Complications and Risks of Percutaneous Renal Biopsy.

Background: Renal biopsy performed in native and transplant kidneys is generally considered a safe procedure.

Aim: In this study, we evaluated renal biopsy complications and risk factors in one nephrology facility.

Material And Methods: We conducted a three-year retrospective study on patients who underwent renal biopsy between January 2014 and December 2016.

The Spectrum of Histopathological Changes in the Renal Allograft - a 12 Months Protocol Biopsy Study.

Introduction: Renal transplantation became a routine and successful medical treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease in the last 30 years all over the world. Introduction of Luminex based Single Antigen Beads (SAB) and recent BANFF consensus of histopathological phenotypes of different forms of rejection enables more precise diagnosis and changes the therapeutic approach. The graft biopsies, protocol or cause, indicated, remain a golden diagnostic tool for clinical follow up of kidney transplant recipients (KTR).

Protocol for performing nephrological activity in the Republic of Macedonia.

The fast development of nephrology in the world, especially in the second half of the 20 th century demanded protocol (guidelines) for nephrological activity for all levels of medical care, of doctors and specialists. The International Society of Nephrology, the European Renal Association and other national associations created their own protocol (guidelines) for nephrological activity. The Macedonian Society of Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation and Artificial Organs (MSNDTAO) proclaimed the First Protocol for Performing Nephrological Activity in the Republic of Macedonia at the First Congress of the MSNDTAO, held in Ohrid 1993, and it was published in the Macedonian Medical Review, 1994; Supplement 14: 397-406 [1].

Evaluation of circulating immune complexes and antiphospholipid antibodies (anti beta 2 glycoprotein 1) in heroin addicts and their clinical significance.

Introduction: Earlier studies have reported that heroin might cause the structural and antigen changes on numerous tissues, organs and subsequent development of autoimmune reactions (production of antibodies and creation of immune complexes) as a result the immunotoxic effect of heroin. The aims of our study were to: a) Evaluate CIC and antibeta2GP1 in heroin addicts; b) Correlate between the values of the obtained CIC and antibeta2GP1 (stratified by the duration and route of heroin application); c) Compare the CIC and antibeta2GP1 in heroin addicts and the control group and d) Assess the clinical importance of CIC and antibeta2GP1 in heroin addicts.

Patients And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed at the University Clinic of Toxicology and the Institute of Transfusiology, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.

Renal histopathology and clinical course in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis--single centre experience from the Republic of Macedonia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical course of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) with renal involvement, to examine histopatological form seen in renal biopsies and present follow-up of the patients. A retrospective analysis was carried out of 18 patients presenting with WG and active renal disease at the University Nephrology Department, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, R.

The Oxford classification of IgA nephropathy: single centre experience.

The Oxford classification for the pathological classification of a glomerular disease in IgA nephropathy was established and published in 2009. Four of the pathological variables: 1) mesangial hypercellularity score, 2) segmental glomerulosclerosis, 3) endocapillary hypercellularity and 4) tubular atrophy/interstital fibrosis were presented as having value in predicting renal outcome in this glomerular disease. These features were recommended to be taken into account for predicting the outcome.

Morphological changes in the tubulointerstitial compartment in primary glomerulopathies.

The renal interstitium structurally supports the functional renal units and is involved in almost all renal functions. The degree of renal disfunction strongly correlates to the changes in the tubulointerstitial compartment present in almost all types of glomerular diseases. A phenomenon arising in such an environment is epithelial-mesenchymal transition, i.

Mycophenolate mofetil in the treatment of glomerular diseases.

Aim: Treatment of primary glomerular diseases may be unsuccessful or have potential toxicities. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is a new, relatively non-toxic drug. It has been introduced as an immunosuppressive drug, but it also has effects on non-immune cells (vascular smooth muscle cells, fibrocytes).

Role of mycophenolate mofetil in the treatment of lupus nephritis.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an immunosuppressive drug successfully used for the prevention of acute and chronic rejection of renal allografts, as well as in the therapy of glomerular disorders. We treated three groups of patients with lupus nephritis: the first group of patients had a high histologic activity index (AI), 13.4 +/- 2.

IgA nephropathy: 23 years of follow-up.

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis. Some patients reach end-stage renal failure (ESRF), others experience an indolent course. We aimed the study to examine the association of risk factors with the progression to renal failure.

20 years after methylprednisolone/chlorambucil treatment in idiopathic membranous nephropathy stage II-III with nephrotic syndrome.

There is now controlled evidence that a 6-month course with methylprednisolone and chlorambucil may favour remission of the nephrotic syndrome and may significantly improve the 10-year kidney survival in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy. We analyzed the outcome of 15 nephrotic patients (proteinuria 7.06 +/- 1.

[The possible pathogenesis of AA type amyloidosis in a patient with ulcerative colitis and renal cell carcinoma].

A 43-year-old male with a two-month history of ulcerative colitis and nephrectomy due to a renal cell carcinoma performed a month before was admitted to University Department of Nephrology for nephrotic syndrome and chronic renal failure. Biopsy of the remnant kidney revealed secondary AA amyloidosis with deposits in the glomeruli and walls of intrarenal blood vessels. Re-evaluation of the nephrectomized kidney also showed amyloid deposits both in the renal tissue free from malignant cells and in tumor tissue.

ANCA-GBM dot-blot test in diagnosis of patients with glomerulonephritis.

Patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis who are positive for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) or anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antibodies may develop chronic renal failure leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) within days or weeks. The early serologic detection of auto-antibodies associated with ANCA and anti-GBM diseases will be helpful in preventing ESRD. We evaluated the combined ANCA-GBM dot-blot strip assay (Biomedical Diagnostics, Brugge, Belgium) in 30 consecutive patients with biopsy proven glomerulonephritis (GN).

Therapeutic apheresis in the Republic of Macedonia - our five years experience (2000-2004).

Membrane plasma exchange (PE) is a mode of extracorporeal blood purification. Since 1985 membrane PE has been in regular use at the Department of Nephrology, Medical Faculty of Skopje, R.Macedonia.

Recurrent glomerulonephritis in living kidney transplantation.

Glomerulonephritis (GN) is one of the most frequent causes of end-stage renal disease. Recurrent GN can occur very early after transplantation in up to 20% of renal-allograft recipients and should be considered with late graft dysfunction in 2-5%. Importantly, diagnosis of a clinically silent recurrence of the disease will pass undetected unless transplant centers have a policy of protocol biopsies.

Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis complicating diabetic nephropathy.

Background: Renal diseases other than diabetic nephropathy can be found in diabetic patients who have undergone renal biopsy. Various forms of primary and secondary glomerular diseases were reported, but membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis was rare.

Methods: Analyzing data at our Department for the past three years, we noted 18 patients with primary membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and 4 associated with diabetic nephropathy.

Protocol biopsies in kidney transplant recipients: histologic findings as prognostic markers for graft function and outcome.

The aim of the present study was to identify subclinical and borderline rejections as well as histological markers of chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) among protocol biopsies performed at 1 and 6 months after living related kidney transplantation to assess their possible implications for graft function. Twenty paired allograft biopsies performed at 1 and 6 months were reviewed according to the Banff scoring scheme. The mean ages of donors and recipients were 59.

The incidence of biopsy-proven primary glomerulonephritis in the Republic of Macedonia-long-term follow-up.

In order to define the type of renal disease, renal biopsy was performed in 1304 patients, aged 14-72 years. Their biopsies were processed for light and immunofluorescence microscopy, and electron microscopy in some cases. The diagnosis of primary glomerular disease was confirmed in 716 patients with the following incidence: minimal change nephrotic syndrome in 52 (7.

Plasmaexchange in the treatment of myasthenia gravis associated with thymoma.

Background: All patients with thymomatous Myasthenia Gravis (MG) should undergo early and total thymectomy, but controversy abounds in the choice of chronic immunosuppressive agents. The value of plasmaexchange (PE) in MG has been clearly established in preoperative preparation and treatment of myasthenic crisis. Whether PE may be used in the chronic long-term therapy of patients with thymomatous MG in addition to conventional immunosuppressive agents and cholinesterase inhibitors is yet to be answered.

Diabetic glomerulosclerosis without overt diabetes mellitus.

The duration of diabetes mellitus and the presence of hyperglycaemia were thought to be important in the development of nodular glomerulosclerosis. We report on 3 patients without overt diabetes, but with glucose intolerance, all male, aged 43-66 years, with histological features of diabetic glomerulosclerosis. The nodular form was present in 2 patients and the diffuse form in 1.