Background/Aims: The degree of tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis (IFTA) is an important prognostic factor in glomerulonephritis. Imbalance between pro-inflammatory cytokines such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and protective cytokines such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) likely determine IFTA severity. In separate studies, elevated MCP-1 and decreased EGF have been shown to be associated with IFTA severity. In this study, we aim to evaluate the predictive value of urinary EGF/MCP-1 ratio compared to each biomarker individually for moderate to severe IFTA in primary glomerulonephritis (GN). Methods: Urine samples were collected at biopsy from primary GN (IgA nephropathy, focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis, minimal change disease, membranous nephropathy). MCP-1 and EGF were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: EGF, MCP-1 and EGF/MCP-1 ratio from primary GN, all correlated with IFTA (n=58). By univariate analysis, glomerular filtration rate, EGF, and EGF/MCP-1 ratio were associated with IFTA. By multivariate analysis, only EGF/ MCP-1 ratio was independently associated with IFTA. EGF/MCP-1 ratio had a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 74 % for IFTA. EGF/MCP-1 had good discrimination for IFTA (AUC=0.85), but the improvement over EGF alone was not significant. Conclusion: EGF/MCP-1 ratio is independently associated IFTA severity in primary glomerulonephritis, but the ability of EGF/ MCP-1 ratio to discriminate moderate to severe IFTA may not be much better than EGF alone.

The recent development of a nanopore-type portable DNA sequencer has changed the way we think about DNA sequencing. We can perform sequencing directly in the field, where we collect the samples. Here, we report the development of a novel method to detect and genotype tropical disease pathogens, using dengue fever as a model. By combining the sequencer with isothermal amplification that only requires a water bath, we were able to amplify and sequence target viral genomes with ease. Starting from a serum sample, the entire procedure could be finished in a single day. The analysis of blood samples collected from 141 Indonesian patients demonstrated that this method enables the clinical identification and serotyping of the dengue virus with high sensitivity and specificity. The overall successful detection rate was 79%, and a total of 58 SNVs were detected. Similar analyses were conducted on 80 Vietnamese and 12 Thai samples with similar performance. Based on the obtained sequence information, we demonstrated that this approach is able to produce indispensable information for etiologically analyzing annual or regional diversifications of the pathogens.

Elucidation of the molecular phylogeny of shrew-borne hantaviruses in sub-Saharan Africa has been hampered by the lack of full-length viral genomes. In this report, we present the complete genome analysis of a newfound hantavirus, designated Bowé virus, detected in ethanol-fixed intercostal muscle of a Doucet’s musk shrew (Crocidura douceti), captured in southwestern Guinea in February 2012. Full-length amino acid sequence comparison of the S-, M- and L-segment gene products revealed that Bowé virus differed by 24.1–53.4%, 17.0–59.9% and 14.6–39.7%, respectively, from all other representative rodent-, shrew- and mole-borne hantaviruses. Phylogenetic analysis, using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian methods, under the GTR+I+Γ model of evolution, showed that Bowé virus shared a common ancestry with Tanganya virus, a hantavirus detected in the Therese’s shrew (Crocidura theresae) in Guinea. Whole genome analysis of many more hantaviruses from sub-Saharan Africa are needed to better clarify how the radiation of African shrews might have contributed to the phylogeography of hantaviruses.