Tubular lesions predict renal outcome in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated glomerulonephritis after rituximab therapy.

Histopathological features in renal biopsies of patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis have predictive value for renal outcome in patients who receive standard treatment with cyclophosphamide and corticosteroids; however, whether the same holds true for rituximab-treated patients is unknown. We describe associations between renal histopathology and outcomes among patients treated with a rituximab-based regimen in the Randomized Trial of Rituximab versus Cyclophosphamide in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis trial. Two pathologists, blinded to clinical data, reviewed biopsies from 30 patients according to a standardized protocol that included assessment of T cell, B cell, and plasma cell infiltration, as well as scoring for tubulitis, interstitial inflammation, and glomerulitis.

Anti-plasminogen antibodies compromise fibrinolysis and associate with renal histology in ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Antibodies recognizing plasminogen, a key component of the fibrinolytic system, associate with venous thrombotic events in PR3-ANCA vasculitis. Here, we investigated the prevalence and function of anti-plasminogen antibodies in independent UK and Dutch cohorts of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). We screened Ig isolated from patients (AAV-IgG) and healthy controls by ELISA.

Early onset MSI-H colon cancer with MLH1 promoter methylation, is there a genetic predisposition?

Background: To investigate the etiology of MLH1 promoter methylation in mismatch repair (MMR) mutation-negative early onset MSI-H colon cancer. As this type of colon cancer is associated with high ages, young patients bearing this type of malignancy are rare and could provide additional insight into the etiology of sporadic MSI-H colon cancer.

Methods: We studied a set of 46 MSI-H colon tumors cases with MLH1 promoter methylation which was enriched for patients with an age of onset below 50 years (n=13).