Volume 2 Issue 7, July 2006

Progressive renal fibrosis is characteristic of all the diseases that cause renal failure. Although this process is invariably associated with leukocyte infiltration, the extent to which it is controlled by these infiltrating cells is unclear. Corralling data on the roles of macrophages in progressive renal scarring, Andrew J Rees considers whether leukocyte infiltration could be successfully harnessed as a therapeutic target in this setting.

The existence of several different definitions of acute renal failure makes it difficult to determine the true epidemiological characteristics of this condition. Nonetheless, there have been notable variations in its epidemiology during the past few decades. Norbert Lameire and colleagues present an overview of these changes and their causative factors, including geography, patient setting and ageing populations.

The therapeutic potential of statins might extend beyond lipid lowering in cardiovascular disease. Experimental and clinical data to support this assertion are assessed here by authors from the University Hospital of Geneva, with an emphasis on the capacity of drugs of this class to modulate immune processes which affect the kidney during progression of chronic renal disease and transplantation.

By integrating discussion of responses to HLA and non-HLA donor antigens in transplantation, and fetomaternal microchimerism, Pierre Ronco and colleagues have produced a clear and concise overview of alloimmune processes underlying nephropathy of both grafted and native kidneys. The article describes the authors' discovery of a novel form of alloimmunization which causes congenital embranous nephropathy—transfer of antibodies against neutral endopeptidase from mother to fetus.

This short article is an introduction to the histology of damage to transplanted kidneys caused by the immunosuppressants tacrolimus and ciclosporin. Aimed at trainee pathologists and nephrologists wishing to enhance their understanding of the histological basis of the diseases they manage, this beautifully illustrated paper describes the key features, differential diagnosis and clinical implications of nephrotoxicity induced by calcineurin inhibitors.