Effect of allopurinol on the treatment of chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined by glomerular filtration rates (GFR) of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 or albumin to creatinine ratios of greater than 30 mg/g in urine for at least three months. Patients with CKD are at risk of developing the condition, leading to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). On the other hand, hyperuricemia can result in renal failure, increased blood pressure, fibrosis, and the progression of failure. In this study, using the meta-analysis method, we are looking to investigate the effect of allopurinol on the treatment of chronic renal failure. Materials and Methods: In this meta-analysis, which was written based on PRISMA (the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol, International databases including Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar search engine were searched. The data were analyzed using STATA (version 14) software, and the significance level of tests was considered P<0.05. Results: In 13 studies with a sample of 1172 people, allopurinol significantly reduced the serum level of uric acid (SMD: -1.28; 95% CI: -1.74, -0.82) more than the control group (SMD: -0.96; 95% CI: -2.09, 0.17). Additionally, allopurinol reduced the systolic blood pressure level by (SMD: -0.32; 95% CI: -0.54, -0.11) mm Hg and it was effective in reducing diastolic blood pressure level by (SMD: -0.39; 95% CI: -0.60, -0.17) mm Hg. However, the difference in scores GFR, proteinuria, cystatin C, before and after allopurinol were not statistically significant. In the control group, the difference in scores before and after the intervention was not significant in any of the above-mentioned cases. Conclusion: In CKD, allopurinol is effective in reducing blood pressure and uric acid levels. However, due to the limited number of studies and the different type of treatment in the control group of the studied studies, it is suggested to conduct more studies in this field. Registration: This study has been compiled based on the PRISMA checklist, and its protocol was registered on the PROSPERO website (ID=CRD42022371439, regional ethical code #IR.IAU. NAJAFABAD.REC.1399.140)

COVID-19-associated glomerulopathy and high-risk apol1 genotype; basis for a two-hit mechanism of injury? A narrative review on recent findings

Kidney is one of the most common organs affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after the respiratory and immune systems. Among the renal parenchymal components, the tubulointerstitial compartment is presumed to be the prime target of injury in COVID-19. The main mechanism of renal tubular damage by COVID-19 is considered to be indirect, i.e., cytokine-mediated injury. A proportion of infected individuals mount a strong inflammatory response to the virus by an exaggerated immune response of the body, namely cytokine storm. Sudden and massive release of cytokines may lead to serious systemic hyper-inflammation and renal tubular injury and inflammation resulting in acute renal failure. In addition, a number of cases of glomerulopathies, particularly collapsing glomerulopathy (CG) have been reported, predominantly in people of African ancestry, as a rare form of kidney involvement by SARS-CoV-2 that may originate from the background genetic susceptibility in this population complicated by the second hit of SARS-CoV-2 infection, either directly or indirectly. It is noteworthy that renal injury in COVID-19 could be severe in individuals of African origin due to the aforementioned genetic susceptibility, especially the presence of high-risk apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) genotypes. Although the exact mechanism of kidney injury by SARS-CoV-2 is as yet unknown, multiple mechanisms are likely involved in renal damage caused by this virus. This review was aimed to summarize the salient points of pathogenesis of kidney injury, particularly glomerular injury in COVID-19 disease in the light of published data. A clear understanding of these is imperative for the proper management of these cases. For this review, a search was made of Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO and PubMed for finding English language articles related to COVID-19, kidney injury and glomerulopathy. From the information given in finally selected papers, the key aspects regarding glomerular involvement in COVID-19 were drawn out and are presented in this descriptive review

Strive for kidney health for everyone during COVID-19; the possible theme for the world kidney day 2021

Increasing awareness regarding CKD and self-care during COVID-19 pandemic has become the most important aspect for the nephrologists. Hence it is appropriate that the theme of the forthcoming World Kidney Day on 11 March 2021 should be “Strive for kidney health for everyone during COVID-19

Collapsing glomerulopathy following COVID-19 infection; possible relationship with APOL1 kidney risk alleles in African-Americans

Collapsing glomerulopathy (CG) is being increasingly reported in African American patients with COVID-19 infection during the current pandemic. It is possible that CG following COVID-19 infection in this population may be linked to underlying APOL1 kidney risk alleles, which are not uncommon in this ethnic group. This lesion should be considered in the differential diagnosis of rapidly declining renal function in association with heavy proteinuria in the setting of COVID-19 disease, especially in patients of African ancestry.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

On the occasion of world kidney day 2023; renal impacts of COVID-19

World kidney day is an international campaign focused on bringing awareness to kidney health throughout the world and reducing the incidence of renal disease and its related medical complications. This mini-review sought to take a short look on the renal impact of SARS-CoV-2, with a particular focus on post-COVID-19 nephropathy as a new dilemma in the era of nephrology, which can be a new concern for nephrologists that requires more attention and particular strategies

Prevalence and risk factors of urinary tract infection in kidney recipients: a meta-analysis study

Abstract Background A kidney recipient's urinary tract infection (UTI) can result in infectious problems and be a risk factor for less successful transplant outcomes. UTI risk factors are still controversial. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of UTI and its association with risk factors in kidney recipients. Method Twenty-six papers published between 2005 and 2022 were retrieved using keywords and searching Medlib, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and other databases. If possible, the pooled prevalence of UTI in kidney recipients and odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval for each risk factor were calculated. The data were analyzed using the random effects model in R and Stata 14. Results The total sample size was 72,600, with an average age of 48.7 years. The pooled prevalence of UTI was 35% (95% CI, 30–40%). The estimated risk factors for UTI were female (OR = 3.13; 95%CI: 2.35—4.17), older age (OR = 1.03; 95%CI: 1—1.05), history of UTI (OR = 1.31; 95%CI) CI: 1.05—1.63), receiving a kidney from a deceased donor (OR = 1.59; 95%CI: 1.23—2.35), long-term use of an indwelling catheter (OR = 3.03; 95%CI: 1.59—6.59), a ureteral stent (OR = 1.54; 95%CI: 1.16—2.06), diabetes (OR = 1.17; 95%CI: 0.97—1.41), hypertension (OR = 1.6; 95%CI: 1.26—2.28), acute rejection process (OR = 2.22; 95%CI: 1.45—3.4), and abnormal urinary tract anatomy (OR = 2.87; 95%CI 1.44—5.74). Conclusion This meta-analysis revealed that UTIs are a significant problem in kidney recipients. Factors such as female sex, old age, history of UTIs, deceased donor, long-term use of an indwelling catheter, diabetes, acute rejection process, use of ureteral stent, abnormal urinary tract anatomy, and hypertension were related to an increased risk of UTIs in kidney recipients

Serum Profiles of Cytokines in Behcet’s Disease

Introduction: Behcet’s disease (BD) is a chronic systemic autoinflammatory vasculitis which is handled by the variety of proteins like cytokines. Therefore, cytokines are considered as one of the prototypic factors during inflammatory responses of BD. Consequently, the present study was designed for evaluation of cytokine profiles in Iranian BD cases, including those with and without uveitis. Materials and Method: All cases were divided into three groups based on ophthalmologic exam results: BD with uveitis, BD without uveitis, and recovered uveitis BD. Cases with a history of BD recovery were placed in the group of recovered uveitis. The patients with infectious uveitis as well as other collagen vascular diseases and patients who have used biologics to treat ocular immune-mediated diseases were excluded. Finally, after venous blood sampling, levels of cytokines were quantified and statistical approaches were performed for measurements. Results: Enrolled cases were divided to 26 patients with active uveitis, 25 patients with recovered uveitis and 24 patients without uveitis and interestingly, just IL-2 was the only cytokine that showed statistical difference in patients with BD uveitis in comparison with other groups (pvalue = 0.02). The pair wise comparison showed a significant difference between the patients with and without uveitis groups (pvalue = 0.004) as well as patients with uveitis and recovered uveitis groups (pvalue = 0.002). Discussion: Significant elevation of IL-2 in patients with uveitis (in comparison with recovered or without uveitis cases) demonstrates that it may be one of the main proteins that enroll in the pathophysiology of BD uveitis and may be considered as a new target for refractory disease therapies. Studies with larger samples can help to obtain more accurate conclusions