The effects of plasma exchange and glucocorticoids on early kidney function among patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis in the PEXIVAS trial.

Therapeutic plasma exchange (PLEX) is an adjunctive treatment for patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis and kidney involvement. Little is known about the effect of PLEX on early changes in kidney function. This post-hoc analysis of the PEXIVAS trial investigated the effects of PLEX on changes in kidney function within 12 months.

Serum IgA/C3 ratio: a useful marker of disease activity in patients with IgA nephropathy.

Objective: High serum IgA and low serum C3 levels resulting from lectin and alternative pathway activation might be related to IgA nephropathy (IgAN) progression and exacerbation. This study examined whether the serum IgA/C3 ratio can serve as an IgAN progression marker.

Methods: (1) This nationwide multicenter retrospective study in Japan included 718 patients with biopsy-confirmed IgAN.

Updated evidence of beneficial effect of LDL apheresis for refractory nephrotic syndrome due to a variety of causative diseases for nationwide and global approval.

Low-density lipoprotein apheresis (LDL-A) therapy has shown reasonable efficacy in treating nephrotic syndrome (NS) refractory to initial drug therapy and has been covered by National Health Insurance for the indication of drug-resistant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) since 1992 in Japan and has contributed to liberating substantial number of patients of this disease from entering into end-stage renal disease by easier practical application in actual clinical settings. Subsequently, various beneficial evidence of this treatment has accumulated on those other than FSGS, however, due to the limitation of covered disease insurance only for FSGS, patients with diseases other than FSGS are unlikely to benefit from this treatment in practice. This review summarizes the therapeutic evidence of the beneficial effect of LDL-A accumulated to date and the mechanisms of action analyzed from multifaceted perspectives.

Focal Segmental Sclerosis Associated with the Novel Multi-tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Ponatinib.

Ponatinib is a novel multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) with potent inhibitory activity against refractory chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Despite its high clinical efficacy, ponatinib induces various adverse events due to its multi-target characteristic. However, renal complications associated with ponatinib are rare.