Preliminary evidence of renal function improvement in chronic progressive kidney disease using autologous CD34 cell therapy: A clinical trial.

Background: To date, no specific treatment has been established to reverse progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of autologous CD34 cell transplantation in CKD patients who exhibited a progressive decline in renal function.

Methods: The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the beginning of the study was 15.

Cell therapy in kidney diseases: advancing treatments for renal regeneration.

Kidney diseases, including acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), pose a significant global health challenge, with high morbidity and mortality rates driven by rising prevalence of risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension. Current therapeutic strategies are often limited, prompting the exploration of advanced cell therapies as potential solutions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the state of cell therapies in kidney disease, tracing the progression from preclinical studies to clinical applications.

Non-oliguric acute renal failure secondary to a potentially lethal dose of caffeine with acute intoxication: a case report.

Background: Recently, the incidence of caffeine intoxication has been on an upward trend, with severe outcomes. However, acute kidney injury (AKI) resulting from renal pathologies secondary to caffeine intoxication is rare, and the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying AKI are unclear.

Case Presentation: A female patient in her 20s ingested an over-the-counter drug containing caffeine.

Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling After Successful Living Donor Kidney Transplantation: The VINTAGE Study.

Background: The impact of kidney transplantation (KT) on left ventricular (LV) remodeling remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of KT on LV reverse remodeling, utilizing echocardiographic LV geometric patterns as a key assessment tool.

Methods: In 100 recipients who underwent living KT between 2012 and 2022, we evaluated changes in the distribution of LV geometric patterns (normal geometry, concentric remodeling, eccentric hypertrophy, and concentric hypertrophy) between baseline and 1 year post-transplantation.

Genetic legacy of ancient hunter-gatherer Jomon in Japanese populations.

The tripartite ancestral structure is a recently proposed model for the genetic origin of modern Japanese, comprising indigenous Jomon hunter-gatherers and two additional continental ancestors from Northeast Asia and East Asia. To investigate the impact of the tripartite structure on genetic and phenotypic variation today, we conducted biobank-scale analyses by merging Biobank Japan (BBJ; n = 171,287) with ancient Japanese and Eurasian genomes (n = 22). We demonstrate the applicability of the tripartite model to Japanese populations throughout the archipelago, with an extremely strong correlation between Jomon ancestry and genomic variation among individuals.

Cardioimmunology in Health and Diseases: Impairment of the Cardio-Spleno-Bone Marrow Axis Following Myocardial Infarction in Diabetes Mellitus.

A comprehensive understanding of the cardio-spleen-bone marrow immune cell axis is essential for elucidating the alterations occurring during the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM). This study investigates the dynamics of immune cell kinetics in DM after myocardial infarction (MI) over time. MI was induced in diabetic and healthy control groups using C57BL/N6 mice, with sacrifices occurring at days 1, 3, 7, and 28 post-MI to collect heart, peripheral blood (PB), spleen, and bone marrow (BM) samples.

Anti-inflammatory Prowess of endothelial progenitor cells in the realm of biology and medicine.

Endothelial inflammation plays a crucial role in vascular-related diseases, a leading cause of global mortality. Among various cellular players, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) emerge as non-differentiated endothelial cells circulating in the bloodstream. Recent evidence highlights the transformative role of EPCs in shifting from an inflammatory/immunosuppressive crisis to an anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory response.

Extracellular Vesicle Transplantation Is Beneficial for Acute Kidney Injury.

Under vasculogenic conditioning, certain pro-inflammatory subsets within peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) undergo phenotypic transformation into pro-regenerative types, such as vasculogenic endothelial progenitor cells, M2 macrophages, and regulatory T cells. These transformed cells are collectively termed regeneration-associated cells (RACs). In this study, we aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of RAC-derived extracellular vesicles (RACev) compared with a vehicle-treated group in the context of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (R-IRI).

Hepatic arterial infusion of autologous CD34 cells for hepatitis C virus-related decompensated cirrhosis: A multicenter, open-label, exploratory randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: In this multicenter clinical study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of the transhepatic arterial administration of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized autologous peripheral blood (PB)-CD34 cells compared with standard therapy in patients with decompensated cirrhosis type C.

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to the CD34 cell transplant (CD34 cell) or standard-of-care (SOC) group and followed up for 52 weeks. The primary endpoints were the non-progression rate of Child-Pugh (CP) scores at 24 weeks post-enrollment and the safety of the protocol treatment.

A disease-specific iPS cell resource for studying rare and intractable diseases.

Background: Disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are useful tools for pathological analysis and diagnosis of rare diseases. Given the limited available resources, banking such disease-derived iPSCs and promoting their widespread use would be a promising approach for untangling the mysteries of rare diseases. Herein, we comprehensively established iPSCs from patients with designated intractable diseases in Japan and evaluated their properties to enrich rare disease iPSC resources.

Therapeutic application of regeneration-associated cells: a novel source of regenerative medicine.

Chronic diseases with comorbidities or associated risk factors may impair the function of regenerative cells and the regenerative microenvironment. Following this consideration, the vasculogenic conditioning culture (VCC) method was developed to boost the regenerative microenvironment to achieve regeneration-associated cells (RACs), which contain vasculogenic endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and anti-inflammatory/anti-immunity cells. Preclinical and clinical studies demonstrate that RAC transplantation is a safe and convenient cell population for promoting ischemic tissue recovery based on its strong vasculogenicity and functionality.

Repetitive administration of cultured human CD34+ cells improve adenine-induced kidney injury in mice.

Background: There is no established treatment to impede the progression or restore kidney function in human chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Aim: To examine the efficacy of cultured human CD34+ cells with enhanced proliferating potential in kidney injury in mice.

Methods: Human umbilical cord blood (UCB)-derived CD34+ cells were incubated for one week in vasculogenic conditioning medium.

Dialysis-related Amyloidosis Presenting as a Fever of Unknown Origin: Symptoms and Management.

A 74-year-old woman with a 34-year history of hemodialysis presented with an intermittent fever, which later coincided with recurrent bilateral shoulder and hip joint pain. Imaging studies suggested amyloid arthropathy, which was histologically confirmed by a synovial biopsy. Increasing β-microglobulin clearance during dialysis alone attenuated the intermittent fever and joint pain, but the symptoms did not disappear until the administration of prednisolone 10 mg/day.

CD34 positive cells as endothelial progenitor cells in biology and medicine.

CD34 is a cell surface antigen expressed in numerous stem/progenitor cells including hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are known to be rich sources of EPCs. Therefore, regenerative therapy using CD34 cells has attracted interest for application in patients with various vascular, ischemic, and inflammatory diseases. CD34 cells have recently been reported to improve therapeutic angiogenesis in a variety of diseases.

Malnutrition and Insulin Resistance May Interact with Metabolic Syndrome in Prevalent Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: We sought to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (Mets) and whether 100 cm of visceral fatty area (VFA) measured by computed tomography (CT) validates the criteria of waist circumference (WC) in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Methods: The study comprised 141 HD patients. Mets was defined according to the criteria of Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) and the modified criteria of National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) that defines abdominal obesity as a WC of >=85 cm in men and >=90 cm in women.

Relationship between Lower Extremity Peripheral Arterial Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment in Hemodialysis Patients.

The link between arterial stiffness and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in patients on hemodialysis (HD) has been receiving increased attention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive function and ankle brachial index (ABI) and toe brachial index (TBI) values in patients on hemodialysis. Of the 100 participants (mean age: 67.

Association of Hyperkalemia and Hypokalemia with Patient Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes in Japanese Hemodialysis (HD) Patients.

This study aimed to examine the characteristics and clinical outcomes of Japanese hemodialysis patients with dyskalemia. A retrospective study was conducted using a large Japanese hospital group database. Outpatients undergoing thrice-a-week maintenance hemodialysis were stratified into hyperkalemia, hypokalemia, and normokalemia groups based on their pre-dialysis serum potassium (sK) levels during the three-month baseline period.

A novel low-density lipoprotein/fibrinogen apheresis method for chronic limb-threatening ischemia in patients with poor options for revascularization: A multicenter, single-arm clinical trial.

Introduction: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis is a treatment option for patients with unhealed chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) after revascularization. The newly developed AS-25 is a direct hemoperfusion-type apheresis device that differs from conventional LDL apheresis therapy and is designed to specifically adsorb both LDL-C and fibrinogen. We evaluate the efficacy and safety of AS-25.

Impact of Arterial Calcification of the Lower Limbs on Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients on Hemodialysis.

Lower limbs' arterial calcification is significantly associated with the clinical severity of lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). However, the association between arterial calcification of the lower limbs and long-term clinical outcomes in patients on HD has not been elucidated. Calcification scores of the superficial femoral artery (SFACS) and below-knee arteries (BKACS) were quantitatively evaluated in 97 HD patients who were followed for 10 years.

The Characteristics of Dialysis Membranes: Benefits of the AN69 Membrane in Hemodialysis Patients.

Patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) experience serious cardiovascular complications, through malnutrition, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Amputation for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is more prevalent in patients undergoing HD than in the general population. In addition, revascularization procedures in dialysis patients are often associated with subsequent amputation and high mortality rates.

Impact of the 3% Oxygen Desaturation Index via Overnight Pulse Oximetry on Cardiovascular Events and Death in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

It is unclear whether the severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) affects the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). We determined the severity of SDB with the 3% oxygen desaturation index (ODI) via overnight pulse oximetry. This study was a retrospective cohort, observational study of 134 patients on maintenance HD at a single center.