Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a public health issue worldwide.A recent cross-sectional survey revealed that the prevalence of CKD in residents aged 18 years or older was 10.8％,indicating the challenge of CKD in China.The major indicators of kidney damage include estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR),proteinuria and hematuria.It is recommended that laboratory should report eGFR when reporting results of blood creatinine.Both of Chinese equation and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation could be used.The process of creatinine measurement should be standardized.For evaluation of proteinuria,urinary creatinine should also be measured when using spot urine sample.Considering the high false positive rate and low false negative rate of urine routine test for hematuria,it is recommended that microscopic examination on urinary sediment should be done for those with positive hematuria by urine routine test.(Chin J Lab Med,2012,35:769-772)

Objective To investigate the incidence, clinical characteristics and prognosis of malignant hypertension (MHT) resulted from renal artery stenosis (RAS).Methods Among those diagnosed as RAS by arteriography over a 23 year period (From January 1980 to April 2003), 23 patients complicated with malignant hypertension(MHT) were included. Their etiology, clinical characteristics,treatment and prognosis were analyzed, and compared with those of 46 renal parenchymal MHT and 23 primary MHT cases during in the same period.Results Twenty three patients accounted for 25 8%of MHT cases and 19 5%of RAS cases during the same period.Among 23 patients, atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) and Takayasu arteritis were most commonly seen, and ARAS became the leading cause after 1990.The distinct characteristics of RAS included unilateral small kidney(52 2%), abdominal or flank bruit(17 4%)and azotemia induced by treatment with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor(8.7%).Besides, compared with renal parenchymal MHT group, the level of urine protein in RAS with MHT group was less and all decreased to less than 1 g/d after blood pressure was controlled.Furthermore, hematuria was seldom in RAS with MHT group. As for basal renal function, serum creatinine level in the majority in RAS with MHT group was normal, while most patients of the other two groups had elevated or remarkably elevated serum creatinine level.Hypertension was cured in 54 5%of those receiving interventional therapy in RAS with MHT group. During the follow up 3～12 months, only 2 cases in RAS with MHT group were dialysis dependent, who were less than those in other groups.Conclusions RAS is a common cause of secondary MHT, and the percentage of ARAS is increasing. For MHT patients without hematuria and massive proteinuria, screening for renal artery stenosis is strongly recommended. Although prognosis of RAS is comparatively good, early diagnosis and treatment are crucial.

Basic biochemical index were measured weekly in hyperuricemia rats.Real-time quantitative PCR technology was employed to measure glucose transporter-4 (GLUT-4),insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1,and IRS-2 mRNA expression in the skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.The gene expression of GLUT-4 and IRS-2 are significantly lower in the last weeks of the hyperuricemia rat.Insulin resistance caused by hyperuricemia is probably related to the lowering expression levels of GLUT-4 and IRS-2 mRNA in the target tissues.

Objective:To investigate the protective effect of pine pollen on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced learning and memory impairments in mice and the underlying mechanism.Methods:Sixty mice were randomly divided into four groups ( n = 15/group): normal control, model, low-dose pine pollen (500 mg/kg) and high-dose pine pollen (1 000 mg/kg). Mouse models of learning and memory impairment were established by lateral ventricle injection of LPS. The learning and memory abilities of mice were determined by the Morris water maze test. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the hippocampus of mice were measured. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), dopamine (DA), and norepinephrine (NE) levels in the hippocampus were also determined. Results:The latency in the passive avoidance test in the model group was significantly shorter than that in the normal control group [(134.80 ± 33.89) s vs. (282.20 ± 17.43) s, t = 4.23, P < 0.01]. The number of errors in the model group was significantly higher than that in the normal control group [(4.00 ± 1.58) vs. (1.20 ± 1.30) times, t = 2.85, P < 0.01]. The latency in the passive avoidance test in the low-dose pine pollen (500 mg/kg) and high-dose pine pollen (1000 mg/kg) groups was significantly longer than that in the normal control group [(189.40 ± 27.21) s or (213.40 ± 21.26) s vs. (134.80 ± 33.89) s, t = 3.21, 4.38, all P < 0.05]. The number of errors in the low-dose pine pollen (500 mg/kg) and high-dose pine pollen (1 000 mg/kg) groups was significantly lower than that in the normal control group [(1.60 ± 1.44) times or (1.40 ± 1.44) times vs. (4.00 ± 1.58) times, t = 5.12, 6.42, both P < 0.05]. SOD activity and GSH, DA and NE levels in the hippocampus in the model group were significantly decreased compared with the normal control group [SOD: (7.59 ± 1.77) kU/g vs. (39.90 ± 6.37) kU/g; GSH: (3.49 ± 0.13) mmol/g vs. (6.37 ± 0.14) mmol/g; DA: (418.42 ± 2.57) ng/L vs. (586.37 ± 3.64) ng/L; NE: (187.20 ± 5.41) ng/L vs. (298.42 ± 2.32) ng/L, t = 3.67, 8.23, 2.23, 3.65, all P < 0.05]. MDA, IL-6 and TNF-α levels in the hippocampus in the normal control group were significantly higher than those in the model group [MDA: (8.79 ± 0.82) mmol/g vs. (2.62 ± 0.16) mmol/g, IL-6: (48.07 ± 5.56) ng/L vs. (18.76 ± 1.42) ng/L, TNF-α: (87.20 ± 4.31) ng/L vs. (22.42 ± 3.39) ng/L, t = 7.45, 2.67, 4.35, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01]. SOD activity, GSH, DA and NE levels in the hippocampus in the low-dose pine pollen (500 mg/kg) and high-dose pine pollen (1 000 mg/kg) groups were significantly higher than those in the model group [SOD: (18.80 ± 2.39) kU/g, (28.70 ± 2.36) kU/g vs. (7.59 ± 1.77) kU/g, GSH: (5.04 ± 0.36) mmol/g, (5.45 ± 0.17) mmol/g vs. (3.49 ± 0.13) mmol/g, DA: (488.37 ± 3.46) ng/L, (506.29 ± 5.72) ng/L vs. (418.42 ± 2.57) ng/L, NE: (225.65 ± 3.72) ng/L, (239.76 ± 5.58) ng/L vs. (187.20 ± 5.41) ng/L, t = 4.56 or 6.71, t = 4.65 or 5.32, t = 4.73 or 6.72, t = 3.84 or 5.63, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01]. MDA, IL-6 and TNF-α levels in the hippocampus in the low-dose pine pollen (500 mg/kg) and high-dose pine pollen (1 000 mg/kg) groups were significantly lower than those in the model group [MDA: (5.72 ± 0.47) mmol/g, (3.77 ± 0.23) mmol /g vs. (8.79 ± 0.82) mmol/g, IL-6: (28.42 ± 3.54) ng/L, (23.43 ± 5.62) ng/L vs. (48.07 ± 5.56) ng/L, TNF-α: (48.87 ± 4.82) ng/L, (39.65 ± 6.69) ng/L vs. (87.20 ± 4.31) ng/L, t = 6.31 or 7.28, t = 3.46 or 6.31, t = 4.28 or 3.57, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01]. Conclusion:Pine pollen can improve LPS-induced learning and memory impairments possibly through up-regulating the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters DA and NE and inhibiting the levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction in the hippocampus of mice.

Objective To identify the risk factors for progression of advanced chronic kidney disease(CKD) patients who were cared by nephrologists in a specific CKD outpatient management clinic.Methods A prospective monocentric cohort study was performed.CKD patients of stage 3, 4 and 5 without renal replacement treatment were followed up regularly by nephrologists in this specific CKD management clinic.Patients with established atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis(ARAS) and chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis, and those who had not been followed-up for at least 12 months before Jun.30, 2010 were excluded.Clinical and laboratory data including blood pressure (BP), proteinuria, hemoglobulin (Hb), calcium phosphate product (Ca×P) and serum creatinine were consecutively collected.The treatment regimen was also recorded.Estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR) was calculated with the formula modified for Chinese to evaluate the change of renal function.The progression of kidney disease was defined as initiation of renal replacement therapy, the annual decrease of eGFR＞4 ml·min-1·(1.73 m2)-1, and/or death associated with renal disease.Results A total of 138 patients were enrolled in the final analysis with 84 patients of CKD stage 3, 36 of CKD stage 4 and 18 of CKD stage 5, respectively.At the time of enrollment, patients had an average age of (56.5:±:16.7) years old with an average eGFR of (32.3±13.4) ml·min-1·(1.73 m2)-1.During a mean follow-up interval of (27.1±12.1) months, the patients were well-controlled with an average blood pressure of (126.5±12.4)/(76.4±7.9) mm Hg in 50.7％(70/138), less than or equal to 130/80 mm Hg, an average Hb of(123.8±17.1) g/L in 73.9％(102/138), above or equal to 110 g/L and an average Ca×P of (45.2±7.7) mg2/dl2 in 89.1％(123/138), less than or equal to 55 mg2/dl2.Sixty-two patients (44.9％) had progression of kidney disease. On univariate analysis, factors predicting progression were low eGFR at referral, high systolic pressure, low Hb level, high Ca×P and proteinuria during follow-up, and renin-angiotensin system inhibitors treatment did not affect the progression.After the adjustment, multivariate analysis revealed proteinuria and low Hb level were independent factors for the progression of kidney disease.Conclusions The co-morbidities of advanced CKD patients can be managed efficiently in specific CKD outpatient management clinic.Control of proteinuria and correction of anemia may be beneficial to prevent the progression of advanced CKD.

Objective To investigate the possibility of using serum and urinary endothelin-1 (ET-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) assay as screening tools for atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS). Methods Serum and urinary samples from 49 patients with ARAS, 32 cases with≥2 risk factors for atherosclerosis and 30 normal controls were detected for ET-1 and IL-6 by RIA. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were then generated to assess their accuracy in screening ARAS by using selective renal angiography as golden standard. Results Urinary ET-1, urinary IL-6 and urinary-serum ratio of ET-1 in ARAS cases were higher than those in two control groups, and were all correlated with degree of renal artery stenosis. The area under the ROC curve of urinary ET-1, urinary IL-6 and urinary-serum ratio of ET-1 was 0.792, 0.756 and 0.779, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of urinary ET-1 to distinguish ARAS(≥50%) was 80.0% and 72.8% respectively using 6.72 ng/mmol creatinine as the cut-off point. The cut-off value of ET-1 urinary-serum ratio was 12.59 with a sensitivity of 66.7% and a specificity of 61.7%. The sensitivity and specificity of urinary IL-6 were 73.3% and 70.4% respectively using 23.85 ng/mmol creatinine as the cut-off point. The sensitivity and specificity were improved to 80.0% and 77.8% respectively when using 12.60 ng/mmol creatinine as the cut-off point and combined with hypertension to perform series test. Conclusion Urinary ET-1 and urinary IL-6 could be used as screening tools for ARAS.

Objective To improve the compliance and prognosis of patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis(ARAS) by using continuous quality improvement program(CQI).Methods Survey patients by the way of using the four-step problem-solving framework referred as the PDCA cycle,i.e.plan,do,check and act.Compare the results of patients which have obtained before and after CQI.Results The follow-up rate of patients was improved from 46.9% to 83.3%, and most of the patients are willing to enter the follow-up program.The patients are more likely to receive examinations of ARAS,such as blood pressure,renal function,renal artery color duplex sonography and renal scintigraphy.The control rate of blood pressure was also improved from 45.6% to 93.1% Conclusion CQI is a useful method to improve the compliance and prognosis for ARAS patients,and nurses have played an important role during the whole process.

Objective:To analyze the delays in publication of articles (DPA) in the Journal of Medical Postgraduates(JMP).Methods:According to the corresponding rules for monthly academic journals(national:DPA

Objective To analyze the incidence of the disease, clinical features, diagnostic criteria, therapy and prognosis of Penicilliosis marneffei found in Guangdong province. Methods To analyze patients data, clinical features, laboratory findings, response to therapy, and prognosis of 15 cases Penicilliosis marneffei found in Guangdong province of China. Results The male was predominant compared with the female (ratio 2 to 1) and without occupational preference, but the patients with AIDS as underlying disease were mostly drivers and the unemployed. Thirteen patients were immunocompromised such as AIDS, connective tissue disease, and kidney transplant. Clinical features showed different manifestations, such as high fever, loss of weight, skin lesion, and respiratory system symptoms. Biopsy of the skin lesion showed PAS stain positive yeast-like, or sausage-form spores. Four patients were localized infection of the skin, eleven patients were systemic infection. Nine patients died, five recovered, 1 patient refused to be treated. Fifteen isolates from different anatomic sites of the patients were identified to be Penicillium marneffei by morphology and dimorphism in the culture, and eleven isolates among these 15 isolates were also confirmed by DNA sequence analysis. Conclusion The incidence rate of Penicilliosis marneffei become higher in the recent years and many patients were accompanied with AIDS in Guangdong province. Attention should be paid to the disease.

Objective To evaluate the spot urine sample collection method and value of urinary albumin measurement in population survey. Methods Six hundred and fifty-nine Beijing residents were requested to collect 24 h urine for detection of UAER, as well as random spot urine samples and morning urine samples in the next day. Rapid semi-quantitative urinary albumin-specific dipstick and ACR were measured in each spot urine specimen. The 24 h UAER was measured as golden standard to generate ROC curves and evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and AUC of each method. Results The value of ACR in the morning spot urine samples and random spot urine samples were 9. 36(5. 12-33.29) mg/g and 11.29(6. 34-41.29) mg/g respectively and there was no significant difference between these two groups (t = - 1. 382,P＞0.05). The correlation was significant in the two groups (r = 0.932, P ＜ 0.01). The correlation coefficient between ACR in the morning spot urine samples and UAER was 0. 853 (P ＜ 0. 01). The correlation coefficient between ACR in the random spot urine samples and UAER was 0. 874 (P ＜0. 01).The sensitivity and specificity of ACR for diagnosis of albuminuria in the random urine samples were 77. 9% and 91.0%. The sensitivity and specificity of ACR for diagnosis of albuminuria in the morning urine samples were 78. 4% and 95.7%. Concerning the semi-quantitative urinary albumin-specific dipstick, sensitivity and specificity were 90. 3% and 41.1% , respectively. The specificity was much lower than that of ACR. The area under the ROC curves of ACR in the random urine specimens and the morning urine specimens was 0. 918 ±0. 012, 0. 929 ± 0. 015, respectively. There was no statistical difference between these two groups (χ2 =2. 13, P＞0. 05). The area under the ROC curves of semi-quantitative urinary albumin-specific dipstick in the random urine specimens was 0.661 ±0.021, lower than that of ACR (χ2 = 248.41, P＜0.01).Conclusion Measurement of ACR in random urine samples is a reasonable method with simplicity and accuracy for the detection of albuminuria in general population screening program.