Search results for "Kidney"

Non-invasive Biomarkers of Acute Rejection in Kidney Transplantation: Novel Targets and Strategies

2019

Abstract: Kidney transplantation is considered the favored treatment for patients suffering from end-stage renal disease, since successful transplantation is associated with longer survival and improved quality of life compared to dialysis. Alloreactive immune responses against the donor kidney may lead to acute rejection of the transplant. The current diagnosis of renal allograft rejection mainly relies on clinical monitoring, including serum creatinine, proteinuria, and confirmation by histopathologic assessment in the kidney transplant biopsy. These parameters have their limitations. Identification and validation of biomarkers, which correlate with or predict the presence of acute reject…

Tetraspanin CD63 controls basolateral sorting of organic cation transporter 2 in renal proximal tubules.

2016

CD63 is a ubiquitously expressed member of the tetraspanin superfamily. Using a mating-based split-ubiquitin-yeast 2-hybrid system, pull-down experiments, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, Forster resonance energy transfer, and biotinylation assays, we found that CD63 interacts with human organic cation transporter 2 (hOCT2), which transports endogenous and exogenous substrates, such as neurotransmitters and drugs in several epithelial cells. CD63 overexpression affects cellular localization of hOCT2 expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells. Studies with CD63-knockout mice indicate that in renal proximal tubules, CD63 determines the insertion of the mouse ortholog…

Parvovirus B19V Nonstructural Protein NS1 Induces Double-Stranded Deoxyribonucleic Acid Autoantibodies and End-Organ Damage in Nonautoimmune Mice

2018

Abstract Background Viral infection is implicated in development of autoimmunity. Parvovirus B19 (B19V) nonstructural protein, NS1, a helicase, covalently modifies self double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA) and induces apoptosis. This study tested whether resulting apoptotic bodies (ApoBods) containing virally modified dsDNA could induce autoimmunity in an animal model. Methods BALB/c mice were inoculated with (1) pristane-induced, (2) B19V NS1-induced, or (3) staurosporine-induced ApoBods. Serum was tested for dsDNA autoantibodies by Crithidia luciliae staining and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Brain, heart, liver, and kidney pathology was examined. Deposition of self-antigens…

Clinical implications of a rare renal entity: Pleomorphic Hyalinizing Angiectatic Tumor (PHAT)

2017

Abstract Pleomorphic Hyalinizing Angiectatic Tumor (PHAT) is a rare benign lesion characterized by slow growth, infiltrative behavior and high rate of local recurrences. Only one case has been described in retroperitoneum, at renal hilum, but not involving pelvis or parenchyma. Here we present the first case of PHAT arising in the renal parenchyma. A nodular lesion in right kidney lower pole was diagnosed to a 61 year old woman. The patient underwent right nephrectomy. Microscopically, the lesion showed solid and pseudo-cystic components with hemorrhagic areas characterized by aggregates of ectatic blood vessels. Pleomorphic cells were characterized by large eosinophilic cytoplasm with irre…

EAST/SeSAME syndrome: Review of the literature and introduction of four new Latvian patients.

2018

EAST (Epilepsy, Ataxia, Sensorineural deafness, Tubulopathy) or SeSAME (Seizures, Sensorineural deafness, Ataxia, Mental retardation, and Electrolyte imbalance) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive syndrome first described in 2009 independently by Bockenhauer and Scholl. It is caused by mutations in KCNJ10, which encodes Kir4.1, an inwardly rectifying K+ channel found in the brain, inner ear, kidney and eye. To date, 16 mutations and at least 28 patients have been reported. In this paper, we review mutations causing EAST/SeSAME syndrome, clinical manifestations in detail, and efficacy of treatment in previously reported patients. We also report a new Latvian kindred with 4 patients. In co…

Target Identification of Active Constituents of Shen Qi Wan to Treat Kidney Yang Deficiency Using Computational Target Fishing and Network Pharmacolo…

2019

Background: Kidney yang deficiency syndrome (KYDS) is one of the most common syndromes treated with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) among elderly patients. Shen Qi Wan (SQW) has been effectively used in treating various diseases associated with KYDS for hundreds of years. However, due to the complex composition of SQW, the mechanism of action remains unknown. Purpose: To identify the mechanism of the SQW in the treatment of KYDS and determine the molecular targets of SQW. Methods: The potential targets of active ingredients in SQW were predicted using PharmMapper. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were carried out using the …

2020

Aims: Current anti-hypertensive therapies cannot cure hypertension and a life-long medication is necessary. Maternal treatment may represent a promising strategy for hypertension treatment. We have previously shown that maternal treatment of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) leads to a persistent blood pressure reduction in the female offspring at age of 6-8 months. The underlying mechanisms include improved endothelial function resulting from long-lasting epigenetic changes. In the present study, we address the renal effects of maternal PETN treatment. Methods and Results: F0 parental SHR were fed with either normal chow or PETN-containing (1 g/…

Changes in the expression of α 1B -adrenoceptor in peripheral mononuclear cells correlates with blood pressure and plasmatic homocysteine

2017

Human peripheral mononuclear cells (HPMC) have been suggested as a practical surrogate for myocardial or vascular cells. Present work analyses if changes in the expression of α1-adrenoceptors (ARs) in HPMC are related to the hypertensive state and its clinical consequences. Quantitative RT-PCR was employed to evaluate the mRNA levels of the three α1-ARs (α1A, α1B, α1D) in HPMC isolated from normotensive and hypertensive patients, and also in tissues from two animal models of hypertension: spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and hypertension induced by chronic treatment with L-NAME. In patients, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure and serum biochemical profile were also recorded. We found that …

Predictive validity of the risk SCORE model in a Mediterranean population with dyslipidemia.

2019

Background and aims: Cholesterol treatment for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease is based on cardiovascular risk, as assessed by the SCORE (Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation) scale. This study aimed to assess the predictive value and clinical utility of the SCORE scale for preventing cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in people with dyslipidemia and no lipid-lowering treatment. Methods: Patients with dyslipidemia and no lipid-lowering treatment were included from the ESCARVAL-RISK cohort. Cardiovascular risk was calculated by means of the SCORE scale. All deaths and cardiovascular events were recorded for up to five years of follow-up. We calculated sensitivity, …

Small Rab GTPases in Intracellular Vesicle Trafficking: The Case of Rab3A/Raphillin-3A Complex in the Kidney

2021

Small Rab GTPases, the largest group of small monomeric GTPases, regulate vesicle trafficking in cells, which are integral to many cellular processes. Their role in neurological diseases, such as cancer and inflammation have been extensively studied, but their implication in kidney disease has not been researched in depth. Rab3a and its effector Rabphillin-3A (Rph3A) expression have been demonstrated to be present in the podocytes of normal kidneys of mice rats and humans, around vesicles contained in the foot processes, and they are overexpressed in diseases with proteinuria. In addition, the Rab3A knockout mice model induced profound cytoskeletal changes in podocytes of high glucose fed a…