Background: The worldwide incidence of renal disease diagnosed by a kidney biopsy varies with age, race, sex, and region. Owing to a lack of studies and limited research resources for this disease in Korea, we investigated renal disease patterns by analyzing data from kidney biopsies performed over 13 years in a university-based teaching hospital in Korea. Methods: Among 2,053 kidney biopsies performed from 2001 to 2013 at Kyungpook National University Hospital, 1,924 were retrospectively analyzed for histopathologic, demographic, and clinical data as well as laboratory results. Results: Among the 1,924 studied kidney biopsies, 1,078 were males (56.0%) and the mean age was 37.7 ± 16.5 years. Asymptomatic urinary abnormalities were the most common clinical manifestation (62.5%). Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) was the most common primary glomerular disease (37.4%), followed by minimal change disease (MCD), membranous nephropathy (MN), focal segmental glomerulonephritis and crescentic glomerulonephritis. Secondary glomerular diseases accounted for 10.3% of the total biopsies, with lupus nephritis being the most common (4.6%) followed by Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis and diabetic nephropathy. The most common cause of nephrotic syndrome was MCD (42.1%) followed by MN. Among patients seropositive for hepatitis B or C, IgAN (28.3% and 21.4%, respectively) was the most common cause. Conclusion: IgAN and lupus nephritis were the most common primary and secondary glomerular diseases, respectively. Race, region, and practice patterns may affect renal disease patterns in different cohorts.

BackgroundWe performed this study to investigate the clinical and serological characteristics of human toxocariasis in Korea.MethodsTotal 152 patients with peripheral eosinophilia (>450 cells/μL) were enrolled and they were divided into 2 groups based on a Toxocara excretory-secretory IgG ELISA: 95 seropositive patients and 57 seronegative patients. We not only compared the clinical features including age, sex, tissue infiltration of eosinophil and presence of allergic asthma and rhinitis but also serologic markers such as serum total IgE, specific IgE to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp) and Dermatophagoides farine (Df) by using immunoCAP between 2 groups.ResultsThe seropositive rate of toxocara was 62.5% (95/152) in the patients with peripheral eosinophilia in whom seropositive patients were older than seronegative patients (P = 0.043), men were more than women (P < 0.01). The serum total eosinophils (P = 0.048), total IgE level (P < 0.01) and the Df seropositive (immunoCAP >0.35 KU/L) rate (P < 0.01) were significantly higher in sereopositive patients than seronegative patients. The eosinophilic tissue infiltration in liver (P = 0.003) or lung (P < 0.01) and ingestion of raw cow meat or liver (P < 0.01) were observed more frequently in seropositive patients but the presence of allergic asthma (P < 0.01) and rhinitis (P < 0.01) more frequnetly in seronegative patients. Among seropositive patients, there were positive correlations between the serum total IgE level, total eosinophils and the value of toxocara IgG ELISA OD (r = 0.502, P < 0.01; r = 0.247, P = 0.016, respectively) and the specific IgE to Df was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that to Dp suggesting there might be cross reaction between the antigen of Df and toxocara antigen.ConclusionsThe ingestion of raw cow meat or liver was closely related to an increased risk of toxocariasis in Korea. We thought that the patients who had highly elevated serum total IgE level, peripheral eosinophilia and experience of ingestion of raw cow meat or liver but not allergic disease might have human toxocariasis so should be evaluated whether eosinophils were infiltrated in organs such as liver or lung.

A 38-year-old man, who underwent a second kidney transplantation (KT), was admitted because of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) complicated by BK virus-associated nephropathy (BKVAN). He was placed on hemodialysis at the age of 24 years because of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. At the age of 28 years, he underwent a living donor KT from his father; however, 1 year after the transplantation, he developed a recurrence of the primary glomerular disease, resulting in graft failure 2 years after the first KT. Ten years later, he received a deceased-donor kidney with a B-cell-positive-cross-match. He received 600 mg of rituximab before the KT with three cycles of plasmapheresis and immunoglobulin (0.5 g/kg) therapy after KT. During the follow-up, the first and second allograft biopsies at 4 and 10 months after KT revealed AMR with a recurrence of primary glomerular disease that was reclassified as C3 glomerulonephritis (C3GN). He received a steroid pulse, rituximab, plasmapheresis, and immunoglobulin therapies. The third allograft biopsy demonstrated that the BKVAN was complicated with AMR and C3GN. As the azotemia did not improve after repeated conventional therapies for AMR, one cycle of bortezomib (1.3 mg/m 2 ×4 doses) was administered. The allograft function stabilized, and BK viremia became undetectable after 6 months. The present case suggests that bortezomib therapy may be applicable to patients with refractory AMR, even in cases complicated with BKVAN.