Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most frequent type of primary glomerulonephritis globally and the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in young adults. Its pathogenesis is not fully known, but is largely attributed to genetic factors. This study was aimed to explore the prognostic values of key genes in IgAN. Methods: The gene expression profile GSE93798 of 20 IgAN samples and 22 normal samples using glomeruli from kidney biopsy was adopted. Totally 447 upregulated and 719 downregulated differentially expressed genes were found in IgAN patients on the R software. The Gene Ontology enrichment and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes pathway were investigated on DAVID, and the protein-protein interaction network and the top 13 hub genes of the differentially expressed genes were built via the plug-in molecular complex detection and cytoHubba of Cytoscape. Results: From the protein-protein interaction network, of the top 13 hub genes, FOS, EGFR, SIRT1, ALB, TFRC, JUN, IGF1, HIF1A, and SOCS3 were upregulated, while CTTN, ACTR2, CREB1, and CTNNB1 were downregulated. The upregulated genes took part in the HIF-1 signaling pathway, Choline metabolism in cancer, Pathways in cancer, Amphetamine addiction, Estrogen, TNF, and FoxO signaling pathways, and Osteoclast differentiation, while the downregulated genes were involved in Pathogenic Escherichia coli infection, Bacterial invasion of epithelial cells, prostate cancer, and melanogenesis. Conclusion: This study based on the Gene Expression Omnibus database updates the knowledge about the mechanism of IgAN and may offer new treatment targets.

The differences in therapeutic effectiveness between sustained low-efficiency dialysis (SLED) and continuous blood purification (CBP) were investigated. In order to assess the different treatment methods, 56 critically ill patients were divided into two groups, the CBP group and the SLED group. A comparison was made between all the biochemical indicators, in-hospital duration, hemodynamic parameters, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE-II), the survival, and the mortality rates. After treatment, the levels of serum creatine kinase isozyme MB (CK-MB), creatine kinase, creatinine, glutamate-oxalacetate transaminase (AST), glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (ALT), APACHE II score on the 1st, 2nd, and 7th day in both the treatment groups were lower than that before the treatment (P < 0.05). There are no statistical differences in in-hospital duration, biochemical indicators, APACHE II score, hemodynamic parameters, the survival rate and the mortality rate between the two groups (P > 0.05). It was concluded that SLED has similar hemodynamic stability with CBP and the two methods have similar treatment effects in critically ill patients. However, we noticed that SLED can be relatively economical and convenient for critically ill patients in clinical practice.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Inflammation appears to be at the biological core of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) dysfunction, and the occurrence of AVF dysfunction is related to high death and disability in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Despite several studies on the correlations between AVF dysfunction and inflammatory indicators, how AVF dysfunction is related to the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) is much unclear. We hypothesize that preoperative MLR is associated with AVF dysfunction in Chinese HD patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this single-center retrospective cohort study, totally 769 adult HD patients with a new AVF created between 2011 and 2019 were included. Association of preoperative MLR with AVF dysfunction (thrombosis or decrease of normal vessel diameter by &#x3e;50%, requiring either surgical revision or percutaneous transluminal angioplasty) was assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The patients were aged 55.8 ± 12.2 years and were mostly males (55%). During the average 32-month follow-up (maximum 119 months), 223 (29.0%) patients had permanent vascular access dysfunction. In adjusted multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analyses, the risk of AVF dysfunction was 4.32 times higher with 1 unit increase in MLR (hazard ratio [HR]: 5.32; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.1–9.11). Compared with patients with MLR &#x3c;0.28, HRs associated with an MLR of 0.28–0.41 and ≥0.41 are 1.54 (95% CI: 1.02–2.32) and 3.17 (2.18–4.62), respectively. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> A higher preoperative MLR is independently connected with a severer risk of AVF dysfunction in HD patients. Its clinical value should be determined in the future.

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Drug‐coated balloons (DCBs) have been used in dialysis patients with arteriovenous fistula (AVF) stenosis, but whether DCBs have advantages over ordinary balloons is still controversial. A meta‐analysis was designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of DCBs and common balloons (CBs) in the treatment of AVF stenosis. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) databases for randomized controlled trials that evaluated the comparison of DCB angioplasty versus CB angioplasty for AVF stenosis in dialysis patients and reported at least one outcome of interest. The results showed that the DCB group had a higher first‐stage patency rate of the target lesion 6 months [odds ratio, OR = 2.31, 95% confidence interval, CI: (1.69, 3.15), p < .01] and 12 months [OR = 2.09, 95% CI: (1.50, 2.91), p < .01] after surgery. There was no statistically significant difference in all‐cause mortality between the two groups at 6 months [OR = 0.85, 95% CI: (0.47, 1.52), p = .58] and 12 months [OR = 0.99, 95% CI: (0.60, 1.64), p = .97]. Compared with CB, DCBs as a new endovascular treatment for AVF stenosis have a higher primary patency rate of target lesions and can delay the occurrence of restenosis. There is no evidence that DCB can increase the mortality of patients.