Utility of kidney ultrasonography during initial evaluation of pediatric nephrotic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines note a gap in high-quality evidence regarding utility of kidney ultrasonography (KUS) during initial evaluation of nephrotic syndrome (NS) due to presumed minimal change disease (pMCD). However, KUS is frequently obtained at our institution. This retrospective chart review assessed incidence and impact of abnormal sonographic findings in these patients. METHODS: Patients 1-18 years, newly diagnosed at our institution with NS from pMCD between 2011 and 2021, were identified. Hypertension, urinalysis, kidney function, and steroid responsiveness data were collected. Imaging findings were abstracted from radiology reports. Clinical impact of KUS was defined by actions taken in response to KUS. RESULTS: A total of 173 patients identified with new NS; 98 met inclusion criteria. Of these, 54% had KUS during the initial encounter. Demographic and laboratory data did not differ between those with and without KUS. KUS were abnormal in 70% of studies: increased kidney echogenicity (39.6%) and nephromegaly (35.8%) were the most common abnormal findings. Other findings included decreased corticomedullary differentiation, lobular kidney contour, solitary simple kidney cyst, and mild unilateral hydronephrosis. Steroid resistance was not associated with either nephromegaly or abnormal echogenicity. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed no clinically relevant ultrasound findings causing deviations from the standard of care for pMCD. There was no association between KUS findings and steroid resistance. These data suggest there is little to no benefit from routine KUS imaging in patients with pMCD upon initial presentation. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Towards a comprehensive catalog of zebrafish behavior 1.0 and beyond.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are rapidly gaining popularity in translational neuroscience and behavioral research. Physiological similarity to mammals, ease of genetic manipulations, sensitivity to pharmacological and genetic factors, robust behavior, low cost, and potential for high-throughput screening contribute to the growing utility of zebrafish models in this field. Understanding zebrafish behavioral phenotypes provides important insights into neural pathways, physiological biomarkers, and genetic underpinnings of normal and pathological brain function. Novel zebrafish paradigms continue to appear with an encouraging pace, thus necessitating a consistent terminology and improved understanding of the behavioral repertoire. What can zebrafish 'do', and how does their altered brain function translate into behavioral actions? To help address these questions, we have developed a detailed catalog of zebrafish behaviors (Zebrafish Behavior Catalog, ZBC) that covers both larval and adult models. Representing a beginning of creating a more comprehensive ethogram of zebrafish behavior, this effort will improve interpretation of published findings, foster cross-species behavioral modeling, and encourage new groups to apply zebrafish neurobehavioral paradigms in their research. In addition, this glossary creates a framework for developing a zebrafish neurobehavioral ontology, ultimately to become part of a unified animal neurobehavioral ontology, which collectively will contribute to better integration of biological data within and across species.