A 6-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital with proteinuria, hematuria, skin rash and joint pain of the lower limbs. Due to rapid progression of renal insufficiency, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis were performed. She was diagnosed with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. Kidney biopsy showed severe crescent formation (50% of glomeruli) and no deposition of any immunoglobulins or complements. Serologically, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA) was negative not only by ELISA against proteinase-3 and myeloperoxidase-ANCA but also by indirect immunofluorescent assay against cytoplasmic and perinuclear ANCA. Anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody was also negative. In the acute phase, proinflammatory cytokines such as soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (sTNFR1), soluble interleukin (IL)-2 receptor (sIL2R), IL-6 and chemokine IL-8 were elevated. The patient was diagnosed with ANCA-negative pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN). Intensive treatment with methylprednisolone pulse therapy, plasma exchange, and multiple drug therapy including prednisolone and cyclophosphamide resulted in histopathological improvement and complete remission of proteinuria. There was a possibility that sTNFR1, sIL2R, IL-6 and IL-8 might be involved in the initiation and progression of ANCA-negative pauci-immune CrGN, and to remove and suppress these cytokines might be an effective way to treat ANCA-negative pauci-immune CrGN.
Infantile systemic lupus erythematosus (iSLE) is extremely rare. Patients with iSLE usually become severely unwell and have poor prognosis. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection has been implicated in the development of SLE in both adults and children. Recently, we experienced a case of iSLE with severe lupus nephritis (LN) and EBV infection. A 14-month-old Japanese boy was diagnosed with iSLE according to the American Rheumatism Association criteria. Renal biopsy showed LN classified as International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society class IV-G (A), and liver biopsy showed lupus hepatitis. Steroid pulse treatment resulted in improvement of the levels of serological markers of SLE such as double-stranded DNA and complement, but his proteinuria worsened and he developed acute nephritic-nephrotic syndrome. Monthly intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY) therapy dramatically reduced his proteinuria and led to complete remission (urinary protein/creatinine ratio <0.1 mg/mg), with gradual improvement in levels of serological markers. EBV antibody titers and EBV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of peripheral blood lymphocytes suggested that the onset of iSLE might have been associated with EBV infection. At his 2-year follow-up visit, he was healthy and remained in complete remission. We conclude that IVCY treatment might be well tolerated and effective in cases of iSLE. EBV infection might play an important role in the pathogenesis of iSLE.
Calcium compounds with N and H are promising catalysts for NH3 conversion, and their epitaxial thin films provide a platform to quantitatively understand the catalytic activities. Here we report the selective epitaxial growth of Ca2NH and CaNH thin films by controlling the hydrogen partial pressure (P H2 ) during reactive magnetron sputtering. We find that the hydrogen charge states can be tuned by P H2 : Ca2NH containing H– is formed at P H2 < 0.04 Pa, while CaNH containing H+ is formed at P H2 > 0.04 Pa. In situ plasma emission spectroscopy reveals that the intensity of the Ca atomic emission (∼422 nm) decreases as P H2 increases, suggesting that Ca reacts with H2 and N2 to form Ca2NH at lower P H2 , whereas at higher P H2 , CaH x is first formed on the target surface and then sputtered to produce CaNH. This study provides a novel route to control the hydrogen charge states in Ca–N–H epitaxial thin films.
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.