Candidate circulating microRNA biomarkers in dogs with chronic pancreatitis.

Background: Pancreatitis is an important cause of disease and death in dogs. Available circulating biomarkers are not sufficiently sensitive and specific for a definitive diagnosis.

Hypothesis: Circulating microRNAs would be differentially expressed in dogs with chronic pancreatitis and could have potential as diagnostic biomarkers.

Using RNA-based therapies to target the kidney in cardiovascular disease.

RNA-based therapies are currently used for immunisation against infections and to treat metabolic diseases. They can modulate gene expression in immune cells and hepatocytes, but their use in other cell types has been limited by an inability to selectively target specific tissues. Potential solutions to this targeting problem involve packaging therapeutic RNA molecules into delivery vehicles that are preferentially delivered to cells of interest.

In severe alcohol-related hepatitis, acute kidney injury is prevalent, associated with mortality independent of liver disease severity, and can be predicted using IL-8 and micro-RNAs.

Background: The prevalence, prediction and impact of acute kidney injury (AKI) in alcohol-related hepatitis (AH) is uncertain.

Aims: We aimed to determine AKI incidence; association with mortality; evaluate serum biomarkers and the modifying effects of prednisolone and pentoxifylline in the largest AH cohort to date.

Methods: Participants in the Steroids or Pentoxifylline for Alcoholic Hepatitis trial with day zero (D0) creatinine available were included.

Outcomes in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis in Scotland: Validation of the Renal Risk Score in a Complete National Cohort.

Introduction: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) causes autoimmune-mediated inflammation of small blood vessels in multiple organs, including the kidneys. The ability to accurately predict kidney outcomes would enable a more personalized therapeutic approach.

Methods: We used our national renal biopsy registry to validate the ability of ANCA Renal Risk Score (ARRS) to predict end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) for individual patients.

Endothelin blockade prevents the long-term cardiovascular and renal sequelae of acute kidney injury in mice.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common and associated with increased risks of cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease. Causative molecular/physiological pathways are poorly defined. There are no therapies to improve long-term outcomes.

Cardiovascular outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease and COVID-19: a multi-regional data-linkage study.

Background: Data describing cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are lacking. We compared cardiovascular outcomes of patients with and without COVID-19, stratified by CKD status.

Methods: This retrospective, multi-regional data-linkage study utilised individual patient-level data from two Scottish cohorts.

The impact of excessive salt intake on human health.

Intake of salt is a biological imperative, inextricably woven into physiological systems, human societies and global culture. However, excessive salt intake is associated with high blood pressure. As this effect likely drives cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, excessive salt intake is estimated to cause ~5 million deaths per annum worldwide.

Utility of interval kidney biopsy in ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Objectives: ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a rare autoimmune disorder that commonly involves the kidney. Early identification of kidney involvement, assessing treatment-response and predicting outcome are important clinical challenges. Here, we assessed the potential utility of interval kidney biopsy in AAV.

ANCA-associated renal vasculitis is associated with rurality but not seasonality or deprivation in a complete national cohort study.

Background: Small studies suggest an association between ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) incidence and rurality, seasonality and socioeconomic deprivation. We examined the incidence of kidney biopsy-proven AAV and its relationship with these factors in the adult Scottish population.

Methods: Using the Scottish Renal Biopsy Registry, all adult native kidney biopsies performed between 2014 and 2018 with a diagnosis of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) were identified.

A National Registry Study of Patient and Renal Survival in Adult Nephrotic Syndrome.

Introduction: We aimed to determine the mortality rate, cause of death, and rate of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in adults with nephrotic syndrome (NS).

Methods: We conducted a national registry-based study, including all 522 adults who had a kidney biopsy for NS in Scotland in 2014-2017. We linked the Scottish Renal Registry to death certificate data.

Circulating argonaute-bound microRNA-126 reports vascular dysfunction and treatment response in acute and chronic kidney disease.

Vascular and kidney dysfunction commonly co-exist. There is a need for biomarkers of vascular health. Circulating microRNAs are biomarkers; miR-126 is endothelial cell-enriched.

Extracellular RNA in kidney disease: moving slowly but surely from bench to bedside.

We have known for just over a decade that functional RNA is shuttled between cells (Nat. Cell Biol. (2007) 9, 654-659).

Dialysis and plasmapheresis for schizophrenia: a systematic review.

Increasing evidence suggests that circulating factors and immune dysfunction may contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In particular, proinflammatory cytokines, complement and autoantibodies against CNS epitopes have recently been associated with psychosis. Related concepts in previous decades led to several clinical trials of dialysis and plasmapheresis as treatments for schizophrenia.

Hyperkalemia: pathophysiology, risk factors and consequences.

There have been significant recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms that maintain potassium homoeostasis and the clinical consequences of hyperkalemia. In this article we discuss these advances within a concise review of the pathophysiology, risk factors and consequences of hyperkalemia. We highlight aspects that are of particular relevance for clinical practice.

Long-term outcomes in elderly patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Objective: ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a small vessel vasculitis that commonly presents in the elderly. However, there are few long-term outcome data for these patients. Here, we assessed long-term outcomes in a single-centre cohort of elderly patients with AAV.

Safety and Efficacy of the SNAP 12-hour Acetylcysteine Regimen for the Treatment of Paracetamol Overdose.

Background: Acetylcysteine (NAC) is effective at preventing liver injury after paracetamol overdose. The Scottish and Newcastle Anti-emetic Pre-treatment for Paracetamol Poisoning (SNAP) Study demonstrated that a 12 h NAC regimen was associated with fewer adverse drug reactions compared with the standard 21 h regimen. Here, we describe the clinical effectiveness of the SNAP NAC regimen.

First-in-Man Demonstration of Direct Endothelin-Mediated Natriuresis and Diuresis.

Endothelin (ET) receptor antagonists are potentially novel therapeutic agents in chronic kidney disease and resistant hypertension, but their use is complicated by sodium and water retention. In animal studies, this side effect arises from ET receptor blockade in the renal tubule. Previous attempts to determine whether this mechanism operates in humans have been confounded by the hemodynamic consequences of ET receptor stimulation/blockade.