Unraveling the Link between Interferon-α and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: From the Molecular Mechanisms to Target Therapies.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease with a wide range of clinical expressions. The kidney is often affected, usually within 5 years of the onset of SLE, and lupus nephropathy (LN) carries a high risk for increased morbidity. The clinical heterogeneity of the disease is accompanied by complex disturbances affecting the immune system with inflammation and tissue damage due to loss of tolerance to nuclear antigens and the deposition of immune complexes in tissues.

History of Preeclampsia in Patients Undergoing a Kidney Biopsy: A Biphasic, Multiple-Hit Pathogenic Hypothesis.

Introduction: It is not fully elucidated whether preeclampsia (PE) is a marker or a cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). To test the hypothesis of a biphasic relationship between PE and CKD, we assessed PE prevalence in women who underwent a kidney biopsy.

Methods: This retrospective, observational study recruited patients who underwent a kidney biopsy after delivery in 2014 to 2019 in 3 Italian Centers (Cagliari, Bari, Messina); low-risk pregnancies observed in Cagliari served as controls.

Positron Emission Tomography Can Support the Diagnosis of Dialysis-Related Amyloidosis.

Background: The improvements in dialysis have not eliminated long-term problems, including dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA), caused by Beta-2 microglobulin deposition. Several types of scintigraphy have been tested to detect DRA, none entered the clinical practice. Aim of the study was to assess the potential of PET-FDG scan in the diagnosis of DRA.

Moderate Protein Restriction in Advanced CKD: A Feasible Option in An Elderly, High-Comorbidity Population. A Stepwise Multiple-Choice System Approach.

Background: Protein restriction may retard the need for renal replacement therapy; compliance is considered a barrier, especially in elderly patients.

Methods: A feasibility study was conducted in a newly organized unit for advanced kidney disease; three diet options were offered: normalization of protein intake (0.8 g/kg/day of protein); moderate protein restriction (0.

Prescribing Hemodialysis or Hemodiafiltration: When One Size Does Not Fit All the Proposal of a Personalized Approach Based on Comorbidity and Nutritional Status.

There is no simple way to prescribe hemodialysis. Changes in the dialysis population, improvements in dialysis techniques, and different attitudes towards the initiation of dialysis have influenced treatment goals and, consequently, dialysis prescription. However, in clinical practice prescription of dialysis still often follows a "one size fits all" rule, and there is no agreed distinction between treatment goals for the younger, lower-risk population, and for older, high comorbidity patients.

Phosphate binders as a cause of hypothyroidism in dialysis patients: practical indications from a review of the literature.

Background: Although fatigue is common in dialysis patients, polypharmacy is seldom listed among its causes. In this report, we describe a dialysis patient who developed severe fatigue due to pharmacological interaction between two commonly prescribed drugs, phosphate binders and levothyroxine.

Case Presentation: A 65-year old woman, on dialysis for 17 years, complained of fatigue (weight 54 Kg, height 1.