Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

West J Emerg Med 2020 Apr 13;21(3):566-580. Epub 2020 Apr 13.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Dallas, Texas.

Cancer therapies have undergone several recent advancements. Current cancer treatments include immune-based therapies comprised of checkpoint inhibitors, and adoptive immunotherapy; each treatment has the potential for complications that differ from chemotherapy and radiation. This review evaluates immune-based therapies and their complications for emergency clinicians. Read More

World J Clin Oncol 2020 Apr;11(4):190-204

Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista 45029094, Bahia, Brazil.

Anticancer drug nephrotoxicity is an important and increasing adverse drug event that limits the efficacy of cancer treatment. The kidney is an important elimination pathway for many antineoplastic drugs and their metabolites, which occurs by glomerular filtration and tubular secretion. Chemotherapeutic agents, both conventional cytotoxic agents and molecularly targeted agents, can affect any segment of the nephron including its microvasculature, leading to many clinical manifestations such as proteinuria, hypertension, electrolyte disturbances, glomerulopathy, acute and chronic interstitial nephritis, acute kidney injury and at times chronic kidney disease. Read More

Xenotransplantation 2020 Jan 13:e12578. Epub 2020 Jan 13.

Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and xenotransplantation are accompanied by viral reactivations and virus-associated complications resulting from immune deficiency. Here, in a Mauritian cynomolgus macaque model of fully MHC-matched allogeneic HSCT, we report reactivations of cynomolgus polyomavirus, lymphocryptovirus, and cytomegalovirus, macaque viruses analogous to HSCT-associated human counterparts BK virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and human cytomegalovirus. Viral replication in recipient macaques resulted in characteristic disease manifestations observed in HSCT patients, such as polyomavirus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis and tubulointerstitial nephritis or lymphocryptovirus-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. Read More

J Immunother Cancer 2019 12 21;7(1):356. Epub 2019 Dec 21.

Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge Street Suite 302, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.

Background: Acute interstitial nephritis is an immune-related adverse event that can occur in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Differentiating checkpoint inhibitor-associated acute interstitial nephritis from other causes of acute kidney injury in patients with cancer is challenging and can lead to diagnostic delays and/or unwarranted immunosuppression. In this case report, we assess the use of F-flourodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography imaging as an alternative diagnostic modality in the evaluation of potential acute interstitial nephritis. Read More

DNA Cell Biol 2019 Nov 30;38(11):1223-1232. Epub 2019 Sep 30.

Department of Biotechnology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

To date, the clinical course of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN) remains unclear and lacks direct and effective diagnostic methods. To better understand the host gene expression changes involved in the iMN process and identify the potential signatures for clinical diagnosis, we performed a whole genome-wide transcriptome profile of peripheral blood cells (PBC) from patients with iMN and healthy controls (HCs). A total of 188 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in patients with iMN versus HCs. Read More

Int J Artif Organs 2019 Dec 15;42(12):675-683. Epub 2019 Jul 15.

Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

Objective: To clarify the reasons and beneficial effects and duration of arteriovenous fistula patency after radiological interventions in arteriovenous fistula. The patients investigated were referred due to arteriovenous fistula access flow problems.

Material And Methods: In 174 patients, 522 radiological investigations and endovascular treatments such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty were analyzed, retrospectively. Read More

Hinyokika Kiyo 2019 May;65(5):157-161

The Department of Urology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University.

A 43-year-old man underwent nephrectomy for right renal cell carcinoma (cT3aN0M1 (PUL), clear cell carcinoma). Thereafter, he was treated with sunitinib for lung metastases as the first-line therapy for three months. Because lung metastases progressed and new bone metastases appeared, nivolumab was started for the second-line treatment. Read More

Oxid Med Cell Longev 2019 16;2019:7096912. Epub 2019 May 16.

Center for Radiological Research, Department of Radiation Oncology, College of Physician and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, NY 10032, USA.

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a leading cause of hospital-acquired acute kidney injury (AKI), but detailed pathogenesis and effectual remedy remain elusive. Here, we tested the hypothesis that contrast media (CM) impaired mitochondrial quality control (MQC) in tubules, including mitochondrial fragmentation and mitophagy, induced systemic inflammation, and intestinal injury. Since we previously demonstrated that the natural antioxidant 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) can be a protectant against CIN, we moreover investigated the involved renoprotective mechanisms of TMP. Read More

J Korean Med Sci 2019 Jun 24;34(24):e173. Epub 2019 Jun 24.

Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

D-penicillamine has been reported to cause antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis presenting as rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis or pulmonary-renal syndrome mostly in adults. We report a pediatric case of D-penicillamine induced ANCA-associated vasculitis that manifests as a pulmonary-renal syndrome with a mild renal manifestation. A 13-year-old girl who has been taking D-penicillamine for five years under the diagnosis of Wilson disease visited the emergency room because of hemoptysis and dyspnea. Read More

Ultrasound Med Biol 2019 09 13;45(9):2309-2316. Epub 2019 Jun 13.

Department of Nephrology, The People's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China.

We investigated the value of combined acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging and conventional ultrasound (US) in identifying renal histopathological fibrosis with immunoglobulin A nephropathy. A total of 146 patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy, pathologically confirmed by renal biopsy were grouped according to Oxford classification and Katafuchi grading, were included in the test group, and 39 healthy volunteers were included in the control group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of ARFI, renal lengths, parenchymal thicknesses and interlobular arterial resistance index (RI) and their combinations in identifying Katafuchi grading at renal biopsy. Read More

Open Access Rheumatol 2019 13;11:117-119. Epub 2019 May 13.

Department of Pediatric Rheumatology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a wide, various, and sometimes deceptive clinical and serological manifestations. Environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation, viral infections, drugs, hormones, and chemicals could trigger SLE flares in genetically predisposed patients. We presented a 13-year-old girl with the first presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus triggered by a mosquito bite. Read More

J Nucl Med Technol 2019 Dec 10;47(4):309-312. Epub 2019 Jun 10.

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Trakya University Faculty of Medicine, Edirne, Turkey.

Pyelonephritis is an infection of the kidneys that is seen more commonly in children than the adults. Tc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (Tc-DMSA) scanning is a radionuclide imaging study to detect renal scarring after acute pyelonephritis (a late Tc-DMSA scan) and also helps to diagnose acute pyelonephritis in febrile urinary tract infections (an acute Tc-DMSA scan). Planar imaging in multiple views (posterior and bilateral posterior oblique) is generally used. Read More

Clin Nucl Med 2019 Jun;44(6):504-506

From the Nuclear Medicine Department.

A 34-year-old woman with pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma underwent a Tc-MDP bone scan to rule out potential bone metastasis because of back pain 18 months after radiation therapy. The bone scintigraphy revealed increased uptake over the upper pole of both kidneys corresponding to the portions of the kidneys included within the radiation field, consisting with radiation nephritis. Read More

Bioelectromagnetics 2019 Feb 20;40(2):104-117. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.

A polysaccharide of Irpex lacteus, a white-rot fungus with lignocellulose-degrading activities, has been used as a commercial medicine for nephritis treatment. Previously, a low-intensity electromagnetic field (LI-EMF) was found to increase the biomass and polysaccharide content of Irpex lacteus and induce twists on the cell surface. In this study, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) technology was used to analyze the underlying mechanism of LI-EMF's influence on Irpex lacteus. Read More

Cureus 2018 Nov 13;10(11):e3584. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, CAN.

A 41-year-old woman presented with pT4dN1aM0, right-sided, inflammatory breast cancer. She had a co-morbid diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at the age of 20 and was found to have significant kidney involvement (lupus-associated nephritis) at the age of 28. She went on to receive six cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and docetaxcel (FEC-D) after which she had radiographically stable disease. Read More

J Microbiol Immunol Infect 2018 Dec 19. Epub 2018 Dec 19.

Division of Allergy, Asthma and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Background: This clinical study investigates the role of 5-methoxytryptophan (5-MTP) in pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with a particular interest in lupus nephritis (LN).

Patients And Methods: One hundred ten children with SLE were enrolled in the cohort study. Among the patients, seventy-seven (70%) had active LN and thirty-three (30%) were not present with LN during their first visit to the clinic. Read More

Recent Pat Inflamm Allergy Drug Discov 2019 ;13(1):2-18

Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.

Background: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is a common infection in children. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are very important to reduce the morbidity associated with this condition.

Objective: To provide an update on the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of urinary tract infection in children. Read More

World J Urol 2019 Jul 15;37(7):1339-1346. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Strasse 3, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.

Purpose: To prospectively characterize computed tomography (CT)-indeterminate renal masses (CTIRM) using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and to correlate quantitative imaging findings with histopathology or interim follow-up (FU).

Methods: 123 patients with CTIRM (longest diameter < 4 cm) underwent ARFI and CEUS with CT image fusion (IF). Exclusion criteria included all contraindications for CEUS and IF. Read More

Hum Gene Ther 2019 02 31;30(2):127-138. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

2 Department of Preventative Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathological and Physiological Technology, Medicine School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, P.R. China.

Chronic renal disease or acute renal injury could result in end-stage renal disease or renal failure. Sonoporation, induced by ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD), has evolved as a new technology for gene delivery. It increases the transfection efficiency of the genes into target kidney tissues. Read More

J Immunol Res 2018 12;2018:8214379. Epub 2018 Jul 12.

Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua, CHIH, Mexico.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a perplexing and potentially severe disease, the pathogenesis of which is yet to be understood. SLE is considered to be a multifactorial disease, in which genetic factors, immune dysregulation, and environmental factors, such as ultraviolet radiation, are involved. Recently, the description of novel genes conferring susceptibility to develop SLE even in their own (monogenic lupus) has raised the interest in DNA dynamics since many of these genes are linked to DNA repair. Read More

S D Med 2018 Feb;71(2):81-84

Vassar Brother Medical Centre, Poughkeepsie, New York.

Dysproteinemia is excessive production of immunoglobulins from clonal proliferation of plasma or B cells. Cryoglobulins are a special group of immunoglobulins that precipitate below 37 degrees C. Type 1 cryoglobulinemia consists mostly of IgM and IgG that infrequently leads to glomerulonephritis. Read More

J Emerg Med 2018 07 9;55(1):e1-e4. Epub 2018 May 9.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Background: Febrile urinary tract infections (UTIs) include a spectrum of pathologies from uncomplicated pyelonephritis to urosepsis, including xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP). Most febrile UTIs are treated with antibiotics alone, but studies indicate nearly 12% of cases of presumed simple pyelonephritis require emergent urologic intervention. How to identify these individuals, while limiting unnecessary advanced imaging and delays in diagnosis, challenges all emergency providers. Read More

Nephrol Dial Transplant 2019 02;34(2):301-308

Department of Nephrology and Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

Background: In anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated glomerulonephritis, antigen specificity varies between myeloperoxidase (MPO) and proteinase 3 (PR3). This has been reported to vary in relation to age, gender, geography and extrarenal manifestations. However, studies are difficult to compare as criteria for inclusion vary. Read More

BMC Pediatr 2018 04 5;18(1):127. Epub 2018 Apr 5.

Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology, Shanghai Children's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.

Background: Chylopericardium effusion is characterized by the accumulation of milky effusion in the pericardium. It is often idiopathic but it can be secondary to trauma, chest radiation, tuberculosis and malignancy. If cardiac tamponade ensues, it becomes life-threatening. Read More

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2018;162:D2392

Franciscus Gasthuis & Vlietland, Rotterdam.

Acute lobar nephritis (ALN) is a focal interstitial bacterial infection of the renal parenchyma. ALN is described as a midpoint between an acute pyelonephritis and renal abscess. ALN is underdiagnosed in children due to both non-specific symptoms and negative urinalysis/bacteriuria laboratory findings. Read More

J Am Soc Nephrol 2018 04 26;29(4):1210-1222. Epub 2018 Feb 26.

III. Medizinische Klinik, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

The IL-17 cytokine family and the cognate receptors thereof have a unique role in organ-specific autoimmunity. Most studies have focused on the founding member of the IL-17 family, IL-17A, as the central mediator of diseases. Indeed, although pathogenic functions have been ascribed to IL-17A and IL-17F in the context of immune-mediated glomerular diseases, the specific functions of the other IL-17 family members in immunity and inflammatory kidney diseases is largely unknown. Read More

Gene 2018 Apr 6;649:80-86. Epub 2018 Feb 6.

Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing 210029, PR China. Electronic address:

We looked for differentially expressed MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). Forty-eight miRNAs were identified through the initial screening phase (2 IgAN pools vs. 1 normal control (NC) pool) using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) based Exiqon panel (miRCURY-Ready-to-Use-PCR-Human-panel-I + II-V. Read More

Transfus Clin Biol 2018 Feb 2;25(1):73-77. Epub 2017 Nov 2.

EA3064, Faculty of Medicine of Saint-Étienne, University of Lyon, 42023 Saint-Étienne, France; Institut national de la transfusion sanguine, 6, rue Alexandre-Cabanel, 75015 Paris, France. Electronic address:

A retrospective - single center - survey compared tolerance of individual donor therapeutic plasma in a series of 88 patients principally presenting with thrombotic microangiopathy; all patients underwent therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) performed with more than 90% of either of two types of plasma preparations. One plasma type used in TPE was prepared with pathogen reduction by amotosalen addition and UVA illumination, and the other one was non-manipulated (quarantine plasma). Both types of plasma were single donor. Read More

Korean J Intern Med 2018 07 1;33(4):837-838. Epub 2017 Nov 1.

Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.

Am J Emerg Med 2018 Apr 18;36(4):589-593. Epub 2017 Sep 18.

Department of Radiology, American University of Beirut, Lebanon Riad El Solh, Beirut 1107 2020 Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address:

Objective: To evaluate the performance of non-contrast computed tomography (CT) by reporting the difference in attenuation between normal and inflamed renal parenchyma in patients clinically diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis (APN).

Material And Methods: This is a retrospective study concerned with non-contrast CT evaluation of 74 patients, admitted with a clinical diagnosis of APN and failed to respond to 48h antibiotics treatment. Mean attenuation values in Hounsfield units (HU) were measured in the upper, middle and lower segments of the inflamed and the normal kidney of the same patient. Read More

Arthritis Res Ther 2017 03 21;19(1):65. Epub 2017 Mar 21.

Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, No. 5, Fu-Shin St. Kwei-Shan, Taoyuan, 33375, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Background: HCMV phosphoprotein 65 (HCMVpp65) is a putative immunogen that acts as an accelerator, inducing autoantibody and exacerbating autoimmune response in susceptible animals. The immunity to pp65 instigates autoimmunity, suggesting that pp65 contains crucial B cell epitope(s) for the development of nephritis. This study narrowed down the target epitope to pp65 for immunization of BALB/c mice and mapping of B cell epitope. Read More

Int J Rheum Dis 2018 Mar 13;21(3):716-724. Epub 2017 Mar 13.

Department of Rheumatology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Key Laboratory of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China.

Aim: The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of socioeconomic and geographical variables on disease phenotype and activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a Chinese population.

Methods: Data on 904 therapy-naïve SLE patients from the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research Group (CSTAR), which is a nation-wide database of SLE patients, were used to evaluate the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) and geographical regions on disease phenotypes. The influence of regional climate and economic variables (i. Read More

Clin Hemorheol Microcirc 2016 ;64(3):287-295

Department of Anesthesiology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.

Background: Intra-arterial administration of radiographic contrast media (CM) is discussed to impair renal perfusion. The pathogenesis of contrast-induced Nephropathy (CIN) is still not clarified.

Objective: This trial was performed to prove the effects of two CM with different molecular structure on renal perfusion. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2017 Apr 11;35(4):554-563. Epub 2016 Dec 11.

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Objective: Routine CT for patients with acute flank pain has not been shown to improve patient outcomes, and it may unnecessarily expose patients to radiation and increased costs. As preliminary steps toward the development of a guideline for selective CT, we sought to determine the prevalence of clinically important outcomes in patients with acute flank pain and derive preliminary decision rules.

Methods: We analyzed data from a randomized trial of CT vs. Read More

Kardiol Pol 2016 ;74(9):1027

Instytut- Pomnik Centrum Zdrowia Dziecka.

Lancet Oncol 2016 Oct 1;17(10):1374-1385. Epub 2016 Sep 1.

Division of Dermatology, University of Washington Medical Center at South Lake Union, Seattle, WA, USA.

Background: Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive skin cancer with poor prognosis in patients with advanced disease. Current standard care uses various cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens, but responses are seldom durable. Tumour oncogenesis is linked to Merkel cell polyomavirus integration and ultraviolet-radiation-induced mutations, providing rationale for treatment with immunotherapy antibodies that target the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway. Read More

Acta Radiol 2017 May 30;58(5):634-640. Epub 2016 Sep 30.

1 Department of Imaging, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Background The most widely accepted computed tomography (CT) protocol for diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (APN) includes at least a pre- and post-contrast scan, which may expose patients to higher doses of ionizing radiation. Purpose To establish the accuracy, reproducibility, and degree of confidence in CT diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (APN) and urolithiasis using only images obtained during the nephrographic phase. Material and Methods A retrospective study of 100 consecutive patients (88 women; age range, 19-70 years) with clinical and laboratory suspicion of APN and who underwent triphasic abdominal CT scans (non-contrast, nephrographic, and excretory phases) was performed. Read More

J Leukoc Biol 2016 12 30;100(6):1443-1452. Epub 2016 Jun 30.

Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany;

ANCA to either PR3 or MPO are found in patients with necrotizing vasculitis and glomerulonephritis. ANCA binding to their target antigens on neutrophils and subsequent neutrophil activation are pivotal disease mechanisms that lead to vascular inflammation and necrosis. ANCA interaction with PR3 is more complex than with MPO as the neutrophil-specific CD177 receptor is involved in PR3 surface expression and PR3-ANCA-induced neutrophil activation. Read More

J Radiol Prot 2016 Sep 29;36(3):474-489. Epub 2016 Jun 29.

Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.

Health effects following low doses of ionizing radiation are uncertain. Military veterans at the Nevada test site (NTS) during the SMOKY atmospheric nuclear weapons test in 1957 were reported to be at increased risk for leukemia in 1979, but this increase was not evaluated with respect to radiation dose. The SMOKY test was one of 30 tests in 1957 within the PLUMBBOB test series. Read More

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2016 May;95(1):297-303

Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of definitive or adjuvant external beam proton therapy on survival in patients with chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the spine.

Methods And Materials: Between March 2007 and May 2013, 51 patients with a median age of 58 years (range, 22-83 years) with chordoma (n=34) or chondrosarcomas (n=17) of the sacrum (n=21), the cervical spine (n=20), and the thoracolumbar spine (n=10) were treated with external beam proton therapy to a median dose of 70.2 Gy(RBE) [range, 64. Read More

Mod Pathol 2016 06 25;29(6):637-52. Epub 2016 Mar 25.

Oregon Health & Science University, Department of Pathology, Portland, OR, USA.

Renal injury in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients may be related to a combination of factors including chemotherapy, radiation, infection, immunosuppressive agents, ischemia, and graft-versus-host disease, and can involve glomerular, tubulointerstitial, and vascular structures. We reviewed renal pathology from 67 patients at a single institution (2009-2014), including 14 patients with biopsy for clinical dysfunction, 6 patients with surgical kidney resection for other causes, and 47 autopsy patients. Kidney specimens frequently contained multiple histopathologic abnormalities. Read More

J Xray Sci Technol 2016 ;24(1):145-59

Department of Radiology, People's Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate microstructural changes in chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) rabbit model under diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) technology of synchrotron radiation (SR).

Materials And Methods: The chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) models were obtained within two months after 5 New Zealand white rabbits were treated with doxorubicin hydrochloride. Blood exams, urine tests and kidney histological studies were carried out after the 5 rabbits were humanely sacrificed by hyperanesthesia. Read More

J Biophotonics 2016 08 21;9(8):781-91. Epub 2016 Jan 21.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, 3605 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 77204, USA.

Acute glomerulonephritis caused by antiglomerular basement membrane marked by high mortality. The primary reason for this is delayed diagnosis via blood examination, urine analysis, tissue biopsy, or ultrasound and X-ray computed tomography imaging. Blood, urine, and tissue-based diagnoses can be time consuming, while ultrasound and CT imaging have relatively low spatial resolution, with reduced sensitivity. Read More

Phys Med 2016 Jan 28;32(1):169-75. Epub 2015 Nov 28.

Medical Physics Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, 33081 Aviano, Italy.

Purpose: To introduce volumetric modulated arc therapy treatments (VMAT) with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) for pancreatic cancer and describe dosimetric results on a large patient series.

Methods And Materials: 45 patients with pancreatic malignancies were treated with 18 MV single-arc VMAT. Image guidance was performed with daily online kilo-volt cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Read More

Clin Nucl Med 2016 Mar;41(3):253-4

From the *Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital; and †Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

It is often challenging to assess renal activity on FDG-PET/CT due to intense physiological activity in the collecting system, thus any unusual intrarenal activity should be evaluated carefully. While increased bone tracer uptake in the irradiated region of the kidneys has been reported in the literature, altered biodistribution of FDG in irradiated renal tissue is not well described. We report a case of FDG PET/CT showing increased FDG activity in small portions of the kidneys that were previously irradiated. Read More

Transplant Proc 2015 Oct;47(8):2523-7

Department of Pediatrics, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.

For patients with refractory systemic lupus erythematosus, current medications are insufficient to control their condition, and new treatments are necessary. We aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of fetal and neonatal murine peripheral blood (FNPB) mononuclear cells and their impact on microRNA-145 (miR-145) in renal vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice. MRL/lpr mice aged 20 weeks were randomized to 3 groups of 15 (control group, radiation group, infusion group). Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2015 Oct 22;16(10):25154-67. Epub 2015 Oct 22.

Department of Health Technology and Informatics, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Hong Kong, China.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease characterized by the generation of immune responses to self-antigens. Lupus nephritis is one of the most common and severe complications in SLE patients. Though the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis has been studied extensively, unresolved questions are still left and new therapeutic methods are needed for disease control. Read More

Clin Nephrol 2015 Dec;84(6):344-52

Castleman's disease (CD) is an uncommon, benign, non-neoplastic, lymphoproliferative disease of uncertain etiology. Here, we report 6 cases of kidney disease-associated CD in China. All patients exhibited multicentric CD (MCD) with involvement of the mediastinum, neck, bilateral axillary, and bilateral inguinal regions. Read More

PLoS One 2015 28;10(8):e0136238. Epub 2015 Aug 28.

UCL Centre for Nephrology, Royal Free Hospital, London, United Kingdom.

IL-17 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis and IL-17 deficient mice are protected from nephrotoxic nephritis. However, a regulatory role for IL-17 has recently emerged. We describe a novel protective function for IL-17 in the kidney. Read More

Pediatr Nephrol 2016 08 4;31(8):1253-65. Epub 2015 Aug 4.

Pediatric Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda -Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Via della Commenda, 9 20122, Milano, Italy.

Acute pyelonephritis is one of the most serious bacterial illnesses during childhood. Escherichia coli is responsible in most cases, however other organisms including Klebsiella, Enterococcus, Enterobacter, Proteus, and Pseudomonas species are being more frequently isolated. In infants, who are at major risk of complications such as sepsis and meningitis, symptoms are ambiguous and fever is not always useful in identifying those at high risk. Read More