Background/Aim: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) promotes the growth of renal mesangial cells. IL-6 may play a major role in such mesangial proliferation, but there has been little research on IL-6 in relation to diabetic nephropathy because of the difficulty in measuring urinary and serum IL-6 levels. Using a newly developed, highly sensitive IL-6 assay, we studied the relationship between serum and urinary IL-6 and diabetic nephropathy. Methods: We investigated 72 patients with type 2 diabetes. Urinary and serum IL-6 concentrations were measured using a chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay with a detection limit of 0.11 pg/ml. Results: There was a significant increase of the serum IL-6 level as diabetic nephropathy progressed, with the level being 1.4 ± 0.3 pg/ml in patients with normal albuminuria, rising to 2.4 ± 0.6 pg/ml in patients with microalbuminuria and then to 4.4 ± 0.8 pg/ml in those having proteinuria. The serum IL-6 level was also significantly correlated with fibrinogen and aortic pulse wave velocity. The urinary IL-6 level was also significantly increased in diabetic patients as nephropathy progressed. Both serum and urinary IL-6 levels were high in the group with nephropathy, but there was no correlation between the two. Conclusion: The urinary IL-6 level seems to be a good indicator of diabetic nephropathy, and atherosclerotic changes were related to the serum IL-6 level. The serum IL-6 may, therefore, be useful in the evaluation of atherosclerosis including nephropathy.

In this report, we describe 5 patients with cholesterol atheroembolic renal failure. In 3 of the 5 patients, combined therapy with corticosteroids and plasma exchange was performed. These 3 patients survived, with 2 showing an improvement in renal function. The 2 remaining patients died of multifactorial causes. The literature on therapy for cholesterol atheroembolic renal failure is reviewed and the efficacy of combined therapy by use of corticosteroids and plasma exchange is evaluated.

To minimize the adverse effects of high-dose administration of steroids and cyclophosphamide in patients with myeloperoxidase (MPO) antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), granulocytapheresis (GCAP) or leukocytapheresis (LCAP) was performed to reduce inflammation. Four patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) and one patient with pulmonary hemorrhage due to MPO-ANCA-associated vasculitis were treated by cytapheresis. The prednisolone (PSL) dose was 0.28 ± 0.15 mg/kg/day (mean ± SD) (range 0.18-0.50 g/kg/day). In the 4 RPGN patients, the peak serum creatinine level was 3.7 ± 1.9 mg/dl (range 1.7 to 5.6 mg/dl). GCAP was performed in 3 RPGN patients and in 1 pul-monary hemorrhage patient. LCAP was performed in 1 RPGN patient. In the 4 RPGN patients, renal function improved after combined therapy with cytapheresis and corticosteroids. In the pulmonary hemorrhage patient, evidence of pulmonary hemorrhage on chest computed tomography scanning diminished after combined therapy with cytapheresis and corticosteroids. Cytapheresis, when combined with a low-dose or intermediate-dose PSL regimen, is effective in the treatment of ANCA-associated vasculitis. Key Words: Cytapheresis-Granulocytapheresis-Lymphocytapheresis-Myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. CASE REPORTS Case 1Urinary protein was detected in a 60 year old man, and he consulted a doctor in March 2001. At that time his serum creatinine level was 0.9 mg/dl. Thereafter, he was seen by a local physician once a month, and dilazep dihydrochloride was prescribed for treatment. His serum creatinine level rapidly rose to

Urinary pancreatic stone protein (PSP) levels were measured in 68 diabetic patients and 170 healthy controls to investigate the relationship between the progression of diabetic nephropathy and PSP excretion. Urinary albumin, N-acetyl-p-glucosaminidase (NAG), ax-microglobulin, creatinine clearance, and the blood PSP level were also determined in the diabetic patients. The urinary glucose level and glycemic control did not influence the urinary PSP level. In patients with normoalbuminuria (urinary albumin <20 mg/gCr, n=31), microalbuminuria (20-200 mg/Cr, n=19), and macroalbuminuria (>200 mg/gCr, n=18), the mean urinary PSP level was 347, 507, and 860 |0g/gCr, respectively. These levels were significantly higher than the level in normal volunteers (168 |ilg/gCr, p<0.01). A significant positive correlation was observed between the urinary PSP level and the NAGor aj-microglobulin levels (p<0.01). There was a stronger correlation with ocjmicroglobulin. Blood PSP levels were also elevated in patients who had renal impairment with a decreased creatinine clearance. In conclusion, urinary PSP excretion was increased from the initial stage of diabetic nephropathy and this increase became more marked as nephropathy progressed. Increased PSP excretion may reflect renal tubular dysfunction. (Internal Medicine 37: 500-503, 1998) Key words: urinary pancreatic stone protein (PSP), urinary albumin, urinary armicroglobulin, urinary N-acetyl-p-glucosaminidase (NAG)

Objective The diagnosis of amyloidosis still relies on