A case of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis with anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies that was successfully treated with mizoribine as a safe and effective remission maintenance therapy with prednisolone and plasma exchange.

We herein report the case of myeloperoxidase (MPO) anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis with anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) antibody positivity that successfully treated with mizoribine (MZR) as an immunosuppressive drug for remission maintenance therapy after the initiation of dialysis in addition to plasma exchange (PE) and glucocorticoid treatment to control the disease condition. A 79-year-old woman developed serious renal dysfunction and pulmonary alveolar hemorrhaging due to MPO-ANCA and anti-GBM antibody double-positive vasculitis. She was started on hemodialysis and was treated with methylprednisolone (m-PSL) pulse therapy with PE, followed by oral prednisolone (PSL). The pulmonary alveolar hemorrhaging disappeared, and both antibody titers immediately decreased but then rose again. Thus, m-PSL pulse therapy performed again in combination with combined with MZR treatment. Her poor renal function was irreversible; however, this therapy decreased both antibody titers, and they did not increase again. The patient developed pancytopenia and hyperuricemia. It was considered likely that these conditions developed in association with MZR treatment. We, therefore, measured the patient's blood concentration of MZR, and the maintenance dose was finally set at 50 mg after each dialysis session. The patient's pancytopenia and hyperuricemia improved and PSL could be smoothly tapered. This is the first case report of the use of MZR for remission maintenance therapy in a patient on hemodialysis who was positive for both ANCA and anti-GBM antibodies. The findings suggest that MZR can be used safely and effectively in such cases.

Risks and Benefits of Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate for Hyperkalemia in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND: Concerns about sodium overload when using sodium polystyrene sulfonate (Na-resin) as an ion-exchange resin for the treatment of hyperkalemia led our institution to gradually shift to the use of calcium polystyrene sulfonate (Ca-resin). However, as serum potassium levels were insufficiently controlled and patients experienced constipation, we returned to using Na-resin and observed better results than previously. OBJECTIVE: As few papers have examined the potassium adsorption ability of Ca-resin compared with Na-resin, we investigated this issue within our institution. METHODS: We studied potassium adsorption in patients who switched from Ca-resin to an equivalent amount of Na-resin (change group). We also investigated the incidence of sodium loading with Na-resin, including in patients newly commencing Na-resin treatment (new start group). RESULTS: Mean (± standard deviation) serum potassium levels decreased significantly, from 5.5 ± 0.6 to 4.9 ± 0.6 mEq/l in the change group and from 5.9 ± 0.4 to 4.7 ± 0.6 mEq/l in the new start group. No changes were observed in blood pressure, weight gain or serum sodium levels in the change group, but serum sodium levels in the new start group increased significantly, from 137.4 ± 2.3 to 139.0 ± 2.5 mEq/l, although they remained within the normal range. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that Na-resin exhibited an advantage in treating hyperkalemia when used in small amounts. However, when prescribing an ion-exchange resin at a higher dose, physicians should select the type and amount of resin according to the sodium and/or calcium load in each case.

Long-term outcomes of tonsillectomy for IgA nephropathy patients: A retrospective cohort study, two-centre analysis with the inverse probability therapy weighting method.

AIM: The effect of tonsillectomy on IgA nephropathy remains controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of tonsillectomy on the outcome, end stage kidney disease (ESKD) and all-cause death in IgA nephropathy patients who did and did not undergo tonsillectomy. METHODS: All basic data were retrospectively gathered from patients who had undergone renal biopsies at two Japanese clinical centres. Two hundred and twenty-seven patients were eligible for the study, with a median age of 34 (Interquartile range (IQR): 25-43) years and median follow-up of 92 (IQR: 40-178) months. The primary endpoint was the composite outcome of the onset of ESKD and all-cause death before ESKD. We performed a Cox proportional hazard regression analysis after adjusting for patient characteristics using the inverse probability therapy weighting (IPTW) method and a Cox analysis using the Matching method. Similarly, we analyzed these outcomes in a mild cohort. RESULTS: We were unable to find any significant advantages of tonsillectomy in either analysis (IPTW and matching, HR: 0.40 (0.12-1.36) P = 0.072 and 0.78 (0.13-4.64) P = 0.786). However, in the mild cohort analysis, our data showed that the Tonsillectomy group tended to be less likely to reach the composite outcomes than the Not Tonsillectomy group with statistical significance (hazard ratio (HR), <0.001 [CI <0.001 to <0.001, P = 0.039]). CONCLUSION: In this study, our findings led us to conclude that performing tonsillectomy in an early and timely manner may have predisposition of less poor prognosis.

A report of an adult case of tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) syndrome, with a review of 102 Japanese cases.

BACKGROUND: Although TINU syndrome is characterized by idiopathic TIN with bilateral anterior uveitis, few reports have provided a comprehensive summary of the features of this disorder. Previous reports have suggested that many Japanese patients had HLA-A2 and -A24 (7), but there is no evidence. CASE REPORT: A 44-year-old female was referred to our hospital due to renal dysfunction in March 2012. After admission, her symptoms improved spontaneously without medication within 2 weeks. In the outpatient clinic, she was diagnosed with idiopathic bilateral anterior uveitis in May, and her renal dysfunction relapsed in November. A renal biopsy showed diffuse TIN. We made a diagnosis of TINU syndrome because we could not explain the origin, and treated her with a systemic corticosteroid. Her renal function and ocular symptoms have been improving. The patient had HLA-A24, -B7, -DR1, -C*07: 02 and -DQB1*05: 01: 01. We collected 102 Japanese cases in PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and the Japanese Medical Abstracts Society and compared our case with the previous cases. CONCLUSIONS: This disorder affects primarily young females (median age, 14 years), and the most common symptom is fever (44/102 cases). We conducted a statistical analysis using contingency table and Pearson's chi-square test, for HLA-A2 and A24, and calculated the odds ratio (OR). There are no significant differences (A2 was present in 7/22 cases and in 19/50 controls, p value (P) 0.61, OR 0.76 (95% confidence interval (CI)) 0.27-2.2; A24 was present in 10/22 cases and in 33/50 controls, P 0.10, OR 0.43, CI 0.16-1.2).

Low-density lipoprotein apheresis therapy with a direct hemoperfusion column: a Japanese multicenter clinical trial.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis has been applied to patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) with coronary artery disease (CAD). To examine the efficacy and safety of a new type of LDL adsorption column (KLD01, Kaneka, Osaka, Japan), which deals with whole blood without separating plasma, the new system was evaluated in a multicenter trial. The present study included 33 FH patients with CAD (24 males, 9 females, 57 +/- 13 years) who were treated five times with a mean interval of 2.12 +/- 0.60 weeks between treatments. We studied the removal efficacies for serum LDL cholesterol, Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) and triglyceride, the times for the preparation of the system and for treatment, symptoms, and the biochemical data. The scheduled treatments were completed by 31 patients. Serum levels of LDL cholesterol, Lp(a) and triglycerides were all significantly reduced with KLD01; 61.5 +/- 6.2%, 72.4 +/- 5.9% and 69.5 +/- 9.7%, respectively. The times for both setting up the column system (26 +/- 7 min) and treatment (138 +/- 20 min) were shorter with KLD01 than conventional methods. Adverse reactions occurred in eight cases (17 episodes), but the patients fully recovered immediately after each apheresis therapy session. We conclude that the new type of LDL adsorption column, one that deals with whole blood, is a promising apheresis therapy for FH patients in view of its efficacy, reduced time for treatment, and safety.