Cystatin C as a Potential Blood Biomarker for Sarcoidosis: A Case Report.

Sarcoidosis is a multi-organ medical condition that is characterized by the formation of granulomas. We aimed to identify a correlation between each sarcoidosis blood biomarker and cystatin C (Cys-C) in sarcoidosis patients. We report a case of a 60-year-old man with sarcoidosis. The correlation between his Cys-C and each blood biomarker level and that between each blood biomarker and serum creatinine levels were determined using linear regression. Serum Cys-C correlated with each blood biomarker of sarcoidosis, while creatinine did not. These findings suggest that Cys-C is a potential blood biomarker for sarcoidosis.

Occurrence of fever in cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy is not related to the primary disease or nature of ascites.

Cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (CART) is a treatment for refractory ascites wherein filtered and concentrated ascitic fluid is reinfused. Although fever is one of the side effects of CART, its cause is not clear. Patients who underwent at least one CART session between June 2011 and May 2021 at our medical center were retrospectively enrolled in the study. They were classified according to the primary disease and nature of ascites. Ninety patients were included in this study. Increase in body temperature (BT) after CART was observed, regardless of the primary disease and nature of ascites. The difference in temperature before and after CART did not differ based on the primary disease [cancerous (including hepatocellular carcinoma, ovarian cancer) and non-cancerous] and nature of ascites. Elevated BT and fever after CART are not related to the primary disease and nature of the ascites.

Utility of renal biopsy in differentiating idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease from IgG4-related disease.

Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is a subtype of human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8)-related Castleman disease that causes multi-organ damage, including kidney damage due to polyclonal lymphoproliferation and interleukin (IL)-6-induced cytokine storm. However, its renal pathological findings are unclear. We report the case of a woman in her 80 s who was diagnosed with iMCD based on renal pathological findings. Five years ago, hypergammaglobulinemia was detected, and her renal function declined. Renal biopsy revealed plasma cells infiltrating the stroma. Immunostaining revealed numerous IgG4-positive plasma cells. The serum IgG4 level was high, and she was initially diagnosed with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) and treated with steroids. However, the therapeutic effect was poor. On re-examination, computed tomography revealed lymphadenopathy around the aorta and spleen. Renal histopathology showed numerous IL-6-positive plasma cells. Anemia and C-reactive protein (CRP) positivity persisted despite steroid administration. HHV-8 was negative, and polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein, and skin changes syndrome was not suspected. Thus, iMCD was diagnosed. Based on previous reports, there is no significant difference in IgG4 levels between iMCD and IgG4-RD, and IgG4-positive plasma cell infiltrates were observed in iMCD-affected organs. Therefore, it may be difficult to distinguish iMCD from IgG4-RD. In this case, high-serum IL-6 and CRP were observed, which are usually not seen in IgG4-RD but are common findings in iMCD, leading to the diagnosis. Patients with deep lymphadenopathy may be diagnosed with iMCD based on renal pathological findings. Renal biopsy is recommended for patients with suspected iMCD and decreased renal function.

Detection of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease by Medical Checkup at an Early Stage.

INTRODUCTION: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common inherited renal disease. Although abdominal echography during medical checkup may be effective for the early detection of ADPKD, there are no reports of the early detection of ADPKD during medical checkup. We investigated whether there was a difference in renal function and total kidney volume (TKV) at the time of diagnosis due to differences in diagnostic triggers for ADPKD. METHODS: A total of 34 patients diagnosed with ADPKD between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2020, at the Department of Nephrology, Shimane University Hospital, were included. The triggers for diagnosis of the renal cyst(s) were usually unintentional findings. These included findings observed upon routine medical checkups, computed tomography, or abdominal echography during examination for other diseases (incidental detection group) and cases referred to our department for renal dysfunction (renal dysfunction group), and "other" group. We compared the renal dysfunction group and the incidental detection group. RESULTS: The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at diagnosis was significantly higher in the incidental detection group. The TKV was significantly lower in the incidental detection group than in the other group. The number of patients with eGFR > 45 mL/min/1.73 m2, for which tolvaptan was safe and effective, was significantly higher in the incidental detection group than in the renal dysfunction group. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that medical checkup enables early detection of ADPKD. This is important because ADPKD may have serious complications. The present study did not examine the age at which abdominal echography screening for the early detection of ADPKD was more useful or cost-effective; thus, further research is needed to ascertain this.

[Investigation of the safety and usefulness of a renal biopsy for older elderly patients ≥75 years old].

AIM: We herein report the safety and usefulness of a kidney biopsy in older elderly patients (≥75 years old). METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted in older elderly patients who had received a renal biopsy at the Department of Nephrology, Shimane University Hospital, from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2018. The native renal biopsy results of 52 later-stage elderly patients were analyzed (29 men and 23 women). RESULTS: The most common indication for a renal biopsy was nephrotic syndrome (n = 22), followed by rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (n = 12) and asymptomatic urinary abnormalities (n = 12). The most common pathological diagnosis was membranous nephropathy (n = 12), followed by ANCA-associated nephritis (n= 8), minimal change nephrotic syndrome (6 case), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (n = 5), IgA nephropathy (n = 4), and diabetic nephropathy (n = 3). The concordance rate between the clinical and pathological diagnoses was 53.8%. The only complication of the renal biopsy was hemorrhaging requiring blood transfusion (1 patient; 1.9%). The hemoglobin level decreased by 0.5±0.05 d/dL after the biopsy. CONCLUSION: The rate of serious complications associated with a renal biopsy was comparable to that in previous reports in younger patient. Renal biopsies can therefore be safely performed even in older elderly patients. The concordance rate of the clinical and pathological diagnoses was about 50%. Therefore, renal biopsies should be performed in older elderly patients when necessary.

Association between chronic kidney disease and synergistic, potentially nephrotoxic medication use in elderly hospitalized patients: A single-center cross-sectional study
.

OBJECTIVE: In elderly patients, age-related, disease-related, and drug-related factors are associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Little is known about which factors are the best predictors for CKD in elderly patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was based on 784 patients aged 75 years or older for whom the clinical and serum creatinine on admission to our hospital were available. Impaired renal function, including CKD and transient renal insufficiency, was defined as a non-indexed glomerular filtration rate (GFR) below 60 mL/min. A logistic regression model was developed for predictors of CKD and was internally validated using bootstrapping. RESULTS: Approximately 61% of the patients, who had CKD (46%) and transient renal insufficiency (15%), had a non-indexed GFR < 60 mL/min. Synergistic use of 3 drugs potentially impairing renal function, diuretics, ACE-I/ARB, and NSAIDs (odds ratio (OR), 4.66; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.48 - 17.7, p = 0.012) was a significantly associated factor for CKD in a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Age (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.04 - 2.33, p = 0.03), female gender (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.04 - 2.39, p = 0.03), any prescription ACE-I/ARB either alone or in combinations with diuretics or NSAIDs (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.83 - 4.13, p = 0.0001), and proteinuria (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.27 - 3.10, p = 0.003), were included as the best model for CKD. The area under the curve (AUC) of the best model and the bootstrapping validation were 0.68 and 0.71, respectively. CONCLUSION: Given the widespread use of ACE-I/ARB for elderly patients, our findings suggest that caution is needed when they are prescribed because of the possibility of the patient developing CKD.

Connective Tissue Graft for Gingival Recession in Mandibular Incisor Area: A Case Report.

We report a case of gingival recession in the mandibular incisor region requiring a connective tissue graft. The patient was a 17-year-old girl who visited the Tokyo Dental College Chiba Hospital in 2014 with the chief complaint of gingival recession in the lower incisor region. She had received orthodontic treatment for 5 years and noticed the gingival recession on completion of active orthodontic treatment in 2013. Gingival recession in tooth #31 extended 3 mm beyond the muco-gingival junction (MGJ) and was clinically diagnosed as Miller Class II recession; probing depth was 6 mm. Following initial periodontal therapy, a connective tissue graft procedure was implemented. The connective tissue was harvested from the left palate. Healing was uneventful, and the grafted site showed a favorable outcome at 6 months postoperatively. We are continuing to carefully monitor the condition of periodontal tissue.

Clinical outcome of periodontal regenerative therapy using collagen membrane and deproteinized bovine bone mineral: a 2.5-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate, longitudinally, the outcome of periodontal regenerative therapy using a deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) in combination with a collagen barrier (CB) for the treatment of intrabony defects. RESULTS: Patients with chronic periodontitis who have completed initial periodontal therapy participated in this study. They had at least one 2- or 3-wall intrabony periodontal defect of ≥3 mm in depth. During surgery, defects were filled with DBBM and covered with CB. Ten patients completed 2.5-year reevaluation. At baseline, mean clinical attachment level (CAL) of the treated site was 8.0 mm and mean probing depth (PD) was 7.5 mm. Mean depth of intrabony component was 4.6 mm. Mean gains in CAL at 6 months and 2.5 years were 2.8 ± 1.0 and 1.4 ± 1.5 mm, respectively, both showing a significant improvement from baseline. CAL gains at 1 and 2.5 years were significantly reduced from that at 6 months. A significant improvement in PD was also noted: mean reductions in PD at 6 months and 2.5 years were 4.0 ± 0.8 and 3.2 ± 0.8 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The combination therapy using DBBM and CB yielded statistically significant effects such as CAL gain and PD reduction, up to 2.5 years in the treatment of intrabony defects. However, the trend for decrease in CAL gain over time calls for the need for careful maintenance care.