Efficacy of calcitriol in treating glucocorticoidinduced osteoporosis in patients with nephrotic syndrome: an open-label, randomized controlled study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of calcitriol in the prevention and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Methods: 66 patients treated with glucocorticoids (GC) for primary nephrotic syndrome (NS) were randomly assigned to 3 groups. Groups were designated as follows: calcitriol alone (n = 22), calcitriol plus calcium carbonate (n = 23), or calcium carbonate alone (n = 21).

[Clinical efficacy and safety of sequential treatment with alprostadil and beraprost sodium for chronic renal failure induced by chronic glomerulonephritis].

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of sequential treatment with alprostadil and beraprost sodium for chronic renal failure caused by chronic glomerulonephritis.

Methods: Sixty-three patients with chronic renal failure due to chronic glomerulonephritis, after receiving a 2-week-long conventional treatment, were randomly divided into alprostadil group (n=20, with alprostadil injection at 10 µg/d for 2 weeks), sequential treatment group (n=21, with alprostadil injection at 10 µg/d for 2 weeks and oral beraprost sodium at 20 µg three times a day for 12 weeks), and strengthened sequential treatment group (n=22, with alprostadil injection at 20 µg/d for 2 weeks and a double dose of oral beraprost sodium for 12 weeks). Urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), cystatin C (Cys C), blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, fibrinogen, D-dimer, prothrombin time (PT), and platelets were tested before and after the treatment, and the changes in urinary albumin discharge rate, serum creatinine, and glomerular filtration rate were determined.

[Effects of bone morphogenic protein-7 on transdifferentiation and the expression of connective tissue growth factor of human renal tubular epithelial cells induced by transforming growth factor-beta1].

Objective: To investigate the effects of bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-7 upon epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2) induced by transforming growth factor-beta1, (TGF-beta1) and to explore the possible mechanisms of BMP-7 for the inhibition and reversal of renal interstitial fibrosis.

Methods: HK-2 cells were treated with TGF-beta1 or a combination of TGF-beta1 and BMP-7. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to determine the mRNA and protein expression of alpha-SMA, E-cadherin and CTGF.