Association of thrombotic microangiopathy and intimal hyperplasia with bleeding post-renal biopsy in antiphospholipid antibody-positive patients.

Objective: Renal biopsy remains the gold standard investigation for both diagnostic and prognostic purposes in the clinical management of lupus nephritis. However, it is not without potentially significant complications. The objectives of this study were to determine the rate of significant bleeding post-renal biopsy in patients with lupus nephritis and to identify risk factors associated with hemorrhagic complications.

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis involves sustained mucosal inflammation that is rich in B-cell survival factors and autoantigen.

Objective: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a rare chronic autoimmune disease that may be triggered by upper airway infection. ANCAs specific for PR3 that is expressed by activated neutrophils and macrophages are associated with GPA. Our aim was to investigate regional immune mechanisms that might induce or support the autoimmune response in GPA.

Collapsing glomerulopathy in a girl with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Collapsing glomerulopathy has increasingly been recognised in patients with conditions other than HIV. The non-HIV form of collapsing glomerulopathy generally shows little response to standard therapies. We describe a 12-year-old girl with a pre-existing diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus presenting with renal failure.

Monitoring the progress of BK virus associated nephropathy in renal transplant recipients.

Background: Nephropathy associated with BK virus (BKVAN) has recently emerged as an important cause of allograft failure following renal transplantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of laboratory markers in the follow-up of patients with BKVAN.

Methods: Serial samples from seven renal transplant recipients with biopsy proven BKVAN were studied.