Mechanical stretching determines the orientation of osteoblast migration and cell division.

Osteoblasts alignment and migration are involved in the directional formation of bone matrix and bone remodeling. Many studies have demonstrated that mechanical stretching controls osteoblast morphology and alignment. However, little is known about its effects on osteoblast migration.

Vestigial-Like 3 Plays an Important Role in Osteoblast Differentiation by Regulating the Expression of Osteogenic Transcription Factors and BMP Signaling.

Our previous gene profiling analysis showed that the transcription cofactor vestigial-like 3 (VGLL3) gene expression was upregulated by mechanical tension in the mouse cranial suture, coinciding with accelerated osteoblast differentiation. Therefore, we hypothesized that VGLL3 plays a significant role in osteogenic differentiation. To clarify the function of VGLL3 in osteoblasts, we examined its expression characteristics in mouse bone tissue and the osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1.

Hemodialysis without Anticoagulation for a Patient with Chronic Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation.

We report a 68-year-old Japanese man with end-stage renal failure requiring hemodialysis and chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) related to thrombosis in an aortic aneurysm. He had undergone graft replacement for the dissection of the ascending and descending thoracic aorta in 1990 and 2002, respectively. Computed tomography disclosed an aneurysm with thrombosis in the residual aorta adjacent to the graft anastomosis.

Primary care physicians' own exercise habits influence exercise counseling for patients with chronic kidney disease: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The appropriate exercise counseling for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients is crucial to improve their prognosis. There have been few studies about exercise counseling by primary care physicians for CKD patients. We investigated primary care physicians' exercise counseling practices for CKD patients, and the association of these physicians' own exercise habits with exercise counseling.

Medication-prescribing patterns of primary care physicians in chronic kidney disease.

Background: We investigated the medication-prescribing patterns of primary care physicians in chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Subjects And Methods: This cross-sectional study included 3,310 medical doctors who graduated from Jichi Medical University. The study instrument was a self-administered questionnaire to investigate their age group, specialty, workplace, existence of a dialysis center at workplace, and their prescription frequencies (high, moderate, low, very low) of the following agents--calcium (Ca) inhibitors, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin II receptor antagonist (ARBs), statins, anti-platelet agents, erythropoietin (Epo), AST-120, vitamin D, and sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO(3)).

Acute kidney injury in a patient with nephrotic syndrome due to focal segmental glomerular nephritis induced by a single oral administration of high-dose bisphosphonate (minodronate).

We herein report the case of a 75-year-old man who developed an increased serum creatinine level (4.93 mg/dL) and oliguria with massive proteinuria (7.14 g/day) on the second day after a single oral administration of high-dose (56 mg) minodronate.

A case of diffuse endocapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis associated with polymyalgia rheumatica.

A 70-year-old man complained of muscle pain in his neck, shoulders and pelvic girdle. Proteinuria and hematuria subsequently developed. Blood analysis showed increased acute phase reactants.

Successful treatment with tolvaptan to control blood volume and hyponatremia in a chronic kidney disease patient.

We report a case of successful treatment with tolvaptan (15 mg/day) in a 73-year-old female patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 5 due to diabetic nephropathy and renal sclerosis for volume control and loop diuretic-induced hyponatremia. Her creatinine clearance has remained at 7-10 ml/min for the last 6 months. She was treated by dietary and drug therapy, namely, antihypertensives (nifedipine: 40 mg/day, olmesartan: 20 mg/day) and loop diuretics (azosemide: 40-120 mg/day), for CKD and concomitant diseases of hypertension and diabetic mellitus.

Minimal change nephrotic syndrome complicated with malignant ascites in a patient with type II diabetes.

A large number of renal biopsy studies have shown the concurrent presence of non-diabetic renal disease in diabetics. This report describes one such diabetic female patient with nephrotic syndrome due to minimal change glomerular disease who was successfully treated with prednisolone. Despite the remission of her nephrotic syndrome, she had gradual development of malignant ascites, which was finally interpreted to be linked to primary peritoneal carcinoma.

De novo postallogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant membranous nephropathy.

We report membranous nephropathy in a 61-year-old man after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant without chronic graft-versus-host disease. A diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia was made, and the patient received hematopoietic stem cell transplants, twice, from different donors. The first donor was his brother and the second donor was an unrelated man.

Churg-Strauss syndrome presenting with acute renal insufficiency accompanied by eosinophilic tubulointerstitial nephritis.

We encountered an unusual and rare case of 59-year-old woman with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) showing myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA)-related acute renal insufficiency accompanied by eosinophilic tubulointerstitial nephritis. To date, reports in English of CSS presenting with rapidly progressive/acute renal insufficiency and biopsy-proven renal lesions have been uncommon. Here, we discuss this unusual case and review the previously reported CSS cases.

Successful treatment of a mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with interstitial nephritis associated with Castleman's disease by an anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody (tocilizumab).

We report a case of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with interstitial nephritis associated with multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) successfully treated with an anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody (tocilizumab). This mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with interstitial nephritis was resistant to methylprednisolone treatment; however, it was markedly improved with tocilizumab, which was administered intravenously at a dose of 8 mg/kg every 2 weeks. These results suggest that tocilizumab is effective for the treatment of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with interstitial nephritis associated with MCD.

ANCA-associated crescentic glomerulonephritis with immune complex deposits.

Background: Several authors have reported cases of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN) with definite immune complex (IC) deposits, however, the clinical and pathological significance of IC deposits in patients with ANCA-associated CGN remains unclear.

Methods: Renal biopsy specimens from 28 patients with a diagnosis of CGN and positivity for anti-myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA were retrospectively evaluated. Clinical data were compared between patients with IC deposits (Group A) and patients without IC deposits (Group B).

Is there a link between diabetic glomerular injury and crescent formation? A case report and literature review.

Unlabelled: Glomerular crescents are most commonly associated with rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis; however, they also develop in response to a wide range of primary and secondary glomerular injuries. Since various kind of glomerulopathies occasionally overlay diabetic glomerular injuries, the presence of crescents in renal biopsy specimens of diabetics may have stimulated a search for etiologies other than diabetes. In this report, we describe an unusual case of diabetic glomerulosclerosis with peculiar extracapillary proliferation.

A case of IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis with left hydronephrosis after a remission of urinary tract tuberculosis.

IgG4-related systemic disease encompasses multi-organ disorders, including tubulointerstitial nephritis. This disease is accompanied by a high serum IgG4 concentration and IgG4-positive plasma cell infiltration. We herein describe a 63-year-old woman with renal failure and dryness of the eyes and mouth, who had been treated with antituberculosis agents for urinary tract tuberculosis.

Membranous nephropathy in an HIV-positive patient complicated with hepatitis B virus infection.

In ordinary settings, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated nephropathy should be considered when HIV infection is associated with heavy proteinuria. On the other hand, hepatitis B virus (HBV) may also play a role in the development of glomerular injury among patients with HIV infection, since HIV and HBV infections commonly occur together due to shared modes of transmission. We present here a case of nephrotic syndrome in an HIV-positive patient complicated with HBV infection.

How to treat patients with systemic amyloid light chain amyloidosis? Comparison of high-dose melphalan, low-dose chemotherapy and no chemotherapy in patients with or without cardiac amyloidosis.

Background: High-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDM) is an effective treatment for systemic amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis but the eligibility criteria exclude many patients with this disorder. The aim of this study was to determine appropriate treatment strategies for systemic AL amyloidosis according to each patient's clinical condition in Japan.

Methods: Historical cohort study.

Successful treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia in a patient on hemodialysis.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has the best prognosis among acute leukemias, but there is little data about APL in patients on hemodialysis. A 64-year-old hemodialysis patient was successfully treated for APL by induction therapy with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), three courses of consolidation therapy with Ara-C, mitomycin C (MIT), daunorubicin (DNR), and idarubicin (IDR), and maintenance therapy with ATRA. Complete remission has been maintained for 42 months in this patient.

The renal cyst infection caused by Salmonella enteritidis in a patient with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: how did this pathogen come into the renal cysts?

A 40-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our hospital for investigation of fever and right flank pain starting after watery diarrhea. Salmonella enteritidis was cultured from samples of stool and blood. Although his diarrhea subsided soon, high fever persisted and flank pain got worse.