Objective To investigate the clinical significance and pathological features of lymphocytes and plasma cells infiltration and related ectopic lymphoid-like structures in IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis (IgG4-TIN). Methods Complete data was collected from 24 patients with IgG4-TIN confirmed by pathology in the Peking University First Hospital. The renal specimens were examined by routine light microscopy, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy examination. In addition, immunohistochemistry was used to detect the distribution of CD20+ B lymphocytes, CD3+ T lymphocytes and CD138+ plasma cells. Results A total of 24 patients were enrolled in the study, including 21 males (87.5%), 3 females (12.5%). The age was (58.0±10.8) years (38-75 years). Pathology analysis showed ectopic lymphoid-like structures were located in 16 (66.7%) cases and Russell bodies were detected in infiltrative plasma cells of 19(79.2%) cases with IgG4-TIN. Compared with cases without Russell body formation, cases with Russell body formation in renal interstitial plasma cells were more prone to show ectopic germinal center-like structure formation (P=0.001), tubular basement membrane (TBM) electron dense deposits (P=0.040) and reduced blood C3 levels (P=0.028). Conclusions Abnormal tubulointerstitial infiltration of ectopic lymphoid-like structures and plasma cells with prominent Russell body exist in IgG4-TIN patients, which suggests the persistent activation of lymphocytes and plasma cells in renal interstitium may contribute to the pathogenesis of IgG4-TIN.

Objective To investigate the clinic-pathological features and prognostic risk factors of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) with hypertension (HTN). Methods Primary IgAN patients diagnosed with biopsy from January 2016 to December 2017 were recruited. Patients were divided into IgAN with normal blood pressure (IgAN-NTN) group and IgAN with hypertension (IgAN-HTN) group based on the pressure value when performing the kidney biopsy. The clinical and pathological data were collected and compared between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier method was conducted for renal results, whereas the Cox regression model was exploited to analyze the prognostic factors in the progression of IgAN-HTN patients. Results The total number of enrolled patients was 275 cases, 170 (61.82%) of which had normal pressure and 105 individuals (38.18%) resulted in hypertension. The IgAN-HTN group in terms of male proportion, age, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, serum urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, serum uric acid, 24 h urinary protein, triacylglycerol, complement C4 and so on were higher than those in the IgAN-NTN group (all P＜0.05). The incidence of gross hematuria and the level of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were significantly lower than those in the NTN group (all P＜0.001). For the aspect of light microscope pathological manifestations, IgAN-HTN group exhibited more severe histological lesions including glomerular sclerosis, renal tubular atrophy or renal interstitial fibrosis, interstitial vascular injury than IgAN-NTN group (all P＜0.05). Immunofluorescence examination results showed that the deposition ratio of C1q in IgAN-HTN group was higher than that in IgAN-NTN group (P=0.015). By employing Kaplan-Meier method, the cumulative renal survival rate in the HTN group was much lower than that in the NTN group (Log-rank test: χ2=6.456, P=0.011). For the patients in IgAN-HTN group, the cumulative renal survival rate in the dyslipidemia group was much lower than that in the ortholiposis group (Log-rank test: χ2=5.093, P=0.024). There was no significant difference in the cumulative renal survival rate between the blood pressure control group and the unqualified group (Log-rank test: χ2=1.036, P=0.309). As a result of univariate and multivariable Cox regression analysis, total cholesterol, eGFR and 24 h urinary protein were risk factors for renal progression of IgAN patients with hypertension. Conclusions The clinical manifestations and renal pathological changes in patients with IgAN-HTN are more serious than those in IgAN-NTN patients, which result in worse prognosis. IgAN-HTN patients should be paid more attention to the management of serum lipid level during treatment and follow-up.

Objective To investigate the clinical and pathological features and prognosis of children with IgA nephropathy with C1q deposition. Methods The children with IgA nephropathy diagnosed by renal biopsy from January 1, 2000 to December 30, 2017 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into C1q deposit group and C1q negative group according to glomerular immunofluorescence examination. Follow-up until the patient's serum creatinine doubled, glomerular filtration rate decreased by more than 50%, entering end-stage kidney disease, renal replacement therapy or death. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate the renal survival rate in two groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to analyze the effect of C1q deposition on the prognosis of patients with IgA nephropathy. Results There were 60 cases in C1q deposition group and 60 cases in C1q negative group. (1) the initial eGFR and plasma albumin in C1q deposition group were lower than those in C1q negative group, while the levels of serum creatinine, serum cholesterol and 24 hour urinary protein in C1q group were higher than those in C1q negative group (all P＜0.05). (2) pathological indexes: Mesangial cell proliferation, tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis, and cell/fibrocytic crescein score in C1q negative group were significantly higher than those in C1q negative group (all P＜0.0.5). (3) Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that there was significant difference in renal cumulative survival rate between the two groups (Log-rank test: χ2=6.801, P=0.009). Cox proportional hazard regression model showed that the risk of renal end-point events in IgAN children with C1q deposition group was 5.772 times higher than that in C1q negative group (HR=5.772, 95%CI: 1.353-24.6211, P=0.018). Conclusion C1q deposition is an independent risk factor for the progress of renal function in IgA nephropathy children.

Objective To identify the anatomical positional relation of the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery, and investigate the predictive factors associated with the stenosis rate of the internal jugular vein after catheterization in hemodialysis patients. Methods A single-center cross-sectional survey study of 235 patients from the Department of Nephrology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital between August 2017 and June 2018 was performed. According to whether received hemodialysis treatment, The patients were divided into dialysis group (n=187) and control group (chronic kidney disease non-dialysis patients, n=48). Clinical data such as age, primary disease, history of deep vein catheterization, catheter indwelling time and dialysis age were collected. The positional relationship between the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery was examined by Doppler ultrasound. Measure the cross-sectional area of the internal jugular vein in different neck anatomical planes and analyse of the incidence of internal jugular vein stenosis in the dialysis group. Chi-square test was used to compare the differences in the incidence of internal jugular vein stenosis between subgroups of different ages, with or without catheter retention, catheter indwelling time, dialysis age and presence or absence of diabetic nephropathy. Results Doppler ultrasonography showed that in the 235 patients, there were four types of anatomical relationship between the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery in the plane of the flat thyroid cartilage and the apex plane of the upper clavicle. The internal jugular vein was located on the lateral, anterolateral, anterior and medial sides of the common carotid artery, accounting for 16.23%, 36.52%, 41.11% and 3.14% respectively. There were significant differences in the anatomical relationship between the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery between the left and right sides, different anatomical planes and patients of different ages (P﹤0.05). The rate of internal jugular vein stenosis in 187 hemodialysis patients was 47.1%. The right internal jugular vein stenosis rate was 66.4% and 44.1% in the age﹤65 years old group (n=128) and age≥65 years old group (n=59), respectively (P=0.004). The rate of internal jugular vein stenosis was 49.0% and 32.8% (P=0.018) in the catheter placement group (n=151) and the catheterless retention group (n=36), respectively. Two variables including age and history of catheterization were included in the logistic regression equation. The results showed that the history of catheterization was a risk factor for internal jugular vein stenosis (OR=1.668, 95% CI 1.083-2.568, P=0.020). Conclusions There is variability in the anatomical relationship between the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery. Internal jugular vein stenosis is a common complication after indwelling catheters in hemodialysis patients. The history of internal jugular vein catheterization is a risk factor affecting internal jugular vein stenosis.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of daytime continuous blood purification (DCRRT) combined with plasma exchange in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis. Methods The clinical data of 49 patients with non-biliary severe acute pancreatitis admitted to the First People's Foshan Hospital from January 2012 to January 2019 were analysed respectively. The enrollees were randomized into DCRRT combined with plasma exchange (combination therapy) group and DCRR only (DCRR) group using a random number table method. All patients received DCRRT therapy [8 hours continuous venous-venous blood purification/day (CVVH/d)] immediately after the diagnosis of non-biliary severe acute pancreatitis was established. The combination group received at least one plasma exchange during the course of treatment. The differences of laboratory examination and prognosis between the two groups before and after treatment were compared. Results A total of 49 patients were enrolled, including 29 males and 20 females, with age of (46.40±17.81) years. There were 24 patients in the combination therapy group and 25 patients in DCRR group. There were no significant differences in the age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and pre-treatment laboratory findings between the two groups. After treatment, the blood glucose, hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), procalcitonin (PCT-u), amylase, lipase, triglyceride, cholesterol, serum creatinine were lower than those before treatment (all P＜0.05). The blood hs-CPR, PCT-u, lipase and triglyceride in the combination therapy group were significantly lower than those in the DCRR group (all P＜0.05). The acute physiology and chronic health scores (APACHEⅡ) of the two groups were lower than those before treatment, and the combination therapy group was more significant than DCRR group (all P＜0.05). There were 5 deaths (20.83%) in the combination therapy group and 7 deaths (28.00%) in DCRR group. There was no significant difference in mortality between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the start time and duration of DCRRT between the two groups. Conclusions DCRRT or combined plasma exchange therapy can effectively treat non-biliary severe acute pancreatitis. DCRRT combines with plasma exchange therapy can more effectively remove inflammatory factors and reduce APACHEⅡ score.

Objective To estimate the effect of urate-lowering therapy with febuxostat on oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3-5 patients with hyperuricemia (HUA). Methods The study was a prospective cohort study. The patients of CKD stages 3-5 with HUA between June 2015 and June 2018 in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were prospectively analyzed. The patients were assigned to febuxostat (A) group, allopurinol (B) group and non-hyperuricemia (C) group according to the level of serum uric acid and the choice of urate-lowering drugs. Serum uric acid, hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were measured at baseline, 1 month and 3 months after treatment and the changes of the values of inflammation and oxidative stress before or after treatment were compared. According to the level of serum uric acid, patients were divided into attainment group and nonattainment group, and the correlation between uric acid and oxidative stress was analyzed at baseline and 3 months after treatment respectively. Results There was no significant difference in baseline levels of serum uric acid, inflammation and oxidative stress between group A and group B (P＞0.05). The levels of serum uric acid, hs-CRP, MDA and ET-1 of group A and group B were significantly higher than those of group C, but the level of SOD of group A and group B was significantly lower than that of group C at baseline (P＜0.001). After treatment for 1 month and 3 months, the values of serum uric acid, hs-CRP, MDA and ET-1 in group A were significantly lower than those in group B, while the level of SOD in group A was significantly higher than that in group B (P＜0.001). Compared with pre-treatment period, both the serum uric acid, hs-CRP, MDA and ET-1 levels of group A and group B were declined significantly while SOD had a significant rise after 3 months treatment (P＜0.001). The changes of group A were significantly higher than those of group B (P＜0.001). At baseline and 3 months after treatment, serum uric acid was positively related to hs-CRP, MDA and ET-1, but negatively related to SOD in nonattainment group (| r |＞0.50, P＜0.001); serum uric acid was positively related to hs-CRP, MDA and SOD (| r |＞0.70, P＜0.001), and there was no correlation between serum uric acid and ET-1 in attainment group (P＞0.05). Conclusions Febuxostat performed better than allopurinol in lowering urate and inhibiting oxidative stress in CKD stages 3-5 patients with HUA, thus reducing vascular endothelial injury. Elevated serum uric acid may be one of the important factors that promote oxidative stress and increase endothelial damage in CKD patients.

Objective To prove the efficacy of peritoneal dialysis on shock wave-induced acute lung injury of rats, and analyze its mechanisms. Methods Forty-five adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group, sham operation (Sham) group and peritoneal dialysis (PD) group. Sham group and PD group did abdominal catheterization before blast injury. The 55 kg shock wave (bst-I) was used to induce lung blast injury. After one hour of blast injury, PD group was given 2.5% peritoneal dialysate 20 ml to stay abdomen, which was released 30 min posted, repeated 12 cycles. After 6 hours of peritoneal dialysis, all of the rats were sacrificed. Partial damaged tissues in lung were used to evaluate the pathomorphologic changes by HE staining, and the remnants were used to measure the lung water content. Lung function was detected by blood gas analyzer and small animal detector from the arterial blood gas. The levels of serum inflammatory factors, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were tested by ELISA. Results The relative integrity of alveolar structure, interstitial edema and inflammatory cell infiltration in PD group were significantly improved than those in control group. The lung water content of PD group was significantly lower than that of control group (P＜0.05). The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and MCP-1 in serum of PD group were significantly lower than those in control group (all P＜0.05). The blood oxygen saturation, oxygen partial pressure, oxygenation index, vital capacity, functional residual volume and maximum mid-expiratory flow rate in PD group were significantly higher than those in control group (all P＜0.05). Conclusions Through reducing pulmonary edema and inflammatory factors, peritoneal dialysis can improve lung function in shock wave -induced acute lung injury of rats.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of renal fibrosis after macrophage depletion in C3-deficient unilateral ureteral obstruction mice. Methods Renal interstitial fibrosis model was established by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in male C3-deficient mice and age-matched C57BL/6 WT mice (8-12 weeks of age). Mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, including sham operation in wild type group（WT/sham）(n=18), UUO operation in wild type group（WT/UUO）(n=18), sham operation in C3-deficient group（C3KO/sham）(n=18), and UUO operation in C3-deficient group（C3KO/UUO）(n=18). The expression of complement C3 was detected by immunohistochemical staining and renal interstitial macrophages were assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Tubulointerstitial fibrosis was observed by both HE staining and Masson staining after 14 days of UUO. Collagen accumulation and score of tubulointerstitial injury were obtained. Wild type and C3-deficient UUO mice were treated by liposome clodronate in early or late stage respectively and then interstitially infiltrated macrophages and renal fibrosis were analysed. Mice were sacrificed randomly at 3,7,14 days after UUO and obstructed kidneys were collected. Macrophage phenotype was detected by double-labeling immunofluorescence with F4/80 and iNOS for the M1, F4/80 and CD206 for the M2 macrophage subpopulation. iNOS, Arg-1 and CD206 were also detected by western blot. Results C3 deficient mice exhibited attenuated renal fibrosis, reduced collagen accumulation and tubulointerstitial injury score compared with WT mice (P＜0.01). Meanwhile, macrophage depletion in early or late stage of UUO reduced renal fibrosis in WT mice, but had no effect on C3-deficient UUO mice. Decreased accumulation of M1 macrophages and expression of iNOS, increased accumulation of M2 macrophages and expression of Arg-1, CD206 were found in C3 deficient mice compared with WT mice in early stage of UUO (P＜0.01). Conclusion Renal fibrosis is not reduced after depletion of macrophages in C3 deficient UUO mice due to the altered macrophage polarization.