林 宏樹

BACKGROUND: Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate, a non-absorbed non-polymer zirconium silicate, is a new potassium binder for hyperkalemia. A previous report showed that administering sodium zirconium cyclosilicate to patients with hyperkalemia allows a higher continuation rate of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors. However, no studies have compared sodium zirconium cyclosilicate with existing potassium binders for renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor continuity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of sodium zirconium cyclosilicate on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor /angiotensin receptor blocker continuation in patients with hyperkalemia compared to that of calcium polystyrene sulfonate. METHODS: Patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers who were newly prescribed sodium zirconium cyclosilicate or calcium polystyrene sulfonate to treat hyperkalemia at a tertiary referral hospital between August 2020 and April 2022 were enrolled in this single-center, retrospective observational study. The primary outcome measure was angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker prescription three months after initiating potassium binders. RESULTS: In total, 174 patients on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers who were newly administered sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (n = 62) or calcium polystyrene sulfonate (n = 112) were analyzed. The prescription rate of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors /angiotensin receptor blockers at 3 months was significantly higher in the sodium zirconium cyclosilicate group than in the calcium polystyrene sulfonate group (89 vs. 72%). Multivariate logistic regression models showed that sodium zirconium cyclosilicate was independently associated with the primary outcome (odds ratio 2.66, 95% confidence interval 1.05-7.43). The propensity score-matched comparison also showed a significant association between sodium zirconium cyclosilicate and the primary outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that administering sodium zirconium cyclosilicate to patients with hyperkalemia allows for a higher continuation rate of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers than calcium polystyrene sulfonate. These findings suggest that sodium zirconium cyclosilicate has potential benefits for patients with chronic kidney disease receiving renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiovascular and renal diseases are closely related. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and urinary albumin are established predictors for cardiac and renal morbidities, respectively. To date, no reports have investigated the combined predictive value of BNP and urinary albumin for long-term cardiovascular-renal events in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this study was to investigate this theme. METHODS: Four hundred eighty-three patients with CKD were enrolled into this study and followed-up for 10 years. The endpoint was cardiovascular-renal events. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 109 months, 221 patients developed cardiovascular-renal events. Log-transformed BNP and urinary albumin were identified as independent predictors for cardiovascular-renal events, with a hazard ratio of 2.59 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.81-3.72) and 2.27 (95% CI, 1.82-2.84) for BNP and urinary albumin, respectively. For the combined variables, the group with high BNP and urinary albumin had a markedly higher risk (12.41-times; 95% CI 5.23-29.42) of cardiovascular-renal events compared with that of the group with low BNP and urinary albumin. Adding both variables to a predictive model with basic risk factors improved the C-index (0.767, 0.728 to 0.814, p=0.009), net reclassification improvement (0.497, p<0.0001), and integrated discrimination improvement (0.071, p<0.0001) more than each of them alone. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report to demonstrate that the combination of BNP and urinary albumin can stratify and improve the predictability of long-term cardiovascular-renal events in CKD patients.

Galactose (Gal)-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) is involved in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) pathogenesis. To reflect racial differences in clinical characteristics, we assessed disease- and race-specific heterogeneity in the O-glycosylation of the IgA1 hinge region (HR). We determined serum Gd-IgA1 levels in Caucasians (healthy controls [HCs], n = 31; IgAN patients, n = 63) and Asians (HCs, n = 20; IgAN patients, n = 60) and analyzed profiles of serum IgA1 HR O-glycoforms. Elevated serum Gd-IgA1 levels and reduced number of Gal residues per HR were observed in Caucasians. Reduced number of N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) residues per HR and elevated relative abundance of IgA1 with three HR O-glycans were common features in IgAN patients; these features were associated with elevated blood pressure and reduced renal function. We speculate that the mechanisms underlying the reduced GalNAc content in IgA1 HR may be relevant to IgAN pathogenesis.

OBJECTIVES: Trajectories of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline vary highly among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is clinically important to identify patients who have high risk for eGFR decline. We aimed to identify clusters of patients with extremely rapid eGFR decline and develop a prediction model using a machine learning approach. DESIGN: Retrospective single-centre cohort study. SETTINGS: Tertiary referral university hospital in Toyoake city, Japan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5657 patients with CKD with baseline eGFR of 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 and eGFR decline of ≥30% within 2 years. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Our main outcome was extremely rapid eGFR decline. To study-complicated eGFR behaviours, we first applied a variation of group-based trajectory model, which can find trajectory clusters according to the slope of eGFR decline. Our model identified high-level trajectory groups according to baseline eGFR values and simultaneous trajectory clusters. For each group, we developed prediction models that classified the steepest eGFR decline, defined as extremely rapid eGFR decline compared with others in the same group, where we used the random forest algorithm with clinical parameters. RESULTS: Our clustering model first identified three high-level groups according to the baseline eGFR (G1, high GFR, 99.7±19.0; G2, intermediate GFR, 62.9±10.3 and G3, low GFR, 43.7±7.8); our model simultaneously found three eGFR trajectory clusters for each group, resulting in nine clusters with different slopes of eGFR decline. The areas under the curve for classifying the extremely rapid eGFR declines in the G1, G2 and G3 groups were 0.69 (95% CI, 0.63 to 0.76), 0.71 (95% CI 0.69 to 0.74) and 0.79 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.83), respectively. The random forest model identified haemoglobin, albumin and C reactive protein as important characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: The random forest model could be useful in identifying patients with extremely rapid eGFR decline. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN 000037476; This study was registered with the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of vitamin D receptor activators (VDRAs) for patients with chronic kidney disease are well recognized. However, the optimal criteria for patient selection, dosage forms, and duration providing the highest benefit and the least potential risk remain to be confirmed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population was derived from the Aichi Cohort Study of Prognosis in Patients Newly Initiated into Dialysis, a multicenter prospective cohort study of 1520 incident dialysis patients. According to the VDRA usage status in March 2015 (interim report), the 967 patients surviving after March 2015 were classified into three groups: without VDRA (NV, n = 177), oral VDRA (OV, n = 447), and intravenous VDRA (IV, n = 343). Mortality rates were compared using the log-rank test, and factors contributing to all-cause mortality were examined using both univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. RESULTS: There were 104 deaths (NV, n = 27; OV, n = 53; IV, n = 24) during the follow-up period (1360 days, median), and significant differences in cumulative survival rates were observed between the three groups (p = 0.010). Moreover, lower all-cause mortality was associated with IV versus NV (hazard ratio, 0.46 [95% confidence interval 0.24-0.89]; p = 0.020). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the impact of the VDRA dosage form on the short-term survival of incident hemodialysis patients during the introduction period. Our results suggest that relatively early initiation of intravenous VDRA in patients beginning hemodialysis may have some clinical potential.

Objectives: Vascular calcification is common in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and contributes to cardiovascular disease. Accumulating evidence indicates that CKD patients often acquire subclinical vitamin K deficiency, which is associated with vascular calcification. Methods: This prospective, randomized, parallel group, multicenter trial (UMINID000011490) will include 200 dialysis patients in an open-label, two-arm design. After baseline computed tomography of the abdominal aorta, patients will be randomized to two groups that will either (1) continue receiving standard care or (2) receive additional oral supplementation with menatetrenone (45 mg/day). The treatment duration will be 24 months, and the computed tomography scan will be repeated after 12 and 24 months. The primary endpoint is the progression of abdominal aortic calcification, which is calculated as absolute changes based on the Agatston score. The secondary endpoints are the decrease in bone mineral density (measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), the biomarkers associated with vitamin K, vitamin K intake (evaluated by the food frequency questionnaire), and the biomarkers associated with vascular calcification. Conclusions: This study aims to confirm whether vitamin K has inhibitory effects on calcification that can be clinically determined. Trial registration: UMINID000011490.

INTRODUCTION: Degenerative aortic valve stenosis (AS) is a chronic progressive disease that resembles atherosclerosis development. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) is reportedly associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. This study aimed to examine the development of AS in patients with myeloperoxidase-AAV (MPO-AAV) with renal involvement at more than 1 year after the onset of vasculitis. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of clinical records of MPO-AAV patients with renal involvement without AS at the onset of vasculitis who were treated in three hospitals and three dialysis clinics. RESULTS: The study included 97 MPO-AAV patients with renal involvement and 230 control patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Among them, 64 patients had AS. The prevalence rates of AS were 28.9% and 15.7% in MPO-AAV and control patients, respectively (p = 0.006). The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that MPO-AAV, dialysis dependence, and hypertension were independently associated factors for AS. In MPO-AAV patients, systolic blood pressure was positively significantly associated with AS, whereas glucocorticoid dose of induction therapy was negatively significantly associated. The use of cyclophosphamide tended to be negatively associated with AS. The survival rate was significantly lower for patients with AS than for those without AS. CONCLUSIONS: The AS prevalence rate was significantly higher in MPO-AAV patients at more than 1 year after the onset of vasculitis than in control CKD patients. Therefore, regular monitoring of echocardiography during MPO-AAV treatment is suggested.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to investigate associations between long-term renal function, whether IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) was diagnosed by renal biopsy at initial examination, chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage, and histological stage in patients with IgG4-related TIN. METHODS: This study used a retrospective cohort design including almost all patients who underwent renal biopsy at Fujita Health University Hospital and Nagoya University or its affiliated hospitals in Aichi between April 2003 and March 2015 (n = 6977 renal biopsies). The primary outcome was longitudinal changes in eGFR. Main exposures were whether IgG4-related TIN was diagnosed by renal biopsy at the initial examination, CKD stage, and its histological stage. Linear mixed models were performed to examine associations. RESULTS: Of the 6977 samples, there were 24 patients (with 201 records due to repeated measures) with IgG4-related TIN (20 men, mean age, 68.7 ± 9.7 years). They were followed up 6.6 ± 2.8 years after the renal biopsy and underwent glucocorticoid treatment. We found significant increase in eGFR from the baseline to 2 and 6 months after treatment initiation, which was maintained until 60 months. Patients initially diagnosed with IgG4-related TIN had higher eGFR from the baseline (at the start of treatment) to 60 months than those who were not. Compared with patients with CKD stage 3, patients with CKD stages 4 and 5 had lower eGFR at the baseline and other time points. Patients with histological stage B had comparatively lower eGFR at each point than stage A patients. Those mean differences of eGFR were stable from the baseline to 60 months. CONCLUSIONS: After the treatment initiation, renal function rapidly improved and maintained for a long period, even with advanced CKD stage. We showed importance of early diagnosis of IgG4-related TIN in maintaining eGFR.

BACKGROUND: Although the 2018 revised International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) classification was proposed recently, until now, no reports have been made comparing the association of renal prognosis between the 2018 revised ISN/RPS classification and the 2003 ISN/RPS classification. The present study aimed to assess the usefulness, especially of activity and chronicity assessment, of the 2018 revised ISN/RPS classification for lupus nephritis (LN) in terms of renal prognosis compared to the classification in 2003. METHODS: We retrospectively collected medical records of 170 LN patients from the database of renal biopsy at Fujita Health University from January 2003 to April 2019. Each renal biopsy specimen was reevaluated according to both the 2003 ISN/RPS classification and the 2018 revised ISN/RPS classification. Renal endpoint was defined as a 30% decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). RESULTS: A total of 129 patients were class III/IV±V (class III, 44 patients; class IV, 35 patients; class III/IV+V, 50 patients). The mean age was 42 years, 88% were female, and the median observation period was 50.5 months. Renal prognosis was significantly different among the classes and significantly poor in the patients with higher modified National Institute of Health (mNIH) chronicity index (C index, ≥ 4) by a log-rank test (p = 0.05 and p = 0.02, respectively). By Cox proportional hazard models, only the C index was significantly associated with renal outcome (hazard ratio 1.32, 95% CI 1.11-1.56, p ≤ 0.01), while the classes, the 2003 activity and chronicity subdivision, and the mNIH activity index had no significant association with renal outcome. Each component of the C index was significantly associated with renal outcome in different models. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the 2018 revised ISN/RPS classification was more useful in terms of association with renal prognosis compared to the 2003 ISN/RPS classification.

INTRODUCTION: There are few studies on the association between serum uric acid (UA) level and mortality in incident dialysis patients. We aimed to clarify whether the serum UA level at dialysis initiation is associated with mortality during maintenance dialysis. METHODS: We enrolled 1486 incident dialysis patients who participated in a previous multicenter prospective cohort study in Japan. We classified the patients into the following five groups according to their serum UA levels at dialysis initiation: G1 with a serum UA level <6 mg/dL; G2, 6.0-8.0 mg/dL; G3, 8.0-10.0 mg/dL; G4, 10.0-12.0 mg/dL; and G5, ≥12.0 mg/dL. We created three models (Model 1: adjusted for age and sex, Model 2: adjusted for Model 1 + 12 variables, and Model 3: stepwise regression adjusted for Model 2 + 13 variables) and performed a multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis to examine the association between the serum UA level and outcomes, including infection-related mortality. RESULTS: Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated relative to the G2, because the all-cause mortality rate was the lowest in G2. For Models 1 and 2, the all-cause mortality rate was significantly higher in G5 than in G2 (HR: 1.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14-2.33 and HR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.19-2.68, respectively). For Models 1, 2, and 3, the infection-related mortality rate was significantly higher in G5 than in G2 (HR: 2.75, 95% CI: 1.37-5.54, HR: 3.09, 95% CI: 1.45-6.59, HR: 3.37, and 95% CI: 1.24-9.15, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Extreme hyperuricemia (serum UA level ≥12.0 mg/dL) at dialysis initiation is a risk factor for infection-related deaths.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been shown to be associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients with concurrent acute lung injury (ALI). ALI related to AKI was originally called “uremic lung, " and these conditions are currently also related to cardiac and noncardiac pulmonary edema. However, lung injuries, as well as mechanical ventilation used to treat respiratory failure, have been shown to induce AKI. Experimental evidences in animal models with AKI or ALI have demonstrated the tight and bidirectional interactions between kidney and lung injury and shown many structural and functional similarities. To date, the molecular mechanisms of the kidney-lung interaction have been shown to involve a number of inflammatory mediators and receptors, channels/transporters for water or electrolytes, and leukocytes. Thus, kidney-lung crosstalk is commonly present in certain pathological states and is clinically recognized as a critical condition requiring intensive management. In this chapter, we discuss the pathogenic and mechanistic associations of AKI with lung injury.

＜文献概要＞Main points ●膠原病・血管炎において,ネフロンを構成する血管系,糸球体,間質尿細管のいずれもが標的となり得る。血尿,蛋白尿およびその分画,細胞性円柱尿の有無といった尿所見から,病変の主座を推測し,診断を進める。●診断に際しては,原疾患固有の腎病変のみならず,治療薬や合併症に伴う腎病変を想起する。特に感染関連糸球体腎炎は,臨床的にも組織学的にも,ループス腎炎やANCA関連腎炎との鑑別が困難な場合があり,注意を要する。●SLEに発症する多彩な免疫複合体型腎炎(ループス腎炎)は,腎生検組織分類に基づき治療を行う。世界のSLEに対する標準治療薬が日本では保険適用外というドラッグラグについては,ほぼ解消された。抗リン脂質抗体症候群では腎臓のあらゆるサイズの血管に非炎症性血栓症を生じ,急性期治療につづく慢性期治療(血栓塞栓の二次予防)が必須である。●全身性血管炎症候群のうち小型血管炎は急速進行性腎炎を呈し,血清学的検査に加え腎生検の蛍光抗体法による染色様式から微量免疫型,顆粒沈着型,線状沈着型に分類される。小型血管炎の鑑別診断に際しては,コレステロール結晶塞栓症やANCA陰性ANCA関連血管炎も念頭におく。●全身性強皮症に発症する強皮症腎クリーゼは,小型血管の内皮傷害によって,血漿レニン活性上昇を伴う新規発症の高血圧と急速な腎障害を呈する。微小血管障害性溶血性貧血と血小板減少を伴うことが多く,TTPやaHUS,二次性TMAとの鑑別を要する。

Background The mortality and morbidity associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) remains high, despite advances in interventions. A multifunctional heparin-binding growth factor, midkine (MK), is involved in the pathogenesis of ischemic kidney injury. However, the clinical relevance of MK has not yet been elucidated. The present study investigated whether urinary MK can serve as a novel biomarker of AKI. Methods We initially compared the predictive value of MK with other urinary biomarkers, including N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), interleukin (IL)-18, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), for the detection and differential diagnosis of established AKI (549 patients). Subsequently, the reliability of MK for the early detection of AKI was prospectively evaluated in 40 patients undergoing elective abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. Urine samples were obtained at baseline, the period of aortic cross-clamping and declamping, the end of the surgery, and on post-operative day 1. Results The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for the diagnosis of AKI in various kidney diseases were 0.88, 0.70, 0.72, and 0.84 for MK, NAG, IL-18, and NGAL, respectively. When the optimal cutoff value of urinary MK was set at 11.5 pg/mL, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.87 and 0.85, respectively. In the second study, urinary MK peaked at the period of aortic declamping, about 1 h after cross-clamping in patients with AKI. Interestingly, the rise of MK in AKI patients was very precipitous compared with other biomarker candidates. Conclusion Urinary MK was prominent in its ability to detect AKI and may allow the start of preemptive medication.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, and a number of reports have shown a relationship between CKD and CVD in pre-dialysis or maintenance dialysis patients. However, few studies have reported serial observations during dialysis initiation and maintenance. Therefore, we examined whether the incidence of heart disease events differed between CKD patients with and without a history of coronary heart disease (CHD) at dialysis initiation. Methods: The subjects were patients in the 17 centers participating in the Aichi Cohort Study of Prognosis in Patients Newly Initiated into Dialysis (AICOPP) from October 2011 to September 2013. We excluded nine patients whose outcomes were unknown, as determined by a survey conducted at the end of March 2015. Thus, we enrolled 1,515 subjects into the study. We classified patients into 2 groups according to the history of CHD (i.e., a CHD group and a non-CHD group). Propensity scores (PS) represented the probability of being assigned to a group with or without a history of CHD. Onset of heart disease events and associated mortality and all-cause mortality were compared in PSmatched patients by using the log-rank test for Kaplan-Meier curves. Factors contributing to heart disease events were examined using stepwise multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis. Results: There were 254 patients in each group after PS-matching. During observation, heart disease events occurred in 85 patients (33.5%) in the CHD group and 48 (18.9%) patients in the non-CHD group. The incidence was significantly higher in the CHD group (p &lt; 0.0001). The CHD group was associated with higher incidence of heart disease events (vs. the non-CHD group, hazard ratio = 1.750, 95% confidence interval = 1.160-2.639). In addition, comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, low body mass index, and low serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were associated with higher incidence of events. Conclusion: History of CHD at dialysis initiation was associated with a higher incidence of heart disease events and mortality and all-cause mortality.

Background: In patients on maintenance dialysis, increased serum calcium levels are known to be associated with a poor prognosis. However, it is not known whether serum calcium levels at dialysis initiation have an impact on subsequent prognosis. Methods: The subjects were patients who were newly initiated dialysis at the 17 Aichi Cohort Study of Prognosis in Patients Newly Initiated into Dialysis (AICOPP) group centers. The study included 1524 patients who were at least 20 years old, had CKD, and provided written consent. We excluded one patient whose serum adjusted calcium was not assessed and six patients whose outcomes were unknown. Thus, we enrolled 1517 subjects into the study. The patients were divided into the following five groups: (1) G1 with a serum adjusted calcium level &lt 7.0 mg/dL, (2) G2 with 7.0 to &lt 8.0 mg/dL, (3) G3 with 8.0 to &lt 9.0 mg/dL, (4) G4 with 9.0 to &lt 10.0 mg/dL, and (5) G5 with ≥10.0 mg/dL. The study outcomes included: (1) comparisons of all-cause mortality rates in the five groups (2) extraction of factors influencing all-cause mortality. Results: There were 268 deaths during the follow-up period (G1, 9 cases G2, 30 cases G3, 91 cases G4, 110 cases G5, 28 cases). Significant differences were observed between the five groups' cumulative survival rates (Logrank test p = 0.005) by using Kaplan-Meier method. There were significant differences in the incidence of either aortic or cardiac valve calcification among the five groups (aortic calcification: p = 0.006, cardiac valve calcification: p = 0.008). Moreover, lower Barthel Index, which evaluated activities of daily living, were associated with higher serum adjusted calcium levels (p &lt 0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis using the stepwise method indicated that increasing serum adjusted calcium was associated with all-cause mortality (every 1 mg/dL increase, HR = 1.267, 95% CI = 1.092 - 1.470, p = 0.002). In addition, high mortality was associated with advanced age, male gender, low systolic blood pressure, history of cardiovascular disease, and no prior use of calcium carbonate. Conclusions: Serum adjusted calcium levels at dialysis initiation were demonstrated to be associated with all-cause mortality after dialysis initiation. Trial registration: UMIN 000007096. Registered 18 January 2012.

<p>Background: Cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (CART) was approved by the National Insurance Scheme in 1981 in Japan and has since been used as a treatment modality for refractory ascites. Two filtration methods may be used for CART: the internal and external pressure filtration methods. However, the precise characteristics of each method are unknown.</p><p>Methods: Ascitic fluid will be obtained by puncture from patients with refractory cancerous ascites. The quantity of fluid obtained from each patient will be divided in half, and each half will be processed using either the internal or external pressure filtration method. The primary endpoint will be the time required for the transmembrane pressure to reach 500 mmHg. The secondary endpoints will be serial changes in the weight of the ascitic and filtered fluid, serial changes in the pressure at the inlet and outlet of the filter, measurement of the components of the ascitic and filtered fluid, and observation of the filter by visual inspection and light and electron microscopy.</p><p>Conclusion: This trial may clarify the characteristics of the two filtration methods.</p><p>Trial registration: UMIN000025382.</p>

Objectives. This study investigated the clinical course of myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasm autoantibody (MPO-ANCA)-associated vasculitis after starting dialysis.Methods. A retrospective review was conducted of the clinical charts of dialysis-dependent patients with MPO-ANCA-associated vasculitis who attended one of 8 associated clinics over the past 21 years.Results. Eighty-nine patients were included in the study; 88 had microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and 1 had granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Of the 88 patients with MPA, 18 had renal-limited vasculitis. Twenty-one relapses occurred among 13 patients (frequency, 0.05 relapses/person-year; 95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.08). Mean time from start of dialysis to relapse was 65 59 months. Cox multivariate analysis showed that pulmonary involvement was a predictor of relapse (hazard ratio [HR], 21.4) and mortality (HR, 4.60), and that patient age (HR, 1.10) and cyclophosphamide use (HR, 0.20) were significant predictors of mortality. Postdialysis 1- and 5-year survival rates were 83.0% and 65.6%, respectively; infection was the most frequent cause of death.Conclusion. Pulmonary involvement was a predictor of relapse and mortality. Although relapse can occur long after the start of dialysis, incidence was low among dialysis-dependent patients. Prolonged maintenance immunosuppressive therapy might be limited to patients with pulmonary involvement in dialysis-dependent ANCA-associated vasculitis.

A 53-year-old woman who had undergone deceased donor kidney transplantation twice, at 35 and 43 years of age, presented with renal impairment. She was infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The histology of the graft kidney revealed post-transplant membranous nephropathy (MN) with podocytic infolding and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). IgG subclass staining showed fine granular deposits of IgG1 and IgG3, but not IgG4, in the glomerular capillary walls. Panel reactive antibody scores for human leukocyte antigen class I and class II were 92.67% and 66.68%, respectively. Thus, this case of post-transplanted MN was considered to be associated with AMR and HCV infection.