Coexistence of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome and crescentic IgA nephropathy treated with eculizumab: a case report.

Rapid progression to end-stage renal disease has been reported in a minority of patients with immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy. In particular, crescentic IgA nephropathy has a poor prognosis in patients with a higher initial serum creatinine level. The complement system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of crescentic IgA nephropathy.

Durability-enhanced two-dimensional hole gas of C-H diamond surface for complementary power inverter applications.

Complementary power field effect transistors (FETs) based on wide bandgap materials not only provide high-voltage switching capability with the reduction of on-resistance and switching losses, but also enable a smart inverter system by the dramatic simplification of external circuits. However, p-channel power FETs with equivalent performance to those of n-channel FETs are not obtained in any wide bandgap material other than diamond. Here we show that a breakdown voltage of more than 1600 V has been obtained in a diamond metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) FET with a p-channel based on a two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG).

Long-term effects of AST-120 on the progression and prognosis of pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease: a 5-year retrospective study.

AST-120 has been used widely in Japan to slow the deterioration of renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) by decreasing uremic toxins. The heart and the kidney are closely related, with cardiorenal interaction being very important. This retrospective study examined whether AST-120 influences the prevalence of dialysis induction, mortality, and cardiac and stroke events in CKD patients.

Effect of tolvaptan in patients with chronic kidney disease due to diabetic nephropathy with heart failure.

The efficacy of tolvaptan for treating heart failure has already been shown. Adequate data relating to the effect of tolvaptan on the correlation of water balance in renal disease are not available. A retrospective study was conducted on the efficacy and adverse reactions of tolvaptan for treating nephrotic syndrome.

LDL-apheresis contributes to survival extension and renal function maintenance of severe diabetic nephropathy patients: a retrospective analysis.

Aims: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-apheresis removes various molecules including LDL/oxidized LDL and inflammatory cytokines and recovers clinical laboratory parameters. It is not yet known whether these advantages of LDL-apheresis improve the prognosis of patients with diabetic nephropathy accompanied by nephrotic syndrome.

Methods: In this study, three groups of patients were retrospectively surveyed in a single center, and followed for approximately 3 years: an LDL-apheresis cohort (LDL-a; N = 20); a control cohort meeting the selection criterion of severe proteinuria ≥ 3g/24h (control-All; N = 55); and a subgroup of control-All with more severe proteinuria ≥ 5 g/24h (control-mSP; N = 10), and evaluated the outcomes as survival and renal dysfunction and death/renal dysfunction free rate.

Design and synthesis of a hydrophilic fluorescent derivatization reagent for carboxylic acids, 4-N-(4-N-aminoethyl)piperazino-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-PZ-NH2), and its application to capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection.

A hydrophilic fluorescent derivatization reagent for fatty acids, 4-N-(4-N-aminoethyl)piperazino-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-PZ-NH(2)), was designed and synthesized. NBD-PZ-NH(2) possesses not only a fluorophore and a reacting group but also a positive charge group and, thus, was hydrophilic and suitable for application to capillary electrophoresis. NBD-PZ-NH(2) reacted with fatty acids in the presence of triphenylphosphine (TPP) and 2,2'-dipyridyl disulfide (DPDS) at room temperature within 10 min.