Efficacy and safety of biologics, multitarget therapy, and standard therapy for lupus nephritis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of biologics, multitarget therapy, and standard therapy for the induction of lupus nephritis.

Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases (EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov) was conducted from inception to 30 August 2023.

The first case of lipoprotein glomerulopathy complicated with collagen type III glomerulopathy and literature review.

Lipoprotein glomerulopathy (LPG) is a rare autosomal dominant kidney disease caused by pathogenic mutations in the APOE gene. Collagen type III glomerulopathy (CG) is a sporadic condition in adults characterized by abnormal accumulation of type III collagen in the subendothelial space and mesangium of the glomerulus. We report the first case of both LPG and CG in a 21-year-old male.

Recent Advances in Epigenetics of Age-Related Kidney Diseases.

Renal aging has attracted increasing attention in today's aging society, as elderly people with advanced age are more susceptible to various kidney disorders such as acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). There is no clear-cut universal mechanism for identifying age-related kidney diseases, and therefore, they pose a considerable medical and public health challenge. Epigenetics refers to the study of heritable modifications in the regulation of gene expression that do not require changes in the underlying genomic DNA sequence.

SARS-CoV-2 Causes Acute Kidney Injury by Directly Infecting Renal Tubules.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most prevalent complications among hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Here, we aim to investigate the causes, risk factors, and outcomes of AKI in COVID-19 patients. We found that angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) were mainly expressed by different cell types in the human kidney.

Biomarkers for detecting and improving AKI after liver transplantation: From diagnosis to treatment.

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a well-established treatment for patients with liver failure. The shortage of donor organs and postoperative complications remain major obstacles for improving patient survival. Among these complications, acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most frequent types, contributing to graft loss.

Angiopoietin-Tie signaling in kidney diseases: an updated review.

Angiopoietins (Angs) are a family of vascular growth factors that share multiple cellular functions related to cell survival, proliferation, and migration. Angs play physiological and pathological roles through the Tie tyrosine kinase receptors. The Ang-Tie signaling pathway participates in the developmental and tumor-induced angiogenesis and is also involved in many disease settings, such as vascular diseases, systemic inflammation, and cancers.

Identification of a Novel Variant in Compound-Heterozygous State in a Patient With Alport Syndrome and Histological Findings Similar to Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).

Alport syndrome (AS) is a rare and inherited renal disorder with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. AS patients usually manifest with hematuria and progressive renal disorder also occasionally accompanied by hearing loss and ophthalmic disease. Germline variants in collagen type IV α-4 () gene lead to autosomal recessive Alport syndrome.

A New Pathogenesis of Albuminuria: Role of Transcytosis.

Transcytosis is an important intracellular transport process by which multicellular organisms selectively move cargoes from apical to basolateral membranes without disrupting cellular homeostasis. In kidney, macromolecular components in the serum, such as albumin, low-density lipoprotein and immunoglobulins, pass through the glomerular filtration barrier (GFB) and proximal tubular cells (PTCs) by transcytosis. Protein transcytosis plays a vital role in the pathology of albuminuria, which causes progressive destruction of the GFB structure and function.

Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus vs. cyclophosphamide for idiopathic membranous nephropathy: A meta-analysis of Chinese adults.

The efficacy and safety of tacrolimus (TAC) and cyclophosphamide (CTX) in the treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) were compared in Chinese adult patients using a meta- analysis of the available literatures. Randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of the treatment of primary IMN with TAC or CTX combined with corticosteroids in the English databases PubMed, Embase and Cochrane, as well as Chinese databases, were searched. Qualified studies were subjected to quality assessment and meta-analysis.

Urinary angiopoietin-2 is associated with albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims. To evaluate the levels of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), Ang-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in serum and urine, and their association with albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods.

Clinicopathological features of renal amyloidosis: a single-center study on 47 cases.

The correlations between the clinicopathological features and the long-term outcomes of renal amyloidosis (RA) were analyzed with a view to develop strategies for improving diagnosis and prognosis of RA. We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathological characteristics of 47 patients diagnosed with RA between 2004 and 2014 at the Wuhan Union Hospital. The data on the renal histology, clinical manifestations, and prognosis of RA patients were retrieved from the hospital records and characteristic patterns were identified.

Therapeutic effect of alprostadil in diabetic nephropathy: possible roles of angiopoietin-2 and IL-18.

Background/aims: To investigate the role of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and IL-18 in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and the molecular mechanisms through which alprostadil protects renal function.

Methods: DN was induced by streptozotocin and intraperitoneal injection of alprostadil was given to diabetic mice. After 2, 4 and 8 weeks of alprostadil treatment, the mRNA and protein expression of kidney Ang-2 and IL-18 were detected by reverse transcription PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses.

Variation of serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in patients with diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

This study investigated the variation of serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in patients with both diabetes mellitus (DM) and metabolic syndrome (MS). Based on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) diagnostic criteria, 93 patients enrolled in this study were divided into four groups: normal control (NC), simple DM, simple MS, and DM plus MS (DM-MS) groups. The main measures included height, weight, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), serum triglyceride (TG), HDL-ch, LDL-ch, and MCP-1.

Role of protease activated receptor-2 expression in renal interstitial fibrosis model in mice.

The role of protease activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) in the renal tubulointerstitial lesion induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was explored. Mice were sacrificed on the day 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 and 21 after UUO. The expression of PAR-2 mRNA and protein and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) protein in tubulointerstitium was detected by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry at each time point, respectively.