“
“Since

viral infections activate type I interferon (IFN) pathways and cause subsequent release of IFN-dependent proinflammatory chemokines and cytokines, the innate immune system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN). It has been reported that human myxovirus resistance protein 1 (Mx1), a type I IFN-dependent transcript, acts against a wide range of RNA viruses. Although the expression of Mx1 in biopsy specimens obtained from patients with dermatomyositis BAY 57-1293 in vivo and cutaneous lupus has been described, the expression of Mx1 in human mesangial cells (MCs) has remained largely unknown. We treated normal human MCs in culture with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly IC), an authentic double-stranded RNA, and analyzed the expression of Mx1 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. To elucidate the poly IC-signalling pathway, we subjected the cells to RNA interference against IFN-β. We also conducted an immunofluorescence Doxorubicin supplier study to examine mesangial Mx1 expression in biopsy specimens from patients with LN. Poly IC-induced Mx1 expression in MCs are shown both time- and dose-dependently, and RNA interference against IFN-β inhibited poly IC-induced Mx1 expression. Intense glomerular

Mx1 expression was observed in biopsy specimens from patients with LN, whereas negative staining occurred in specimens from patients with IgA nephropathy or purpura nephritis. Reverse transcriptase These preliminary observations support, at least in part, the theory of innate immune system activation in the pathogenesis of LN. “
“The financial burden of the increasing dialysis population challenges healthcare resources internationally. Home haemodialysis offers many benefits over conventional facility dialysis including superior clinical, patient-centred outcomes and reduced cost. This review

updates a previous review, conducted a decade prior, incorporating contemporary home dialysis techniques of frequent and nocturnal dialysis. We sought comparative cost-effectiveness studies of home versus facility haemodialysis (HD) for people with end-stage kidney failure (ESKF). We conducted a systematic review of literature from January 2000–March 2014. Studies were included if they provided comparative information on the costs, health outcomes and cost-effectiveness ratios of home HD and facility HD. We searched medical and health economic databases using MeSH headings and text words for economic evaluation and haemodialysis. Six studies of economic evaluations that compared home to facility HD were identified. Two studies compared home nocturnal HD, one home nocturnal and daily home HD, and three compared contemporary home HD to facility HD. Overall these studies suggest that contemporary home HD modalities are less costly and more effective than facility HD. Home HD start-up costs tend to be higher in the short term, but these are offset by cost savings over the longer term.