Comparison of the efficacy of steroid-free versus classic steroid-containing regimens in primary membranous nephropathy.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of a steroid-free regimen with steroid-based treatment in managing primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) and investigate the potential benefits of steroid-free regimens in PMN therapy. Methods: This was a single-centre prospective cohort study. A total of 81 patients were divided into two groups according to their medication regimen: a rituximab (RTX)/tacrolimus (TAC) group (low-dose RTX combined with low-dose TAC group, without steroids, n = 31) and a prednisone (P)/TAC group (P combined with TAC group, n = 61). The changes in 24-h urine protein quantification, levels of blood albumin, blood creatinine, total cholesterol, triglyceride and fasting blood glucose as well as anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibody titres were observed in both groups before treatment and after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment. Clinical remission (complete and partial remission), serological remission and recurrence were assessed in both groups after treatment, and the occurrence of adverse reactions was observed. Results: 1) Before treatment, there was no significant difference in baseline values between the two groups (p > 0.05). 2) After 12 months of treatment, the 24-h proteinuria and total cholesterol levels in the RTX/TAC group were significantly lower than those in the P/TAC group (p < 0.05). 3) After 6 months of treatment, the clinical remission rate of the RTX/TAC group was significantly higher than that of the P/TAC group (p < 0.05). After 12 months of treatment, the clinical remission rate of the RTX/TAC group was significantly higher than that of the P/TAC group (p < 0.05). (4) After 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment, serological remission rates in the RTX/TAC group were significantly higher than those in the P/TAC group (p < 0.05). During treatment, the anti-PLA2R antibody titres in the RTX/TAC group remained lower than those in the P/TAC group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The low-dose RTX combined with low-dose TAC steroid-free regimen induces serological remission in patients with PMN earlier than the classic regimen of P combined with TAC, and there was no significant difference in adverse effects between the two groups. Besides, the long-term clinical remission effect of low-dose RTX combined with low-dose TAC is better than that of P combined with TAC.

Not Only Top-Down: The Dual-Processing of Gender-Emotion Stereotypes.

Is gender-emotion stereotype a "one-hundred percent" top-down processing phenomenon, or are there additional contributions to cognitive processing from background clues when they are related to stereotypes? In the present study, we measured the gender-emotion stereotypes of 57 undergraduates with a face recall task and found that, regardless of whether the emotional expressions of distractors were congruent or incongruent with targets, people tended to misperceive the fearful faces of men as angry and the angry faces of women as fearful. In particular, there was a significantly larger effect in the distractor-incongruent condition. The revised process-dissociation procedure analysis confirmed that both automatic and controlled processing have their own independent effects on gender-emotion stereotypes. This finding supports a dual-processing perspective on stereotypes and contributes to future research in both theory and methodology.

Assessment of volume status in maintenance hemodialysis patients / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Objective · To assess volume status in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.Methods · Body composition analysis was performed on 128 MHD patients from Renji Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.The volume status was assessed based on body composition data and predialysis systolic blood pressure (preBPsys),edema grade,brain natriuretic peptide (BNP).Patients were divided into hyperhydrated group (percentage of hydration status,HS％＞ 15％) or normohydrated group (HS％ ≤ 15％).Body composition data were compared,including lean tissue index (LTI) and fat tissue index (FTI).The blood pressure,edema grade,serum calcium,serum phosphate,intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH),hemoglobin,albumin,pre-albumin,hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP),serum sodium,and urea clearance Kt/V were compared between two groups.Results · Sixtynine patients were normohydrated and preBPsys reached target;10 patients were overhydrated with higher preBPsys;18 patients had overhydration but preBPsys was in target range.Compared to normohydraed group,patients in hyperhydmted group had more obvious edema,higher BNP level,significantly lower LTI,serum albumin and pre-albumin levels,while serum sodium was significantly higher (P＜0.05).Conclusion· Volume status of hemodialysis patients can be objectively and accurately assessed by body composition analysis using bioimpedance technique with blood pressure,edema grade and biochemical parameters.Hyperhydrated patients may have higher serum sodium level,lower serum albumin,lower hemoglobin,and less lean tissue mass concomitantly.Sodium intake control,nutrition status improvement,and anemia correction may be useful to reduce hyperhydration.