarker in oral cancer progression.

Oral cancer is the most common malignancy with poor prognosis and is the fourth most common cancer in men in Taiwan. The tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-3 (TIMP3) acts as a tumor suppressor gene by inhibiting the growth, angiogenesis, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. However, few studies have examined the association of plasma TIMP3 levels with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and the role of plasma TIMP3 levels in OSCC progression is still unclear.

Functional variants inPXRare associated with colorectal cancer susceptibility in Chinese populations.

Background: As an important member of the steroid nuclear receptor family, recent research has suggested that PXR may play important roles in the development of multiple cancers. However, no well-designed studies has been conducted to investigate the associations between genetic polymorphisms of PXR and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in Chinese populations.

Materials And Methods: We performed a hospital-based case-control analysis to assess two genetic polymorphisms in the 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTR) via allele-specific MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry assay and evaluated the associations between two polymorphisms and risk of CRC.