Sickle cell nephropathy: A review of novel biomarkers and their potential roles in early detection of renal involvement

Whether the underlying mutations are homozygous, heterozygous, or co-inherited with other hemoglobinopathies, sickle cell disease is known to afflict the kidneys, leading to the clinical entity known as sickle cell nephropathy (SCN). Although common, SCN remains diagnostically elusive. Conventional studies performed in the context of renal disorders often fail to detect early stage SCN. This makes the quest for early diagnosis and treatment more challenging, and it increases the burden of chronic kidney disease-related morbidity among patients. Novel diagnostic tools have been employed to overcome this limitation. In this study, we discuss various biomarkers of SCN, including those employed in clinical practice and others recently identified in experimental settings, such as markers of vascular injury, endothelial dysfunction, tubulo-glomerular damage, and oxidative stress. These include kidney injury molecule-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, N-acetyl-B-D-glucosaminidase, ceruloplasmin, orosomucoid, nephrin, and cation channels, among others. Furthermore, we explore the potential of novel biomarkers for refining diagnostic and therapeutic approaches and describe some obstacles that still need to be overcome. We highlight the importance of a collaborative approach to standardize the use of promising new biomarkers. Finally, we outline the limitations of conventional markers of renal damage as extensions of the pathogenic process occurring at the level of the organ and its functional subunits, with a discussion of the expected pattern of clinical and biochemical progression among patients with SCN.     

后腹腔镜肾根治性切除术中肾标本取出方法的探索

目的探讨一次性切口保护套在后腹腔镜肾根治性切除术中的应用及标本取出效率。方法回顾性分析本院2018年12月至2019年6月接受后腹腔镜肾根治性切除术的37例肾癌患者的临床资料。根据手术后标本取出体外的方法分为观察组(18例)和对照组(19例),观察组使用一次性切口保护套,对照组则使用传统自制标本袋;观察比较两组患者标本的取出时间和置入次数等指标。结果观察组与对照组的标本取出时间分别为(225.94±47.04)、(508.84±45.81)s,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。观察组中有17例患者标本一次性顺利取出,1例因肿瘤较大,取出困难,经延长切口后顺利取出,所有标本完整均未破裂;对照组中有17例患者标本一次性顺利取出,另外2例患者经适当延长切口后取出,所有标本完整均未破裂。两组置入次数比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。术后随访1年发现,所有患者均未出现癌细胞经手术切口种植转移的情况。结论在后腹腔镜肾根治性切除术中运用一次性切口保护套来辅助取标本,其手术时间短、操作简单,易上手,具有实用价值,值得临床推广应用。     

The prognostic value of elevated neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio for cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are at significant risk of developing postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI). Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a widely available inflammatory biomarker which may be of prognostic value in this setting.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting associations between perioperative NLR with postoperative AKI. We searched Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library, without language restriction, from inception to May 2022 for relevant studies. We meta-analysed the reported odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for both elevated preoperative and postoperative NLR with risk of postoperative AKI and need for renal replacement therapy (RRT). We conducted a meta-regression to explore inter-study statistical heterogeneity.

Results

Twelve studies involving 10,724 participants undergoing cardiac surgery were included, with eight studies being deemed at high risk of bias using PROBAST modelling. We found statistically significant associations between elevated preoperative NLR and postoperative AKI (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.18–1.77), as well as postoperative need for RRT (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.50–3.72). Postoperative NLR measurements were not of prognostic significance.

Conclusions

Elevated preoperative NLR is a reliable inflammatory biomarker for predicting AKI following cardiac surgery.     

肾周脂肪梅奥粘连概率评分系统在肾癌后腹腔镜肾部分切除术中的应用

目的探讨肾周脂肪梅奥粘连概率评分系统（MAP）在肾癌后腹腔镜肾部分切除术中的临床应用价值。 方法回顾性分析2015年1月至2020年6月徐州医科大学附属淮安医院泌尿外科收治的行后腹腔镜肾部分切除术的153例肾癌患者的临床病例资料。依据MAP评分系统将其分为低度复杂组、中度复杂组和高度复杂组三组。比较各组间的手术时间、术中出血量、术中及术后并发症、术中热缺血时间、术后住院时间及术后血肌酐变化情况。 结果在153例患者中，低度复杂组68例，中度复杂组58例和高度复杂组27例。三组患者在年龄、性别、术前血肌酐水平、肿瘤最大径、肿瘤位置、BMI、RENAL评分等方面差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。随着复杂程度的提高，手术时间、术中出血量也在不断增加（P<0.05）；而术中热缺血时间、术后住院时间及术后血肌酐水平无明显变化（P>0.05）。在术中并发症方面，随着复杂程度的提高，术中并发症的发生率也在增加（P<0.05），且高度复杂组的术后并发症发生风险是低度复杂组的13.895倍（P=0.002)，MAP评分系统预测术中并发症发生的精度较高（AUC=0.757，P=0.002）。但是术后并发症各组比较差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。 结论MAP评分系统在肾癌后腹腔镜肾部分切除术中，对预估手术难度及术中并发症发生风险有较好的临床应用价值。     

The impact of preoperative immune checkpoint inhibitors on kidney and bladder cancer surgeries: a systematic review☆

Therapies based on the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as nivolumab, pembrolizumab, ipilimumab, atezolizumab, avelumab, and durvalumab, have proven effective in the treatment of metastatic urological neoplasms. Recently, it has been hypothesized that the use of this type of treatment prior to surgery could lead to an increased difficulty in renal and bladder surgeries. The literature concerning this topic, however, is still scarce and non-consensual. In our systematic review, we used the PRISMA guidelines methodology to search the pertinent literature available up to June 18, 2020 in PubMed. Additionally, we searched the related grey literature in the abstracts of the meetings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary (ASCO-GU), European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), and American Urological Association (AUA) from 2015 to 2020. We were able to find only 16 publications that addressed the use of ICIs prior to surgery in kidney and bladder neoplasms. The results were conflicting, and usually the issue of surgical difficulties after the use of ICIs was not directly approached. We hope that our publication may raise the awareness towards the need to further investigate the effects of neoadjuvant ICIs on surgical outcomes in urologic cancers.     

尿酸性肾病中医分型与氧化应激指标的相关性研究

目的：探讨尿酸性肾病中医分型与氧化应激相关性。方法：采用回顾性分析方法对2017年12月至2019年9月北京中医药大学第三附属医院收治的尿酸性肾病患者105例进行研究，选择同时期正常健康者105例作为对照，参考《中药新药临床研究指导原则》将105例尿酸性肾病和临床常见证型相结合，分成脾肾气虚18例、气阴两虚证19例、肝肾阴虚16例、阴阳两虚12例、湿热蕴结19例、瘀血阻滞17例、痰浊内阻13例，均在入院次日清晨空腹抽取静脉血，检测氧化应激氧化应激、肾功能损害指标，比较不同组别在氧化应激指标含量水平变化情况，比较中医分型和氧化应激、肾功能损害指标水平变化。结果：1）尿酸性肾病组总抗氧化能力（T-ACO）、晚期蛋白氧化物（AOPP）、血清丙二醇（MDA）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）含量水平分别为（19.45±3.42）U/mL、（42.45±3.53）μmol/L、（4.52±1.23）nmol/L、（76.78±5.64）U/mL，正常对照组则分别为（10.76±1.31）U/mL、（20.84±1.28）μmol/L、（2.13±0.76）nmol/L、（130.85±16.75）U/mL，尿酸性肾病组T-ACO、AOPP、MDA较正常对照组显著偏高，SOD显著偏低（P<0.05）。2）虚证中阴阳两虚证SOD含量上较其他证型均偏低，而MDA、T-AOC、AOPP、胱抑素C（CysC）、β2微球蛋白、尿微量白蛋白（UMALB）、蛋白尿发生率则较其他证型均偏高，差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05），实证中瘀血阻滞证SOD含量较其他证型均偏低，而MDA、T-AOC、AOPP则较其他证型均偏高，差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论：尿酸性肾病中医分型的阴阳两虚证、瘀血阻滞证氧化应激水平、肾损害指标均显著升高，可结合该实验室检查进行临床干预。     

基于肾络理论浅析慢性肾脏病的辨证施治

慢性肾脏病是指肾脏结构、功能障碍超过3 个月，可有蛋白尿、血尿、水肿、肾功能减退等诸多表现，属于临床难治性疾病范畴，最终往往进展至终末期肾病。而从中医肾络理论出发，肾络网络分布于肾脏，是肾之气血津液运行输布的重要通道，由于六淫外邪、瘀血、痰饮、浊毒等致病因素侵袭肾络，久病入络，致使络道气机郁滞、血行不畅，脏腑功能紊乱，从而引起尿浊、尿血、水肿、癃闭等诸多病变。“肾络瘀阻”是肾络病发生的核心病机，久之肾络渐损，即可进一步进展为“溺毒”“关格”等肾功能衰竭的病理阶段。基于肾络理论，运用中医药疗法对慢性肾脏病辨证施治，可有效减轻肾络病症，改善肾功能，从而控制疾病进展。     

穴位埋线对肾虚血瘀型子宫内膜异位症患者IL-1β、TNF-α、VEGF和MMP-2水平的影响

目的:基于PI3K/Akt/mTOR信号通路,探讨穴位埋线疗法治疗肾虚血瘀型子宫内膜异位症的临床疗效及对IL-1β、TNF-α、VEGF和MMP-2等相关信号通路下游细胞因子的水平的影响。方法:选取肾虚血瘀型子宫内膜异位症的门诊和住院患者86例,按照随机数字表法随机分为穴位埋线组和西药组,西药组口服孕三烯酮胶囊(内美通),穴位埋线组在西药组的基础上采用穴位埋线进行治疗,治疗3个月后观察两组患者的临床疗效和IL-1β、TNF-α、VEGF、MMP-2等相关信号通路下游细胞因子的水平。结果:治疗后穴位埋线组总有效率93.02%(40/43),西药组总有效率83.72%(36/43),两组比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。治疗3个月后,穴位埋线组和西药组的VAS评分、血清IL-1β、TNF-α、VEGF和MMP-2水平均较治疗前改善(P<0.01),但穴位埋线组较西药组改善更为明显(P<0.05或P<0.01)。治疗过程中,西药组不良反应发生率为18.60%(8/43),穴位埋线组不良反应发生率为4.65%(2/43),两组不良反应发生率比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:穴位埋线可以显著改善子宫内膜异位症患者的临床症状和体征,并能显著降低孕三烯引起的不良反应,可见穴位埋线疗法可以作用PI3K/Akt/mTOR信号通路,通过改善通路下游的IL-1β、TNF-α、VEGF和MMP-2水平,发挥治疗子宫内膜异位症的作用。     

脂蛋白肾病1例报道及文献复习

近期重庆市中医院肾病科收治脂蛋白肾病(Lipoprotein glomerulopathy,LPG)1例。现回顾分析病例资料、中西医诊疗及随访情况,并进行文献复习、中医传统理论阐述及讨论。以提高临床对中医药诊治该病的认识。