BACKGROUND Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in the development of glomerular injury in rat experimental glomerulonephritis (GN). However, the significance of MMPs in human GN remains obscure. In order to evaluate the role of MMPs in human GN, we examined the glomerular distribution and gelatinolytic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in human GN. METHODS We performed immunohis...

congenital cutis laxa is an exceptional condition. no large scale pedigree has been reported from iran. we report a family with 106 members with two members affected with cutis laxa. our cases were two patients (male and female) with pre- and postnatal growth retardation, cutis laxa, characteristic facies and other manifestations which proved that they were affected with cutis laxa. their famil...

Lupus nephritis is a frequent complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. Multiple pathological mechanisms attribute to the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis. These mechanisms can be grossly divided into two groups, extrarenal or intrarenal pathways. A variety of genetic variants break immune tolerance to nuclear autoantigens, as evident from the existence of antinuclear antibodies. Furthermore...

Lupus Nephritis is a severe, organ-threatening manifestation of Systemic Erythematosus (SLE). The current standard care in the treatment lupus nephritis limited to broad-spectrum immunosuppressants, which have significant concerns short- and long-term toxicity. With traditional approaches, kidney survival patient outcomes remained suboptimal. Robust research therapeutics has resulted developmen...

BACKGROUND Polyoma virus type BK (BKV) nephritis has emerged as an important cause of renal allograft dysfunction and graft failure. Its diagnosis is contingent on the invasive procedure of allograft biopsy. A noninvasive diagnostic test for BKV nephritis could improve clinical outcome. METHODS We obtained 25 urine specimens from 8 renal allograft recipients with biopsy-confirmed BKV nephriti...

INTRODUCTION S hunt nephritis is a rare complication mostly described in the setting of chronic infection of ventriculoatrial (VA) shunts inserted for the treatment of congenital or acquired hydrocephalus. The diagnosis of shunt nephritis is challenging and may be overlooked. We report a case of successfully treated shunt nephritis and pyogenic spondylitis with positive antiproteinase 3 antineu...

We report a case of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with interstitial nephritis associated with multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) successfully treated with an anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody (tocilizumab). This mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with interstitial nephritis was resistant to methylprednisolone treatment; however, it was markedly improved with tocilizu...

Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most severe manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality of SLE patients. The pathogenesis of LN involves multiple factors, including genetic predisposition, epigenetic regulation and environmental interaction. Over the last decade, omics-based techniques have been extensively utilized for b...

OBJECTIVE To investigate antibodies to complement 1q (anti-C1q) and investigate the correlation between anti-C1q titres and renal disease in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS 151 SLE patients were studied. In patients with biopsy proven lupus nephritis (n = 77), activity of renal disease was categorised according to the BILAG renal score. Sera were tested for anti-C1q by enzyme immu...

The deposition of anti-dsDNA antibodies in the glomerulus is believed to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of nephritis in SLE. However, an absolute correlation between serum levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies and renal disease has not been found. Recently a glomerular binding assay (GBA) has been developed to detect IgG binding to isolated rat glomeruli. We have used the GBA to study sera ...