ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Lupus nephritis (LN) is a serious manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and failure to respond to traditional immunosuppression increases morbidity and mortality. Rituximab has been considered a novel therapeutic option for the management of SLE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a single-center, prospective, observational study from July 2018 to June 2019 to evaluate the effectiveness of rituximab in patients with resistant LN. Resistant LN was defined as the failure to respond to conventional immunosuppressive therapy including both cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil. All adult patients (> 18 years) with biopsy-proven class III/IV LN were included in the study. Four doses of intravenous rituximab (375 mg/m2) on 0, 1, 2, 3 weeks were administered. Patients were followed for 6 months, and the rates of complete renal response (CRR), partial renal response (PRR), or no renal response (NRR) were measured. The change in baseline 24-hour urine protein, mean serum creatinine levels, and mean serum CD-19 levels at 24 weeks were also measured. RESULTS: Six months after rituximab therapy, total sustained renal response (CRR+PRR) was observed in 52% cases of resistant LN (CRR was achieved in 24% of patients and PRR in 28%, respectively). Rituximab was associated with a significant decline in the 24-hour urine protein, even in non-responders. However, the improvement in eGFR and serum creatinine was not statistically significant. The mean absolute CD-19 count was significantly low in responders compared to the non-responder group. CONCLUSION: Rituximab is a safe and effective therapeutic strategy for patients with resistant LN.
Subject(s)
Lupus Nephritis , Rituximab , Humans , Rituximab/therapeutic use , Lupus Nephritis/drug therapy , Prospective Studies , Female , Male , Adult , Middle Aged , Treatment Outcome , Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Drug Resistance , Young Adult , Immunologic Factors/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are at an increased risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This study evaluated the prevalence of HCV infection in patients with ESRD on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) and studied the effectiveness of sofosbuvir-velpatasvir and sofosbuvir-daclatasvir regimens in these patients. This study included patients with ESRD on MHD between January 2019 and December 2021 who were screened for HCV serology status. HCV-positive patients received sofosbuvir-velpatasvir or sofosbuvir-daclatasvir. Efficacy was assessed by the sustained virological response (SVR), and safety assessments included monitoring adverse events and laboratory parameters. Out of 1330 patients, 188 patients (14.1%) were positive for anti-HCV, with Genotype 1 being the most common genotype. Of these, 106 patients were included. The majority were males (61.3%), and the mean age was 48.4 years. Hypertension (45.3%) was the most common cause of renal failure, followed by diabetes (31.1%). Most patients (63.2%) were positive for HCV in the first 2 years of their dialysis treatment. Out of 106 patients, only 54 had received blood transfusions. Ninety-four (88.7%) patients received sofosbuvir-velpatasvir, whereas 12 (11.3%) received sofosbuvir-daclatasvir. SVR at 12 and 24 weeks after stopping treatment was seen in all (100%) patients. Asthenia and fatigue were the most common adverse events (11.2%). No patients reported on-treatment virologic failure or discontinuation of treatment because of adverse events. The prevalence of HCV infection in this population was 14.1%, and treatment of HCV infection using sofosbuvir-velpatasvir or sofosbuvir-daclatasvir regimens was well tolerated and effective.
Subject(s)
Antiviral Agents , Carbamates , Drug Combinations , Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings , Imidazoles , Kidney Failure, Chronic , Pyrrolidines , Renal Dialysis , Sofosbuvir , Valine , Humans , Male , Female , Middle Aged , Sofosbuvir/therapeutic use , Imidazoles/therapeutic use , Imidazoles/administration & dosage , Kidney Failure, Chronic/therapy , Kidney Failure, Chronic/complications , Carbamates/therapeutic use , Valine/analogs & derivatives , Valine/therapeutic use , Pyrrolidines/therapeutic use , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , Antiviral Agents/adverse effects , Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings/therapeutic use , Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings/adverse effects , Adult , Prevalence , Treatment Outcome , Hepatitis C/drug therapy , Hepatitis C/diagnosis , Hepatitis C/epidemiology , Aged , Hepacivirus/genetics , Hepacivirus/drug effects , Sustained Virologic Response , Saudi Arabia/epidemiology , Hepatitis C, Chronic/drug therapy , Hepatitis C, Chronic/diagnosis , Hepatitis C, Chronic/complications , Hepatitis C, Chronic/virologyABSTRACT
The significance of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its polymorphisms in renal allograft rejection has recently become the subject of extensive research. Recently, some studies have shown some role of VEGF in rejection episodes and graft survival. VEGF +936 C>T polymorphism is significant in the transcription regulation of VEGF. Herein, we report the results of a prospective, single-center study seeking an association of VEGF +936 C/T gene polymorphism and allograft rejection. One hundred and forty-seven kidney transplant recipients with age-and sex-matched controls were included in this study. VEGF 936 C/T genes were studied using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the blood specimen of these patients. All patients were studied for allograft rejection, response to treatment, and overall graft survival. We found that CT genotype and T allele carrier state were associated with good graft outcomes (P = 0.008 and 0.002, respectively). There was a lower number of rejection episodes with T allele, although it was not a significant finding (P = 0.880). Our findings suggest that good graft outcome in kidney transplant recipients is associated with an increased frequency of the VEGF 936 CT genotype and T allele, and that determination of the T allele might be helpful for the identification of recipients with overall good graft survival.
Subject(s)
Kidney Transplantation , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A , Humans , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/genetics , Kidney Transplantation/adverse effects , Prospective Studies , Polymorphism, Genetic , Genotype , India , Graft Rejection/genetics , Allografts , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Gene FrequencyABSTRACT
Full-house pattern on immunofluorescence (IF) on kidney biopsy in a patient without systemic lupus erythematosus is termed as nonlupus full-house nephropathy (FHN). In this study, we retrospectively compiled patients with nonlupus FHN and compared them with lupus FHN for clinicopathological presentation. We included patients with full-house IF patterns in renal biopsies collected from March 2007 to August 2018, clinical and histopathological data at the time of presentation were studied retrospectively. Treatment received and outcome at the end of follow-up was studied. Patients with nonlupus FHN who did not show any systemic disease (idiopathic group) were compared with a group of lupus nephritis patients. Of 178 patients, 34 had nonlupus FHN with 21 having idiopathic nonlupus FHN and 13 patients having secondary nonlupus FHN (membranous nephropathy, IgA nephropathy, postinfection glomerulonephritis). Males were more often in idiopathic nonlupus FHN patients than lupus FHN patients (P = 0.005). Kidney biopsies more often showed a mesangial (P = 0.0006) and less proliferative pattern of injury (P = 0.0002) and less intense C1q staining (P = 0.0001) in idiopathic nonlupus than lupus FHN. Clinically, idiopathic nonlupus FHN presented with more proteinuria (P = 0.0059) and less complement consumption (P = 0.001) than lupus FHN patients. Compared to lupus FHN, nonlupus has mainly nephrotic syndrome as clinical presentation. There was no difference in the clinical outcome between lupus FHN and idiopathic nonlupus FHN. Nonlupus FHN is not a very common condition and has less female involvement than in lupus FHN. Idiopathic nonlupus FHN has certain histopathological features with less C1q staining by IF, less frequent proliferative lesions and higher mesangial or membranous lesions by light microscopy compared to lupus FHN. Regarding outcomes, there is no significant difference between lupus FHN and idiopathic nonlupus FHN.
Subject(s)
Glomerulonephritis, IGA , Glomerulonephritis , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic , Lupus Nephritis , Male , Humans , Female , Retrospective Studies , Complement C1q , Lupus Nephritis/complications , Lupus Nephritis/diagnosis , Lupus Nephritis/therapy , Glomerulonephritis/pathology , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/diagnosis , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/pathology , Glomerulonephritis, IGA/complicationsABSTRACT
This study was conducted to retrospectively investigate the indications for renal biopsy in the native kidneys of children and to analyze the pathological findings in a single tertiary care hospital in North-East India for the past 12 years. All children (≤18 years) who underwent renal biopsy at our hospital from March 2007 to April 2018 were included. Renal tissue specimens were studied under light and immunofluorescence microscopy. The study group included 254 patients (female 57%). The median age was 15 years (range 6-18 years). The most frequent indications for renal biopsy were nephrotic syndrome (NS) (53.9%), urinary abnormality in systemic disease (22.1%), nephritic syndrome (15.4%), asymptomatic hematuria (4.7%), significant proteinuria (3.1%), and unexplained renal failure (0.8%). On histopathological examination, primary glomerular diseases were the most frequent (68.9%) followed by secondary glomerular diseases (30.3%) and tubulointerstitial diseases (0.8%). The most common primary glomerular diseases were minimal change disease (26.8%), focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (12.2%), diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (9.1%), membranous nephropathy (8.7%), IgA nephropathy (8.3%), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (2%), and mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (2%). Lupus nephritis (LN) (29.5%) was the most common secondary glomerular disease. NS was the most common indication of renal biopsy, and LN was the most common histopathological diagnosis in children ≤18 years.
Subject(s)
Glomerulonephritis , Kidney Diseases/pathology , Kidney/pathology , Adolescent , Biopsy , Child , Female , Glomerulonephritis, IGA , Humans , India/epidemiology , Kidney Diseases/diagnosis , Kidney Diseases/epidemiology , Lupus Nephritis , Male , Nephritis/epidemiology , Nephritis/pathology , Nephrotic Syndrome/epidemiology , Nephrotic Syndrome/pathology , Proteinuria , Retrospective Studies , Tertiary Care CentersABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: To avoid temporary hemodialysis, urgent initiated PD (UIPD) has been designed. In these patients, PD is initiated within 3 days after PD catheter placement. In this study, we evaluated the outcomes of UIPD in end-stage renal disease patients compared with the conventional start of PD. METHODS: This is a single-center observational study, comparing outcomes of UIPD to conventional initiation of PD. All patients diagnosed with ESRD from March 2013 to February 2019 and were willing for CAPD were recruited. In UIPD group treatment was initiated at day 2 of catheter insertion with a dialysate volume of 1000 mL per dwell for 2 hours gradually increased to 2000 mL per dwell volume by 8 to 10 days. RESULTS: During the study period, 98 patients were started on peritoneal dialysis in our hospital: 35 UIPD, 63 conventional PD. The mean age was 60.81 ± 13.04 years. 67% of patients were males with diabetes mellitus (32%) being the most common cause of CKD. Among the patients in UIPD, the mean age was 58.49 ± 16.1 years, while as in conventional group mean age was 62.10 ± 10.9 years. The Median follow-up time was 381 days. Technique survival was seen in 95 patients (96.9%). There was no difference in technique failure between UIPD vs conventional group. Total complications in our study occurred in 16 patients out of 98 patients during this period. There was no significant difference in the complication rates between the UIPD group and the conventional group. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that catheter patency, technique survival, and catheter-related complications were comparable between UIPD and conventional start peritoneal dialysis.
Subject(s)
Kidney Failure, Chronic , Peritoneal Dialysis , Dialysis Solutions , Humans , India/epidemiology , Kidney Failure, Chronic/diagnosis , Kidney Failure, Chronic/therapy , Male , Middle Aged , Peritoneal Dialysis/adverse effects , Renal Dialysis/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease worldwide. The prevalence of nondiabetic renal disease (NDRD) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) varies widely. This study aimed to evaluate the renal biopsies performed on type 2 diabetic patients for suspicion of NDRD and to correlate clinicopathological findings. All T2DM patients aged > 18 years were included in this study, who had renal biopsy performed for the following reasons: recent-onset nephrotic syndrome, unexplained rapid deterioration of renal function, proteinuria not accompanied by retinopathy, and unexplained hematuria. Renal biopsy was analyzed by light microscopy and immunofluorescence. Based on biopsy findings, the patients were grouped into three: (i) isolated NDRD, (ii) NDRD ± diabetic nephropathy (DN), and (iii) isolated DN. A total of 140 patients were enrolled in this study. Recent-onset nephrotic syndrome was the most common indication for biopsy, followed by the presence of active urine sediment. Forty-two percent of the patients had isolated DN, while NDRD was seen in 34% and DN ± NDRD in 24%. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and IgA nephropathy were the most common causes of isolated NDRD, while chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis (CTIN) was common in NDRD plus DN. Short duration of diabetes, absence of diabetic retinopathy, and lower glycated hemoglobin were predictive of NDRD. NDRD was seen in 58% of the patients with atypical presentations. FSGS and CTIN were common in NDRD diseases. Judicious use of biopsy in diabetic patients with atypical presentation may help in the diagnosis of NDRD.
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Renal Insufficiency, Chronic , Adult , Biopsy , Cross-Sectional Studies , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/epidemiology , Diabetic Nephropathies/complications , Diabetic Nephropathies/epidemiology , Female , Humans , India/epidemiology , Kidney/pathology , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/complications , Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/epidemiology , Tertiary Care CentersABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) gene is important for regulation and development of T cells, which are mediators of kidney allograft rejection. The FOXP3 gene polymorphism may be associated with the rejection of kidney transplants. This study was designed to determine the association of FOXP3 polymorphism with kidney transplant rejection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 118 kidney transplant patients were included in this study and were grouped into rejection (n = 31) and nonrejection (n = 87) groups. The FOXP3 rs3761548 gene was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism using the taqman probe technique. Gene polymorphism at rs3761548 of the FOXP3 gene was analyzed for association with rejection episodes and graft outcome of kidney transplants. RESULTS: The CC genotype of rs3761548 was not present neither of the study nor the control group. The AA genotype was association with a higher risk of rejection compared to the C/A genotype (odds ratio, 2.329; 95% confidence interval, 1.041 to 5.210). The C/A genotype was also associated with a better response to treatment for rejection (odds ratio, 6.667; 95% confidence interval, 1.319 to 33.707) and better posttransplant graft function (odd ratio, 5.833; 95% confidence interval, 1.727 to 19.704). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested an association between rejection episodes, posttransplant graft function, and the FOXP3 rs 3761648 polymorphism. Determination of FOXP3 rs 3761648 C/A genotype might be helpful for the identification of recipients with a lower risk of rejection and better graft survival.
Subject(s)
Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics , Graft Rejection/genetics , Kidney Transplantation/adverse effects , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Female , Gene Frequency , Genotype , Graft Survival , Humans , India , Male , Middle Aged , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Aluminium phosphide (ALP) is a common cause of suicidal poisoning in India where it is easily available and commonly known as 'rice tablet'. In rural areas of India, it is still used to protect rice and stored grains from rodents and pests. 1 There is no specific antidote for phosphide poisoning and treatment involves meticulous supportive care. Ingestion can lead to severe cardiac suppression and cardiogenic shock. For patients poisoned with ALP who continue to have refractory shock with persistent myocardial suppression despite the use of adrenergic inotropic agents, the addition of digoxin may be beneficial. We present a case where digoxin was utilised with beneficial patient outcomes.
Subject(s)
Acidosis, Lactic/chemically induced , Aluminum Compounds/poisoning , Cardiotonic Agents/therapeutic use , Digoxin/therapeutic use , Hypokinesia/chemically induced , Pesticides/poisoning , Phosphines/poisoning , Shock, Cardiogenic/chemically induced , Acidosis, Lactic/physiopathology , Acidosis, Lactic/therapy , Fluid Therapy , Gastric Lavage , Humans , Hypokinesia/physiopathology , Hypokinesia/therapy , India , Male , Shock, Cardiogenic/physiopathology , Shock, Cardiogenic/therapy , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Cytokines have been found to be the important mediators during renal graft outcome. Therefore, we designed this study to investigate the role of recipients' IL-1 ß promoter (-511) and IL-1 ß exon-5 (+3954) polymorphisms with the risk of graft outcome. METHODOLOGY: We enrolled one hundred recipients of living-related renal transplants together with the age and sex matched controls from the healthy population not having any renal abnormality for this study. Genotype frequencies of the IL-1 ß promoter (-511) and IL-1 ß exon-5 (+3954) were analyzed using PCR-RFLP technique. RESULTS: Our results revealed significant differences in the healthy control group and patient group in IL 1ß +3954 (p < 0.001). The frequency of variant type TT genotype was higher in RE group as compared to SGF and showed 4 fold risk of rejection (OR = 4.54, p < 0.069) although p value was not significant. The frequency of wild type CC genotype and CT was not significant (p value 0.89 and 0.74 respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that there is a prevalence of mutated allele of IL-1 gene cluster in our population, which may be responsible for renal dysfunction.
Subject(s)
Genetic Association Studies , Graft Rejection/epidemiology , Graft Rejection/genetics , Graft Survival/genetics , Interleukin-1beta/genetics , Kidney Transplantation/statistics & numerical data , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics , Adolescent , Adult , Age Distribution , Allografts , Case-Control Studies , Female , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/epidemiology , Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics , Humans , India/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Prevalence , Risk Factors , Sex Distribution , Transplantation, Homologous/statistics & numerical data , Young AdultABSTRACT
AIM: Increased incidence of CVD has been observed in recent years in the Kashmir valley (North India). Since the risk factor development of the cardiovascular diseases (CVD) takes place during childhood, we undertook an epidemiological survey to assess the prevalence of dyslipidemia in the school children of Kashmir valley. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1131 children of 5-19 years of age were selected and evaluated for BMI, cholesterol, TGs, LDL and HDL levels from different areas of Srinagar city (urban) region of the Kashmir valley from June 2011-June 2014. RESULTS: The frequency of dyslipidemia in Kashmiri children varied along the subjects. Hypertriglyceridemia was seen in 82.6% of the males and 47.6% of females in the age group of 5-9 years, 38.5% of males and 51.1% of females in the age group of 10-14 years and 24.7% of males and 35.9% of the females in the age group of 15-19 years. Low levels of HDL than normal were seen in 34.7% of males and 19% of females in the age group of 5-9 years. Similarly low HDL levels were seen in 17.9% of males and 15.5% of females in the age group of 10-14 years. The incidence of low HDL was also seen in 4.9% of males and 10.8% of females in the age group of 15-19 years. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study dyslipidemia was more common in centrally obese children and the most common component was high triglycerides and low HDL's. Female school children were at higher risk of developing CVD than males.