Journal of nephropathology
Volume:2 Issue: 4, oct 2013

Context: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection leads to chronic liver disease, but also to extra-hepatic manifestations..Evidence Acquisitions: Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar, Pubmed (NLM), LISTA (EBSCO) and Web of Science have been searched.. Herein, we provide an overview of renal diseases related to HCV and their therapies, as well as the treatment options available for HCV (+)/RNA (+) dialysis patients. We will not mention, however, HCV infection-related complications in the post-kidney transplantation setting.. Extra-hepatic manifestations of HCV infection include mixed cryoglobulinemia, lymphoproliferative disorders, and renal disease. HCV infection has been reported in association with distinct histological patterns of glomerulonephritis in native kidneys..

Context: It is estimated that more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes mellitus. By the year 2030, it is predicted that diabetes will become the seventh leading cause of death in the world. Development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with diabetes adds significantly to the morbidity and mortality and significantly increases health care costs, even before the development of end stage renal disease (ESRD)..Evidence acquisitions: Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar, Pubmed (NLM), LISTA (EBSCO) and Web of Science have been searched.. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is increasing rapidly worldwide. It is the leading cause of new cases of ESRD in the USA. Interestingly, although DN is the most common cause of ESRD in diabetic patients, diabetes mellitus is also an independent and strong risk factor for ESRD ascribed to causes other than DN (e.g. hypertensive nephropathy).. It is important to be aware of the pitfalls of using the urine albumin level in predicting development and progression of diabetic nephropathy in order to treat and advise the patients accurately. Research into finding new markers is rapidly evolving but current progress makes it likely we will be using the urine albumin level for some years into the future..

Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy (iMN) is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults. Approximately one third of patients with iMN progress to end-stage renal disease. Anti-phospholipase A2-receptor (anti-PLA2R) antibodies are present in patients with iMN and appear to play a role in the pathogenesis of iMN.. In this study, we explored the prevalence of anti-PLA2R antibodies in a cohort of patients with iMN in Iran. We also sought to determine circulating levels of anti-secretory PLA2 (anti-sPLA2) antibodies in those with anti-PLA2R antibodies..Patients and Using an indirect immunofluorescence assay, we measured anti-PLA2R antibodies in a group of patients with iMN in Iran. The serum levels of anti-sPLA2 antibodies were also measured in those with positive results for anti-PLA2R antibodies.. We studied 23 patients with iMN (M/F 12/11, 34±9.8 year), two patients with secondary MN and five patients with the nephrotic syndrome of other causes.Anti-PLA2R antibodies were detected in 17/23 (74%) of patients with iMN, but not in those with secondary MN or other forms of primary glomerular diseases. We found no correlation between anti-PLA2R antibody titer and the degree of proteinuria. We found high titers of anti-sPLA2 antibodies in a subset of patients with high levels of anti-PLA2R antibodies.. Anti-PLA2R antibodies are specific for iMN. Proteinuria may also reflect glomerular structural damage rather than immunological activity of the disease. The preliminary idea of any presumptive role of anti-sPLA2antibodies in iMN needs further investigation..

Hemodialysis is the most common method of renal replacement therapy for treatment of acute and chronic kidney failure. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) plays a major role in development of peptic ulcer, gastric neoplasms, and lymphoma as well as increased risk of cardiovascular disorders in hemodialysis patients.. In this study the diagnostic values of noninvasive tests [i.e. urea breath test (UBT), helicobacter pylori stool antigen test (HPSA) and serology] in diagnosis of H. pylori infection in hemodialysis patients have been studied..Patients and All patients undergoing hemodialysis in Fatemieh Hospital, Semnan, Iran, were enrolled in the study, and their H. pylori status were assessed by using non-invasive tests including UBT, HPSA and serology. Patients with at least two out of 3 positive tests were considered infected with H. pylori.. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the tests used in diagnosing H. pylori infection were 62.5%, 65.4%, 62.5% and 65.4% for UBT, 100%, 72.2%, 58.3% and 100% for serology, and 100%, 75%, 60.9% and 100% for fecal antigen test, respectively.. This study showed that H. pylori serology and stool antigen tests have higher diagnostic values than UBT, and they are more reliable than UBT in diagnosis of H. pylori infection in hemodialysis patients..

Hypertension and diabetes are two common diseases and they affect the same major target organs.. In this study, we sought to investigate the probable association of serum calcium with levels of systolic and blood pressure in a group of type2 diabetic (T2D) patients..Patients and A total of 60 patients with T2D were enrolled to the study. To determine serum creatinine, calcium and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), venous blood samples were obtained in the fasting state.. Among 60 participants, 56.7% were female. Mean of ages was 57±8.3 years. Mean of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 133±13 mmHg and 84±7.4 mmHg, respectively. Mean of serum calcium was 9.0±0.4 mg/dl. In this study, there was no significant difference of serum calcium and HbA1c between males and females. A significant inverse correlation of serum calcium with level of diastolic blood pressure (r= -0.261, p=0.046) was seen (adjusted for duration of diabetes).Moreover, a negative correlation of systolic blood pressure with level of serum calcium was existed, however, this correlation was not significant (r= -0.232, p=0.080) [adjusted for duration of diabetes].. We found a significant inverse correlation of serum calcium with level of diastolic blood pressure. We propose to more attention to serum calcium during the treatment of hypertension in diabetic patients..