Background: Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and treatment-resistant minimal change disease (TR-MCD) are heterogeneous disorders with subgroups defined by distinct underlying mechanisms of glomerular and tubulointerstitial injury. A non-invasive urinary biomarker profile has been generated to identify patients with intra-kidney tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-activation and to predict response to anti-TNF treatment. We conducted this proof-of-concept, multi-center, open-label clinical trial to test the hypothesis that in patients with FSGS or TR-MCD and evidence of intra-renal TNF activation based on their biomarker profile, short-term treatment with adalimumab would reverse the elevated urinary excretion of MCP-1 and TIMP-1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe maintenance of a healthy epithelial-endothelial juxtaposition requires cross-talk within glomerular cellular niches. We sought to understand the spatially-anchored regulation and transition of endothelial and mesangial cells from health to injury in DKD. From 74 human kidney samples, an integrated multi-omics approach was leveraged to identify cellular niches, cell-cell communication, cell injury trajectories, and regulatory transcription factor (TF) networks in glomerular capillary endothelial (EC-GC) and mesangial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Recent technological advancements allowed the development of engaging technological tools. Using ASN funding from the ASN, we developed a 3D Virtual Reality (VR) physiology course entitled DiAL-Neph (Diuretic Action and eLectrolyte transport in the Nephron). We hereby present its evaluation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Diabetes is expected to directly impact renal glycosylation, yet to date, there has not been a comprehensive evaluation of alterations in N-glycan composition in the glomeruli of patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD).
Methods: We used untargeted mass spectrometry imaging to identify N-glycan structures in healthy and sclerotic glomeruli in FFPE sections from needle biopsies of five patients with DKD and three healthy kidney samples. Regional proteomics was performed on glomeruli from additional biopsies from the same patients to compare the abundances of enzymes involved in glycosylation.