The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is responsible for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), potentially have severe kidney adverse effects. This organ expressed angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the transmembrane protein which facilitate the entering of the virus into the cell. Therefore, early detection of the kidney manifestations of COVID-19 is crucial. Previous studies showed ACE2 role in various indications of this disease, especially in kidney effects. The MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in this organ affected ACE2 expression. Therefore, this review aims at summarizing the literature of a novel miRNA-based therapy and its potential applications in COVID-19-associated nephropathy. Furthermore, previous studies were analyzed for the kidney manifestations of COVID-19 and the miRNAs role that were published on the online databases, namely MEDLINE (PubMed) and Scopus. Several miRNAs, particularly miR-18 (which was upregulated in nephropathy), played a crucial role in ACE2 expression. Therefore, the antimiR-18 roles were summarized in various primate models that aided in developing the therapy for ACE2 related diseases.

Introduction Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is one of the most common childhood kidney diseases. During the active phase, the disease pathogenesis affects various biological functions linked to loss of proteins negatively, which can result in systemic complications. Complications of childhood NS are divided into two categories: disease-associated complications and drug-associated complications. However, complications in pediatric patients with NS, especially disease-associated complications are still limited. Although reported in the literature, information is not comprehensive and needs to be updated. This study aimed to systematically assess systemic complications in children with NS, especially disease-associated complications, to better understand how they impact outcomes. Methods We conducted a systematic search of several databases: BioMed Central Pediatrics, PubMed, Google Scholar, the National Library of Medicine, Cochrane Library, CINAHL/EBSCO, British Medical Journal , Science Direct, Scopus, and Elsevier’s ClinicalKey. We followed the PRISMA guidelines to plan, conduct, and report this review. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal tools for assuring the quality of the journal articles that were chosen. Results Eleven articles concerning complications in childhood NS were analyzed. Systemic disease-associated complications in covered were cardiovascular complications, infections, thyroid-hormone complication, kidney complications, and oral health complications. Conclusion NS is marked by heavy proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, edema, and hyperlipidemia, which can result in systemic disease-associated complications. Cardiovascular complications, infections, thyroid-hormone complications, kidney complications, and oral health complications are the main systemic complications in childhood NS. It is essential that health-care providers prevent these complications for proper maintenance of patients’ health.

Background: Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is a leading contributor to chronic kidney disease (CKD), and calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) or monoclonal antibodies are currently the best identified therapy. Meanwhile, some developing countries still use alkylating agents (AA) such as cyclophosphamide (CPA) to treat SRNS due to economic reasons. Objectives: This study aims to determine the employability of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) as a biomarker for monitoring therapy in SRNS children and compare the clinical improvement with those treated with an AA and CNIs. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Indonesia. The data was collected from July 2019 to July 2020 from 70 children with FSGS. Clinical signs were evaluated monthly, and serum suPAR level was measured at the third and sixth months following therapy. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA was carried out to compare the differences in suPAR level at baseline with the third and sixth months in SRNS patients who received AA and CNIs. Results: The mean age was nearly similar between the two groups based on the t-test (P = 0.140). Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome was more frequent in boys than in girls (P = 0.020), according to the Chi-square test. Baseline serum suPAR level was not significantly different between the two groups. In the third month, the daily urinary protein level was higher in SRNS patients that received the AA compared to the CNIs group (P < 0.001). There was a significant interaction between time and treatment (F(2,138) = 7.203, P = 0.001), with higher suPAR level in SRNS patients that received the AA compared to those administered with CNIs at the 3rd and 6th months, but this difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusions: As a noninvasive tool, suPAR is a promising modality in monitoring SRNS therapy, and CNIs have a tendency to achieve faster remission than the AA.

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