To investigate the efficacy and safety of glucocorticoids combined with cyclophosphamide (CTX) and rituximab (RTX) in elderly patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis with renal involvement.

Objective:To investigate the effect of pre-dialysis blood pressure (Pre-BP) on all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).Methods:This single-center, retrospective cohort study enrolled patients undergoing first-time hemodialysis between January 1, 2007, and June 30, 2021, from the dialysis registry of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. General information and laboratory parameters were collected. Pre-dialysis systolic blood pressure (Pre-SBP) and pre-dialysis diastolic blood pressure (Pre-DBP) were calculated and averaged at 4-6 months after dialysis. The mean Pre-SBP and Pre-DBP values were used as continuous variables, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves were used to assess the relationship between Pre-BP and mortality risk. Patients were subsequently divided into six groups for Pre-DBP and six groups for Pre-SBP combined with Pre-DBP. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. All-cause and CVD mortality were compared between groups using the log-rank test. Multivariate Cox regression models were used to analyze the associations between Pre-BP and all-cause and CVD mortality.Results:A total of 1 213 patients were enrolled. By the end of follow-up, 175 patients (14.4%) had died, of whom 62 (35.4%) died from CVD. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that the Pre-DBP<65 mmHg group (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) had a significantly lower cumulative survival rate ( χ2=90.52, P<0.001) and a significantly higher CVD mortality rate ( χ2=35.54, P<0.001) than the other groups. The combined Pre-SBP and Pre-DBP analysis showed that the Pre-SBP≥150 mmHg and Pre-DBP<80 mmHg groups had a significantly lower cumulative survival rate ( χ2=45.58, P<0.001) and a significantly higher CVD mortality rate ( χ2=30.13, P<0.001) than the other groups. Multivariate Cox regression model analysis showed that compared with other groups, the risk of MHD all-cause mortality was increased in the Pre-DBP<65 mmHg group and the Pre-SBP≥150 mmHg and Pre-DBP<80 mmHg group [ HR (95% CI)=1.927 (1.195-3.109), 3.298 (1.567-6.939), both P<0.05]. Conclusion:In patients undergoing MHD, Pre-DBP<65 mmHg or Pre-SBP≥150 mmHg and Pre-DBP<80 mmHg were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality, with a low cumulative survival rate and a high risk of CVD mortality.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated anemia (CKD-anemia) is associated with poor survival, and hemoglobin targets are often not achieved with current therapies. Phase 3 trials have demonstrated the treatment efficacy of roxadustat for CKD-anemia. This phase 4 study aims to evaluate the long-term (52-week) safety and effectiveness of roxadustat in a broad real-world patient population with CKD-anemia with and without dialysis in China. METHODS: This Phase 4 multicenter, open-label, prospective study, conducted from 24 November 2020 to 11 November 2022, evaluated the long-term safety and effectiveness of roxadustat for CKD-anemia in China. Patients aged ≥18 years with CKD-anemia with or without dialysis were included. The initial oral dose was 70-120 mg (weight-based followed by dose adjustment) over 52 weeks. The primary endpoint was safety based on adverse events (AEs). The secondary endpoints were hemoglobin changes from baseline and the proportion of patients who achieved mean hemoglobin ≥100 g/L. Effectiveness evaluable populations 1 (EE1) and EE2 included roxadustat-naïve and previously roxadustat-treated patients, respectively. The safety analysis set (SAF) included all patients who received ≥1 occasion. RESULTS: The EE1, EE2, and SAF populations included 1804, 193, and 2021 patients, respectively. In the SAF, the mean age was 50 ± 14 years, and 1087 patients (53.8%) were male. Mean baseline hemoglobin was 96.9 ± 14.0 g/L in EE1 and 100.3 ± 12.9 g/L in EE2. In EE1, the mean (95% confidence interval) hemoglobin changes from baseline over weeks 24-36 and 36-52 were 14.2 (13.5-14.9) g/L and 14.3 (13.5-15.0) g/L, respectively. Over weeks 24-36 and 36-52, 83.3% and 86.1% of patients in EE1 and 82.7% and 84.7% in EE2 achieved mean hemoglobin ≥100 g/L, respectively. In the SAF, 1643 (81.3%) patients experienced treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs). Overall, 219 (10.8%) patients experienced drug-related TEAEs. Thirty-eight (1.9%) patients died of TEAEs (unrelated to the study drug). Vascular access thrombosis was uncommon. CONCLUSIONS: Roxadustat (52 weeks) increased hemoglobin and maintained the treatment target in Chinese patients with CKD-anemia with acceptable safety, supporting its use in real-world settings. REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( www.chictr.org.cn ) ChiCTR2100046322; CDE ( www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn ) CTR20201568.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Anemia/etiology* ; Middle Aged ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/complications* ; Glycine/adverse effects* ; Isoquinolines/adverse effects* ; Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Adult ; Hemoglobins/metabolism* ; Treatment Outcome ; China ; Registries ; East Asian People

Objective To explore the expression and prognostic value of microRNA-145-5p(miR-145-5p)and fascin actin-bundling protein-1(FSCN1)in gastric cancer tissues.Methods The study participants were selected from 103 gastric cancer patients treated at The First Hospital of Handan from August 2019 to August 2021.The expression levels of miR-145-5p and FSCN1 mRNA in the cancer tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues of gastric cancer patients were measured.Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between the expression of miR-145-5p and FSCN1 mRNA.The area under curve(AUC)was used to evaluate the prognostic value of miR-145-5p and FSCN1 mRNA for gastric cancer patients.The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze factors influencing adverse prognosis,and Kaplan-Meier method was employed for survival analysis.Results The expression level of miR-145-5p was lower in cancer tissues compared to adjacent tissues(P<0.05),while the expression level of FSCN1 mRNA was higher in cancer tissues compared to adjacent tissues(P<0.05).The expression level of miR-145-5p was lower in cancer tissues of the patients with moderate-to-poor differentiation,tumor stage Ⅲ +Ⅳ,invasion depth T3-T4,lymph node metastasis,or maximum tumor diameter≥5 cm,compared to those with high differentiation,tumor stage Ⅰ+Ⅱ,invasion depth T1-T2,no lymph node metastasis,or maximum tumor diameter<5 cm,whereas the expression level of FSCN1 mRNA was higher(P<0.05).Pearson analysis revealed a negative correlation between miR-145-5p and FSCN1 mRNA expression in cancer tissues(r=-0.617,P=0.000).COX multivariate regression analysis indicated that moderate-to-poor differentiation,tumor stage Ⅲ +Ⅳ,maximum tumor diameter≥5 cm,invasion depth T3-T4,low miR-145-5p expression,high FSCN1 mRNA expression,and lymph node metastasis were risk factors for poor prognosis in gastric cancer(P<0.05).Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the 3-year overall survival rate between the low and high miR-145-5p expression groups(P<0.05).Similarly,a statistically significant difference was observed between the low and high FSCN1 mRNA expression groups(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the combined detection of miR-145-5p and FSCN1 mRNA yielded an AUC of 0.947 and a sensitivity of 92.3％,both of which were significantly higher than those of individual indicators(P<0.05).Conclusion MiR-145-5p and FSCN1 are closely related to the clinical pathological characteristics of gastric cancer patients and are effective prognostic indicators for survival.

Objective To investigate the labeling of dialysis-related information in the instructions of drugs for systemic use in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis,and to provide reference for further standardization and im-provement of drug instructions.Methods Collected the information on pharmacokinetics and drug dose adjustment in hemodi-alysis patients with end-stage renal disease from the instructions of chemicals and biologics used systemically in XuanWu hospital's formulary from January to March 2023.Classified and compared the labeling rates of the corresponding information of the originally developed drugs and generic drugs,imported drugs and domestic drugs;Drugs eliminated by non-renal route,or with mo-lecular weight≥5 000,or binding rate of plasma protein ≥ 60％,or drug distribution volume＞360L were classified as"non-dialysis group",and other drugs were classified as"dialysis group",compared the labeling rate of corresponding information of drugs in"dialysis group"and"non-dialysis group";and compared the labeling rate and content with relevant information in Lexicomp and Micromedex.Results Among the 930 drug instructions,the labeling rates of drug dialysis clearance,drug adjustment,and ex-plicit drug adjustment plan were 16.67％,25.16％,and 24.52％.There was no significant difference in the labeling rate of dialysis-related information between original and generic drugs,and imported and domestic drugs.There was a significant difference in the labeling rate of dialysis-related information between the"dialyzable group"and the"non-dialyzable group"(P＜0.01).The differ-ence in the labeling rate of dialysis related information between the investigated drug instructions and the corresponding drugs in Lexicomp or Micromedex was statistically significant(P＜0.01).Conclusion Attention should be paid to the lack of informa-tion and unclear labeling of hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease in the drug instructions by relevant departments.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) in the treatment of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated glomerulonephritis (AAGN).Methods:This was a single-center, retrospective and single-arm study. The clinical data of AAGN patients who received RTX induction therapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from April 2016 to July 2021 and had a follow-up period of more than 6 months were collected. The follow-up was up to June 2022. The Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) from 2003 was used to assess vasculitis activity. The treatment regimen for RTX was once every 1 to 2 weeks, with 375 mg/m 2 each time. For some patients, the dose was adjusted according to the immune status before medication. The clinical outcomes, renal remission, recurrence and safety was analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the cumulative renal remission rate. Results:A total of 43 AAGN patients were included in the study, with age of (57.6±16.6) years, 19 males (44.2%) and 34 (79.1%) newly treated patients. There were 34 patients (79.1%) with positive myeloperoxidase-ANCA and 8 patients (18.6%) with positive proteinase 3-ANCA. The dosage of RTX used at the 12-month follow-up was 600 (500, 1 200) mg. At 6 months of follow-up, 32 patients (74.4%) achieved renal remission, and renal remission time was 5.0 (3.3, 5.8) months. Three patients (7.0%) progressed to end-stage renal disease, and two patients (4.7%) died. Compared with patients without renal remission, patients with renal remission had lower baseline serum creatinine ( Z=-2.853, P=0.004), serum uric acid ( t=-2.861, P=0.007), urine protein/urine creatinine ratio ( Z=-2.130, P=0.033) and proportion of methylprednisolone pulse therapy ( χ 2=5.002, P=0.025), and higher estimated glomerular filtration rate ( Z=-2.728, P=0.006). At 12 months of follow-up, 33 patients (76.7%) achieved renal remission, and the cumulative renal remission rate was 82.4%. Two patients (4.7%) had renal recurrence, 5 patients (11.6%) progressed to end-stage renal disease, and 3 patients (7.0%) died. Infection (4 patients, including 2 severe infections) was the main adverse event, all of which occurred within 6 months of RTX treatment. Conclusions:The clinical remission rate and safety of RTX in the treatment of AAGN are both relatively high.

Objective:To compare the differences of long-term survival rates between hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) in the oldest old end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, and analyze the influencing factors of mortality.Methods:It was a retrospective cohort study. The clinical data from the oldest old patients (≥80 years old) who underwent HD or PD for the first time and maintained dialysis treatment for ≥3 months in the Zhejiang Dialysis Registration System from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2021 were collected. The follow-up endpoint was until the patients' death or December 31, 2022. The propensity score matching method was used to match groups. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare the differences of long-term survival rates between the two groups. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of mortality.Results:A total of 5 880 the oldest old dialysis patients were included in this study, with 5 363 patients in the initial HD group and 517 patients in the initial PD group. After matching, there were 517 patients in the HD group and 517 patients in the PD group. The median survival time of HD group before matching was 39.9 months, with 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates of 85.4%, 54.9%, and 30.0%, respectively. The median survival time of PD group was 32.9 months, with 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates of 82.5%, 47.1%, and 22.3%, respectively. After matching, the median survival time of HD group was 40.3 months, and the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates were 86.1%, 57.8%, and 29.1%, respectively. The survival rate of PD group remained unchanged. The difference of 1-year survival rate between the two groups was not statistically significant, but the 2-year, 3-year, 4-year, 5-year, and overall survival rates in HD group were higher than those in PD group (Log‐rank test, χ2=4.897, P=0.027; χ2=9.693, P=0.002; χ2=10.194, P=0.001; χ2=7.868, P=0.005; χ2=12.510, P<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that HD (HD/PD, HR=0.794, 95% CI 0.669-0.943, P=0.009), increasing age ( HR=1.069, 95% CI 1.038-1.110, P<0.001), comorbidity with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( HR=1.510, 95% CI 1.065-2.139, P=0.021) and serum albumin <35 g/L ( HR=1.393, 95% CI 1.165-1.665, P<0.001) were independent correlated factors of mortality. Conclusions:There is no significant difference in the 1-year survival rate between HD and PD groups. The survival rate for more than 1 year in HD patients is higher than that in PD patients. HD is an independent protective factor of survival, and increasing age, comorbidities of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and serum albumin <35 g/L are independent risk factors affecting the survival in the oldest old dialysis patients.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) in the treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), explore the influencing factors of the therapeutic effect and construct a nomogram model for predicting the therapeutic effect.Methods:A single retrospective study was conducted in IMN patients in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2017 to December 2022. All patients received monotherapy with RTX and were followed up for at least 12 months. RTX regimen adopted a B-cell guided regimen to achieve 0 cells/μl of peripheral blood CD19+ B cells through multiple administrations, followed by monitoring every 2?3 months and adding doses as needed to maintain this state. The complete response rate, partial response rate, and composite response rate at 6 months, 12 months and the end of follow up were analyzed. Logistic stepwise regression and R language were applied to construct a nomogram model for efficacy prediction. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow test were used to internally validate the nomogram model.Results:A total of 147 IMN patients were included in the study, with age of 56 (47, 65) years, 99 (67.4%) males. There were 69 (46.9%) newly treated patients, 78 (53.1%) retreatment patients. The follow-up time was 14.4 (12.0, 15.0) months. The total RTX dose was 1 800 (1 200, 2 400) mg. The composite response rates at 6 months, 12 months and the end of the follow-up were 36.7% (54/147), 59.9% (88/147) and 63.3% (93/147), respectively. The complete remission rates at 6 months, 12 months and the end of the follow-up were 6.1% (9/147), 13.6% (20/147) and 19.7% (29/147), respectively. Logistic stepwise regression analysis showed that age ≥ 65 years ( OR=0.335, 95% CI 0.135?0.833), retreatment ( OR=0.333, 95% CI 0.144?0.771), high cholesterol ( OR=0.716, 95% CI 0.577?0.888), high serum creatinine ( OR=0.978, 95% CI 0.963?0.993) and B-cell reconstruction within 6 months ( OR=0.273, 95% CI 0.115?0.645) were independent correlated factors affecting composite remission. Based on these factors, a nomogram model for predicting the therapeutic effect of RTX in IMN patients was constructed. The ROC curve indicated that the accuracy of this model in predicting composite remission was good ( AUC=0.814, 95% CI 0.744-0.883). The calibration curve showed that the predicted composite response rate had a good fit with the actual response rate (Hosmer-Lemeshow test χ2=11.917, P=0.155). Conclusions:RTX has good efficacy and safety as a monotherapy for IMN patients. The constructed nomogram prediction model has high discrimination and accuracy to predict the efficacy of RTX treatment for IMN.

This was a single-center retrospective case series study. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of percutaneous covered stent endovascular exclusion under digital subtraction angiography (DSA) for removing dialysis catheters misplaced in arteries. The clinical data from 7 patients treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2012 to October 2023 were analyzed. All patients had dialysis catheters confirmed to be misplaced in arteries via chest CT, X-ray radiography or computed tomography angiography. Percutaneous covered stent endovascular exclusion under DSA was used to remove the catheters. The results showed that except for one elderly patient died during waiting for surgery, the remaining 6 patients achieved satisfactory outcomes with no postoperative bleeding. There was no related complication observed during a 6-month follow-up. Arterial misplacement of dialysis catheters is a serious complication requiring prompt removal. Percutaneous covered stent endovascular exclusion under DSA offers a minimally invasive, effective, and safe approach with a high technical success rate and a low complication rate, making it a viable surgical option for similar clinical cases.