| 1. |
- Gauckler, Philipp, et al.
(författare)
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Rituximab in adult minimal change disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis - What is known and what is still unknown?
- 2020
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Ingår i: Autoimmunity Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 1568-9972 .- 1873-0183. ; 19:11
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Primary forms of minimal change disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis are rare podocytopathies and clinically characterized by nephrotic syndrome. Glucocorticoids are the cornerstone of the initial immunosuppressive treatment in these two entities. Especially among adults with minimal change disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, relapses, steroid dependence or resistance are common and necessitate re-initiation of steroids and other immunosuppressants. Effective steroid-sparing therapies and introduction of less toxic immunosuppressive agents are urgently needed to reduce undesirable side effects, in particular for patients whose disease course is complex. Rituximab, a B cell depleting monoclonal antibody, is increasingly used off-label in these circumstances, despite a low level of evidence for adult patients. Hence, critical questions concerning drug-safety, long-term efficacy and the optimal regimen for rituximab-treatment remain unanswered. Evidence in the form of large, multicenter studies and randomized controlled trials are urgently needed to overcome these limitations.
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| 2. |
- Gauckler, Philipp, et al.
(författare)
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Rituximab in Membranous Nephropathy
- 2021
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Ingår i: Kidney International Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2468-0249. ; 6:4, s. 881-893
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Membranous nephropathy (MN) is the most common cause of primary nephrotic syndrome among adults. The identification of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) as target antigen in most patients changed the management of MN dramatically, and provided a rationale for B-cell depleting agents such as rituximab. The efficacy of rituximab in inducing remission has been investigated in several studies, including 3 randomized controlled trials, in which complete and partial remission of proteinuria was achieved in approximately two-thirds of treated patients. Due to its favorable safety profile, rituximab is now considered a first-line treatment option for MN, especially in patients at moderate and high risk of deterioration in kidney function. However, questions remain about how to best use rituximab, including the optimal dosing regimen, a potential need for maintenance therapy, and assessment of long-term safety and efficacy outcomes. In this review, we provide an overview of the current literature and discuss both strengths and limitations of “the new standard.”
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| 3. |
- Gilani, Sarwat I, et al.
(författare)
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Urinary Extracellular Vesicles of Podocyte Origin and Renal Injury in Preeclampsia
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology: JASN. - 1533-3450. ; 28:11, s. 3363-3372
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Renal histologic expression of the podocyte-specific protein, nephrin, but not podocin, is reduced in preeclamptic compared with normotensive pregnancies. We hypothesized that renal expression of podocyte-specific proteins would be reflected in urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) of podocyte origin and accompanied by increased urinary soluble nephrin levels (nephrinuria) in preeclampsia. We further postulated that podocyte injury and attendant formation of EVs are related mechanistically to cellfree fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in maternal plasma. Our study population included preeclamptic (n=49) and normotensive (n=42) pregnant women recruited at delivery. Plasma measurements included HbF concentrations and concentrations of the endogenous chelators haptoglobin, hemopexin, and α1- microglobulin. We assessed concentrations of urinary EVs containing immunologically detectable podocyte-specific proteins by digital flow cytometry and measured nephrinuria by ELISA. The mechanistic role of HbF in podocyte injury was studied in pregnant rabbits. Compared with urine from women with normotensive pregnancies, urine from women with preeclamptic pregnancies contained a high ratio of podocin-positive to nephrin-positive urinary EVs (podocin(+) EVs-to-nephrin(+) EVs ratio) and increased nephrinuria, both of which correlated with proteinuria. Plasma levels of hemopexin, which were decreased in women with preeclampsia, negatively correlated with proteinuria, urinary podocin(+) EVs-to-nephrin(+) EVs ratio, and nephrinuria. Administration of HbF to pregnant rabbits increased the number of urinary EVs of podocyte origin. These findings provide evidence that urinary EVs are reflective of preeclampsia-related altered podocyte protein expression. Furthermore, renal injury in preeclampsia associated with an elevated urinary podocin(+) EVs-to-nephrin(+) EVs ratio and may be mediated by prolonged exposure to cellfree HbF.
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