A total of 244 patients with lupus nephritis (219 women (89.8%) with a female to male ratio of 9 : 1) were included in the study. Clinical and laboratory findings at renal biopsy are clinically valuable in identifying different renal classifications of lupus pathology, activity, and chronicity index. Patients with class IVG had significantly higher proportions of microscopic hematuria, proteinuria, hypertension, impaired renal function, anemia, hypoalbuminuria, and positive anti-DNA antibody. All of these findings correlated well with high activity index and chronicity index of lupus pathology. Considering these correlations may help to determine the clinicopathologic status of lupus patients.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The emerging renal and cardiovascular complications of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) genetics involves differently assembled gene variants including transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 (PPARG2) polymorphisms. However, the relevance of these genes for complication prediction has not been extensively tested. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We analyzed the SNP rs7903146 variants in TCF7L2 and PPARG2 gene polymorphisms for their contribution to the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular complications in a prospective cohort study. All T2DM patients were followed up to estimate the glomerular filtration rate and cardiovascular outcomes. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the genotype effect on the incidence of CKD and vascular complications. <b><i>Results:</i></b> A total of 422 patients were included. SNP rs7903146 variants in the TCF7L2 gene were classified into 3 groups: CC, 385 patients (91.2%), CT, 32 patients (7.6%), and TT, 5 patients (1.2%), while in the PPARG2 gene they were classified into 2 groups: Pro12Pro, 404 patients (95.7%) and Pro12Ala, 18 patients (4.3%). The prevalence of CKD, cardiovascular disease, and death at the end of the 5-year follow-up was 16.8, 29, and 7.9%, respectively. The Pro12Ala variant of the PPARG2 gene was significantly associated with increased CKD risk at the end of the study (adjusted HR 3.45, 95% CI 1.01–11.77, <i>p</i> = 0.046); it showed a significant association with increased cerebrovascular risk, but not cardiovascular disease and mortality. No genotype effect of rs7903146 in the TCF7L2 gene was apparent on renal and cardiovascular complications, except the TT variant of rs7903146 increased cardiovascular events when compared with the non-TT variant. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The findings of our study were that the Pro12Ala variant in the PPARG2 gene was associated with risk of developing CKD and cerebrovascular disease in Asian T2DM subjects in a prospective cohort study. The TCF7L2 polymorphism was not associated with cardiovascular outcomes.

Background: Depression is highly prevalent and is well known to affect patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Agomelatine exerts psychotropic effects upon mood and anxious states. There is limited data on agomelatine treatment among patients with CKD. Methods: Patients with CKD stage 3-5 with DSM-5-defined major depressive disorder (MDD) were randomly assigned to receive 25 mg/day of agomelatine or sertraline 50 mg/day for eight weeks at Phramongkutklao Hospital. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) score and concerning adverse events were measured at baseline and the end of the study. Efficacy assessment compared the improvements in clinical response and remission between the agomelatine and placebo groups. Results: Of 53 enrolled patients, 27 were assigned to the agomelatine group and 26 to the sertraline group. The mean age was 64.8±13.4 years. Baseline characteristics were comparable across treatment groups. After eight weeks, agomelatine-treated showed reductions in HDRS score from baseline (-15.6 with 95% CI -18.6 to -12.5). A significant difference was observed in the reduced HDRS scores between agomelatine and sertraline groups (-12.4; 95% CI -18.4 to -6.5). Over the 6-week treatment period, clinical response (55.0 vs. 9.0%, p <0.001) and remission (45.0 vs. 17.4%, p =0.049) improved significantly more with agomelatine than with sertraline. Both agomelatine and sertraline were well-tolerated during the treatment period. Conclusion: Agomelatine showed superior antidepressant efficacy over sertraline in treating CKD patients with depression after eight weeks, with a good tolerability profile.

Background: Hyperkalemia is common among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, and consequently contributes to an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia. Senna glycoside may decrease colonic transit time and potassium colonic reabsorption. Methods: Patients on hemodialysis were randomized to receive either oral senna glycoside (n = 37) or control (n = 36) for 8 weeks. The primary outcomes were predialysis serum potassium and prevalence of hyperkalemia.Results: At the end of the study, significantly reduced serum potassium concentrations were observed in the senna glycoside compared with the control (À0.32 [95%CI À0.43, À0.04] vs. À0.02 [95%CI À0.12, 0.05] mEq/L, p < 0.001, respectively). The prevalence of hyperkalemia during the study occurred at 13.8% in the control and 5.4% in the senna glycoside (p = 0.309). No serious adverse events were observed. Conclusion: Among patients with ESRD on hemodialysis, senna glycoside significantly decreases serum potassium level. Senna glycoside is a safe and possibly effective alternative treatment for hyperkalemia in ESRD.

Background. Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem among patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Vitamin D supplementation leads to reduced serum parathyroid hormone levels and improved cardiovascular markers. Different doses and time intervals of oral vitamin D supplementation may differ in each patient on dialysis. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of weekly split and single dose of ergocalciferol at 60,000 IU on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) among patients on CAPD. Methods. A randomized study was conducted among patients on CAPD with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (25(OH)D < 30 ng/mL). Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the split dose group was given ergocalciferol 20,000 IU three times weekly and the single dose group was given ergocalciferol 60,000 IU once weekly for 8 weeks. Main outcomes measured serum 25(OH)D concentrations, serum calcium, serum phosphate, and intact parathyroid levels at 8 weeks after being enrolled. Results. Of 128 screened patients, 50 met the criteria for eligibility and were randomized. At 8 weeks after treatment, mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations significantly increased from baseline 22.7 ± 5.9 to 29.5 ± 9.5 ng/mL P = 0.004 in the split dose group and 22.9 ± 5.3 to 31.2 ± 12.3 ng/mL P = 0.003 in the single dose group. No significant change was found in increase of serum 25(OH)D between the two groups P = 0.561 . At the end of study, a similar proportion of patients in both groups reached the desirable serum concentration of 25(OH)D ≥ 30 ng/mL (60% in the single group vs. 40% in the split group, P = 0.258 ). No significant cases of hypercalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, or serious adverse events occurred during the study. Conclusion. Weekly single and split doses of ergocalciferol 60,000 IU achieved similar effects on serum 25(OH)D levels among patients on CAPD with vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency, suggesting that weekly single dose would be prescribed for adequate vitamin D repletion. This trial is registered with TCTR20200821005.