Ghrelin Promotes Lipid Uptake into White Adipose Tissue via Endothelial Growth Hormone Secretagogue-Receptor in Mice.

: Endothelial peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) regulates adipose tissue by facilitating lipid uptake into white adipocytes, but the role of endothelial lipid transport in systemic energy balance remains unclear. Ghrelin conveys nutritional information through the central nervous system and increases adiposity, while deficiency in its receptor, growth hormone secretagogue-receptor (GHSR), suppresses adiposity on a high-fat diet. This study aims to examine the effect of ghrelin/GHSR signaling in the endothelium on lipid metabolism.

Roxadustat for Treating Anemia in Patients with Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease Not Undergoing Dialysis: A Retrospective Study.

Objective Roxadustat, a hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor, increases the hemoglobin (Hb) levels in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). To date, limited clinical studies have focused on the excessive increase in the Hb levels in the early weeks after switching from erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) to roxadustat in adult non-dialysis patients. We conducted a retrospective study to examine whether early overshoot frequently occurs after switching to roxadustat.

Quantitative evaluation of Ga-citrate scintigraphy in the management of nephritis.

In Ga-citrate scintigraphy (Ga-S), visual assessment is used by evaluating renal-uptake comparison with liver and spine and is simple and objective. We adopted the standardized uptake value (SUV) for Ga-citrate and proposed two quantitative indices, active nephritis volume (ANV) and total nephritis uptake (TNU). This study clarified the utility of new Ga-S-based quantitative indices in nephritis management.

Deficiency Causes Mitoribosome Excess in Diabetic Nephropathy Mediated by Transcriptional Repressor HIC1.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is involved in renal physiology and is synthesized by nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT). NMNAT exists as three isoforms, namely, NMNAT1, NMNAT2, and NMNAT3, encoded by , , and , respectively. In diabetic nephropathy (DN), NAD levels decrease, aggravating renal fibrosis.

Ability of NAD and Sirt1 to epigenetically suppress albuminuria.

The time for diabetic nephropathy (DN) to progress from mild to severe is long. Thus, methods to continuously repress DN are required to exert long-lasting effects mediated through epigenetic regulation. In this study, we demonstrated the ability of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and its metabolites to reduce albuminuria through Sirt1- or Nampt-dependent epigenetic regulation.

Impact of dietary habits on renal function in Saku, a rural Japanese town: a cohort study.

Background: High protein intake leads to a decline in renal function in the advanced stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). An effective diet for maintaining renal function in healthy individuals or patients in the early stages of CKD has not been established. This cohort study was conducted in Saku, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, to investigate the impact of dietary habits on renal function.

Prospective Multicenter Registry-Based Study on Thyroid Storm: The Guidelines for Management From Japan Are Useful.

Context: The mortality rate in thyroid storm (TS) has been reported to be higher than 10%.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the 2016 guidelines for the management of TS proposed by the Japan Thyroid Association and Japan Endocrine Society.

Methods: In this prospective multicenter registry-based study, patients with new-onset TS were registered in the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), a secure web platform.

N-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (N-Me-2PY) has potent anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory activity in a fibrotic kidney model: is it an old uremic toxin?

Background: Uremic toxins accumulate in renal tissues and cells due to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Abnormalities in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD +) metabolism lead to the progression of CKD. NAD + metabolites, such as N-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide (N-Me-2PY) and N-methyl-4-pyridone-5-carboxamide (N-Me-4PY), have been recognized as uremic toxins.

Efficacy of molnupiravir and sotrovimab in Japanese dialysis patients with COVID-19 in clinical practice during the Omicron (BA.1 and BA.2) pandemic.

Introduction: In the present study, the efficacy of sotrovimab and molnupiravir in dialysis patients with COVID-19 was investigated using a registry of COVID-19 in Japanese dialysis patients.

Methods: Dialysis patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 (Omicron BA.1 and BA.

PCK1 Protects against Mitoribosomal Defects in Diabetic Nephropathy in Mouse Models.

Significance Statement: Renal gluconeogenesis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Proximal tubular phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase1 (PEPCK1) is the rate-limiting enzyme in gluconeogenesis. However, the functions of PEPCK1 have not been elucidated.

T-Cell Response and Antibody Production Induced by the COVID-19 Booster Vaccine in Japanese Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Treated with Hemodialysis.

Humoral and cellular responses are critical in understanding immune responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination. Here, we evaluated these responses in hemodialysis (HD) patients after the booster vaccination. SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (IgG) levels, neutralizing antibody titers, and the T-SPOT.

Sodium benzoate attenuates 2,8-dihydroxyadenine nephropathy by inhibiting monocyte/macrophage TNF-α expression.

Sodium benzoate (SB), a known D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) enzyme inhibitor, has an anti-inflammatory effect, although its role in renal damage has not been explored. 2,8-dihydroxyadenine crystal induced chronic kidney disease, in which TNF-α is involved in the pathogenesis, was established by oral adenine administration in C57BL/6JJcl mice (AdCKD) with or without SB to investigate its renal protective effects. SB significantly attenuated AdCKD by decreasing serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels, and kidney interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy scores.

Canagliflozin protects the cardiovascular system through effects on the gut environment in non-diabetic nephrectomized rats.

Background: The gut produces toxins that contribute to the cardiovascular complications of chronic kidney disease. Canagliflozin, a sodium glucose cotransporter (SGLT) 2 inhibitor that is used as an anti-diabetic drug, has a weak inhibitory effect against SGLT1 and may affect the gut glucose concentration and environment.

Methods: Here, we determined the effect of canagliflozin on the gut microbiota and the serum gut-derived uremic toxin concentrations in 5/6th nephrectomized (Nx) rats.

Dietary therapy with low protein genmai (brown rice) to improve the gut-kidney axis and reduce CKD progression.

Low protein rice can be part of a nutritionally adequate dietary pattern in the prevention of chronic kidney disease. We developed a low protein fermented genmai (brown rice) LPFG) to improve chronic kidney disease (CKD) management. The principal functional features of brown rice are retained in LPFG, lessening the negative spiral of gut-kidney associative spiral attributable to uremic dysbiosis and a leaky gut.

Investigation for the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine in Japanese CKD patients treated with hemodialysis.

Background: Dialysis patients are predisposed to severe disease and have a high mortality rate in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to their comorbidities and immunocompromised conditions. Therefore, dialysis patients should be prioritized for vaccination. This study aimed to examine how long the effects of the vaccine are maintained and what factors affect antibody titers.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide ameliorates adriamycin-induced renal damage by epigenetically suppressing the NMN/NAD consumers mediated by Twist2.

The activation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-dependent deacetylase, Sirt1, after the administration of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) suppresses many diseases. However, the role of NMN and Sirt1 in focal glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) has not yet been elucidated. This study aimed to assess the protective effect of NMN treatment in mice with adriamycin (ADR)-induced FSGS.

Proximal-tubule molecular relay from early Protein diaphanous homolog 1 to late Rho-associated protein kinase 1 regulates kidney function in obesity-induced kidney damage.

The small GTPase protein RhoA has two effectors, ROCK (Rho-associated protein kinase 1) and mDIA1 (protein diaphanous homolog 1), which cooperate reciprocally. However, temporal regulation of RhoA and its effectors in obesity-induced kidney damage remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of RhoA activation in the proximal tubules at the early and late stages of obesity-induced kidney damage.

Diagnosis of monoclonal immunotactoid glomerulopathy with positive λ chain by immunoelectron microscopy.

We report the case of a 73-year-old-man who developed immunotactoid glomerulopathy (ITG). ITG is a rare disease characterized by proliferative glomerulonephritis and capillary wall deposits with a 10-60 nm diameter microtubular substructure. In monoclonal ITG, immunofluorescence analysis typically exhibits IgG with light chain restriction.

Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines on hemodialysis patients in Japan: A nationwide cohort study.

Introduction: This study compared the outcomes of dialysis patients who received SARS-CoV-2 vaccine with those who did not use data from the Japanese COVID-19 registry.

Methods: A total of 1260 dialysis patients with confirmed positive SARS-CoV-2 infection was included in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: patients who experienced breakthrough infection and those who were unvaccinated.

Committee report: Questionnaire survey on the treatment of COVID-19 in patients receiving dialysis therapy.

Background: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who receive dialysis therapy develop more severe disease and have a poorer prognosis than patients who do not. Although various data on the treatment of patients not receiving dialysis therapy have been reported, clinical practice for patients on dialysis is challenging as data is limited. The Infection Control Committee of the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy decided to clarify the status of treatment in COVID-19 patients on dialysis.

The significance of NAD + metabolites and nicotinamide N-methyltransferase in chronic kidney disease.

Dysregulation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD +) metabolism contributes to the initiation and progression of age-associated diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), a nicotinamide (NAM) metabolizing enzyme, regulates both NAD + and methionine metabolism. Although NNMT is expressed abundantly in the kidney, its role in CKD and renal fibrosis remains unclear.

Effects of a remote patient monitoring system for patients on automated peritoneal dialysis: a randomized crossover controlled trial.

Purpose: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) has contributed to improved patient-centered outcomes and prognosis in patients with end-stage renal disease on automated peritoneal dialysis (APD). However, evidence from prospective trials is lacking.

Methods: The participants (n = 15; median age: 65 years; males: 10; peritoneal dialysis vintage: 6.

TGF-β1 is involved in senescence-related pathways in glomerular endothelial cells via p16 translocation and p21 induction.

p16 inhibits cyclin-dependent kinases and regulates senescence-mediated arrest as well as p21. Nuclear p16 promotes G1 cell cycle arrest and cellular senescence. In various glomerular diseases, nuclear p16 expression is associated with disease progression.