Determining the Bulk of the Iceberg of Proteinuric Chronic Kidney Disease in School Children, in South West Nigeria

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease [CKD], as defined by the National Kidney Foundation/Kidney Disease and Outcome Quality Initiative (KDOQI) Group, refers to bilateral kidney injury and/or impaired kidney function of at least 3 months duration. Persistent proteinuria has been recognized as one of the early markers of chronic kidney disease and has been associated with persistent and progressive damage in both children and adult. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the prevalence and severity of persistent proteinuria over three months in primary school children in Ile-Ife. It was a cross-sectional study done over a period of six months. The subjects were 1335 primary school pupils, aged 6 to 14 years selected by multi stage random sampling method from twelve primary schools from a total of 96,301 pupils in the two Local Government Areas (LGA) of Ile-Ife, after meeting the recruitment criteria. The biodata, physical examination, blood pressure measurements and urine testing by dipstick were carried out on all the recruited pupils according to standard protocols while serial monitoring of proteinuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate was done for those with persistent proteinuria over 6 months. Results: Initially 34 (2.6%) of the subjects recruited had significant proteinuria with a M:F ratio of 1:1.6 following first screening and it was persistent in six (0.4%) of them subsequently over three months with a M:F ratio of 1:1.5. The severity of the persistent proteinuria was in the range of 30 mg/dL to 100 mg/dL. Three of them (50%) had worsened level of proteinuria from 30 mg/dL to 100 mg/dl on follow up. Conclusion: Children with undetected persistent proteinuria stand the risk of further glomerular damage over time.

Can Peripheral Venous Gases Replace Arterial Gases in a Patient with Chronic Kidney Disease?

Introduction: Metabolic acidosis (MA) is a frequent alteration in chronic kidney disease (CKD) that is associated with numerous complications, which is why its correction is recommended. Oral sodium bicarbonate is currently the treatment of choice. Objective: The objective is to determine if venous bicarbonate is equal to arterial bicarbonate in the follow-up of a patient with chronic kidney disease. Materials Methods: Single-center Cross-sectional studies in a cohort of adult patients with stage 4 - 5 CKD. Samples were taken between January 2022 and January 2023, in a Clinic in the city of Ibague/ Colombia obtained from the radial artery. The inclusion criteria were: not being treated with alkaline at the time of inclusion. Results: A total of 71 patients were included, 73.2% male (52) and 26.8% female (19), with different stages: stage 3 with 5.6% (4), stage 4 with 60.6% (43), stage 5 with 33.8% (23). 66.2% were diabetic, 88.7% had arterial hypertension, and 15.5% of the patients presented hematoma as a complication and pain associated with arterial puncture. The result of mean venous bicarbonate was 18.8 with a standard deviation of 2.3, arterial bicarbonate a mean of 19.4 with a standard deviation of 2.1 with a value of P 0.46, venous pH with a mean of 7.37 with a standard deviation of 0.48 and a mean arterial pH of 7.38 with a standard deviation of 0.48 with a P value of 0.01. Values of venous bicarbonate compared to arterial bicarbonate showed no statistically significant difference in patients with chronic kidney disease, but there were more complications such as hematoma and pain in patients in the arterial puncture cohort, because of this result venous bicarbonate corresponds to arterial bicarbonate, but has less risk of complications associated with the procedure. Conclusion: Metabolic acidosis is a frequent alteration in advanced chronic kidney disease, these results showed that the values of arterial and venous bicarbonate have no statistically significant differences, but there is a greater risk of complications with arterial blood gases, due to this, venous bicarbonate could be a useful tool for patients with chronic kidney disease.

Antihypertensive Therapy in Non-Diabetic Chronic Kidney Disease Associated with Proteinuria in Adults

Controlling blood pressure and reducing proteinuria are common goals in Chronic Kidney Disease associated with hypertension and proteinuria and lead to fewer cardiovascular outcomes. This review summarizes the available literature.

Ocular Fundus Abnormalities in Pre-Dialytic Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 10% - 16% of the adult population. Although ocular findings related to renal insufficiency include cataract, conjunctival calcification, lid edema, conjunctival pallor and xanthalesma, by far the most important is retinopathy. Objective: To evaluate the ocular fundus abnormalities in pre-dialytic chronic kidney disease patients of the adult population. Methodology: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Department of Nephrology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from April 2012 to March 2014. A total of 100 hospital admitted CKD patients were purposively selected for this study. Age, gender, blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), 24 hours Urinary Total Protein (UTP), haemoglobin level, serum creatinine, serum cholesterol, serum triglyceride and color fundus photography findings of both eyes were recorded for each patient. Inter-group comparisons were made between patients with retinopathy and those without retinopathy. Results: Out of 100 adult non-dialytic CKD patients, 43 (43%) had ocular fundus abnormalities, among them 27 (62.8%) were male and 16 (37.2%) were female. The risk of development of retinopathy was significantly higher among older patients (p = 0.006), those with low haemoglobin level (p = 0.0001) and high blood pressure. Retinopathy was significantly (p = 0.0001) increased with reduction of e-GFR. There was no relationship between BMI and high serum triglyceride level with retinal abnormality. Among 43 (43%) patients with retinal abnormality, 30 (69.76%) patients showed only hypertensive retinopathy and 5 (11.6%) patients showed only diabetic retinopathy. Mixed hypertensive and diabetic retinopathy was found in 8 (18.6%) patients. Maculopathy was seen in 11 (25.58%) patients, of whom 3 (6.98%) had hypertensive retinopathy and 8 (18.87%) had diabetic retinopathy. Optic atrophy was seen in 2 (4.6%) patients and drusen like retinal deposits were seen in 2 (4.6%) patients. Conclusion: Ocular fundus abnormalities are common among adult pre-dialytic CKD patients. Retinopathy is significantly higher in advanced stages of CKD.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) of URAT1 (rs7932775) and ABCG2 (rs3825016) on Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with Hyperuricemia

Background: More and more chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are accompanied with hyperuricaemia. As is known, hyperuricaemia is an independent hazard of both cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and chronic kidney diseases. We aim at identifying Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) difference of hURAT1 (rs7932775) and ABCG2 (rs3825016) on CKD patient with hyperuricemia and/or gout. Methods: All forty-two CKD patients were divided into two groups: hyperuricemia, and control group. 24 hours urine sample and serum were prepared for testing biochemistry parameters. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method is used to analyze hURAT1 and ABCG2 single nucleotide polymorphisms in different groups. Results: 17 patients have CT SNP of hURAT1 (rs7932775) and 13 patients have CT SNP of ABCG2 (rs3825016) in hyperuricemia group, while only 5 persons and 6 persons have the same mutations in control group respectively. 7 patients have CT SNP of both hURAT1 (rs7932775) and ABCG2 (rs3825016) in hyperuricemia group, while only 2 persons have the same mutations in control group. CT mutation rates of hURAT1 (rs7932775) and ABCG2 (rs3825016) in hyperuricemia group were 60.7% (17/28) and 50% (13/28) respectively, higher than that of control group (35.7% (5/14) and 42.8% (6/14)). What is more, Double SNP mutations in both hURAT1 (rs7932775) and ABCG2 (rs3825016) in hyperuricemia group were 25% (7/28), higher than that of control group (14.2%, 2/14). Conclusion: There are higher mutation rates of CT SNP in hURAT1 (rs7932775) and/or ABCG2 (rs3825016) in hyperuricemia group. We can conclude that hyperuricemia is a high risk factor in progress of CKD, which is necessary to take measures of decreasing serum uric acid to delay CKD progress.

Anemia treatment and left ventricular hypertrophy in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease

To this day, the target hemoglobin level that minimizes cardiovascular risk in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients remains unclear. When one examines the many randomized trials of epoetin therapy in aggregate, enhanced quality of life provides the most cogent argument for hemoglobin levels above 110 g/L. It remains unclear whether treatment of anemia improves longevity, or even a surrogate marker (such as left ventricular [LV] mass index), especially when applied at earlier phases of CKD.

Cutaneous Abnormalities in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with and without Dialysis

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasingly prevalent worldwide. CKD may present with different cutaneous manifestations. Objectives: To evaluate the dermatological manifestations and compare these manifestations between patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) and non-dialysis groups. Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted in the Department of Nephrology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from April 2013 to March 2014. A total of 150 hospital admitted CKD patients were evaluated for dermatological manifestations. Age, gender, haemoglobin level, 24-hours urinary total protein (UTP), serum creatinine, serum fasting lipid profile, estimated glomerular filtration rate (e-GFR) and dermatological manifestations of the study subjects were recorded accordingly. Inter-group comparisons were made between patients with and those without cutaneous abnormality. Results: Out of 150 study subjects, 99 (66%) were male and 51 (34%) were female, 69 (46%) patients were on MHD and 81 (54%) patients were without dialysis, their mean (±SD) age was 44.6 ± 12.3 year. A Total of 126 (84%) patients had cutaneous abnormalities;among them 69 (54.76%) were pre-dialytic and 57 (45.24%) were on MHD group. The mean (±SD) serum creatinine was relatively higher but haemoglobin level was significantly lower (p = 0.021), while UTP was significantly higher (p = 0.038) among patients with cutaneous abnormality. There was no relationship between lipid profile with cutaneous abnormality. Among 126 (84%) patients with cutaneous abnormality;pallor was the most common cutaneous abnormality (72%) followed by xerosis (68.66%), pruritus (65.33%), half and half nails (38.66%), pigmentation (33.33%), purpura/ecchymosis (16.66%), fungal infection (16%), ulcerative stomatitis (10.66%) and bacterial infection (10%). Pigmentation (52.6%), purpura (35.1%), ulcerative stomatitis (21.1%) and bacterial infection (19.3%) were significantly higher in MHD group. Among 69 (54.76%) predialytic patients;11 (15.94%), 20 (28.98%) and 38 (55.07%) of them were on CKD stage-III, IV and V respectively. Conclusions: The dermatological disorders are frequent among CKD patients. Pallor, pruritus, xerosis, pigmentation and purpura are predominant changes. Pigmentation, purpura, ulcerative stomatitis and bacterial infection are significantly higher in MHD patients. Cutaneous abnormalities are more frequent in advance stages of CKD.

Outcomes after percutaneous coronary interventions in patients with chronic kidney disease

Introduction Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.Patients with CKD are known to have a greater prevalence of cardiovascular disease than the general population,1 and patients with concurrent CKD and coronary artery disease (CAD) have greater mortality than patients without CKD.2-4 The rate of cardiovascular mortality is approximately 50%,five to 10 times higher than the general population.

Estimation of GFR by MDRD Formula and Its Correlation to Cockcroft-Gault Equation in Five Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: Purpose of our study was to find out correlation between estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) by Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula and Glomerular Filtration Rate by Cockcroft-Gault equations, in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and to see whether they can be used interchangeably. Methods: We conducted a cross section study of 70 patients presented to the nephrology clinic over a period of one year. We compared the Glomerular Filtration Rate by these two formulas in five stages of Chronic Kidney Disease. Abbreviated 4 variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula was used.Results: Age range was 15 - 79 years;Male 49%, Female 51%. The correlation (r) between eGFR by MDRD and eGFR by Cockcroft-Gault equation for CKD stages 1 to 5 was 0.64;0.31;0.32;0.67;and 0.45 respectively. The correlation (r) between creatinine clearance by 24 hour urine collection and MDRD formula was 0.84 (P: 0.001). The correlation (r) between creatinine clearance by 24 hour urine collection Cockcroft-Gault equation was 0.79 (P: 0.001). Conclusion: We conclude that Cockcroft-Gault equation correlates best with MDRD formula at CKD stages 4 and one. Cockcroft-Gault equation underestimated eGFR in stages 1, 2 and 3 of chronic Kidney Disease.

Polymorphism of Renalase Gene in Patients of Chronic Kidney Disease

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important public health problem. Early detection and treatment is a key factor for prevention of its complications. Hypertensive nephrosclerosis is a subtype of CKD which has a poor correlation between hypertension and development of nephropathy, implying role of genetic factors or epigenetic factors. The knowledge regarding genetic factors is limited. Renalase is a novel hormone with its gene on chromosome 10, which secretes flavin adenine dinucleotide dependent amine oxidase. Renalase metabolizes circulating catecholamines and modulates blood pressure and cardiac function. Recently, two single nucleotide polymorphisms of renalase gene rs2576178 GG and rs2296545 CC have been linked to essential hypertension. The SNPrs2296545 CC is also shown to be associated with cardiac hypertrophy, dysfunction and ischemia. The association of these two single nucleotide polymorphisms with hypertensive nephrosclerosis has not been investigated. Methods: We designed a case-control study to investigate whether the two known renalase gene polymorphisms rs2576178 and rs2296545 are associated with CKD particularly hypertensive nephrosclerosis. We genotyped these two polymorphisms in 287 subjects from North Indian population (106 CKD cases and 181 controls). Results: Comparison shows that subjects with hypertensive nephrosclerosis had higher frequencies of rs2296545 Callele than the healthy controls (0.63 versus 0.47, p 0.02). The odds ratio for rs2296545 CC genotype in hypertensive nephrosclerosis were 2.55 (95% CI, 1.03 to 6.42;p = 0.02) (CC versus GG) and 2.11(95% CI, 1.01 to 4.42;p = 0.03) (CC versus CG + GG) compared to controls. Conclusion: These findings may provide novel insight into the role of additional genomic regions as susceptibility gene in the pathophysiology of hypertensive nephrosclerosis. Further, to account for geoethnic variation, studies on heterogeneous populations involving a larger sample size are required. The correlation between this structural change and actual levels of the enzyme or the activity are required to strengthen this association as well as to be clinically applicable.

Prevalence of Depression in Pre-Dialytic Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Attending at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh

Background: Depression is a common and serious medical illness around the world. It occurs more frequently in patients with chronic illness than in the general population. It is a common psychiatric problem in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objective: To assess the level of depression in pre-dialytic CKD patients attending at a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. Methodology: This cross sectional study was conducted at Department of Nephrology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2020 to June 2020. A total of 100 pre-dialytic CKD patients were selected by convenience sampling technique and their level of depression was assessed by Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS). Data were collected by existing questionnaire with face to face interview and analyzed by statistical test. Results: The mean age of the participants was 49.70 ± 11.80 years. Among them 64% were male, 95% were muslim, 98% were married, 65% were completed secondary/above higher secondary level education, 65% were unemployed and 55% were lived in urban area. It was observed that 65% participants were economically dependent to their family, only 6% were engaged in regular exercise, 14% had family history of depression, 8% were smoker and 12% were alcohol/drug abuser. According to the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS) we found 29% participants were mildly depressed, 39% participants were moderately depressed and 18% participants were severely depressed. Prevalence of depression was 86% in pre-dialytic CKD patients. Of them, 7% was in CKD stage-I, 17.4% was in CKD stage-II, 19.8% was in CKD stage-III, 22.1% was in CKD stage-IV and 33.7% was in CKD stage-V. Conclusion: Depression is highly prevalent in pre-dialytic CKD patients and more frequent in the advanced stages of CKD.

Clinical Characteristics and Prevention Strategies of Falls in Hospitalized Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Objectives: To analyze the clinical features of falls in hospitalized patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and to provide basis for preventing the occurrence of falls in hospitalized patients with CKD. Method: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the 27 adverse events of falls in hospitalized patients from the department of nephrology in Peking University Shenzhen Hospital during May 2009 and May 2019. Results: Among the 27 patients with falls, people over 65 years old accounted for 55.56%;74.07% of the patients had caregivers;the peak period of falls was from June to August, accounting for 40.74%, mainly occurring from 7:00 to 8:00, 12:00 to 13:30 and 19:00 to 21:00;the locations of falls were mostly near the bed and in the bathroom, accounting for 33.33% and 22.22%, respectively;suffering from anemia, hypoproteinemia, abnormal serum potassium, calcium-phosphorus metabolism disorders accompanied by abnormal parathyroid hormone and hypertension accounted for 88.89%, 85.19%, 29.63%, 96.30% and 81.48% respectively. The inpatients on dialysis therapy accounted for 66.67%. Conclusion: The occurrence of falls in hospitalized patients with CKD was not only related to age, caregivers, time, months, locations or other conventional factors, but also the complications and dialysis therapies. To effectively reduce the occurrence of falls, it’s necessary to enhance the sense of safety and responsibility of caregivers. Besides, nurses should strengthen the inspection of wards for inpatients engaging in some intensive activities, and nurses should also pay more attention to the inpatients with anemia, hypoproteinemia, calcium-phosphorus metabolism disorders and those on dialysis therapies.

Cardiovascular disease and renal insufficiency:special considerations with cardiac surgery

Cardiovascular disease is an important cause of mortality in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. This review discusses cardiac surgery in the CKD population and considers ostoperative acute renal failure (ARF). CKD patients have worse outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and cardiac valvular surgery than the general population. However,surgical revascularization is an effective treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD) in this population and may be associated with improved survival over percutaneous intervention (PCI) in advanced CKD. Cardiac surgery in the CKD population requires careful perioperative planning and management. Acute renal failure (ARF) is a serious complication following cardiac surgery, occurring in 1 to 8% of cases. Management of postoperative ARF is largely supportive and emphasis is placed on preoperative risk stratification and prevention.

An international Delphi consensus statement on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease and risk of chronic kidney disease

Background:With the rising global prevalence of fatty liver disease related to metabolic dysfunction,the association of this common liver condition with chronic kidney disease(CKD)has become increasingly evident.In 2020,the more inclusive term metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)was proposed to replace the term non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).The observed association between MAFLD and CKD and our understanding that CKD can be a consequence of underlying metabolic dysfunction support the notion that individuals with MAFLD are at higher risk of having and developing CKD compared with those without MAFLD.However,to date,there is no appropriate guidance on CKD in individuals with MAFLD.Furthermore,there has been little attention paid to the link between MAFLD and CKD in the Nephrology community.Methods and Results:Using a Delphi-based approach,a multidisciplinary panel of 50 international experts from 26 countries reached a consensus on some of the open research questions regarding the link between MAFLD and CKD.Conclusions:This Delphi-based consensus statement provided guidance on the epidemiology,mechanisms,management and treatment of MAFLD and CKD,as well as the relationship between the severity of MAFLD and risk of CKD,which establish a framework for the early prevention and management of these two common and interconnected diseases.

Minimal change disease caused by polycythemia vera: A case report

BACKGROUND Polycythemia vera(PV),often attributed to the JAK2 V617F mutation,is characterized by enhanced red blood cell counts in the peripheral blood.PV-associated renal disease is clinically rare;to date,there have been reports of other chronic kidney diseases related to PV,but no reports on PV-associated minimal change disease.CASE SUMMARY A 37-year-old man presented with proteinuria and high red blood cell count on January 4,2021.The patient underwent bone marrow and renal biopsies,then was subsequently diagnosed with PV and minimal change in disease.Hydroxyurea was administered and proteinuria remission was achieved.The patient’s last visit was on April 14,2022.CONCLUSION We inferred that there may be a causal relationship between PV and minimal change disease.

Advanced Oxidation Protein Products Regulate the Pharmacokinetics of Aloe-emodin,Emodin,Rhein,and Chrysophanol in Chronic Kidney Disease Rats

Background:As accelerators and products of the progression of chronic kidney disease(CKD),advanced oxidation protein products(AOPPs)affect the function of the liver.Huang Gan granules(HGGs)are commonly used to prevent the progression of CKD,but the pharmacokinetics of aloe-emodin,emodin,rhein,and chrysophanol in HGGs in CKD remain unknown.Objective:To investigate the influence and its molecular mechanism of AOPPs on the in vivo pharmacokinetics of aloe-emodin,emodin,rhein,and chrysophanol in HGGs.Methods:We constructed 5/6 nephrectomised(5/6 nx),adenine-induced(adenine)and AOPP-treated rat models.After oral administration of HGG,the concentrations of aloe-emodin,emodin,rhein,and chrysophanol in the plasma samples were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC),and their pharmacokinetics were analysed with the PKSolver software.The plasma concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-αare detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The RT-PCR was performed in the HepG2 cells to explore the effect of TNF-αand IL-6 on the mRNA expression of CYP1A2 and CYP3A4.Result:The results showed that the method was suitable for the quantification of four anthraquinones in plasma and excreta samples with satisfactory linear(R R^(2)>0.9931),precision(<9.4%)and accuracy(±10%).In 5/6 nx,adenine and AOPPs-treated rats,the concentrations of TNF-αand IL-6 were increased.In 5/6 nx and adenine rats,the pharmacokinetic parameters(t_(1/2),MRT_(0-∞)and AUC_(0-∞))of aloe-emodin,emodin,rhein,and chryso-phanol were,respectively,significantly increased and correlated with the concentration of AOPPs.In AOPPs-treated rats,the concentration of AOPPs was significantly increased and the pharmacokinetic parameters of four anthraquinones were also increased.Conclusion:In summary,inflammatory cytokine production may be one of the important causes in AOPPs’regulat-ing the pharmacokinetic of aloe-emodin,emodin,rhein,and chrysophanol in the CKD rats.Studies of aloe-emodin,emodin,rhein,and chrysophanol in CKD facilitate the appropriate prescription of HGGs in the clinical.

Pharmacological intervention of hypertension in proteinuric chronic kidney disease： how and what？

Chronic kidney disease （CKD） is a significant interactive disease in patients with diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease with major morbidity consequences and high costs to the healthcare system. The prevalence of end stage renal disease （ESRD）, a f＇mal outcome of CKD, has increased progressively in the past decades in both developing and developed countries. It is now appreciated that the majority of patients with CKD have a chronic decline of renal function over years before renal replacement therapy is required. This non-specific process continues even when the initial insult is no longer present and has been called progression of CKD.

The Hippo pathway and its correlation with acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury(AKI) is a significant clinical complication with a substantial impact on morbidity and mortality, for which therapeutic options remain limited. The Hippo signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved pathway implicated in cell proliferation, dedifferentiation, and apoptosis via phosphorylation and inactivation of its downstream effectorsYes-associatedprotein(YAP)/transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif(TAZ). Recent studies have revealed that the Hippo pathway plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and repair of AKI. The Hippo pathway can mediate renal dysfunction through modulation of mitochondrial apoptosis under AKI conditions. Transient activation of YAP/TAZ in the acute phase of AKI may benefit renal recovery and regeneration, whereas persistent activation of YAP/TAZ in severe AKI may lead to maladaptive repair and transition to chronic kidney disease. This review aims to summarize recent findings on the associations between the Hippo pathway and AKI and to identify new therapeutic targets and strategies for AKI.

Targeted delivery of celastrol to glomerular endothelium and podocytes for chronic kidney disease treatment

The etiology of chronic kidney disease(CKD)is complex and diverse,which could be briefly categorized to glomerular-or tubularoriginated.However,the final outcomes of CKD are mainly glomerular sclerosis,endothelial dysfunction and injury,and chronic inflammation.Thus,targeted delivery of drugs to the glomeruli in order to ameliorate glomerular endothelial damage may help alleviate CKD and help enrich our knowledge.The herb tripterygium wilfordii shows therapeutic effect on kidney disease,and celastrol(CLT)is one of its active ingredients but with strong toxicity.Therefore,based on the unique structure and pathological characteristics of the glomerulus,we designed a targeted delivery system named peptides coupled CLT-phospholipid lipid nanoparticles(PC-PLNs)to efficiently deliver CLT to damaged endothelial cells and podocytes in the glomerulus for CKD treatment and research.PC-PLNs could effectively inhibit inflammation,reduce endothelial damage,alleviate CKD severity,and reduce the toxicity of CLT.We also studied the mechanism of CLT in the treatment of nephropathy and found that CLT can increase the level of NO by increasing eNOS while inhibiting the expression of VCAM-1,thus provides an anti-inflammatory effect.Therefore,our study not only offered an efficient CKD drug formulation for further development,but also provided new medical knowledge about CKD.

Risk factors,biomarkers and patho-mechanisms of chronic kidney disease

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,the research team led by Prof.Hou Fanfan(侯凡凡)and Liu Youhua at the State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research,Southern Medical University,has made remarkable progress in identifying the risk factors and biomarkers and elucidating the patho-mechanisms of chronic kidney disease(CKD).Four papers describing these findings were