Indications for Renal Needle Biopsy and Histological Spectrum of Kidney Disease in Togo

Introduction: The frequent late-stage diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) constrains the treatment choices for nephrologists. Renal biopsy (RB) is crucial for accurately identifying renal lesions. This key nephrological procedure, however, is invasive and not without potential complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the indications, frequency, and histological lesion profiles of renal biopsies in Togo. Materials and Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study encompassing all renal biopsies performed in Togo from the inception of nephrology services to the present. Data were compiled from the medical records of the patients. Results: From 2015 to 2023, 68 high-quality renal biopsies were executed in Togo. The patients had an average age of 30.6 years, with a predominance of males (69.1%). The most common indication was nephrotic syndrome, accounting for 66.2% of cases. Histologically, glomerulopathies were predominant, representing 61.8% of lesions, followed by vascular nephropathies (25%) and tubulointerstitial nephropathies (13.2%). The most frequently observed primary glomerulopathy was focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Gross hematuria was the sole complication, occurring in 1.4% of the cases. Conclusion: RB is an evolving practice in Togo. Glomerulopathies are the most commonly observed lesions. The histological categorization of renal lesions is vital for clinicians in their diagnostic reasoning and approach.

Focal Segmantal Glomerulosclerosis: Epidemiological, Clinico-Biological, Pathological, Etiological, Therapeutic and Evolutionary Profiles in Dakar

Introduction: Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) corresponds to a clinicopathological syndrome, manifested by generally abundant proteinuria associated with hyaline deposits on part of certain glomeruli and sparing other glomeruli, with effacement of the pedicels. The general objective was to determine the prevalence of FSGS, and to give its profiles;epidemiological, clinical, biological, pathological, etiological, therapeutic and evolutionary of FSGS. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective analytical study over a period of six years extending from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015 patients aged 16 or over who were hospitalized or received consultations during the study period for primary or secondary segmental and focal hyalinosis. Patients whose records were incomplete or unusable were not included in the study. Results: We have 16.54% with 158 cases of FSGS out of 6945 patients received and/or hospitalized. Of the 955 kidney biopsies distributed, the incidences of HSF were;10.15%;14.04%;15%;17.64%;20.11%;19.58% respectively in 2010;2011;2012;2013;2014 and 2015, i.e. an annual increase of around 1.25%. Renal-type edemas were found in 93.3%, the first reason for hospitalization. And ninety-six people had impaired kidney function, or 61%. The average of 24-hour proteinuria was 6.4 ± 3.69 g/24 hours. The extremes were 0.37 and 18.50 g/24h. Patients had nephrotic proteinuria in 84.86%. Non-specific FSGS or NOS (Not Other Specificities) was found in 62 cases or 39.24%, collapsing FSGS in 48 cases or 30.40%. FSGS with found causes was associated with fibrosis in 5/35 cases. Collapsing FSGSs followed by NOS FSGSs were the most corticosteroid-resistant. The evolution of the FSGS reveals that every 8 months the proteinuria decreases by half. Conclusion: Segmental and focal hyalinosis requires histological confirmation and the epidemiological, clinico-biological, etiological, therapeutic and evolutionary profiles depend on the histological (pathological) type. Other works on the risk factors for occurrence and the contribution of electron microscopy in the primary and secondary diagnosis of segmental and focal hyalinosis are desired.

Non-Infectious Complications of Non-Tunneled Central Venous Catheterization for Hemodialysis: Incidence and Reasons in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Goal: Evaluate the importance and reasons of non-infectious complications of non-tunneled central venous catheterization in our hemodialysis unit. Patients and methods: The study, a prospective type, was conducted in the department of nephrology and hemodialysis of Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital Center (YO-UHC) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from 15 February to 30 June 2015. Patients in whom a new central venous catheter (CVC) was inserted during the study period were included. Catheterization-related complications were noted. Results: During the study period, 156 CVCs (9 per week) were placed in femoral (56.4%), internal jugular (40.4%) or subclavian vein (3.2%). There were 114 patients (59.7% of men and 40.3% of women), average age 41.8 ± 17.1 years, low socio-economic level in 64% of cases. At least a non-infectious complication was observed in 67 cases representing 42.9%. They were: puncture failure (40%), arterial puncture (12.2%), puncture of the thoracic duct (1.3%), pneumothorax (1.3%), bleeding related to the catheter insertion (5.8%), hematoma (1.3%), opposite direction (0.6%), dysfunction of the CVC (10.3%), femoralthrombophlebitis (3.2%). Conclusion: Non-infectious complications of non-tunneled central venous catheterization in our hemodialysis unit were frequent and sometimes severe. Their common denominator was the absence of ultrasound guidance. Our study reaffirms the need for equipping with Doppler ultrasound in our hemodialysis units, even in developing countries, for better security of the patient during central venous catheterization.

Renal aspergillosis in a liver transplant patient: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Aspergillosis is a frequent invasive fungal infection in liver recipients(affecting 1%-9.2% of all patients), second only to candidiasis. Significant risk factors for invasive aspergillosis in liver recipients include corticosteroid therapy, neutropenia, T-cell dysfunction, renal failure and requirement for renal replacement therapy. Aspergillus infection usually affects the lungs of liver recipients, with hematogenous dissemination occurring in 50%-60% of cases. Renal involvement is rare and is considered to occur in 0.4% of all cases of invasive aspergillosis.CASE SUMMARY This paper describes a case of a liver recipient presenting with a newly formed renal mass a year after liver transplantation. The patient underwent liver transplantation due to alcoholic liver cirrhosis, with preoperative corticosteroid therapy and postoperative immunosuppressants(tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil). His 1-year follow-up was uneventful, with a satisfying graft function and lack of any symptoms. During a routine follow-up abdominal ultrasound, he was diagnosed with a renal tumor. The renal ima-ging findings were inconclusive(with a differential diagnosis to renal cell carcinoma), while the computed tomography(CT) of the chest showed scar tissue in the lungs suggestive of previous inflammation. The patient underwent radical nephrectomy, with histopathological analysis showing renal aspergilloma, yielding postoperative treatment with voriconazole. His follow up was uneventful, and the chest CT did not show any change in pulmonary lesions. This case illustrates the possibility of aspergillosis affecting the lungs of liver recipients, subsequently affecting the kidney and forming an aspergilloma.CONCLUSION Clinicians should be aware of aspergilloma mimicking solid organ tumors in organ recipients.

Epidemiological Profile of Chronic Hemodialysis Patients in Ouagadougou

Goal: By describing the epidemiology of chronic hemodialysis patients in the single hemodialysis unit of Burkina Faso, we want to contribute to the prevention and improvement of chronic renal failure management (CRF) in this country. Patients and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the hemodialysis unit of the University Hospital Center Yalgado Ouedraogo (UHC-YO) during the period from February 12 to May 15, 2015. The patients who started hemodialysis in this unit and were treated for at least three months were included in this study. The sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. The statistical significance was defined for a probability (p ≤ 0.05). Results: One hundred and seventy-two patients (71.2% of the 240 patients of the unit) have been included. The sex ratio was 1.6. The average age was 45.2 ± 12.4 years old. The presumed causes of CRF have been identified in 134 cases (77.9%). The most frequent were hypertensive nephropathy (65 cases;48.5%), chronic glomerulonephritis (41 cases;30.6%;including 11 viral origin and 16 with history of recurrent otorhinolaryngologic infections and/or urinary schistosomiasis). Hemodialysis began in an emergency context in 118 cases (68.6%). The average duration of hemodialysis was 29.4 ± 28.4 months. Conclusion: The main suspected causes of CRF were hypertension and chronic glomerulonephritis. The origin of the latter seemed more often infectious. Prevention of CRF in Burkina Faso should be focused on that of hypertension and infectious diseases.

Factors Associated with Infection of the Central Venous Catheter for Hemodialysis in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Goal: The goal is to evaluate infections associated with central venous catheters of hemodialysis (CRI) in hemodialysis patients in Ouagadougou. Patients and methods: The study was cross-sectional, from February 15th to June 30th, 2015. It was conducted in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). We included patients with a new central venous catheter (CVC) inserted in the hemodialysis unit. The timeout for making an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for chronic hemodialysis in Ouagadougou may exceed six months. The CVCs used at the time of the study were made of polyurethane and non-tunneled. Sociodemographic, clinical and paraclinical data were collected and analyzed. Results: During the study period, 156 CVCs were installed in 114 patients, and the average age was 41.8 ± 17.1 years. A CRI occurred on 39 CVCs for a rate of 9.5/1000 days-catheter. The frequency of CRI was 28.4%, 20.6% and 20% respectively in femoral, jugular, and subclavian veins. The culture of the tip of the catheter was done in 21 cases. Fifteen germs have been identified: eight cases of Gram-positive cocci (53.3%) and seven cases of Gram-negative bacilli (46.7%). It was essentially staphylococci (eight cases). In univariate analysis, a period of use of the CVC in chronic hemodialysis over 10 days was significantly (p = 0.01;r = 2.91) associated with the catheter-related infection (CRI). Conclusion: The impact of the CRI was very high in our series. The associated factor in the univariate analysis was the long period of use of the CVC. The most diligent production of AVFs at the YO-UHC would contribute to a significant reduction of the CRI.

Anxio-Depressive Morbidity in Chronic Hemodialysis at the CHU SO of Lome (Togo)

Introduction: This work aims to identify and analyze the anxio-depressive morbidity that the renal insufficiency in hemodialysis can present. Methodology: The framework of this work was the department of nephrology and the hemodialysis unit of the CHU Sylvanus Olympio of Lome. This was a cross-sectional, single-pass, descriptive and analytical study that ran from January 1st, 2016 to June 30th, 2016. Included were all chronic hemodialysis patients who gave their free and well-informed consent and who have no psychiatric history. To assess anxiety and depression, the Hospital Anxiety and Depressive Scale of Zigmond and Snaith was used. The processing of the data was done with the software Epi Info 7 (version 7.1.2.0). Results: The number of patients was 91 and all were included. The mean age at 46.51 ± 14.41 years with extremes of 11 and 84 years and a sex ratio at 1.6 were observed. Anxiety (A3) was in 52.8% of women and depressed (D3) in 63.2% of men. The absence of social security increases the risk of anxiety disorders among respondents by three (RR = 2.6, p = 0.04). A duration of change of Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) less than 6 months was associated with the occurrence of depression (p = 0.04) with hemodialysis patients. The relative risk of depressive episodes increased three-fold with the hemodialysis patients (RR = 2.7). Conclusion: Collaboration between psychiatrists, psychologists and somaticians (doctors of the body) can occur at different times during dialysis, in order to overcome the difficulties that may arise during the treatment.

Epidemiological, Clinical and Evolutive Profile of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) in Togo

Objective: To describe the epidemiological, clinical and evolutionary profile of ADPKD in Togo. Methods: A retrospective descriptive transversal study over a period of 8 years (2011-2018) which focused on the analysis of patients’ records diagnosed with ADPKD. The diagnosis of ADPKD was retained on the basis of the ultrasound criteria of PEI. Results: During the study period, 27 patients had polycystic kidney disease with a prevalence of 0.87%. The average age was 51.6 ± 16.4 years. There were 10 men (37%) and 17 women (63%), a sex ratio (M/F) of 0.58. The concept of family cystic kidney disease was found in 6 (22.2%) patients. The clinical presentations were dominated by arterial high blood pressure, abdominal pain and abdominal mass respectively in 77%, 63% and 63% of cases. Five patients (18.5%) had a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) greater than 90 ml/min, 17 (62.9%) had a GFR Conclusion: ADPKD is common in our department. It appears to be associated with a high rate of chronic renal failure.

Determinants and Risks Factors of Renal Failure in Patients with Heart Failure in Cardiology Department of CHU Sylvanus Olympio of Lomé(Togo)

Introduction: The morbidity and mortality of patients with heart failure are known to increase rapidly in the presence of renal insufficiency, which is usually the cause but may be a consequence. To organize better prevention of renal failure, we undertook this study to identify the determinants of renal failure in the population of patients with heart failure. Methodology: This was a retrospective descriptive and analytical study of heart failure (HF) cases hospitalized from January 1st to December 31st, 2016, over a period for twelve (12) months at CHU Sylvanus Olympio. Patients who performed cardiac Doppler ultrasound were included in our study. Renal failure was defined as eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) less than 60 ml/min/1.73m2. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to investigate associated factors. The dependent variable was DFG status: coded 1 if the GFR is less than 60 ml/min and 0 if not. Results: A total of 216 patients were included. The majority were female (54.17%). The median age of patients was 53 years [IQI = 32 - 61 years] with extremes of 15 and 96 years. 16.49% of patients had a GFR of less than 60 ml/min. In multivariate analysis the average standard of living (OR = 2.40, p = 0.0456), diabetes (OR = 2.67, p = 0.0300), hypertension (OR = 5.66, p = 0.0399), alcoholism (OR = 4.00, p = 0.0063) were the main factors in the development of an RF/HF. Conclusion: The average standard of living, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic alcoholism are the determinants of renal failure in HF.

Acute Renal Failure in Hospitals in Togo: Comparative Analysis of HIV Positive Patients and HIV Negative Patients

Introduction: Human Immunodeficiency (HIV) is a risk factor often associated with the occurrence of Acute Renal Failure (ARF). Objectives: To describe the profile of Acute Renal Failure (ARF) in HIV-infected patients and compare them to non-infected patients. Patients and Methods: It was a prospective study from January 2018 to February 2019 that took place in the nephrology, infectious diseases and internal medicine departments of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital Center in Lomé (Togo). Results: The prevalence of ARF in HIV-infected patients was 48.07%. HIV-infected patients had an average age of 46.9 ± 11.6 years (p = 0.36) compared to 44.0 ± 20.4 years for non-HIV infected patients. Female sex was predominant in the HIV-infected population with a sex ratio H/F of 0.6 (p 3) in 50% of cases. HIV infected patients had more anemia (52.0% versus 22.2%) with p = 0.002. Conclusion: No deaths were recorded in the HIV-infected group.

Epidemiology of Renal Failure in Children at the Pediatric University Hospital Charles De-Gaulle of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Objective: Renal failure (RF) is a serious condition that is still insufficiently evaluated in our context. We wanted to know its epidemiology at the Pediatrics University Hospital Center Charles De-Gaulle (PUHC-CDG) of Ouagadougou. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively studied all children aged from three to fifteen years old who were diagnosed with renal failure (RF) in the Department of Medical Pediatrics, from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2013. RF was defined by a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 80 mL/min/1.73m2, estimated by the formula of Pottel et al., which ignored the size that was rarely found in the medical records. The department constantly lacked pediatric blood pressure monitors or urinary strips. Results: In total, 119 cases of RF (3.3% of all admissions) were collected. They were about acute RFs (ARFs), chronic RFs (CRFs), and Unclassified RFs (URFs), respectively in 28.6%, 2.5% and 68.9% of cases. The overall average age of patients was 6.7 ± 3.4 years old. The average GFR was 35.2 ± 22.2 mL/min/1.73m2. The mechanism of ARF was presumed to be organic in 26 cases (76.5%). The most common presumed etiology was malaria (47.9%). Twelve patients (10.1%) died. Conclusion: RF was common at the PUHC-CDG but it was unclassified in over half of the cases. The diagnosis was based on the estimation of the GFR by Pottel et al.’s formula which was a good alternative to the Schwartz’s formula. The improvement of human and material resources would certainly help for a screening and characterization of RF at the PUHC-CDG.

Management of Obstructive Renal Failure in Adults at the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital

Background: Obstructive nephropathies are a topical issue in urology and nephrology consultations, but no study has yet been conducted on the subject in our country. Objective: Describe the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and evolutionary profile of obstructive nephropathies at the Sylvanus Olympio University hospital of Togo. Method: It was a descriptive and cross-sectional study with a collection of retrospective data over a period of 08 years (2012-2019) which focused on obstructive nephropathies in the Urology-Andrology, Nephrology and Internal Medicine departments at the medical clinic of CHU SO. The diagnosis of obstructive nephropathy is retained on the basis of radiological and medical imaging results. Results: The study population included 131 patients. The annual hospital frequency was 2.84 cases for 100 admissions. The mean age was 56.72 ± 17.76 years. These patients were mostly male (72.52%). The most frequent age group was 60 - 80 years. Common symptoms at presentation were loin pain (45.75%) and dysuria (25.95%). The average length of probable course of the disease before hospitalization was 636.94 ± 258.88 days (21 months). The etiologies of obstructive nephropathy were largely dominated by prostatic tumors in half of the cases (45.80%). Among these patients, 121 have presented renal failure (92.36%). The average serum creatinine at admission was 59.01 ± 21.56 mg/l. Of the 121 patients with obstructive nephropathy presenting renal failure, 54 (44.63%) had decreased their serum creatinine at the output of more than 25%. The open surgery (54.20%) was the main treatment. There was an improvement in kidney function in patients who had a shorter duration of disease progression and who did not have a history of loin pain, oliguria and that the etiologies of the disease were not tumors. Tumoral etiologies, the presence of a history of high blood pressure, oedema of the lower members, oliguria, and a longer duration of disease progression and sex were factors associated with the occurrence of end-stage renal disease. Conclusion: Renal failure is the main complication of obstructive nephropathy in Togo, hence the importance of an early diagnosis for better care.

Risk Factors of Renal Failure in HIV Patients at Initiation of ARV Treatment: Retrospective Study of 3118 Patients Followed in Infectious Diseases Department at LoméUniversity Hospital

HIV infection is a major cause of chronic kidney disease, associated with high morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence and risk factors of renal disease at initiation of antiretroviral therapy. This was a descriptive and analytical retrospective study carried out in the infectious and tropical diseases department at Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital. The data have been extracted from the ESOPE software. Kidney disease was defined by a GFR, estimated by MDRD (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease) formula, less than 60 ml/min/1.73 m2. Risk factors associated with kidney disease were assessed using univariate and multivariate analysis. There were 3118 HIV-infected patients included in our study. The median estimated filtration rate was 94.7 ml/min/1.73 m2: 2.9% had an eGFR 2. 1303 had kidney disease (41.8%). Most patients (30.8%) were in the WHO clinical stage 1. The median CD4 count was 165/μL [IQR = 72 - 274/μL];the median hemoglobin level was 10.4 g/dL [IQR = 8.8 - 11.9 g/dL];all patients had thrombocytopenia less than 100.000/mm3;8.5% had leukocytosis greater than 10.000/mm3. Most of patients had HIV1. In the multivariate analysis, age greater than 40 years (p 3 were significantly associated with renal disease. The prevention of kidney disease must go through the identification of its risk factors in the target populations.

Antiretroviral Therapeutic Profile in Patients Living with HIV with Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic Kidney disease (CKD) is one of the important complications during HIV infection. The advent of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) has significantly improved the prognosis of these patients. This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study of people living with HIV received at the Ambulatory Treatment Center (ATC) of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital (CHU-SO). The study period was 6 months from January 1, 2018 to June 30, 2018. A total of 234 patients were enrolled during the study period. The mean age of patients at initiation of treatment was 42.07 ± 9.49 years with an average duration of follow-up under antiretroviral treatment of 5.61 ± 3.22 years. The female sex was predominant (70.09%) and a sex ratio (M/F) of 0.43. Most people living with HIV were mostly classified at clinical stage 2 (30.77) and 3 (31.62%) of WHO at initiation of HAART. The mean CD4 rate was 223.30 ± 143.764 at initiation of HAART and 462.58 ± 202.723 at the time of study. The frequency of CKD was 11.11%. The majority of patients were placed in a fixed combination of Tenofovir/Lamivudine/Efavirenz in a proportion of 81.20% of cases. In univariate analysis shows that age greater than 45 years (p = 0.017). Pathological proteinuria (p = 0.021) were associated with CKD. In multivariate analysis, only age (p = 0.045) and pathological proteinuria (p = 0.035) were significantly associated with CKD.

Erectile Dysfunction in Hemodialysis in Togo

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men on hemodialysis in Togo. Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study, descriptive and analytical ranging from December 2015 to February 2016 in the hemodialysis unit of CHU SO, only dialysis center in the country. The evaluation of the ED was made through IIEF-5 questionnaire. Results: 39 men (67.2%) of 58 hemodialysis is a sex ratio M/F of 2.05. The average age was 43.5 years with extremes of 25 and 59 years. The majority of men had a profession in 19 cases (48.7%). The mean duration of dialysis was 30 months with a range of 4 months and 90 months. Initial glomerular nephropathy was in 19 cases (48.7%) and vascular in 14 cases (35.9%). 38 patients were hypertensive (97.4%) and 6 diabetic men (15.4%). The prevalence of ED was 74.3% (29 cases). ED score was less than 10 points in 14 cases (35.9%);01 case (2.6%) between 11 and 16 points;06 cases (15.4%) between 17 to 21 points;08 cases (20.5%) between 22 and 25 points;and 10 cases (25.6%) between 26 and 30 points. Age, profession and duration of dialysis were risk factors associated with ED (P 0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of ED is very high in Togo.

Chronic Nephropathies in the Internal Medicine Department of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital

Introduction: The chronic nephropathies constitute a real global public health concern due to the constant increase in the prevalence estimated between 10% and 15%. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this prevalence has been estimated at 13.9%. This study will allow knowing the epidemiological, clinical, paraclinical and etiological aspects of chronic kidney disease in the internal medicine department of CHU-SO Lomé. Method: This was a cross-sectional, retrospective and descriptive study. It concerned all the patients suffering from a chronic kidney disease, hospitalized between the 1st of January 2014 and the 31st of December 2018, for a duration of 5 years. Results: During our study, 330 cases of chronic nephropathy were identified. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease was 8.3% of admissions. The mean age of the patients was 46.3 years with extremes of 19 and 86 years and a sex ratio of 1.32. A low socio-economic level of patients was observed in 63.9% with an urban origin in 69.7%. The main risk factors for renal impairment were hypertension (55.2%), diabetes mellitus (29.1%), obesity (20.6%), use of nephrotoxic products (19.4%), HIV infection (17%) and smoking (16.1%). The causes were dominated by nephroangiosclerosis (33.3%), followed by diabetic nephropathy (25.5%) and HIV-associated nephropathy (17%). Chronic renal failure was present in 95.8% of cases and was end stage in 69.7% of cases. Anemia was the main complication during the evolution of chronic kidney disease (98.2%). Mortality was 57.3% during hospitalization. Conclusion: Chronic kidney disease is a fairly common reason for hospitalization in the internal medicine department. Emphasis should therefore be placed on preventive measures for hypertension, diabetes and HIV.

Emphysematous Pyelonephritis in a Black African Woman Managed with Antibiotics Alone

Introduction: Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a severe, life-threatening infection of the renal parenchyma. This condition is characterized by the production of intrarenal and perinephric gas. In the world, the EPN is currently limited to case series reported. No cases have been described in black Africa. Aims: Related a first case of EPN diagnosed and treated in the University Hospital Center Sylvanus Olympio of Lomé in Togo. Observation: A 40 years old woman, with antecedent of diabetes presented pyelonephritis emphysematous class 2. She was treated successfully with antibiotic alone without using percutaneous drainage or nephrectomy. Conclusion: As reported in every case series, it was a young diabetic patient with a clinical features of acute pyelonephritis which CT scan had helped lay the EPN class 2 diagnosed. The germ was Klebsiella pneumoniae. She was treated with adapted antibiotic alone.

MicroRNA-21 in the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury(AKI),associated with significant mor-bidity and mortality,is widely known to involve epithelial apoptosis,excessive inflammation,and fibrosis in re-sponse to ischemia or reperfusion injury,which results in either chronic pathological changes or death.Therefore,it is imperative that investigations are conducted in order to fi nd effective,early diagnoses,and therapeutic targets needed to help prevent and treat AKI.However,the mech-anisms modulating the pathogenesis of AKI still remain largely undetermined.MicroRNAs(miRNAs),small non-coding RNA molecules,play an important role in several fundamental biological and pathological processes by a post transcriptional regulatory function of gene expres-sion.MicroRNA-21(miR-21)is a recently identifi ed,typi-cal miRNA that is functional as a regulator known to be involved in apoptosis as well as inflammatory and fi brotic signaling pathways in AKI.As a result,miR-21 is now considered a novel biomarker when diagnosing and treat-ing AKI.This article reviews the correlative literature and research progress regarding the roles of miR-21 in AKI.

Gender differences in the relationship between plasma lipids and fasting plasma glucose in non-diabetic urban Chinese popula- tion： a cross-section study

The association between dyslipidemia and elevated fasting glucose in type 2 diabetes is well known. In non-diabetes, whether this association still exists, and whether dyslipidemia is an independent risk factor for high fasting plasma glucose （FPG） levels are not clear. This cross-sectional study recruited 3460 non-diabetic Chinese subjects （1027 men, and 2433 women, aged 35-75 years old） who participated in a health survey. Men and women were classified into tertiles by levels of plasma lipids respectively. In women, the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose （IFG） was decreased with increased HDL-C. A stepwise increase in HDL-C was associated with decreasing FPG levels （lowest tertiles, FPG： 5.376 ± 0.018; middle tertiles, 5.324± 0.018; highest tertiles, 5.276±0.018mmol/L; P = 0.001）. Reversely, FPG levels increased from lowest tertiles to highest tertiles of LDL-C, TC, and TG. we found that women in the first tertile with lower HDL-C level had a 1.75-fold increase in risk of IFG compared with non-diabetic women in the third tertile with higher HDL-C level （OR： 1.75; 95% CI： 1.20-2.56）. In men, no significant association was found. We took age, BMI, waist/hip ratio, education, smoking, alcohol drinking, and physical exercise as adjusted variables. In Chinese non-diabetic women, dyslipidemia is independently associated with high levels of FPG; TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C are predictors of IFG independent of BMI and waist/hip ratio.