Tubulointerstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). They are also major determinants in chronic kidney disease development and progression in patients with primary renal diseases characterized by persistent or recurrent proteinuria. The purpose of the study was to assess urinary excretion of alpha-glutathione S-transferase (alpha-GST), pi-glutathione S-transferase (pi-GST), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), and serum NGAL level in children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). Patients and methods: the study group comprised of 39 children with INS and the control group consisted of 20 healthy children. A total of 23 patients were affected with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS) and 16 with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS). In the majority of patients, a histopathologic examination revealed minimal change disease (MCD)—25 (64%). Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (MesPGN), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), and membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) were diagnosed in 4 (10.3 %), 6 (15.5%), 2 (5.1%), and 2 (5.1%) children, respectively. Urinary alpha-GST, urinary pi-GST, urinary KIM-1, and urinary and serum NGAL concentrations were measured using specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The urinary results were expressed in nanograms per milligram of creatinine (ng/mg). Results: The authors observed significantly higher levels of urinary alpha-GST/creatinine ratio (P = 0.03), urinary KIM-1/creatinine ratio (P < 0.02), serum NGAL level (P < 0.01), and urinary NGAL/creatinine ratio (P = 0.02) in children with INS compared with controls. The median values of urinary pi-GST/creatinine ratio in children with INS and controls did not differ significantly. In children with SRNS, the median values of urinary NGAL/creatinine ratio (P = 0.02) and urinary KIM-1/creatinine ratio (P = 0.02) were significantly higher compared with children with SDNS. The authors noted significant positive correlation between KIM-1/creatinine ratio and proteinuria (r = 0.56, P < 0.05). The analysis of alpha-GST/creatinine ratio, pi-GST/creatinine ratio, sNGAL, and uNGAL/creatinine ratio concerning the histopathologic examination, the duration of the disease, and number of relapses did not show any significant differences. Conclusions: 1. Both children with SDNS and those with SRNS were characterized by increased tubular injury marker levels. 2. Patients with SRNS and higher proteinuria are more susceptible to early kidney damage.
BackgroundRegulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) are characterized by the presence of CD4+ surface antigen. Today the transcription factor FOXP3 is considered to be the most specific marker of Treg cells. The aim of the study was to estimate the percentage of Treg in peripheral blood and the tissue of the epithelial ovarian tumor and blood serum TGF-beta concentrations and relationships between them. Moreover, the aim of the study was to answer the question whether the percentage of Treg lymphocytes affects the time of survival in patients with ovarian cancer.MethodsThe patients were divided into four groups, depending on the histopathological examination result: I – a group without any pathology within the ovaries (C; n = 20), II – a group with benign tumors (B; n = 25), III – with borderline tumors (BR; n = 11), IV – a group with cancer of the ovary (M; n = 24). The percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood and the tissue was assessed using the flow cytometry method. TGF-beta cytokine concentration was estimated with the ELISA immunoenzymatic test. Statistical analysis of the results was conducted using the computer program Statistica 10.0PL (StatSoft, Inc).ResultsNo significant differences were found in percentages of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood between individual groups of patients (p = 0.11). However, we observed marked differences in the tissue of malignant and non-malignant tumors between individual groups of patients (p = 0.003). The analysis with the post hoc test revealed significantly higher TGF-beta concentration in the group of women with malignant tumors. Moreover, no relationship was found between TGF-beta concentration and the percentage of Treg cells in peripheral blood and tumors of the ovary. No correlation was found between the percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood (p = 0.4) and the tissue of ovarian tumors (p = 0.3) and the time of survival of patients with ovarian cancer.ConclusionsThe recruitment of Treg lymphocytes toward the tumor is one of the mechanisms of escape of neoplasm from the response of the immune system. The percentage of Treg lymphocytes in peripheral blood and the neoplastic tissue does not influence the time of survival of patients with ovarian cancer.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.