Single-cell analysis of angiotensin-converting enzyme II expression in human kidneys and bladders reveals a potential route of 2019 novel coronavirus infection / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Since 2019, a novel coronavirus named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has emerged worldwide. Apart from fever and respiratory complications, acute kidney injury has been observed in a few patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Furthermore, according to recent findings, the virus has been detected in urine. Angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) has been proposed to serve as the receptor for the entry of 2019-nCoV, which is the same as that for the severe acute respiratory syndrome. This study aimed to investigate the possible cause of kidney damage and the potential route of 2019-nCoV infection in the urinary system.@*METHODS@#We used both published kidney and bladder cell atlas data and new independent kidney single-cell RNA sequencing data generated in-house to evaluate ACE2 gene expression in all cell types in healthy kidneys and bladders. The Pearson correlation coefficients between ACE2 and all other genes were first generated. Then, genes with r values larger than 0.1 and P values smaller than 0.01 were deemed significant co-expression genes with ACE2.@*RESULTS@#Our results showed the enriched expression of ACE2 in all subtypes of proximal tubule (PT) cells of the kidney. ACE2 expression was found in 5.12%, 5.80%, and 14.38% of the proximal convoluted tubule cells, PT cells, and proximal straight tubule cells, respectively, in three published kidney cell atlas datasets. In addition, ACE2 expression was also confirmed in 12.05%, 6.80%, and 10.20% of cells of the proximal convoluted tubule, PT, and proximal straight tubule, respectively, in our own two healthy kidney samples. For the analysis of public data from three bladder samples, ACE2 expression was low but detectable in bladder epithelial cells. Only 0.25% and 1.28% of intermediate cells and umbrella cells, respectively, had ACE2 expression.@*CONCLUSION@#This study has provided bioinformatics evidence of the potential route of 2019-nCoV infection in the urinary system.

Surgical strategy for ectopic kidneys: analysis of 35 cases / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the surgical strategy for ectopic kidney and evaluate the clinical outcomes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 2000 to October 2009, 35 cases of ectopic kidney were treated surgically in our hospital. Definite diagnoses were established in all the cases by ultrasound, intravenous urography (IVU), cystoscope, CT, magnetic resonance urography (MRU) and radionuclide imaging before the surgery. In these patients, 26 had ipsilateral ectopic ureteral orifice (including 5 with bilateral duplicated kidneys and ureter), 9 had moderate or severe hydronephrosis (including 3 with ectopic kidney calculi), and 24 had dysplastic kidney (24/35). All the patients underwent operations, including 26 with ectopic nephrectomy, 7 with ectopic ureterovesical reimplantation, and 3 with ectopic renal pelvis incision.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The clinical effect was satisfactory in all the cases during the follow up of 7 to 29 months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Appropriate surgical approaches according to the concurrent deformities and complications can achieve good clinical results in patients with ectopic kidneys.</p>

Association of gene polymorphisms of cytokine and cytokine receptor with type III prostatitis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the role of the gene polymorphism of cytokine and cytokine receptors in the pathogenesis of type III prostatitis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We genotyped 24 outpatients diagnosed with type III prostatitis and 51 healthy volunteer controls for the single nucleotide polymorphisms of 13 cytokines and cytokine receptors at 22 sites by Sequence Specific Primer -PCR (SSP-PCR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The patients exhibited significantly higher frequencies of the genotypes of IL-10-819 T/T (62.5%) and IL-10-592 A/A (62.5%), the haplotype of IL-10 (-1082/-819/-592) ATA (75.0%) and the diploid genotype of IL-10 (-1082/-819/-592) ATA/ATA (62.5%), than with the healthy controls (31.3% , 31.3%, 25.0% and 31.2%) (P < 0. 05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our data suggested that anti-inflammation cytokine IL-10 gene polymorphisms were associated with the pathogenesis of type III prostatitis.</p>

Slowing progression of chronic allograft nephropathy by conversion from cyclosporin A to tacrolimus / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the feasibility and safety of substituting tacrolimus(FK506) for cyclosporin A(CsA) on delaying the pace of renal dysfunction in patients with biopsy-proven chronic allograft nephropathy(CAN).@*METHODS@#Seventy-three renal transplantation patients with CAN proved by allograft biopsy were collected in this study. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups. Patients were either converted to FK506(FK506 group, n=43) or remained on their initial CsA-based immunosuppression(CsA group, n=30). The clinical data at study entry and after 12 months including blood urea nitrogen(BUN), serum creatinine(SCr), glomerular filtration rate(GFR), 24-hour urine protein excretion, serum total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), low density lipoprotein(LDL) and the side effects of calcineurin inhibitors were monitored during a follow-up of over 12 months.@*RESULTS@#Twelve months later, the level of SCr was statistically reduced and GFR levels were obviously elevated in the FK506 group as compared with CsA group [(194.8+/-42.5)micromol/L vs. (245.4+/-52.8)micromol/L and (50.14+/-3.92)mL/(min.1.73 m(2)) vs. (40.58+/-2.49)mL/(min.1.73 m2), P<0.01]. Quantity of 24-hour urine protein excretion in the FK506 group was (2.0+/-0.5)g which is significantly lower than (3.9+/-0.7)g in the CsA group(P<0.01). TC, TG, and LDL levels remained unchanged in the CsA group, while those were statistically reduced in the FK506 group respectively [(5.19+/-0.73)mmol/L vs. (6.94+/-1.37)mmol/L, (1.86+/-0.84)mmol/L vs. (3.14+/-1.38)mmol/L, (3.03+/-0.71)mmol/L vs. (3.82+/-0.89)mmol/L, P<0.01]. Tremor obviously increased (P<0.01) and hypertension obviously decreased (P<0.05) in the FK506 group compared with the CsA group.@*CONCLUSION@#FK506 treatment can greatly improve the proteinuria and hyperlipidemia. Conversion from CsA to FK506 is an effective and safe alternative therapy for delaying the progression of renal dysfunction induced by CAN.