Organizing Pneumonia in A Patient Double-Positive for ANCA and Anti-GBM Antibodies: A Case Report / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

Both anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease and the anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) are common causes of pulmonary-renal syndrome. Organizing pneumonia (OP), a special pattern of interstitial lung disease, is extremely rare either in AAV or anti-GBM disease. We report an old woman presented with OP on a background of co-presentation with both ANCA and anti-GBM antibodies.

Effect of integrin-linked kinase on renal tubular epithelial cell transdifferentiation in diabetic rats / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To determine the effect of integrin-linked kinase(ILK) in renal tubular epithelial cells and its relation to tubular epithelial-myofibroblast transdifferentiation.@*METHODS@#Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, Group normal control (n=10), Group diabetic without therapy(n=10) and Group diabetic with Losartan 20mg/(kg . d)(n=10). Five rats were killed in each group at the 8th and 16th week. The left kidneys were kept for HE and Masson staining to observe the pathological variations in the renal interstitium. ILK, alpha-SMA and Vimentin in renal tubular epithelial cells were detected by immunohistochemistry analysis.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the control group, ILK, alpha-SMA and Vimentin in renal tubular epithelial cells in Group diabetes gradually increased in immunohistochemistry (P<0.01); ILK was consistent with the pathological variation of renal interstitium and was positively correlated to alpha-SMA(rs=0.621, P<0.05). In comparison with the Group diabetes, the expression of ILK, alpha-SMA and Vimentin in renal tubular epithelial cells was apparently declined (P<0.01) in Group diabetes with Losartan.@*CONCLUSION@#Tubular epithelial myofibroblast transdifferentiation and the over-expression of ILK, between which there may be significant connections, are important events in the progression of diabetic nephropathy. Losartan, a blocker of angiotension II type I receptor, which may down-regulate the expression of ILK in diabetic renal tubular epithelial cells, can restrain the procession of epithelial-myofibroblast transdifferentiation.

Level of asymmetric dimethylarginine and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with chronic kidney disease / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To determine the association between asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, with atherosclerosis in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).@*METHODS@#One hundred thirty-eight CKD patients were enrolled in this study. Serum levels of L-arginine, ADMA, and SDMA were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Common carotid arteries intimae-medial thickness (CCA-IMT), cross-sectional calculated intimae-medial thickness (cIM area) and atherosclerotic plaque were detected by noninvasive high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography.@*RESULTS@#Serum levels of ADMA and SDMA were significantly increased in CKD patients (n=138) compared with age matched healthy subjects (n=42, P<0.01). ADMA and SDMA levels increased with the progression of renal dysfunction and were negatively related to creatinine clearance (Ccr) in pre-dialysis patients (r=-0.315, P<0.05; r=-0.426, P<0.01). Serum levels of ADMA and SDMA in dialysis patients (n=74) were significantly higher than those in pre-dialysis patients (P<0.05). Patients with carotid artery plaques showed significantly higher levels of ADMA compared with those without plaques. Serum levels of ADMA closely correlated with the mean IMT (r=0.471, P<0.01) and cIM area value (r=0.430, P<0.01). These correlations remained significant even after adjusting GFR, age, gender ,and other risk factors for atherosclerosis in the multiple regression analysis.@*CONCLUSION@#Serum levels of ADMA increased with the progression of CKD and may play a role in the pathogenesis of accelerated atherosclerosis in CKD patients.