• Kidney Research and Clinical Practice
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.315-322
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• 2018

The high mortality rates associated with acute kidney injury are mainly due to extra-renal complications that occur following distant-organ involvement. Damage to these organs, which is commonly referred to as multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, has more severe and persistent effects. The brain and its sub-structures, such as the hippocampus, are vulnerable organs that can be adversely affected. Acute kidney injury may be associated with numerous brain and hippocampal complications, as it may alter the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. Although the pathogenesis of acute uremic encephalopathy is poorly understood, some of the underlying mechanisms that may contribute to hippocampal involvement include the release of multiple inflammatory mediators that coincide with hippocampus inflammation and cytotoxicity, neurotransmitter derangement, transcriptional dysregulation, and changes in the expression of apoptotic genes. Impairment of brain function, especially of a structure that has vital activity in learning and memory and is very sensitive to renal ischemic injury, can ultimately lead to cognitive and functional complications in patients with acute kidney injury. The objective of this review was to assess these complications in the brain following acute kidney injury, with a focus on the hippocampus as a critical region for learning and memory.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.101-106
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• 2011

Acute renal failure means that the word does not contain a mild kidney injury. In addition, the criteria for acute renal failure per researcher are different, and it is difficult in interpreting the results of research on acute renal failure. Therefore, rather than acute renal failure, a new term "acute kidney injury" meaning to include all the levels of injury is introduced. In 2002, to diagnose by means of serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate and urine output, a detailed classification of acute kidney injury, the RIFLE criteria has been proposed. In 2007, the RIFLE criteria by transforming, AKIN criteria has been proposed. The pediatric RIFLE criteria for children has also been proposed. The author reviews here these criteria by comparing them.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2015

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has emerged as one of the most promising biomarkers of renal epithelial injury. Numerous studies have presented the diagnostic and prognostic utility of urinary and plasma NGAL in patients with acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, renal injury after kidney transplantation, and other renal diseases. NGAL is a member of the lipocalin family that is abundantly expressed in neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages and is a mediator of the innate immune response. The biological significance of NGAL to hamper bacterial growth by sequestering iron-binding siderophores has been studied in a knock-out mouse model. Besides neutrophils, NGAL is detectable in most tissues normally encountered by microorganisms, and its expression is upregulated in epithelial cells during inflammation. A growing number of studies have supported the clinical utility of NAGL for detecting invasive bacterial infections. Several investigators including our group have reported that measuring NGAL can be used to help predict and manage urinary tract infections and acute pyelonephritis. This article summarizes the biology and pathophysiology of NGAL and reviews studies on the implications of NGAL in various renal diseases from acute kidney injury to acute pyelonephritis.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.31-34
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• 2017

Tumor lysis syndrome is a serious complication of malignancy, resulting from the massive and rapid release of cellular components into the blood. Generally, it occurs after initiation of chemotherapy. The onset of spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome (STLS) before anti-cancer treatment is rare and occurs mostly in Burkitt lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There are only a few case reports in children. Here, we report a case of STLS secondary to T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which presented with urinary stone and subsequent acute kidney injury with severe hyperuricemia. Occult malignancy should be considered in case of unexplained acute kidney injury with extreme hyperuricemia.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.161-167
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• 2010

Acute kidney injury (AKI), formerly referred to as acute renal failure (ARF) is defined as the sudden impairment of kidney function (estimated from the glomerular filtration rate [GFR]) that results in the lack of excretion of waste products. More than 30 definitions of AKI exist in the literature, most of which are based on serum creatinine. Lack of a uniform and multidimensional AKI definition has led to failure to recognize significant renal injury, delays in treatment, and inability to generalize single-study results. The RIFLE criteria were developed to standardize the diagnosis of ARF and in the process the term AKI has been proposed to encompass the entire spectrum of the syndrome from minor changes in renal function to requirement for renal replacement therapy. Large prospective studies are needed to test definitions and to better understand risk factors, incidence, independent outcomes, and mechanisms that lead to poor short- and long-term outcomes. Early biomarkers of AKI need to be explored in critically ill neonates.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.116-124
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• 2011

Acute kidney injury (AKI) can result in mortality or progress to chronic kidney disease in hospitalized patients. Although serum creatinine has long been used as the best biomarker for diagnosis of AKI, it has some clinical limitations, especially in children. New biomarkers are needed for early diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and reliable prediction of prognosis in AKI. Up to the present, candidate AKI biomarkers include neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), interleukin-18 (IL-18), livertype fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and Nacetyl-$\ss$-D-glucosaminidase (NAG). However, whether these are superior to serum creatinine in the confirmation of diagnosis and prediction of prognosis in AKI is unclear. Further studies are needed for clinical application of these new biomarkers in AKI.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.37-41
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• 2018

Mitochondrial injury in renal tubule has been recognized as a major contributor in acute kidney injury (AKI) pathogenesis. Ischemic insult, nephrotoxin, endotoxin and contrast medium destroy mitochondrial structure and function as well as their biogenesis and dynamics, especially in renal proximal tubule, to elicit ATP depletion. Mitochondrial fatty acid ${\beta}$-oxidation (FAO) is the preferred source of ATP in the kidney, and its impairment is a critical factor in AKI pathogenesis. This review explores current knowledge of mitochondrial dysfunction and energy depletion in AKI and prospective views on developing therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in AKI.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.1017-1024
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• 2023

Objectives: The aim of this study is to report the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicine treatment for abdominal pain with acute kidney injury. Methods: A 80-year-old female patient presented with abdominal pain. Blood test results showed increased blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, amylase, and lipase. The patient was treated with acupuncture and herbal medicine, specifically Hyangsayukgunja-tang-gahwangryeon for 4 days and Gagam-gunbi-tang for 11 days. Gastrointestinal symptoms were assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, and abdominal examination. Results: Gastrointestinal symptoms improved after taking Korean herbal medicine. Additionally, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, amylase, and lipase levels showed improvement compared to values before treatment. Conclusions: Korean medicine treatment can improve clinical symptoms without damaging the kidneys of patients with acute kidney injuries.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.194-200
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• 2022

Albizia julibrissin Durazz. (AJ; family Minosaceae) is widely distributed worldwide, and its stem bark has been used as a traditional herbal medicine. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a clinical syndrome that results in sudden loss of renal function. This study aimed to investigate the effects of AJ against cisplatin-induced AKI using a human kidney proximal tubule epithelial cell line (HK-2) and cisplatin-treated mice. In vitro, cisplatin treatment increased apoptosis in HK-2 cells. However, AJ treatment decreased apoptosis of cisplatin-treated HK-2 cells. In vivo, cisplatin treatment accelerated renal injury by increasing the levels of renal injury markers, such as blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, kidney injury molecule 1, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, which were reversed by AJ treatment. Histopathologically, AJ treatment resulted in decreased renal damage with less tubular necrosis and brush border desquamation compared with the AKI group. Additionally, cisplatin treatment upregulated mitochondrial fission, a pathological characteristic of AKI, which was downregulated by AJ treatment. Along with increased mitochondrial fission, AJ treatment also reduced cisplatin-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that AJ may be a potential therapeutic agent for cisplatin-induced AKI.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2015

The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill pediatric patients has been reported as increasing to 25 %, depending on population characteristics. The etiology of AKI has changed over the last 10-20 years from primary renal disease to the renal conditions associated with systemic illness. The AKI in pediatric population is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, and prevention is needed to reduce the consequence of AKI. It is known that the most important risk factors for AKI in critically ill pediatric patients are clinical conditions to be associated with decreased renal blood flow, direct renal injury, and illness severity. Renal hypoperfusion leads to neurohormonal activation including renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, sympathetic nervous system, antidiuretic hormone, and prostaglandins. Prolonged renal hypoperfusion can result in acute tubular necrosis. The direct renal injury can be predisposed under the condition of renal hypoperfusion, and appropriate treatment of volume depletion is important to prevent AKI. The preventable causes of AKI include contrast-induced nephropathy, hemodynamic instability, inappropriate mediation use, and multiple nephrotoxic insults. Given the evidence of preventable factors for AKI, several actions such as the use of protocol for prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy, appropriate treatment of volume depletion, vigorous treatment of sepsis, avoidance of combinations of nephrotoxic medications, and monitoring of levels of drugs should be recommended.