Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major public health concern associated with high morbidity and mortality. Despite decades of research, the pathogenesis of AKI remains incompletely understood and effective therapies are lacking. An increasing body of evidence suggests a role for epigenetic regulation in the process of AKI and kidney repair, involving remarkable changes in histone modifications, DNA methylation and the expression of various non-coding RNAs. For instance, increases in levels of histone acetylation seem to protect kidneys from AKI and promote kidney repair. AKI is also associated with changes in genome-wide and gene-specific DNA methylation; however, the role and regulation of DNA methylation in kidney injury and repair remains largely elusive. MicroRNAs have been studied quite extensively in AKI, and a plethora of specific microRNAs have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AKI. Emerging research suggests potential for microRNAs as novel diagnostic biomarkers of AKI. Further investigation into these epigenetic mechanisms will not only generate novel insights into the mechanisms of AKI and kidney repair but also might lead to new strategies for the diagnosis and therapy of this disease.Acute kidney injury (AKI), characterized by a rapid decline in kidney function, is a major public health problem. It is responsible for approximately 1.7 million deaths per year worldwide and is associated with increased length of hospital stay among hospitalized patients as well as high costs 1-3 . The pathophysiology of AKI is incompletely understood but involves the injury and death of renal tubular cells, particularly of cells in the proximal *

Summary:Purpose: To determine whether long-term treatment with valproate (VPA) and/or lamotrigine (LTG) in children with epilepsy is associated with altered growth and/or bone metabolism.Methods: Twenty-seven boys and 26 girls, aged 3 to 17 years (9.2 ± 3.9, mean ± SD), with epilepsy treated with VPA and/or LTG for Ն2 years were evaluated for growth, nutrient intakes, physical activity, bone mineral density (BMD), and blood biochemical indices of mineral and bone metabolism.Results: Twenty-three (43.4%) of the children had a body height below the 10th percentile. Z-scores for BMD below -1.5 occurred in 24.4% of the children. When patients were divided into two groups according to daily activity score, a significantly lower Z-score for total body BMD (p ‫ס‬ 0.007), percentile for body height (p ‫ס‬ 0.05), and plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH; p ‫ס‬ 0.04), osteocalcin (p ‫ס‬ 0.04) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) (p ‫ס‬ 0.01) were found in the inactive compared with the active group. Z-score for total body BMD was correlated with daily activity score (r ‫ס‬ 0.43, p ‫ס‬ 0.008). Plasma intact osteocalcin and intact PTH values correlated significantly (r ‫ס‬ 0.36, p ‫ס‬ 0.02). Plasma 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D was within normal range for all subjects. When patients were divided into LTG-alone, VPA-alone, and LTG-plus-VPA treatment groups, significantly lower (p < 0.05) plasma osteocalcin and percentile for body height were found in the VPA-plus-LTG treatment group.Conclusions: Long-term VPA and LTG therapy, particularly when combined, is associated with short stature, low BMD, and reduced bone formation. These alterations may be mediated primarily through reduced physical activity rather than through a direct link to the VPA and/or LTG therapy.

A high proportion of patients on conventional corticosteroid replacement therapy are over treated or on inappropriate replacement regimens. To reduce the long term risk of osteoporosis, corticosteroid replacement therapy should be individually assessed and over replacement avoided.

Psoriasis is a complex long-lasting inflammatory skin disease with high prevalence and associated comorbidity. It is characterized by epidermal hyperplasia and dermal infiltration of immune cells. Here, we review the role of keratinocytes in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, focusing on factors relevant to genetics, cytokines and receptors, metabolism, cell signaling, transcription factors, non-coding RNAs, antimicrobial peptides, and proteins with other different functions. The critical role of keratinocytes in initiating and maintaining the inflammatory state suggests the great significance of targeting keratinocytes for the treatment of psoriasis.