OBJECTIVES: To explore the value of serum cystatin C (CysC) levels in evaluating renal prognosis in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients. METHODS: We retrospectively collected the clinical data of IgAN patients diagnosed by renal biopsy at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January, 2014 to December, 2018. Based on baseline serum CysC levels, the patients were divided into high serum CysC (>1.03 mg/L) group and normal serum CysC (≤1.03 mg/L) group. The composite endpoint for poor renal prognosis was defined as ≥50% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and/or progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Lasso regression, multivariate Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used to identify the risk factors and compare renal survival rates between the two groups. Smooth curves fitting and threshold effect analysis were used to explore the relationship between serum CysC levels and the outcomes. A nomogram model was constructed and its predictive performance was evaluated using concordance index, calibration curve, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under curve (AUC). RESULTS: A total of 356 IgAN patients were enrolled, who were followed up for 4.65±0.93 years. The composite endpoint occurred in 74 patients. High serum CysC was identified as an independent risk factor for poor renal prognosis in IgAN (HR=2.142, 95% CI 1.222 to 3.755), and the patients with high serum CysC levels had a lower renal survival rate (Log-rank χ²=47.970, P<0.001). In patients with serum CysC below 2.12 mg/L, a higher CysC level was associated with an increased risk of poor renal prognosis (β=3.487, 95% CI: 2.561-4.413, P<0.001), while above this level, the increase of the risk was not significant (β=0.676, 95% CI: -0.642-1.995, P=0.315). The nomogram model based on serum CysC and 3 other independent risk factors demonstrated good internal validity with a concordance index of 0.873 (95% CI: 0.839-0.907) and an AUC of 0.909 (95% CI: 0.873-0.945). CONCLUSIONS Serum CysC levels are associated with renal prognosis in IgAN patients, and high serum CysC an independent risk factor for poor renal prognosis.
Humans ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA/diagnosis* ; Cystatin C/blood* ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Retrospective Studies ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Nomograms ; Middle Aged

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerular disease and main reason of progression to end-stage renal disease in patients with kidney diseases. Various clinical, pathological, demographic and new factors discovered by researchers in recent years play important roles in the prognosis assessment of IgAN. Furthermore, developing prognostic evaluation models based on several different factors to identify patients at high risk of progression in the early disease stage is clinically significant. This article reviews the researches progress of influencing factors and relevant evaluation models for prognosis of IgAN.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dydrogesterone in the treatment of dysmenorrhea. METHODS The prospective ，random-controlled，open-labeland multicenter clinical study was adopted. A total of 108 women with dysmenorrhea were randomly assigned into dydrogesterone group and control group according to the ratio of 1∶1，with 54 patients in each group. Dydrogesterone group was treated with dydrogesterone 10 mg orally ，twice a day ，on the 5th-25th day of menstrual cycle ，for 3 menstrual cycles. Control group received Guizhi fuling capsule 0.93 g orally ，three times a day，since the end of menstrual bleeding to the third day of the next menstruation ，for 3 menstrual cycles. Main results were the changes of visual analogue scale （VAS）scores in 2 groups after 3 menstrual cycles ；secondary results were the changes of COX menstrual symptom scale （CMSS），quality life of 36-item short form （SF-36），levels of carbohydrate antigen 125（CA125）and interleukin 6（IL-6）after 3 menstrual cycles ；other findings included additional benefits and drug safety. RESULTS The results of intention to analysis data set and the follow-up study protocol analysis data set showed that VAS scores of 2 groups after treatment of dysmenorrhea for 1，2 and 3 menstrual cycles were lower than those before treatment ，the longer the treatment time ，the more obvious the decrease of VAS score （P＜0.05），and VAS score decline of dydrogesterone group was better than that of control group（P＜0.05）. After 3 menstrual cycles ，both the two group showed significant reduction in the severity and duration scores of CMSS（P＜0.05）；and the decrease of the above scores in the dydrogesterone group was superior than in the control group （P＜ 0.05）. After 3 menstrual cycles ，among 8 dimensions of SF- 36 scale，the scores of 7 dimensions in dydrogesterone group were significantly higher than those before treatment ，such as the scores of physiological function ，physical role ，physical pain ， emotional function ，social function ，general health status and energy （P＜0.05）；the increase of the scores of four dimensions were higher than those in the control group ，such as physical pain ，social function ，general health status ，energy（P＜0.05）. There was no significant difference in the levels of CA 125 and IL- 6 between 2 groups before and after treatment （P＞0.05）. After 3 menstrual cycles，the menstrual cycle and menstrual period in the dydrogesterone group were shorter than those before treatment ，and the menstrual volume decreased （P＜0.05）；but there was no significant change in the above indexes of control group （P＞0.05）. After 3 menstrual cycles ，the incidence of adverse drug events and adverse reactions in dydrogesterone group was 32.69％（17/52）and 28.85％（15/52）；no serious adverse drug events or adverse reactions such as thrombosis occurred in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Dydrogesterone can effectively reduce the VAS score ，also relieve dysmenorrhea-related symptoms ，and improve the quality of life. The efficacy of dydrogesterone is superior than that of Guizhi fuling capsule in treatment for dysmenorrheal ，without serious adverse reactions. It is well tolerated.

Objective:To analyze the safety and clinical efficacy of invasive treatment for portal vein thrombosis after splenectomy or devascularization.Methods:Invasive treatment was retrospectively analyzed from Jan 2016 to Jan 2020. In 319 cases who met the inclusion criteria.Result:There were complications in 41 cases and no death;The average portal vein pressure before and after thrombus clearance treatment was (25.6±4.9) mmHg and (14.7±4.1) mmHg respectively ( t=2.53, P<0.05); Thrombus decreased significantly in most patients. Conclusion:Invasive therapy is a safe and effective method for patients complicated with portal vein thrombosis after splenectomy or devascularization.

Objective:To analyze the factors influencing prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) after surgical resection.Methods:The clinical data of patients diagnosed with ICC and who underwent surgical resection from December 2015 to December 2019 at the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Of 39 patients who were included in this study, there were 23 males and 16 females, with age of (54.1±7.2) years old. The body mass index, hepatitis B virus infection status, tumor diameter, degree of differentiation, microvascular tumor thrombus, lymph node metastasis, and serum levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) were analyzed as risk factors affecting postoperative recurrence and survival.Results:The median times to recurrence were significantly better in patients with a tumour length <5 cm (11 vs. 5 months), patients without microvascular tumor thrombus (54 vs. 6 months) and patients without lymph node metastasis (8 vs. 5 months) (all P<0.05). The median survival of patients with CA19-9≥100 U/ml was significantly shorter than that of patients with CA19-9<100 U/ml, (9 vs. 27 months, P<0.05). Tumor diameter>5 cm, microvascular tumor thrombus, lymph node metastasis, and CA19-9 ≥100 U/ml are risk factors affecting the recurrence time after ICC resection, CA19-9 ≥100 U/ml is a risk factor affecting survival time after ICC resection. Conclusion:Tumor diameter, microvascular tumor thrombus, lymph node metastasis and CA19-9 can be used to estimate the risk of ICC recurrence, and CA19-9 level can be used to estimate postoperative survival of ICC patients after resection.

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 study the impact of splenectomy and pericardial devascularization on the occurrence and development of portal vein thrombosis and the liver function in patients with cirrhosis complicated by portal hypertension.Methods 29 patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension who underwent splenectomy and pericardial devascularization in the 302 Hospital of PLA from December 2012 to June 2013 were retrospectively studied.The incidences of PVT before and after operation were monitored.The liver function was assessed using the Child-Pugh classification.Results 29 patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension underwent splenectomy and pericardial devascularization.The incidences of PVT in the preoperative period,12 days,3 months,6 months after operation were 10.3％,89.7％,51.7％,24.1％,respectively.The Child-Pugh scores in the preoperative period,12 days,3 months,6 months after operation were (5.2 ± 0.4),(5.6 ± 0.7),(5.2 ± 0.7),(5.3 ± 0.7),respectively.Conclusions The incidences of postoperative PVT increased after operation,but it decreased on long-term follow-up after operation.The liver function did not change.

OBJECTIVETo determine whether hyperglycemia activates NFAT2 in cultured podocytes to cause podocyte apoptosis and explore the role of NFAT2 in high glucose-induced podocyte apoptosis.

METHODSImmortalized mouse podocytes were cultured in the presence of normal (5.3 mmol/L) or high glucose (10, 20, 30, and 40 mmol/L) or pretreated with 11R-vivit (100 nmol/L) or cyclosporine A (500 nmol/L) before exposure to 20 mmol/L glucose for different durations (0.5-48 h). The activation of NFAT2 in the podocytes was detected using Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay. The role of NFAT2 in hyperglycemia-induced podocyte apoptosis was explored by observing the inhibition of NFAT2 activation by 11R-vivit using flow cytometry. Intracellular Ca was monitored in high glucose-treated podocytes using Fluo-3/AM. The mRNA and protein expressions of the apoptosis gene Bax were detected using real time-qPCR and Western blotting.

RESULTSExposure to high glucose in the medium time- and dose-dependently activated NFAT2 in cultured podocytes. Pretreatment with cyclosporine A or 11R- VIVIT completely blocked nuclear accumulation of NFAT2. Treatment with 11R- vivit also inhibited high glucoseinduced apoptosis in cultured podocytes. Exposure to high glucose obviously increased [Ca]I in the podocytes to cause activation of calcineurin and the subsequent increment of nuclear accumulation of NFAT2 and Bax expression.

CONCLUSIONSHigh glucose-induced apoptosis in podocytes is mediated by calcineurin/NFAT2/Bax signaling pathway, which may serve as a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Objective To study whether portal vein thrombosis can be prevented by partial splenectomy combined with portoazygos devascularization,by preserving the integrity of the blood flow of the inferior splenic vessels.Methods 156 patients with portal hypertension and megalosplenia were divided into two groups.62 patients in group A who underwent partial splenectomy and 94 patients in group B who underwent total splenectomy.The postoperative complications,levels of WBC and PLT,volumes of residual spleen,hepatic vein pressure gradient (HVPG),and prevalence of portal vein thrombosis between the two groups were compared.Results The surgery time of group A was slightly higher than group B [(189.0± 38.5) vs.(128.0±36.3) min,P＜0.05].The blood loss of group A was slightly higher than that of group B [(328.0±68.9) vs.(294.0±49.1) ml,P＜0.05].The postoperative infection rate,change in HVPG and rehemorrhage rate between the two groups showed no significant differences (P＞0.05).The elevation in Leucocyte after operation of the two groups were the same,peaking on day 3.The platelet count of group A increased more gently than group B (2 weeks vs 1 week),and its peak was closer to the normal threshold (P＜0.05).The thrombosis rate of the portal vein system in group A was significantly lower than group B within 1 year (P＜0.01).The residual spleen did not enlarge after operation (P＞0.05).Conclusion Subtotal splenectomy combined with pericardial devascularization in patients with portal hypertension and megalosplenia preserved the blood flow of the subsplenic polar vessels and reduced the incidence of portal vein thrombosis.

Recently, there have been many developments and improvements in portal hypertension surgery, but there are still many controversies regarding the surgical indications, the timing of surgery, and the choice of surgical procedures. Minimally invasive laparoscopy and robotics are the leading direction for the development of surgical techniques for portal hypertension. Surgical selection procedures should be based on evidence-based, but guidelines should not be blindly followed. Surgical development needs to strengthen multidisciplinary cooperation, and surgical reform is the driving force for surgical development.