The clinical relevance of plasma CD147/basigin in biopsy-proven kidney diseases.

BACKGROUND: Precise understanding of kidney disease activity is needed to design therapeutic strategies. CD147/basigin is involved in the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury and renal fibrosis through inflammatory cell infiltration. The present study examined the clinical relevance of CD147 in biopsy-proven kidney diseases that lead to the progression of chronic kidney disease. METHODS: Kidney biopsy specimens and plasma and urine samples were obtained from patients with kidney diseases, including IgA nephropathy (IgAN), Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN), diabetic kidney disease (DKD), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and membranous nephropathy (MN), who underwent renal biopsy between 2011 and 2014. Plasma and urinary CD147 levels were measured and evaluated for their ability to reflect histological features. Disease activity of IgAN tissues was evaluated according to the Oxford classification and the Japanese histological grading system. RESULTS: In biopsy tissues, CD147 induction was detected in injured lesions representing renal inflammation. Plasma CD147 values correlated with eGFR in patients with inflammation-related kidney diseases such as IgAN, HSPN, and DKD. Particularly in IgAN patients, plasma CD147 levels were correlated with injured regions comprising more than 50% of glomeruli or with tubular atrophy/interstitial injury in biopsy tissues. Proteinuria showed a closer correlation with urinary values of CD147 and L-FABP. Of note, plasma and urinary CD147 levels showed a strong correlation with eGFR or proteinuria, respectively, only in DKD patients. CONCLUSION: Evaluation of plasma and urinary CD147 levels might provide key insights for the understanding of the activity of various kidney diseases.

[Granulomatous interstitial nephritis in a patient with Behçet's disease treated with infliximab].

The patient is a 41-year-old man diagnosed with uveitis in 2004. Although the patient was positive for HLA-B51, the primary disease could not be identified, and oral administration of prednisolone (PSL) was initiated. A subsequent gradual decrease in the PSL dose was accompanied by the development of recurrent spasmodic chorioretinopathy and hypopyon. In November 2007, the patient was diagnosed with Behçet's disease based on the findings of erythema nodosum, acneiform eruption, and oral aphtha. In order to control the ocular symptoms, infliximab was administered. However, the patient's renal function began to deteriorate in November 2011, and he was transferred to our department after 6 months. At that time, his creatinine level was 8.56 mg/dL. Renal biopsy examination revealed granulomatous interstitial nephritis. Moreover, only infliximab yielded a positive result in a drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test (DLST). Following initiation of PSL administration at 60 mg/day, his renal function improved. His creatinine level remained constant at approximately 3 mg/dL. In the present case, Behçet's disease, sarcoidosis, and infection were excluded as the underlying disease causing granulomatous interstitial nephritis. Moreover, infliximab is reportedly involved in the development of granulomas. Recent reports have stated that administration of TNF-alpha inhibitors occasionally results in the development of granulomas in the lungs and skin, and sometimes, in the kidneys as well. When renal dysfunction occurs in patients receiving TNF-alpha inhibitors, we believe that it is essential to include adverse events associated with TNF-alpha inhibitors in the differential diagnoses.

Delayed diagnosis of traumatic diaphragmatic rupture.

We report a case of late presentation of traumatic rupture of the diaphragm discovered incidentally on chest radiography (CXR) during an annual medical checkup. A 60-year-old man suffered severe blunt trauma from heavy steel frames collapsing against his back, resulting in pelvic and femoral fractures as well as pulmonary contusions. The patient recovered, but 10 months later CXR performed for lung cancer surveillance during an annual medical checkup revealed a traumatic rupture of the diaphragm. Video-assisted thoracic surgery was performed with reduction of the intestine and primary closure of the diaphragmatic defect. The patient recovered uneventfully. This report serves as a useful reminder that a medical history of severe blunt trauma should provoke a high index of suspicion for diaphragmatic rupture during annual medical surveillance.