General prognostic models may neglect vulnerable subgroups in ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Background: ANCA-associated vasculitis is an organ and life-threatening disease with the highest incidence in elderly patients. However, few studies have focussed on characteristics and treatment outcomes in a direct comparison of elderly and younger patients.

Methods: In a retrospective, single-centre, renal biopsy-cohort, patients were dichotomized by age ≥ 65 years to analyse baseline clinical, histological, laboratory and immunological characteristics and outcome differences in elderly and younger patients as regard to mortality, renal recovery from dialysis and eGFR after two years.

Efficacy of Double Membrane Filtration Immunoadsorption in Severe C1q-Binding Donor-Specific Antibody-Positive Acute Humoral Kidney Allograft Rejection: A Case Series.

Introduction: Acute antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) is an important threat to renal allograft survival in the early transplant period and the major single cause of graft loss in the first postoperative year. Semi-selective immunoadsorption (IA) remains one of the commonly applied treatments in ABMR, reducing allo-reactive antibody load. Adding double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) to IA might enhance therapeutic efficacy by also addressing innate humoral effectors like complement factors.

Renal outcomes of STOP-IgAN trial patients in relation to baseline histology (MEST-C scores).

Background: The Oxford classification of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) defines histologic criteria (MEST-C) that provide prognostic information based on the kidney biopsy. There are few data on the predictive impact of this classification in randomized clinical trial settings.

Methods: We performed an exploratory analysis of MEST-C scores in 70 available renal biopsies from 162 randomized STOP-IgAN trial participants and correlated the results with clinical outcomes.

Impact of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase α1 Deficiency on Tissue Injury following Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction.

Background: AMP-activated protein kinase (Ampk) is a sensor of the cellular energy status and a powerful regulator of metabolism. Activation of Ampk was previously shown to participate in monocyte-to-fibroblast transition and matrix protein production in renal tissue. Thus, the present study explored whether the catalytic Ampkα1 isoform participates in the regulation of the renal fibrotic response following unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO).

Renal allograft failure in a hyperparathyroid patient following initiation of a calcimimetic.

Background: A 47-year-old man with a 6-year history of chronic dialysis for end-stage renal disease of unknown etiology presented for renal transplantation. While on dialysis, he had developed secondary hyperparathyroidism, which persisted after transplantation despite treatment with cinacalcet.

Investigations: Physical examination, serum and urine analysis, ultrasound of the renal transplant, renal biopsy, bone scintigraphy.

The putative role of human peritoneal adipocytes in the fight against bacteria: synthesis of the antimicrobial active peptide DEFA1-3.

Background: Spontaneous peritonitis is a rather rare event, even in peritoneal dialysis (PD). As defensins are natural antimicrobial peptides, we hypothesized that adipocytes as the major constituents of the omentum could play an important role in protecting against infection by generating defensin (DEFA1-3).

Methods: We isolated adipocytes from the omentum majus and conducted qualitative and quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses.

The Oxford classification of IgA nephropathy: rationale, clinicopathological correlations, and classification.

IgA nephropathy is the most common glomerular disease worldwide, yet there is no international consensus for its pathological or clinical classification. Here a new classification for IgA nephropathy is presented by an international consensus working group. The goal of this new system was to identify specific pathological features that more accurately predict risk of progression of renal disease in IgA nephropathy, thus enabling both clinicians and pathologists to improve individual patient prognostication.

The Oxford classification of IgA nephropathy: pathology definitions, correlations, and reproducibility.

Pathological classifications in current use for the assessment of glomerular disease have been typically opinion-based and built on the expert assumptions of renal pathologists about lesions historically thought to be relevant to prognosis. Here we develop a unique approach for the pathological classification of a glomerular disease, IgA nephropathy, in which renal pathologists first undertook extensive iterative work to define pathologic variables with acceptable inter-observer reproducibility. Where groups of such features closely correlated, variables were further selected on the basis of least susceptibility to sampling error and ease of scoring in routine practice.

Ambulatory blood pressure, proteinuria and uric acid in children with IgA nephropathy and their correlation with histopathological findings.

Background/aims: In adults, nighttime hypertension and hyperuricemia are new risk factors for progression of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). In children, nighttime blood pressure (BP) and serum uric acid have never been investigated. The aim of the study was to investigate nighttime BP and uric acid in children with IgAN.

Absence of tissue reaction after focal high-dose irradiation of rabbit liver.

Background: A focal reaction of the liver is radiologically seen after stereotactic high dose radiotherapy of liver tumors. The histological counterpart of this reaction should be clarified using an animal model.

Materials And Methods: Six New Zealand white rabbits were positioned on a special stereotactic set-up.

SBA-positive fibers between the CD ampulla, mesenchyme, and renal capsule.

During kidney development, the CD shows two peculiarities. First, the tip of the CD ampulla is always found at a specific distance from the organ capsule. Second, the CD growth occurs as a perfectly straight elongation.