Vitamin K antagonists predispose to calciphylaxis in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Background/aims: Calciphylaxis is associated with a poor prognosis in dialysis patients, and its pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. Although the use of vitamin K antagonists (VKA) has been implicated, previous reports are conflicting. We aimed to determine if vitamin K antagonists conferred an increased risk of calciphylaxis in patients on dialysis.

Expression of silencer of death domains and death-receptor-3 in normal human kidney and in rejecting renal transplants.

We have previously reported the pattern of cellular expression of tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFR) in human kidney and their altered expression in transplant rejection. We have extended our studies to examine the expression of Silencer of Death Domains (SODD), a protein that binds to the cytoplasmic portion of TNFR1 to inhibit signaling in the absence of ligand. In normal human kidney SODD is expressed in glomerular endothelial cells where it colocalizes with TNFR1.

Interleukin 4 reduces expression of inhibitory receptors on B cells and abolishes CD22 and Fc gamma RII-mediated B cell suppression.

Inhibitory receptors CD22, Fc gamma RII (CD32), CD72, and paired immunoglobulin-like receptor (PIR)-B are critically involved in negatively regulating the B cell immune response and in preventing autoimmunity. Here we show that interleukin 4 (IL-4) reduces expression of all four on activated B cells at the level of messenger RNA and protein. This reduced expression is dependent on continuous exposure to IL-4 and is mediated through Stat6.