Retinoic acid improves recovery after nephrectomy and decreases renal TGF‐β1 expression. Gender‐related effects

End‐stage renal disease is a cause for death worldwide. Renal transplant is a therapeutic alternative, restricted by the scant number of donors. Function of the donor kidney is under risk of adverse circumstances such as fibrosis, where profibrotic effect of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF‐β1) plays a key role. Efforts to diminish risks of damage in the remnant kidney of the donor are required. Vitamin A represents one alternative. It has beneficial effects on some nephropathies, mainly those related to oxidative stress. It also participates in normal intrauterine renal development. We studied the effect of all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA), active form of vitamin A, on postnephrectomy compensatory growth, in male or female rats. Compensatory growth and renal function were evaluated on four experimental groups: Control without treatment (CTL), ATRA‐treated intact rats (CTL + RA), nephrectomized rats (NFX), and ATRA‐treated nephrectomized rats (NFX + RA). We evaluated glomerular function (inulin clearance), tubular function (fractional excretions of sodium and potassium), and urinary flow. Renal mass was also estimated. In ATRA‐treated animals, compensatory growth was higher than in nephrectomized rats without treatment. Hyperfiltration after nephrectomy was less intense in ATRA‐treated female than in male rats. In tubular functions, effect of ATRA was more evident in female than in male rats. Glomerular expression of TGF‐β1 was lower in ATRA‐treated animals than in controls. ATRA reduced intensity and duration of compensatory changes after nephrectomy, improving recovery.     

Application of artificial intelligence using a novel EUS-based convolutional neural network model to identify and distinguish benign and malignant hepatic masses

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Tumor-associated Macrophage-derived Interleukin-23 Interlinks Kidney Cancer Glutamine Addiction with Immune Evasion

Background

Glutamine addiction is a hallmark of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC); yet whether glutamine metabolism impacts local immune surveillance is unclear. This knowledge may yield novel immunotherapeutic opportunities.

前列腺素E联合连续肾替代治疗对脓毒症合并急性肾损伤预后的影响

目的：探讨前列腺素E联合连续肾替代治疗（CRRT）对脓毒症合并急性肾损伤（AKI）患者预后的影响。方法：选取89例脓毒症合并AKI患者为研究对象，采用随机数字表法分为对照组（n=44）和观察组（n=45），分别采取CRRT及前列腺素E联合CRRT治疗。比较2组患者预后转归情况，检测并比较2组患者治疗前后血清炎性因子、肾功能及免疫功能指标。结果：观察组ICU治疗时间及住院时间较对照组明显缩短（P<0.05）；对照组死亡14例（31.82%），观察组死亡9例（20.00%），2组患者死亡率无明显差异（P>0.05）。与治疗前比较，治疗后2组血清TNF-α、IL-6、hs-CRP含量降低，BUN、SCr含量升高（P<0.05），且观察组上述指标均低于对照组（P<0.05）。与治疗前比较，治疗后2组CD4⁺/CD8⁺及观察组NK细胞比例及IgG、IgA、IgM含量均明显升高（P<0.05），且观察组高于对照组（P<0.05）。与治疗前比较，治疗后2组Marshall评分、APACHEⅡ评分下降（P<0.05），且观察组低于对照组（P<0.05）。结论：前列腺素E联合CRRT治疗脓毒症合并AKI可显著降低患者炎性因子水平，改善患者肾功能和免疫功能，效果优于单独CRRT治疗。     

中国肾移植患者红细胞内嘌呤类药物活性代谢物6-硫鸟嘌呤核苷酸浓度监测及影响因素分析

目的：研究服用硫唑嘌呤（AZA）中国肾移植患者红细胞（RBC）内活性代谢物6-硫鸟嘌呤核苷酸（6-TGNs）分布特征及影响因素，为临床合理应用嘌呤类药物提供依据。方法：以89例中国肾移植患者为研究对象，关联分析年龄、性别、体质量、AZA剂量和TPMT活性对RBC内6-TGNs浓度的影响，并应用SPSS v20.0软件进行多元线性回归分析。结果：89例中国肾移植患者RBC内6-TGNs浓度呈非正态分布（P<0.000 1），6-TGNs浓度中位数为167.60（四分位间距，108.10~300.80） pmol/8×10⁸ RBC，个体间差异约24.3倍。关联分析显示患者年龄、性别、体质量、TPMT活性对6-TGNs浓度均无显著影响（P>0.05）；而AZA剂量与6-TGNs浓度间呈显著正相关性（r_s=0.307 1，P<0.01）。多元线性回归分析显示，RBC内6-TGNs浓度与AZA剂量间呈显著正相关（P<0.001），与TPMT活性呈显著负相关（P<0.05）。结论：AZA剂量和RBC内TPMT活性协同影响嘌呤类药物活性代谢物6-TGNs浓度，进而影响该类药物临床疗效和毒性反应。     

Tracking myeloma tumor DNA in peripheral blood

Over the past years, the emergence of liquid biopsy technologies has dramatically expanded our ability to assess multiple myeloma without the need for invasive sampling. Interrogation of cell-free DNA from the peripheral blood recapitulates the mutational landscape at excellent concordance with matching bone marrow aspirates. It can quantify disease burden and identify previously undetected resistance mechanisms which may inform clinical management in real-time. The convenience of sample acquisition and storage provides strong procedural benefits over currently available testing. Further investigations will have to define the role of cell-free DNA as a diagnostic measure by determining clinically relevant tumor thresholds in comparison to existing routine parameters. This review presents an overview of currently available assays and discusses the clinical value, potential and limitations of cell-free DNA technologies for the assessment of this challenging disease.