Short-term incremental prednisone therapy in patients with serologically active clinically quiescent lupus nephritis: a retrospective observational study.

Objective: This study investigated whether short-term incremental prednisone therapy decreases the risk of relapse without increasing adverse events (AEs) in patients with serologically active, clinically quiescent lupus nephritis (LN).

Methods: After standardized treatment, 153 patients with serologically active, clinically quiescent LN were included. Clinical data were retrospectively reviewed.

Role and mechanisms of SGLT-2 inhibitors in the treatment of diabetic kidney disease.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a chronic inflammatory condition that affects approximately 20-40% of individuals with diabetes. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors, emerging as novel hypoglycemic agents, have demonstrated significant cardiorenal protective effects in patients with DKD. Initially, it was believed that the efficacy of SGLT-2 inhibitors declined as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decreased, which led to their preferential use in DKD patients at G1-G3 stages.

The Therapeutic Potential of CDK4/6 Inhibitors, Novel Cancer Drugs, in Kidney Diseases.

Inflammation is a crucial pathological feature in cancers and kidney diseases, playing a significant role in disease progression. Cyclin-dependent kinases CDK4 and CDK6 not only contribute to cell cycle progression but also participate in cell metabolism, immunogenicity and anti-tumor immune responses. Recently, CDK4/6 inhibitors have gained approval for investigational treatment of breast cancer and various other tumors.

Autophagy in peritoneal fibrosis.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a widely accepted renal replacement therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Morphological and functional changes occur in the peritoneal membranes (PMs) of patients undergoing long-term PD. Peritoneal fibrosis (PF) is a common PD-related complication that ultimately leads to PM injury and peritoneal ultrafiltration failure.

Revisited Cyclophosphamide in the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is the most common serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The pathogenesis of LN is complex, and the majority causes of LN are the renal deposition of circulating or/and in situ-formed immune complexes. These immune complexes trigger glomerular and tubulointerstitial inflammation, which finally leads to proteinuria and loss of renal function.

The expression of renal Epstein-Barr virus markers in patients with lupus nephritis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of renal Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN). A total of 58 renal tissue samples from patients with LN, seven normal renal tissue samples from patients with non-glomerular hematuria and 37 renal tissue samples from patients with minimal change nephropathy were collected. The expression of EBV-latent membrane protein-1 (EBV-LMP1) and EBV-encoded RNA 1 (EBER-1) in the renal tissue was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and hybridization (ISH), respectively.

[Interleukin-18-induced transdifferentiation in renal proximal tubular cells is mediated by activation of p38MAPK pathway].

Objective: To explore the effect of p38MAPK signaling pathway in interleukin-18-induced transdifferentiation in renal proximal tubular cells.

Methods: Human proximal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2 cells) was cultured in vitro. After preincubated with SB203580 (0, 5, 10, 20 micromol/L) for 30 minutes, cells were exposed to IL-18 (100 ng/ml) for 24, 48 and 72 hours respectively.

[The effect of IL-18 on E-cadherin expression and its possible intracellular pathway in HK-2 cells].

Aim: To explore the effect of NF-kappaB signaling pathway in interleukin-18-induced transdifferentiation in renal proximal tubular cells.

Methods: In IL-18 stimulation groups, HK-2 cells were challenged with different concentrations (0, 1, 10, 100 microg/L) of IL-18 for 72 h; In SN50 preincubation groups, HK-2 cells were incubated with 100 mg/L SN50 for 30 min before IL-18 was added. At the end of the incubation, the expression of E-cadherin was determined by the combination of immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR.

Effects of interleukin 18 on injury and activation of human proximal tubular epithelial cells.

Background/aims: Injury and activation of tubular proximal epithelial cells (TEC) play central roles in renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF), but its mechanisms remain obscure. Interleukin 18 (IL-18) is overproduced during chronic kidney diseases (CKD), but how IL-18 affects the biological behaviour of TEC is not clear. The aim of the present study is to reveal the role of IL-18 in renal TIF.

[Evaluation of the relationship between IL-18 levels in urine and parameters of renal pathological changes in patients with lupus nephritis].

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between IL-18 levels in urine and parameters of renal pathological changes in patients with lupus nephritis (LN).

Methods: IL-18 levels in morning free urine and 24-hour's urine in 19 normal persons and 55 patients with LN were measured by ELISA. The correlation between IL-18 levels and parameters of renal pathological changes, namely activity index (AI) and chronicity index (CI), were analyzed by liner correlation analysis method.

Effects of specific interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme inhibitor on ischemic acute renal failure in murine models.

Aim: To study the effect of selective interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme (ICE, caspase-1) inhibitor on ischemic acute renal failure (ARF).

Methods: Mouse models of ischemic ARF were treated with the specific ICE inhibitor AC-YVAD-CMK. A renal function assay and renal morphological studies were employed to estimate the renal protective effect of AC-YVAD-CMK.