Immunological studies were performed in 18 children with minimal change nephrotic syndrome proved by biopsy examination during relapse and in 15 age matched controls. All 18 children showed dysfunction of cell mediated immunity as evidenced by low absolute lymphocyte count, low blastogenesis index in response to phytohaemagglutinin stimulation, and reduced skin sensitivity to dinitrochlorobenze...

Previous studies of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Pädiatrische Nephrologie in children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome have shown that the length of initial prednisone therapy has an impact on the subsequent relapse rate. The aim of this randomized, prospective, multicenter study was to reduce the number of relapses further by increasing the initial immunosuppression: Patients with an i...

Podocyte foot process effacement is characteristic of proteinuric renal diseases. In minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) foot processes are diffusely effaced whereas the extent of effacement varies in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Here we measured foot process effacement in FSGS and compared it to that in MCNS and in normal kidneys. A clinical diagnosis was used to differentia...

The etiology of nephrotic syndrome is complex and ranges from primary glomerulonephritis to secondary forms. Patients with nephrotic syndrome often need immunosuppressive treatment with its side effects and may progress to end stage renal disease. This review focuses on recent advances in the treatment of primary causes of nephrotic syndrome (idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN), minimal cha...

The elderly population has significantly increased in China. However, data regarding renal histopathology in this population is lacking. The present study retrospectively analyzed renal disease spectrum of 430 elderly patients who had received renal biopsy at Peking University First Hospital between January 2003 and December 2012. Among 6049 patients receiving renal biopsies during the same per...

Eight patients with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome which frequently relapsed despite cyclophosphamide treatment were given cyclosporin A (7.5 mg/kg/day to 10 mg/kg/day) for 8 to 12 weeks. Six had minimal change glomerulonephritis and two had focal segmental glomerulonephritis. Cyclosporin A was given to 5 patients when their nephrotic syndrome was in relapse and to 3 patients when the nep...