Kidney Diseases

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to explore the association of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) use with in-hospital mortality among Chinese patients with hypertension hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). METHODS: This study was conducted from January 2014 to January 2017, and data from patients with hypertension hospitalized with CAP were analyzed retrospectively. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to investigate any association...

BACKGROUND: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) were initially developed as glucose-lowering agents in patients with type-2 diabetes. However, available data from clinical trials and meta-analyses suggest that SGLT2i have pleiotropic benefits in reducing mortality and delaying the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients. Thus, we herein review the current evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of SGLT2i in patients with nondiabetic CKD and appraise the recently reported clinical trials that might facilitate the management of CKD in routine clinical practice...

INTRODUCTION: This study was designed to explore the associations between impaired cognition in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and the dysfunction of the glymphatic system. METHOD: Data were obtained from 77 CKD patients and 50 age-matched healthy control individuals from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. CKD patients were stratified into with and without impaired cognitive function. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging results were used to assess area ratios for the perivascular space and ventricles in participants, while the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the Mini-Mental State Examination were employed to measure cognitive function...

BACKGROUND: Renal tubular acidosis (RTA) is caused by various disruptions to the secretion of H+ by distal renal tubules and/or dysfunctional reabsorption of HCO3 - by proximal renal tubules, which causes renal acidification dysfunction, ultimately leading to a clinical syndrome characterized by hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis with a normal anion gap. With the development of molecular genetics and gene sequencing technology, inherited RTA has also attracted attention, and an increasing number of RTA-related pathogenic genes have been discovered and reported...

BACKGROUND: An aging population living with chronic kidney disease and progressing to kidney failure, subsequently receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) is growing. A significant proportion of these patients are also living with multi-morbidities and some degree of frailty. Recent practice recommendations from the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis advocate for high-quality, goal-directed PD prescription, and the Standardized Outcomes of Nephrology-PD initiative emphasized the need for an individualized, goal-based care approach in all patients receiving PD treatment...

INTRODUCTION: Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) is prevalent and associated with high hospitalization and mortality rates. The purpose of this study was to explore the risk factors for IDH and use artificial intelligence to establish an early alert system before hemodialysis sessions to identify patients at high risk of IDH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We obtained data on 314,534 hemodialysis sessions conducted at Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from the renal disease treatment information system...

BACKGROUND: Lupus nephritis is characterized by multiple autoantibodies production. However, there are few autoantibodies associated with disease activity and prognosis. CRP exists in at least two conformationally distinct forms: native pentameric C-reactive protein (pCRP) and modified/monomeric CRP (mCRP). Autoantibodies against mCRP are prevalent in sera of patients with lupus nephritis and are reported to be pathogenic. SUMMARY: The levels of serum anti-mCRP autoantibodies are associated with clinical disease activity, tubulointerstitial lesions, treatment response, and prognosis in patients with lupus nephritis...

BACKGROUND: Renal diseases remain an increasing public health issue affecting millions of people. The kidney is a highly energetic organ that is rich in mitochondria. Numerous studies have demonstrated the important role of mitochondria in maintaining normal kidney function and in the pathogenesis of various renal diseases, including acute kidney injuries (AKIs) and chronic kidney diseases (CKDs). SUMMARY: Under physiological conditions, fine-tuning mitochondrial energy balance, mitochondrial dynamics (fission and fusion processes), mitophagy, and biogenesis maintain mitochondrial fitness...

BACKGROUND: Organ fibrosis remains an important cause of high incidence rate and mortality worldwide. The prominent role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) family members represented by IL-6 in inflammation has been extensively studied, and drugs targeting IL-6 have been used clinically. Because of the close relationship between inflammation and fibrosis, researches on the role of IL-6 family members in organ fibrosis are also gradually emerging. SUMMARY: In this review, we systematically reviewed the role of IL-6 family members in fibrosis and their possible mechanisms...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to investigate biventricular structural and functional abnormalities in pre-dialysis patients across stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). METHODS: Fifty-one CKD patients with CMR exams were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups according to estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): CKD 1 group (patients with normal eGFR≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2 , n = 20), CKD 2-3 group (patients with eGFR< 90 to ≥30 mL/min/1...

INTRODUCTION: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is one of the common complications in patients with end-stage kidney disease. In the general population, CHF increases the risk of the death. However, there is no well-designed relevant study in the Chinese hemodialysis (HD) population addressing the risks associated with CHF. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of CHF on clinical outcomes in HD patients. METHODS: Data from a prospective cohort study, the China Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) 5 (2012-2015), were analyzed...

BACKGROUND: Podocytes are essential components of the glomerular filtration barrier and essential for the proper filtration function of the glomerulus. Podocyte injury under various stress conditions is the primary pathogenesis and key determinant of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) with prominent clinical manifestations of proteinuria or nephrotic syndrome. SUMMARY: Under physiological conditions, a highly coordinated mitochondrial quality control system, including antioxidant defenses, mitochondrial dynamics (fusion, fission, and mitophagy), and mitochondrial biogenesis, guarantees the sophisticated structure and various functions of podocytes...

BACKGROUND: Patients receiving chronic dialysis are usually with multiple comorbidities and at high risk for hospitalization, which lead to tremendous health care resource utilization. This study aims to explore the characteristics of hospitalizations among chronic dialysis patients in China. METHODS: Hospital admissions from January 2013 to December 2015 were extracted from a national inpatient database in China. Chronic dialysis, including hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, was identified according to inpatient discharge records and International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) codes...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a risk score (RS) for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). METHODS: Patient with biopsy-proven FSGS was enrolled. All the patients were allocated 1:1 to the two groups according to their baseline gender, age, and baseline creatinine level by using a stratified randomization method. ESKD was the primary endpoint. RESULTS: We recruited 359 FSGS patients, and 177 subjects were assigned to group 1 and 182 to group 2...

BACKGROUND: The formation of biomolecular condensates via phase separation has emerged as a fundamental principle underlying the spatiotemporal coordination of biological activities in cells. Aberrant biomolecular condensates often directly regulate key cellular process involved in the pathogenesis of human diseases, including kidney diseases. SUMMARY: In this review, we summarize the physiological roles of phase separation and methodologies for phase separation studies...

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an incurable disease requiring lifelong management. China has a high prevalence of CKD, which disproportionately affects older adults and those with chronic risk factors for CKD development. The rising prevalence of CKD in China places a substantial burden on the general population and the healthcare system. SUMMARY: In China, there are currently many unmet needs for patients with CKD and high-risk individuals, resulting from a lack of education and support to reduce risk factors, delayed diagnoses, limited knowledge of CKD among primary-care physicians, and poor access to treatments among some patient populations...

BACKGROUND: Angiopoietins (Ang) are essential angiogenic factors involved in angiogenesis, vascular maturation, and inflammation. The most studied angiopoietins, angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), behave antagonistically to each other in vivo to sustain vascular endothelium homeostasis. While Ang-1 typically acts as the endothelium-protective mediator, its context-dependent antagonist Ang-2 can promote endothelium permeability and vascular destabilization, hence contributing to a poor outcome in vascular diseases via endothelial injury, vascular dysfunction, and microinflammation...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to describe disease activity, clinical outcome, and overall patterns of lupus nephritis care in patients who received belimumab in a real-world clinical setting in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational cohort study included lupus nephritis patients who received belimumab as adjunct therapy. We deeply investigated the characteristics of those patients including clinical response to belimumab and safety. RESULTS: All 61 lupus nephritis patients were included with a median follow-up period of 9 months (6, 19)...

INTRODUCTION: Parathyroid hormone-lowering responses after administration of three different therapies capable of raising serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) were evaluated in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), vitamin D insufficiency (VDI), and stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: Sixty-nine adult subjects with intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) ≥85 and <500 pg/mL and VDI (25OHD <30 ng/mL) were randomized after ≥4-week washout to 2 months of open-label treatment with: (1) extended-release calcifediol (ERC) 60 μg/day; (2) immediate-release calcifediol (IRC) 266 μg/month; (3) high-dose cholecalciferol (HDC) 300,000 IU/month; or (4) paricalcitol plus low-dose cholecalciferol (PLDC) 1 or 2 μg and 800 IU/day, used as reference hormone replacement therapy...

BACKGROUND: Autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs) were first proposed 20 years ago and caused by dysregulation of the innate immune system, leading to episodes of systemic inflammation. Advances in next-generation sequencing and biological technology have resulted in the identification of new monogenic diseases and the corresponding signaling pathways that may guide us in targeted therapy. The kidney is a major target organ of various inflammatory processes. SUMMARY: During systemic inflammation, increased pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF, lead to over-transcription and release of acute phase reactant serum amyloid A (SAA)...