Objective To investigate the effects of serum magnesium level on all-cause mortality and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases mortality in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. Methods Clinical data of MHD patients in Shaoxing People's Hospital from June 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018 were collected retrospectively. The patients were divided into low magnesium group (serum magnesium≤0.96 mmol/L), medium magnesium group (serum magnesium 0.97-1.07 mmol/L) and high magnesium group (serum magnesium≥1.08 mmol/L) according to the tertile of mean serum magnesium level. The differences of clinical data and laboratory results were compared among the three groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curves, and log-rank test was used to compare the survival rate differences. Multivariate Cox regression was used to analyze the relationship between serum magnesium and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases mortality in MHD patients. Results A total of 332 patients [194 males (58.4%)] were included in this study, with a median age of 63(51, 72) years and a median follow-up time of 36(20, 45) months. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the all-cause survival rate and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases survival rate in the low magnesium group were lower than those in the medium magnesium group and the high magnesium group (Log-rank χ²=36.286, P<0.001; Log-rank χ²=20.145, P<0.001; respectively). After adjusting for multiple confounding factors, the results of multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that low serum magnesium was an independent risk factor for all-cause death and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases death in MHD patients. The risk of all-cause death and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases death in the low magnesium group were significantly higher than those in the high magnesium group (HR=2.925, 95%CI 1.352-6.330, P=0.006; HR=3.821, 95% CI 1.394-10.473, P=0.009; respectively). Conclusions Hypomagnesemia may be an independent risk factor for all-cause death and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases death in MHD patients. Low serum magnesium level increases the risk of all-cause death and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in MHD patients.

Objective To develop and validate a predictive model for the differential diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods A retrospective study with patients with type 2 diabetes who underwent renal biopsy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from February 2012 to January 2015 was conducted. The dataset was randomly split into development (70.0%) and validation (30.0%) cohorts. Baseline predictors for model development was selected by using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. The model's performance in the two cohorts, including discrimination and calibration, was evaluated by the C-statistic, calibration curve and the P value of the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Results Among the 931 patients with type 2 diabetes, 478 cases (51.3%) diagnosed as DN alone, 214 cases (23.0%) as NDRD alone and 239 cases (25.7%) as DN plus superimposed NDRD (MIX). Among NDRD and MIX patients, membranous nephropathy was the most common pathological type, followed by IgA nephropathy. The variables selected in the final predictive model were age, duration of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, systolic blood pressure, hemoglobin, fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, cystatin C. The model performed well with good discrimination and calibration. The C-statistics were 0.913(95%CI 0.892-0.935) in the derivation cohort and 0.897(95%CI 0.876-0.919) in the validation cohort. The model had the best P value of 0.934 of the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Conclusions A simple predictive model with high accuracy is constructed for predicting the presence of NDRD and MIX for type 2 diabetic patients. The nomogram can be used as a decision support tool to provide a non-invasive method for differential diagnosis of DN and NDRD, which may help clinicians assess the risk-benefit ratio of kidney biopsy for type 2 diabetic patients with renal impairment.

Objective To analyze the clinical and pathological features, treatment and prognosis of primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) in children. Methods A retrospective study was conducted in patients with PMN diagnosed by renal biopsy in the Eastern Theater General Hospital from July 1, 2008 to September 30, 2017. The data of patients' general information, laboratory examination, renal pathology and therapeutic regimen were collected. The effects of different drugs in treatment and prognosis of PMN children were analyzed. Results Among 218 patients with PMN, the ratio of male to female was about 1.32∶1. The age group from 13 to 18 years old (adolescent) accounted for 87.6%, and there was no significant difference in age between the sexes (P=0.839). The main clinical manifestation was nephrotic syndrome (157 cases, 72.0%). The most common renal pathology stage was stageⅡ(101 cases, 46.3%). The positive rates of IgG1 and IgG4 in immunofluorescence staining were 100.0% and 98.5%, respectively, and IgG4 (45 cases, 33.8%) was the most common deposit. The positive rates of serum anti-PLA2R-Ab and kidney tissue PLA2R immunostaining were 53.97% and 82.54%, respectively. The total remission rate of PMN in children treated with tacrolimus combined with steroid was 83.6% and the recurrence rate was 33.3%. After follow-up time of 45.0(23.5-74.0) months, 11 cases (5.0%) developed end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The cumulative survival rates of ESRD at 5 and 10 years after renal biopsy were 95.4% and 63.7%, respectively. The cumulative renal survival rates of ESRD or a 30% decline in eGFR at 5 and 10 years after renal biopsy were 92.7% or 55.9%. Univariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that hypertension and heavy proteinuria (24-hour urinary protein≥50 mg/kg) predicted a high risk of ESRD, and renal pathologic parameters were not associated with disease progression. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that hypertension (HR=9.517, 95%CI 1.181-76.715, P=0.034) and heavy proteinuria (HR=3.946, 95%CI 1.126-13.832, P=0.032) were independent risk factors for developing ESRD in PMN patients. However, the effectiveness of Cox regression analysis was analyzed by PASS software, and it was concluded that hypertension was not related with disease progression. Conclusions PMN should be considered in adolescent patients with nephrotic syndrome. Tacrolimus combined with steroid is more effective than steroid combined with other immunosuppressive agents in treating PMN. After follow-up time of 45.0(23.5-74.0) months, the prognosis of PMN children is acceptable. Heavy proteinuria is an independent risk factor for developing ESRD in children with PMN.

Objective To report a rare case of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) complicated with chronic tubulointerstitial nephropathy, combined with literature review, and discuss the clinical, imaging and pathological characteristics of the disease and the diagnosis and treatment ideas. Methods The patient's clinical data, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and kidney pathological examination results, treatment measures and effects were collected and reported. Through systematic review of relevant literature, the clinical manifestations and pathogenesis of chronic tubular interstitial nephropathy complicated by PNH were summarized and discussed. Results In this case, PNH was diagnosed for more than 30 years, the peripheral blood PNH clone was positive, urine specific gravity was 1.012, urine pH 6.0-7.0，urine protein (+), urine sugar (3+), serum creatinine 259 μmol/L, serum lactic acid dehydrogenase 800 U/L. MRI showed bilateral renal cortical signal was low intensity on both T1- and T2- weighted images. Kidney biopsy revealed remarkable chronic tubulointerstitial nephropathy with massive hemosiderin deposition in proximal tubular cells demonstrated by Prussian blue staining and electron microscopy. By using low-dose prednisone to control hemolytic attack and other supportive treatments, the patient's renal function has been stabilized for a long time. Conclusions PNH complicated with chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis is easy to be misdiagnosed due to insidious onset. MRI and kidney histopathological examination are helpful to clarify the diagnosis. Early diagnosis and treatment are helpful to improve the prognosis of such patients.

Objective To explore the relationship between segmental glomerulosclerosis and the change of renal function in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Methods It was a single-center retrospective cohort study. The patients with biopsy-proven primary IgAN who were hospitalized in Shenzhen Second People's Hospital from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2018 were included. Participants with a secondary cause of IgAN, without baseline serum creatinine or renal pathology data for Oxford classification, baseline estimated glomerulofiltration rate (eGFR)<30 ml·min^-1·(1.73 m²)^-1, follow-up time<6 months, or less than three times measurements of followed-up serum creatinine were excluded. The clinical data, laboratory tests and renal pathology data and so on were collected. Patients were divided into absence of segmental glomerulosclerosis (S0) group and segmental glomerulosclerosis (S1) group according to the Oxford classification. The generalized additive mixed model was used to analyze the associations of segmental glomerulosclerosis and longitudinal renal function decline (Renal function was evaluated by using the eGFR). Results There were 280 patients included in this study, with 199 patients in S0 group, and 81 patients in S1 group. Compared with S0 group, patients in S1 group exhibited higher levels of triglyceride, serum uric acid as well as 24-hour urinary protein, and a lower level of eGFR, and had higher proportions of tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis (T) (all P<0.05). After adjusting for age, gender, mean arterial pressure, 24-hour urinary protein, mesangial hypercellularity (M), endocapillary hypercellularity (E), T and crescent (C) in the generalized additive mixed model, the effect value of S1 (the difference of baseline eGFR between S1 group and S0 group) was -14.09 ml·min^-1·(1.73 m²)^-1. For every additional year, the eGFR of S0 group decreased 1.29 ml·min^-1·(1.73 m²)^-1 (95% CI 0.47-2.12, P=0.002) in average, and eGFR decline in S1 group had 2.85 ml·min^-1·(1.73 m²)^-1 more than that in S0 group [95%CI 1.05-4.64, P=0.002]. Conclusion Segmental glomerulosclerosis is independently associated with the longitudinal decrease in renal function in patients with IgAN, which suggests therapies targeted for improving the early damages of segmental glomerulosclerosis may be essential to delay the renal function decline progression.

Objective To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of microRNA-210 agonist (agomiR-210) on kidney in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) rats. Methods Thirty-six 5-week-old male SD rats were divided into normal control (NC) group, agomiR-NC control group, agomiR-210 control group, DKD model group, DKD+agomiR-NC group and DKD+agomiR-210 group, with 6 rats in each group. Diabetic rats were established by a high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ), then were fed for 12 consecutive weeks to construct DKD model rats. During 2nd-4th week of continuous feeding, the rats in DKD+agomiR-210 group were injected with 20 nmol/kg agomiR-210 via tail vein twice a week. Blood glucose levels, 24 h urine albumin (Alb) and 24 h urine microalbumin (MAU) contents were measured regularly. At the end of the 12th week, the rats were sacrificed, and renal tissues were collected. The renal histopathological changes were assessed by HE, PAS and Masson staining methods. The mRNA and protein expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in renal tissues were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The distributions and expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), typeⅠ collagen (Col-Ⅰ), type Ⅳ collagen (Col-Ⅳ) and fibronectin (FN) in renal tissues were detected by immunohistochemical method. The protein expression levels of phospho(p)-Smad3 and p-NF-κB p65 in renal tissues were detected by Western blot and immunohistochemical methods. Results Compared with DKD model group, the renal pathological damages in DKD+agomiR-210 group were improved, the blood glucose level, glycogen deposition and collagen accumulation were significantly decreased (all P<0.05), the urinary excretions of Alb and MAU were significantly reduced (all P<0.01), and the expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, α-SMA, Col-Ⅰ, Col-Ⅳ, FN, p-Smad3 and p-NF-κB p65 in renal tissues were significantly decreased (all P<0.01). Conclusion AgomiR-210 can alleviate renal pathological changes and urinary Alb and MAU excretion in rats with DKD, which may be related to its inhibition of Smad3 and NF-κB activity.