CMIP SNPs and their haplotypes are associated with dyslipidaemia and clinicopathologic features of IgA nephropathy

Inverse relationship between LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and atrial fibrillation in chronic kidney disease patients

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is more prevalent in individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) compared to the general population. While a potential inverse correlation between lipid levels and AF has been proposed, it remains unclear if this relationship applies to CKD patients. This study examined the connection between the ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C/HDL-C) and the likelihood of AF in CKD patients. Data was gathered from 21,091 consecutive CKD patients between 2006 and December 31, 2015. We examined the link between the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and AF in CKD patients through binary logistic regression, as well as various sensitivity and subgroup analyses. The dataset that backs up these analyses is available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230189 . Of the 21,091 CKD patients, 211 (1.00%) were diagnosed with AF. The cohort, predominantly male (79.93%), had a mean age of 60.89 ± 10.05 years. The mean LDL-C/HDL-C ratio was 1.39 ± 0.35. After adjusting for covariates, a significant inverse association was observed between the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and the incidence of AF in CKD patients (OR = 0.422, 95% CI 0.273-0.652, P = 0.00010). The robustness of these findings was confirmed through sensitivity analysis. Subgroup analysis revealed a strong correlation between the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and incident AF in patients without hypertension (HR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.15-0.45). Conversely, this association was absent in hypertensive patients (HR = 1.09, 95% CI 0.54-2.17). Our research shows an independent inverse correlation between the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and the risk of AF in CKD patients. It is advised to refrain from excessively aggressive reduction of LDL levels in CKD patients, as this could elevate the risk of developing AF.

Integrative single-cell characterization of frugivory adaptations in the bat kidney and pancreas

Frugivory evolved multiple times in mammals, including bats. However, the cellular and molecular components driving it remain largely unknown. Here, we used integrative single-cell sequencing on insectivorous and frugivorous bat kidneys and pancreases and identified key cell population, gene expression and regulatory element differences associated with frugivorous adaptation that also relate to human disease, particularly diabetes. We found an increase in collecting duct cells and differentially active genes and regulatory elements involved in fluid and electrolyte balance in the frugivore kidney. In the frugivorous pancreas, we observed an increase in endocrine and a decrease in exocrine cells and differences in genes and regulatory elements involved in insulin regulation. Combined, our work provides novel insights into frugivorous adaptation that also could be leveraged for therapeutic purposes.

Dyslipidemia may be a risk factor for progression in children with IgA nephropathy

BACKGROUND

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is often chronically progressive and commonly accompanied by dyslipidemia. However, the intrinsic relationship between dyslipidemia and IgAN remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the impact of different types of dyslipidemia on clinical and pathological characteristics in children with IgAN.

METHODS

In our retrospective cohort study from January 2006 to January 2021, 276 children with IgAN were ultimately included in the baseline analysis, and 169 were included in the follow-up analysis. The clinical and pathological features of different types of dyslipidemia and their effect on kidney prognosis were analyzed.

RESULTS

Children in the dyslipidemia group had more severe clinical characteristics (higher blood urea nitrogen, serum uric acid, and 24-h proteinuria; higher proportion of hypertension; and lower serum albumin and estimated glomerular filtration rate) and pathological changes (higher proportion of Lee grades IV-V and E1, S1, and C2 in MEST-C). Furthermore, the clinical and pathological characteristics were worse in the mixed hyperlipidemia group. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that hypertension, steroid treatment, lower serum albumin, severe proteinuria, and segmental glomerulosclerosis were independent risk factors for dyslipidemia in children with IgAN. The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the probability of kidney survival in children with dyslipidemia was lower than that in those without dyslipidemia, with a median follow-up of 5.9 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with IgAN and dyslipidemia, especially mixed hyperlipidemia, are prone to more severe clinical and pathological changes. Our study provides further insight into dyslipidemia as a potential risk factor in children with IgAN. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

The Enigmatic Emerging Role of the C-Maf Inducing Protein in Cancer

The C-Maf-Inducing protein (CMIP) was first described as overexpressed in T cell subpopulations of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) patients. Later, it was found concomitantly upregulated in podocytes. CMIP expression has also been reported in several types of cancer, including blood malignancies and solid tumors, in many cases accompanied by nephrotic syndrome. In addition to these observations, the duality of CMIP overexpression in the kidney and INS lesions, has been extensively reported as one of the adverse effects of anticancer therapy based on anti-receptor tyrosine kinase drugs. As a consequence, a growing body of evidence points at CMIP as playing a role in cancer. This includes its reciprocal regulatory ties with NF-κB and WT1, and the more recent reports showing an involvement in regulatory circuits in cancer cells. The ensemble of the current information justifies to propose CMIP as an important piece of the puzzle of biological systems involved in cancer and other diseases and its potential as a target.