Urinary fatty acid-binding protein 4 is a promising biomarker for glomerular damage in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Aims/introduction: Fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) 4, which acts as an adipokine secreted by adipocytes, macrophages, and capillary endothelial cells, is expressed in injured glomerular cells. It has been reported that urinary (U-) FABP4 is associated with renal dysfunction and proteinuria in several glomerular kidney diseases. However, the clinical significance of U-FABP4 in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) remains undetermined.

Inappropriate diet and hygiene status affect the progression of diabetic kidney disease by causing dysbiosis.

Objective: Although the effects of an unhealthy diet on the risks of diabetes and its renal complications are well understood, the effects of hygiene status have not been fully elucidated.

Research Methods And Procedures: We created four groups of mice according to the diet fed (standard [SD] or high-fat [HFD]) and their living environment (conventional [CV] or specific pathogen-free [SPF]), and characterized the extent of their kidney pathology, their gut microbiota, and their fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations.

Results: The body masses and glycated hemoglobin levels of the HFD and CV groups were significantly higher than those of the SD and SPF groups, respectively.

Associations between circulating levels of FABP4 and TNF receptors are more evident in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus than in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) is an adipokine that plays significant roles in the development of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. High levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFRs) including TNFR1 and TNFR2 are associated with renal dysfunction and increased mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). However, the association between circulating levels of FABP4 and TNFRs remains unclear.

Preventive dental care reduces risk of cardiovascular disease and pneumonia in hemodialysis population: a nationwide claims database analysis.

This study aims to investigate the impact of dental care utilization status on the occurrence of fatal complications such as cerebral/cardiovascular disease (CVD) and infectious diseases in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis. This retrospective cohort study was performed using the Japanese claims database and included patients who first underwent hemodialysis between April 2014 and September 2020. The exposure variable of interest was the pattern of dental utilization, which was categorized into three groups, "dental treatment group", "preventive dental care group", and "no-dental visit group".

Circulating TNF receptor levels are associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate even in healthy individuals with normal kidney function.

The association between serum tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFRs: TNFR1, TNFR2) levels and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) observed in patients with diabetes has not been comprehensively tested in healthy subjects with normal kidney function. It also remains unclear whether TNFR levels differ by age and sex, and between healthy subjects and diabetics. We measured serum TNFR levels in 413 healthy subjects and 292 patients with type 2 diabetes.

Comparison of estimated glomerular filtration rate change with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors versus glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists among people with diabetes: A propensity-score matching study.

Aim: To compare the risk of developing kidney outcomes with use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) versus use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors among individuals with diabetes.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we analysed 12 338 individuals with diabetes who newly initiated SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP-1RAs using data from the JMDC claims database. The primary outcome was change in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), estimated using a linear mixed-effects model.

Progranulin deficiency attenuates tubulointerstitial injury in a mouse unilateral ureteral obstruction model.

Progranulin (PGRN) may have two opposing effects-inflammation and anti-inflammation-in different diseases. Although previous studies have reported that PGRN is involved in liver fibrosis, its involvement in tubulointerstitial fibrosis remains to be fully elucidated. Herein, we investigated these issues using PGRN-knockout (KO) mice treated with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO).

Potential of Modulating Aldosterone Signaling and Mineralocorticoid Receptor with microRNAs to Attenuate Diabetic Kidney Disease.

Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD) is a significant complication of diabetes and primary cause of end-stage renal disease globally. The exact mechanisms underlying DKD remain poorly understood, but multiple factors, including the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), play a key role in its progression. Aldosterone, a mineralocorticoid steroid hormone, is one of the key components of RAAS and a potential mediator of renal damage and inflammation in DKD.

Successful Pregnancy and Delivery in a Chronic Renal Failure Patient with Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis and Preeclampsia-related Nephrotic Syndrome.

A 37-year-old woman with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage G4 with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis was hospitalized for nephrotic syndrome and hypertension due to superimposed preeclampsia at 27 weeks into her third pregnancy. Proteinuria did not worsen significantly after pulse steroid therapy. Delivery was induced at 30 weeks' gestation due to the maternal renal function and fetal growth.

Circulating tumor necrosis factor-related biomarkers predict kidney function decline in Japanese patients with diabetes: An observational cohort study.

Aims: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors (TNFRs: TNFR1 and, TNFR2) are reportedly associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression chiefly in Caucasian patients with diabetes. We assessed the prognostic value of TNF-related biomarkers for CKD progression in Japanese patients with diabetes.

Methods: We estimated TNF-related biomarkers using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 640 patients with diabetes.

Gut Microbiome and Microbiome-Derived Metabolites in Patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease.

The composition of the gut microbiome is altered in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dysbiosis leads to decreased levels of stool organic acids (OAs) and systemic inflammation, followed by accumulation of uremic toxins (UTs) and the development of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). We assessed the relationship between the microbiome and UT levels or the development of ESKD by comparing patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and those with normal renal function (NRF).

The proteinuria-lowering effects of dapagliflozin are associated with an initial decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Aim: Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor, dapagliflozin (DAPA) reduced albuminuria and slowed down the decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the DAPA-CKD trial. However, proteinuria (albuminuria) does not necessarily decrease in all patients in real-world clinical settings. Therefore, we aimed to identify the clinical characteristics of patients with CKD and decreased proteinuria in response to DAPA treatment.

Development of an In-House EphA2 ELISA for Human Serum and Measurement of Circulating Levels of EphA2 in Hypertensive Patients with Renal Dysfunction.

Identifying novel biomarkers of kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has strong clinical value as current measures have limitations. This study aims to develop and validate a sensitive and specific ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EphA2) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for human serum, and determine whether its results correlate with traditional renal measures in patients with hypertension. The novel ELISA of the current study was validated and used to measure circulating EphA2 levels in 80 hypertensive patients with and without kidney function decline (eGFR less than 60 mL/min/1.

Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors-Miracle Drugs for the Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease Irrespective of the Diabetes Status: Lessons from the Dedicated Kidney Disease-Focused CREDENCE and DAPA-CKD Trials.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease worldwide. In Japan, the proportion of new patients requiring dialysis due to DKD has remained unchanged over the past five years. Early diagnosis and treatment are extremely important for the prevention of DKD progression.

Circulating tumor necrosis factor receptors are associated with mortality and disease severity in COVID-19 patients.

Background: Although hyperinflammatory response influences the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), little has been reported about the utility of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related biomarkers in reflecting the prognosis. We examined whether TNF receptors (TNFRs: TNFR1, TNFR2) and progranulin (PGRN) levels, in addition to interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP), are associated with mortality or disease severity in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at Juntendo University Hospital.

Association of type 2 diabetes with periodontitis and tooth loss in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Background: Limited evidence are available regarding the influence of diabetes on periodontitis in hemodialysis patients, although the association between diabetes and periodontal disease is well-known.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the influence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and its control level on periodontal disease and the number of missing teeth in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Subjects And Methods: A single-center cross-sectional study was conducted on 246 Japanese patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis.

Progranulin and Its Receptor Predict Kidney Function Decline in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Progranulin (PGRN), a growth factor, is abundantly expressed in a broad range of tissues and cell types with pleiotropic functions including inflammation, neurodegeneration, and facilitating lysosome acidification. PGRN binds to TNF receptors (TNFR) and inhibits downstream inflammatory signaling pathways. TNFR is a well-known predictor of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline in a variety of diseases.

Association Between Kidney Function Decline and Baseline TNFR Levels or Change Ratio in TNFR by Febuxostat Chiefly in Non-diabetic CKD Patients With Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia.

The levels of circulating tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) 1 and 2 help predict the future decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) chiefly in patients with diabetes. It has been recently reported that the change ratio in TNFR1 by SGLT2 inhibitor treatment is also related with future GFR decline in patients with diabetes. The aims of this study are to investigate the association between baseline TNFR levels and early change in TNFR levels by the non-purine selective xanthine oxidase inhibitor, febuxostat, and future eGFR decline chiefly in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients without diabetes.

COVID-19-induced acute renal tubular injury associated with elevation of serum inflammatory cytokine.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 has rapidly spread worldwide, with acute kidney injury (AKI) as one of the manifestations with unknown causal mechanisms. We aimed to investigate tubular injury by assessing tubular markers and their association with the severity of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: We examined the associations between laboratory markers and urinary levels of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (uNAG), β2-microglobulin (u β2MG), α1-microglobulin (u α1MG), and liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP).