Participation Questionnaire for Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Item Development.

Occupational therapists need to comprehensively assess the participation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in daily activities and evaluate the effectiveness of relevant interventions. Several participation measurement tools have been developed for children with ASD, but these tools require expert involvement, which is a barrier to large-scale surveys. To address these concerns, a caregiver-administered questionnaire-the Participation Questionnaire for Preschoolers (PQP)-was developed. However, this tool could be improved due to its narrow age range of 48-72 months and because the item development process does not reflect the perspectives of children and caregivers. Therefore, we expanded the PQP's target age range to 36-83 months and developed new items that reflect the perspectives of professionals and caregivers. Interviews were conducted with eight experts in supporting children with ASD and 11 caregivers of children with ASD. The interviews were transcribed, and a content analysis was performed. The number of questions was reduced from 51 to 36, and the order of items was changed for clarity. Two of the eight subdomains were removed to clarify the conceptual difference between activity and participation. The updated version of the PQP has two unique features: (1) it can be administered without expert involvement, and (2) it includes items specific to the challenges faced by children with ASD. Future development of the scale and validation of its measurement properties are needed.

Synergistic Illusions: Enhancing Perceptual Effects of Pseudo-Attraction Force by Kinesthetic Illusory Hand Movement.

We investigated the enhancement of the perceived force strength in force feedback devices by combining the pulling illusion with kinesthetic illusions. The pulling illusion (i.e., a sensation of being pulled or pushed) is induced by asymmetric vibrations applied to the fingertips, enabling the implementation of small, lightweight, and ungrounded force feedback devices. However, the perceived force intensity is limited. We focused on the kinesthetic illusion, a phenomenon in which the movement of a limb in the direction of muscle extension is illusively perceived by presenting vibrations to tendons or muscles as an illusion that could enhance the perceived strength of the pulling illusion. Moreover, we investigated the perceptual characteristics of force sensation by combining a kinesthetic illusion induced by wrist tendon vibration stimulation with a pulling illusion. The findings demonstrate that the direction of the pulling illusion was accurately perceived, even with simultaneous wrist tendon vibration stimuli. Importantly, the results suggest that tendon vibration on the wrist, rather than cutaneous vibration on the wrist, enhances the perceived force intensity of the pulling illusion at the fingertips. These findings indicate the potential for expanding the expressive capability of the pulling illusion.

Green Nails, Red Alert: An Unusual Exit site infection Presentation.

Green nail syndrome is an infectious nail disorder caused most commonly by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We report a rare case of peritoneal dialysis (PD) exit site infection (ESI) accompanied by P. aeruginosa-associated green nail syndrome. The patient was treated with oral and topical antibiotics without the need for PD catheter removal. We aim to emphasise the importance of nail assessment for ESI in patients undergoing PD.

Virtual Reality Self Co-Embodiment: An Alternative to Mirror Therapy for Post-Stroke Upper Limb Rehabilitation.

We present Virtual Reality Self Co-embodiment, a new method for post-stroke upper limb rehabilitation. It is inspired by mirror therapy, where the patient's healthy arm is involved in recovering the affected arm's motion. By tracking the user's head, wrists, and fingers' positions, our new approach allows the handicapped arm to control a digital avatar in order to pursue a reaching task. We apply the concept of virtual co-embodiment to use the information from the unaffected arm and complete the affected limb's impaired motion, which is our added unique feature. This requires users to mechanically involve the incapacitated area as much as possible, prioritizing actual movement rather than the sole imagination of it. As a result, subjects will see a seemingly normally functional virtual arm primarily controlled by their handicapped extremity, but with the constant support of their healthy limb's motion. Our experiment compares the task execution performance and embodiment perceived when interacting with both mirror therapy and our proposed technique. We found that our approach's provided sense of ownership is mildly impacted by users' motion planning response times, which mirror therapy does not exhibit. We also observed that mirror therapy's sense of ownership is moderately affected by the subject's proficiency while executing the assigned task, which our new method did not display. The results indicate that our proposed method provides similar embodiment and rehabilitation capabilities to those perceived from existing mirror therapy. This experiment was performed in healthy individuals to have an unbiased comparison of how mirror therapy's and VRSelfCo's task performance and degree of virtual embodiment compare, but future work explores the possibility of applying this new approach to actual post-stroke patients.

Surgical treatment of bovine nasal granuloma and an allergological exploration.

Nasal granuloma in cattle results from inflammation within, and attendant proliferation of, the nasal mucosa possibly in response to an allergic response. However, the relationship between nasal granuloma and allergies remains unclear. Furthermore, severe cases have a poor prognosis because there is currently no effective treatment. Herein, we report three cases of nasal granuloma with severe stertorous breathing that were treated surgically. We also conducted an allergological exploration. Following surgical removal clinical signs did not recur in two of the three cases; however, stertorous breathing persisted in one case, and the cow was sacrificed 4 months later. A histopathological examination revealed that all nasal granulomas featured varying infiltrations of macrophages eosinophils, mast cells, and lymphocytes. The number of mast cells and the proportion of these cells that had degranulated were significantly higher in the granulomas than in normal nasal mucosae. In addition, serum histamine levels were higher in nasal granuloma cases than in normal cows, although serum immunoglobulin E levels were similar, and lymphocyte infiltration in the submucosal layer suggested type I and type IV allergies. Collectively, the results indicate the efficacy of complete surgical curettage for the treatment of allergic nasal granuloma in cattle. Further studies are required to identify the causes and risk factors of allergic nasal granuloma in cows.

Identifying profiles of stroke patients benefitting from additional training: a latent class analysis approach.

OBJECTIVE: To identify profiles of stroke patient benefitting from additional training, using latent class analysis. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. PATIENTS: Patients with stroke (n = 6,875) admitted to 42 recovery rehabilitation units in Japan between January 2005 and March 2016 who were registered in the Japan Association of Rehabilitation Database. METHODS: The main outcome measure was the difference in Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores between admission and discharge (referred to as "gain"). The effect of additional training, categorized as usual care (no additional training), self-exercise, training with hospital staff, or both exercise (combining self-exercise and training with hospital staff), was assessed through multiple regression analyses of latent classes. RESULTS: Applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1185 patients were classified into 7 latent classes based on their admission characteristics (class size n = 82 (7%) to n = 226 (19%)). Patients with class 2 characteristics (right hemiparesis and modified dependence in the motor-FIM and cognitive-FIM) had positive FIM gain with additional training (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.49-3.29; p < 0.01). One-way analysis of variance revealed that training with hospital staff (95% CI 0.07-16.94; p < 0.05) and both exercises (95% CI 5.38-15.13; p < 0.01) led to a significantly higher mean FIM gain than after usual care. CONCLUSION: Additional training in patients with stroke with right hemiparesis and modified dependence in activities of daily living was shown to improve activities of daily living. Training with hospital staff combined with self-exercise is a promising rehabilitation strategy for these patients.

Rotational Motion Due to Skin Shear Deformation at Wrist and Elbow.

The hanger reflex is an illusion phenomenon that induces strong force perception and rotational motion, and it occurs in multiple parts of the body. A potential application of this phenomenon is in upper limb rehabilitation for patients with upper-limb paralysis involving arm rotation. However, the only upper limb movements that have been confirmed in this phenomenon are the inward and outward movements of the wrist, which limits the applicable tasks. Therefore, we attempted to apply the hanger reflex to the elbow and use it simultaneously with the wrist. This phenomenon occurs due to shear deformation of the skin, so shear deformation was presented to the skin on the elbow. When shear deformation of the skin was presented to the elbow in the same manner as in previous studies applied to the wrist, movement and force perception of pronation and supination of the elbow were confirmed. The results of an experiment in which the hanger reflex was simultaneously presented to the elbow and wrist showed that each region independently perceived motion and force.

Two-dimensional heavy fermion in a monoatomic-layer Kondo lattice YbCu2.

The Kondo effect between localized f-electrons and conductive carriers leads to exotic physical phenomena. Among them, heavy-fermion (HF) systems, in which massive effective carriers appear due to the Kondo effect, have fascinated many researchers. Dimensionality is also an important characteristic of the HF system, especially because it is strongly related to quantum criticality. However, the realization of the perfect two-dimensional (2D) HF materials is still a challenging topic. Here, we report the surface electronic structure of the monoatomic-layer Kondo lattice YbCu2 on a Cu(111) surface observed by synchrotron-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The 2D conducting band and the Yb 4f state, located very close to the Fermi level, are observed. These bands are hybridized at low-temperature, forming the 2D HF state, with an evaluated coherence temperature of about 30 K. The effective mass of the 2D state is enhanced by a factor of 100 by the development of the HF state. Furthermore, clear evidence of the hybridization gap formation in the temperature dependence of the Kondo-resonance peak has been observed below the coherence temperature. Our study provides a new candidate as an ideal 2D HF material for understanding the Kondo effect at low dimensions.

Cost-effectiveness of occupational therapy for older adults: a protocol for an updated systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The ageing populations in developed countries are a global concern, with increasing numbers of older adults facing physical, cognitive and psychological challenges, resulting in reduced quality of life and higher healthcare costs. Healthcare expenditure worldwide has been on the rise, especially among older adults, emphasising the importance of enabling independent living while reducing healthcare costs. Occupational therapy holds promising outcomes in promoting functional independence and enhancing the quality of life for older adults, but research on its cost-effectiveness remains limited. This systematic review aims to evaluate the recent evidence on the cost-effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions for older adults from a pragmatic perspective. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This systematic review will cover full economic evaluations, including cost-effectiveness, cost-utility and cost-benefit analyses, by reviewing randomised and cluster randomised controlled trials. The participants will be aged over 65 years without disease or disability restrictions. Primary outcomes will be assessed using functional status and quality-of-life assessments. Studies published before July 2023 will be searched in PubMed, Web of Science and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases, with no language restrictions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for this literature-based systematic review. The study's findings will update the evaluation of occupational therapy's cost-effectiveness in older adults and will be made public by publishing them in scholarly journals. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023453558.

The Association of Smoking and Hyperuricemia with Renal Arteriolosclerosis in IgA Nephropathy.

The combination effects of smoking (SMK) and hyperuricemia (HU) on renal arteriolosclerosis in patients with IgA nephropathy remain unknown. We examined the cross-sectional association between smoking (current or former) and renal arteriolar hyalinosis and wall thickening with or without HU [uric acid (UA) level ≥ 7 and ≥5 mg/dL in men and women] in 87 patients with IgA nephropathy who underwent renal biopsy. Arteriolar hyalinosis and wall thickening were assessed by the semiquantitative grading of arterioles. The SMK/HU subgroup showed the highest indices for hyalinosis and wall thickening, followed by the non-SMK/HU, SMK/non-HU, and non-SMK/non-HU subgroups. Multiple logistic analysis showed that SMK/HU, but not SMK/non-HU, was significantly associated with an increased risk of higher-grade renal arteriolar wall thickening. However, this did not occur with hyalinosis compared to non-SMK/non-HU. The adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval, p value) for SMK/HU was 12.8 (1.36-119, p < 0.05) for wall thickening. An association between SMK and renal arteriolar wall thickening might be prevalent only among patients with HU and in patients with IgA nephropathy. Further prospective studies are needed to determine whether patients with HU and SMK history exhibit rapid eGFR deterioration.

Urate-lowering drugs for chronic kidney disease with asymptomatic hyperuricemia and hypertension: a randomized trial.

INTRODUCTION: Xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitors may slow down chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. The comparative effectiveness of the different urate-lowering drugs is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether urate-lowering therapy with an XO inhibitor (febuxostat) and that with a uricosuric drug (benzbromarone) are comparable in slowing renal function decline in patients with CKD complicated with hypertension and hyperuricemia. METHODS: This study was an open-label randomized parallel-group clinical trial of 95 patients with stage G3 CKD in Japan. The patients had hypertension and hyperuricemia without a history of gout. They were randomized to receive febuxostat ( n  = 47; febuxostat group) or benzbromarone ( n  = 48; benzbromarone group) and titrated to reduce their serum urate level to <6.0 mg/dl. The primary end-point was change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline to 52 weeks. The secondary end-points included changes in uric acid level, blood pressure, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, and XO activity. RESULTS: Of the 95 patients, 88 (92.6%) completed the trial. There were no significant differences in change in eGFR (in ml/min/1.73 m 2 ) between the febuxostat [-0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI), -2.00 to 1.55] and benzbromarone (-2.18, 95% CI, -3.84 to -0.52) groups (difference, 1.95; 95% CI, -0.48 to 4.38; P  = 0.115) nor in the secondary end-points, except for XO activity. Febuxostat significantly reduced XO activity ( P  = 0.010). There were no significant differences in primary and secondary outcomes between the groups. A decrease in eGFR was significantly less in the febuxostat group than that of the benzbromarone group in the CKDG3a, but not in CKDG3b, in the subgroup analysis. There were no adverse effects specific to either drug. CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences were found in the effects of febuxostat and benzbromarone in renal function decline in stage G3 CKD complicated with hyperuricemia and hypertension.

Acquired factor V inhibitor with erythema and eosinophilia in a patient with end-stage renal disease.

Autoimmune factor V deficiency (AiFVD) is a rare bleeding disorder caused by factor V inhibitors. In this report, we present the case of an 89-year-old man who developed bleeding tendency during surgery to create arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis. The bleeding tendency developed with prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin and prothrombin time, following drug-induced eruption and eosinophilia. Significant reduction in coagulation factor activity and inhibitory pattern in cross-mixing tests suggested the presence of inhibitors to coagulation factors. Subsequently, we detected a factor V inhibitor and anti-factor V autoantibodies was confirmed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with purified human plasma factor V. Thus, the patient was 'definitely diagnosed' with AiFVD in accordance with the diagnostic criteria enacted by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. The bleeding tendency improved after initiating oral prednisolone 50 mg (1 mg/kg) followed by normalization of activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time at the 34th day. After improving the coagulation system prolongation, the inhibitor and autoantibodies has been eradicated. Since it is suggested that drug-induced immune response can cause AiFVD, AiFVD should be considered in patients who undergo hemodialysis and develop failure of hemostasis and drug-induced eruption.

Impact of the interpregnancy interval after cesarean delivery on subsequent perinatal risks: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of the interpregnancy interval (IPI) after cesarean delivery on the risks of adverse perinatal events during subsequent pregnancies. METHODS: We retrospectively examined perinatal outcomes of subsequent pregnancies of women whose most recent birth experience involved cesarean delivery at our hospital between January 2014 and December 2019. IPI was defined as the time between live birth and subsequent conception. Three IPI groups: < 18 months, 18-60 months, and > 60 months, were assessed. The risks of preterm birth, preeclampsia, placenta previa, placental abruption, fetal growth restriction, and successful vaginal birth were compared among the three IPI groups using uni- and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: We registered 592 births after cesarean delivery: 178, 288, and 126 in the IPI < 18 months, 18-60 months, and > 60 months groups, respectively. The groups did not differ significantly regarding perinatal outcomes. The multivariate analysis revealed no significant differences in the risks of adverse perinatal outcomes among all groups. The odds ratios (ORs) for preterm birth at < 37 weeks of gestation were 1.24 and 1.64 for those in the < 18 months and > 60 months groups, respectively (P = 0.362 and P = 0.055, respectively). The groups did not differ significantly regarding vaginal birth success rate (ORs 1.72 for the < 18 months group, 0.49 for the > 60 months group; P = 0.486 and P = 0.446, respectively). CONCLUSION: After cesarean delivery, IPIs shorter than 18 months and longer than 60 months do not significantly impact the risks of adverse perinatal outcomes or successful vaginal birth compared with IPIs of 18-60 months.

Accuracy and Correlation of the Kinect-Based Semi-Automatic Scoring Method for Measuring Anomalous Head Posture as Compared to the CROM® Device.

Objective: To determine the reliability of the Kinect-based semi-automatic scoring method (KSSM) using Kinect for Windows v2 for head posture compared to the cervical range-of-motion (CROM) device. Methods and Analysis: Head positions between -40° and +40° of chin up/down (X), head turn (Y), and lateral tilt (Z) were measured in 10° increments in healthy volunteers. Their head positions were simultaneously measured using the KSSM and CROM. The following four points were analyzed: the success rate of the KSSM, the correlation between the two methods, the comparison of results by 95% limits of agreement (LA), and proportional error at 95% LA. Results: The measurability of the KSSM for all positions within ±30° of the X, Y, and Z axes was 100%. The correlations for both methods were 0.979 (95% CI: 0.967-0.987), 0.985 (0.976-0.991), and 0.988 (0.981-0.993) for the X-, Y-, and Z-axes, respectively. The simple linear regression analysis equations for 95% LA were Y=-0.024X-0.452 for X axes, Y=0.024X-0.363 for Y axes, and Y=-0.045X+0.217 for Z axes (95% confidence interval for each axis: -0.055-0.007, -0.006-0.050, and -0.071-0.018). However, the proportional biases were small because the predictive values of the differences in head positions from -40° to 40° determined by the equations were within ± 5° for chin up/down and within ± 3° for head tilt. Conclusion: Head posture measurements using the KSSM and CROM were found to be similar when used in clinical settings.

Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability is useful as a screening tool for detecting sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous dysfunctions in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes motor symptoms and autonomic dysfunction. However, autonomic function tests commonly performed in PD can only evaluate either the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study is to investigate whether power spectral analysis of heart rate variability could detect both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous dysfunctions in patients with PD. METHODS: Seventeen patients with PD and 11 healthy control subjects underwent electrocardiogram recording for the spectral analysis of heart rate variability to obtain values of low-frequency (LF) (0.04-0.15 Hz) and high-frequency (HF) (0.15-0.4 Hz) powers. Moreover, we examined the coefficient of variation of R-R intervals (CVRR) as a parameter of parasympathetic function in all participants and performed 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy to measure the heart-to-mediastinum ratio as a parameter of cardiac sympathetic innervation in patients with PD. RESULTS: The median age of control subjects and PD patients was 63 and 66 years old, respectively. The median Hoehn and Yahr scale of PD patients was stage 2. The values of resting LF and HF powers widely varied. The median values of resting LF powers of control subjects and PD patients and those of HF powers were 169 and 70 ms2, 279 and 65 ms2, respectively, the difference was statistically insignificant. Approximately 41% of patients with PD had values below the first quartile of resting LF powers (< 58 ms2) or HF powers (< 50 ms2); however, no control subject had such low values. Positive correlations were found between resting LF powers and heart-to-mediastinum ratios of 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine uptake (r = 0.6) and between resting HF powers and CVRRs (r = 0.7). The resting LF power was also associated with CVRRs and constipation. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between resting LF powers and resting HF powers in patients with PD (r = 0.8). CONCLUSIONS: The power spectral analysis of heart rate variability may be useful as a screening tool for detecting autonomic dysfunctions by detecting low resting LF and HF powers in patients with PD. Sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves may be concurrently damaged in patients with PD.

Breakdown of bulk-projected isotropy in surface electronic states of topological Kondo insulator SmB6(001).

The topology and spin-orbital polarization of two-dimensional (2D) surface electronic states have been extensively studied in this decade. One major interest in them is their close relationship with the parities of the bulk (3D) electronic states. In this context, the surface is often regarded as a simple truncation of the bulk crystal. Here we show breakdown of the bulk-related in-plane rotation symmetry in the topological surface states (TSSs) of the Kondo insulator SmB6. Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) performed on the vicinal SmB6(001)-p(2 × 2) surface showed that TSSs are anisotropic and that the Fermi contour lacks the fourfold rotation symmetry maintained in the bulk. This result emphasizes the important role of the surface atomic structure even in TSSs. Moreover, it suggests that the engineering of surface atomic structure could provide a new pathway to tailor various properties among TSSs, such as anisotropic surface conductivity, nesting of surface Fermi contours, or the number and position of van Hove singularities in 2D reciprocal space.

Association of urinary angiotensinogen with renal arteriolar remodeling in chronic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVE: Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) might be associated with arteriolar remodeling. The present study aimed to explore the hitherto unknown relationship between renal RAS and renal arteriolar remodeling and to elucidate whether altered renal RAS subsequently affects renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients with various CKDs not using RAS inhibitors who underwent renal biopsy were included in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Urinary angiotensinogen (UAGT) levels and wall/lumen ratio (WLR) were determined to evaluate renal RAS and renal arteriolar remodeling, respectively. The association between ln(UAGT) and ln(WLR) was cross-sectionally examined using a liner regression model. Furthermore, the association of ln(UAGT) with subsequent changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) per year were longitudinally examined in the largest subgroup of patients who were diagnosed with IgA nephropathy. RESULTS: In the overall cohort (n = 54), the median age, blood pressures, eGFR, and WLR were 37 years, 120/73 mmHg, 85 ml/min per 1.73 m2, and 0.93, respectively. Ln(UAGT) was significantly and positively associated with ln(WLR) even after adjusting for classical and nonclassical clinical renal risk factors. In patients with IgA nephropathy, higher ln(UAGT) was associated with higher ln(WLR). Ln(UAGT) also tended to be associated with a greater decline in eGFR per year over a median period of 8.7 years, even after adjusting for potential confounding factors. CONCLUSION: In patients with CKD, renal RAS might be associated with renal arteriolar remodeling and future decline in eGFR, independent of potential risk factors.

Maternal Renal Dysfunction in Late Pregnancy in Twin and Singleton Pregnancies: Retrospective Study.

This study aimed to evaluate the differences in the impact on maternal renal function between singleton and twin pregnancies in the second half of pregnancy. It retrospectively enrolled 1711 pregnant women consisting of 1547 singleton pregnancies and 164 twin pregnancies from Japanese Red Cross Aichi Medical Center Nagoya Daiichi Hospital from January 2019 to June 2021. Patients underwent renal function tests (serum blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)) at least one month before delivery. The main outcome measure was maternal renal dysfunction, defined as a serum creatinine level above 0.8 mg/dL. The serum creatinine level was significantly higher and the eGFR was significantly lower in twin than in singleton pregnancies (p < 0.001). In addition, the rate of renal dysfunction was significantly higher in twin than in singleton pregnancies (7.9% vs. 2.6%; p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that twin pregnancy (odds ratio (OR) 3.38), nulliparity (OR 2.31), and preeclampsia (OR 3.64) were significant risk factors for maternal renal dysfunction. Maternal renal dysfunction was observed in 13 twin pregnancies, all of which recovered to within normal limits during the early months of the postpartum period. Twin pregnancy is a significant risk factor for maternal renal dysfunction; renal function should be carefully monitored in twin pregnancies.

The Association between Glomerular Diameter and Secondary Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis in Chronic Kidney Disease.

INTRODUCTION: When nephron loss occurs, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is suggested to be maintained by glomerular hypertrophy, but excessive hypertrophy can rather lead to the formation of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), thereby causing progressive kidney damage. However, it is not clear how much glomerular hypertrophy leads to the formation of FSGS. We examined the association between glomerular diameter and FSGS lesions in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. METHODS: We recruited 77 patients who underwent renal biopsy during 2016-2017; however, those identified with primary FSGS and glomerulonephritis with active glomerular lesion were excluded. We evaluated the maximal glomerular diameter (Max GD), an indicator of glomerular size, in each renal biopsy specimen and examined its association with FSGS lesion. RESULTS: The median age, blood pressure, and estimated GFR of the patients were 53 years, 122/70 mm Hg, and 65 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. The optimal cutoff threshold of Max GD for predicting the presence of FSGS lesions, assessed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, was determined to be at 224 µm (area under the curve, 0.81; sensitivity, 81%; specificity, 72%). Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that Max GD ≥224 µm was significantly associated with the presence of FSGS lesions, independent of other confounding factors (odds ratio, 11.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.93-70.84). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Glomerular hypertrophy (Max GD ≥224 µm) has been associated with FSGS lesions in CKD patients and may reflect the limits of the compensatory process.