This study provides no evidence that atorvastatin reduces subclinical measures of atherosclerosis or disease activity over 2 years in patients with SLE. In fact, it does not appear to reduce biochemical measures of inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effects of statins observed in the general population were not replicated in this SLE clinical trial. Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 00120887).

Objective To investigate the relationship of urinary biomarkers (UBM) and established measures of renal function (EMRF) to the histological findings with lupus nephritis (LN); and to test whether certain combinations of the above mentioned laboratory measures are diagnostic of specific histological features of LN. Methods Urine samples of 76 patients were collected within 2 months of a kidney biopsy and assayed for the UBM: lipocalin-like prostaglandin-D synthetase (LPGDS), α1-acid-glycoprotein (AAG), transferrin (TF), ceruloplasmin (CP), neutrophil-gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL), and monocyte chemotactic factor 1 (MCP1). Using non-parametric analyses, UBM and EMRF levels were compared to histological features seen with LN: mesangial expansion, capillary proliferation, crescent formation, necrosis, wire loops, fibrosis, tubular atrophy, and epimembranous deposits. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) curve was calculated to predict LN activity, chronicity or membranous LN. Results There was a differential increase of the UBM that formed a pattern reflective of specific histological features seen with active LN. The combination of MCP1, AAG, CP plus protein:creatinine ratio were excellent in predicting LN activity (AUC=0.85). NGAL together with creatinine clearance plus MCP1 was an excellent (AUC=0.83) and MCP1, AAG, creatinine clearance plus C4 (AUC=0.75) a good diagnostic test of LN chronicity and membranous LN, respectively. Conclusions Select UBM are associated with specific tissue changes observed with LN activity and chronicity. Especially in combination with select EMRF, UBM are well-suited to non-invasively quantify LN activity, LN chronicity, and the presence of membranous LN.

Objective Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), an adhesion molecule, is involved in the progression of glomerular and tubulointerstitial injury. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a member of the lipocalin superfamily, has been shown to rise in both acute and chronic kidney damage. Both VCAM-1 and NGAL have been found at high levels in the urine of patients with active lupus nephritis. We investigated both as potential biomarkers for lupus nephritis. Methods VCAM-1 and NGAL were measured by ELISA during 1 to 8 clinic visits in 107 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; 91% women, 51% black, 36% white, 4% Asian, 4% Hispanic, and 5% others) for a total of 190 visits. Patients’ mean age was 41 years. We analyzed the relationship between these potential urine biomarkers and the urine protein/creatinine ratio (urine Pr/Cr), the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) renal activity score, SLE Disease Activity Index renal descriptors, and other clinical variables. Results VCAM-1 levels were strongly associated with the physician’s global estimate of disease activity (p = 0.0002), the renal visual analog scale (p < 0.0001), the urine Pr/Cr (p < 0.0001), and SLICC renal activity score (p < 0.0001). VCAM-1 levels were also associated with a urine Pr/Cr ≥ 0.5 (p < 0.0001). NGAL was not associated with any measure of disease activity or with lupus serologies. Conclusion Urine VCAM-1 had a strong association with measures of disease activity, including multiple renal activity descriptors. In contrast to previous SLE studies, NGAL failed to show any association with lupus nephritis.