Objectives
We analyzed the clinical follow-up results of 88 lupus nephritis patients to find prognostic factors for the development of chronic kidney disease in ethnically homogeneous Korean patients ...with biopsy-proven lupus nephritis.
Methods
Sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment-related data at the time of kidney biopsy and during follow-up were obtained. Renal biopsy specimens were reclassified according to the International Society of Pathology/Renal Pathology Society classification, separately, by two renal pathologists blinded to the previous classification. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model to identify independent risk factors for chronic kidney disease in lupus nephritis patients.
Results
Eighteen of 88 patients (20.5%) developed chronic kidney disease during a mean follow-up of 47.6 months (range: 12–96 months). Patients who developed chronic kidney disease were older at onset of lupus nephritis, had less education, and were more likely to have hypertension; they had lower serum albumin levels, lower platelet levels, higher serum creatinine levels, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate, higher chronicity index, and lower frequency of anti-ribosomal P antibodies, and they were less likely to be in complete remission in the first year. In stepwise multivariable analyses, hypertension, lower glomerular filtration rate, and failure to achieve complete remission in the first year of treatment were significant predictors of the development of chronic kidney disease in lupus nephritis patients.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that patients with hypertension and decreased kidney function at the onset of lupus nephritis and showing a poor response to immunosuppressive drugs in the first year should be monitored carefully and managed aggressively to avoid deterioration of kidney function.
Summary
Background Recently, photodynamic therapy (PDT) using a variety of light sources and photosensitizers has been used for the treatment of acne vulgaris. PDT with aminolaevulinic or ...methylaminolaevulinic acid has also been used in clinical trials as a treatment for acne, but adverse effects such as pain, erythema and pustular eruption are common. Indocyanine green (ICG) and indole‐3‐acetic acid (IAA), newer photosensitizers, are known to have minimal adverse effects.
Objectives This study was designed to compare the safety and efficacy of PDT using ICG and PDT using IAA in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris.
Methods In this prospective, single‐blind, clinical trial, 34 patients with mild to moderate acne were treated with IAA with green light (520 nm) on half of the face and with ICG with near‐infrared radiation (805 nm) on the other half. The procedure was carried out five times at 1‐week intervals.
Results With regard to acne lesions (inflammatory and noninflammatory) and sebum secretion, there were statistically significant reductions at each time point compared with the baseline values (P < 0·05). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two treatment types (P > 0·05). Both ICG‐PDT and IAA‐PDT showed better responses for inflammatory lesions than for noninflammatory lesions (P < 0·05). Subjective satisfaction score were statistically significant at 4 and 5 weeks of treatment as well as at 1, 2 and 3 months follow‐up (P < 0·05).
Conclusions Both PDT with ICG and PDT with IAA are safe and effective for the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris.
See also the Commentary by Morton
Clinical application of small interfering RNA (siRNA) in cancer therapy has been limited by the lack of an efficient systemic siRNA delivery system. In this report we describe an efficient siRNA ...delivery system directed to metastasized tumors, especially in the lungs. Anticancer siRNA was condensed in the presence of 9-arginine peptides (9Arg) and then complexed with cationic O,O'-dimyristyl-N-lysyl glutamate liposomes conjugated to antibodies against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The ternary complex of optimized anti-EGFR-9Arg-lipoplexes exhibited efficient siRNA transfection of LS174T-Luc cancer cells grown in culture or orthotopically in mouse lungs. Anti-tumor Bcl-2/survivin siRNAs loaded in the anti-EGFR-9Arg-lipoplexes effectively suppressed transcription of their target genes, resulting in an efficient cancer cell death. Repeated intravenous administrations of the anti-EGFR-9Arg-lipoplexes effectively inhibited tumor growth in the mouse lungs and prolonged survival of the mice compared with nontargeted lipoplexes. These results suggest that the ternary complexes of anti-EGFR-9Arg-lipoplexes might have clinical applications in RNA interference cancer therapy.
The efficacy of amoxicillin sodium for controlling field and experimental Streptococcus iniae and S. parauberis infections in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) was evaluated after a single ...intramuscular administration. Furthermore, the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against 21 Streptococcus strains were determined. In addition, the pharmacokinetics and residue depletion in olive flounder were investigated. Single intramuscular doses of amoxicillin sodium at 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg/kg b.w. fish significantly reduced cumulative mortality rates to 18.8–31.3% (P < 0.05) for S. iniae and to 5.0–15.0% (P < 0.01) for S. parauberis, whereas the S. iniae‐ and S. parauberis‐infected positive control groups showed cumulative mortality rates of 68.8% and 60.0%, respectively. In a S. parauberis outbreak, amoxicillin sodium reduced the cumulative mortality rate to 7.5% and 4.8% at 20 and 40 mg/kg b.w. fish, respectively, whereas that of the untreated control group was 35.2%. Peak plasma concentrations (Cmax) following a single intramuscular dose of 40 and 80 mg/kg b.w. fish were 62.64 (Tmax, 1.59 h) and 87.61 (Tmax, 3.02 h) μg/mL, respectively, with large AUC0−t/MIC and Cmax/MIC ratios, and sufficient T > MIC (time for maintaining plasma drug concentration greater than MICs) for S. iniae and S. parauberis. The estimated withdrawal period of amoxicillin sodium from muscle of olive flounder was about 8 days at 40 mg/kg b.w. fish (at 22 ± 1 °C). These results demonstrated a single intramuscular administration of amoxicillin sodium to be effective against streptococcosis in olive flounder.
The intramuscular fat (IMF) content of the LM, also known as marbling, is particularly important in determining the price of beef in Korea, Japan, and the United States. Deposition of IMF is ...influenced by both genetic (e.g., breed, gender, and genotype) and nongenetic factors (e.g., castration, nutrition, stressors, animal weight, and age). Castration of bulls markedly increases deposition of IMF, resulting in improved beef quality. Here, we present a comparative gene expression approach between bulls and steers. Transcriptomic and proteomic studies have demonstrated that the combined effects of increases in lipogenesis, fatty acid uptake, and fatty acid esterification and decreased lipolysis are associated with increased IMF deposition in the LM. Several peripheral tissues (LM, adipose tissues, and the liver) are involved in lipid metabolism. Therefore, understanding the significance of the tissue network in lipid metabolism is important. Here, we demonstrate that lipid metabolism in LM tissues is crucial for IMF deposition, whereas lipid metabolism in the liver plays only a minor role. Metabolism of body fat and IMF deposition in bovine species has similarities with these processes in metabolic diseases, such as obesity in humans and rodents. Extensive studies on metabolic diseases using epigenome modification (DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNA), microbial metagenomics, and metabolomics have been performed in humans and rodents, and new findings have been reported using these technologies. The importance of applying "omics" fields (epigenomics, metagenomics, and metabolomics) to the study of IMF deposition in cattle is described. New information on the molecular mechanisms of IMF deposition may be used to design nutritional or genetic methods to manipulate IMF deposition and to modify fatty acid composition in beef cattle. Applying nutrigenomics could maximize the expression of genetic potential of economically important traits (e.g., marbling) in animals.
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