Volume 16 Issue 5, May 2020

Paradoxically, elevated BMI is a recognized positive prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A recent investigation of the transcriptomic signatures of RCC tumours and peritumoural tissues suggests potential biological mechanisms underlying this effect. However, the clinical utility of BMI in the context of RCC remains uncertain.

A recent metabolite genome-wide association study (mGWAS) investigated the relationship between genetic factors and the urine metabolome in kidney disease. The findings demonstrate that mGWAS hold promise for identifying novel genetic factors involved in adsorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of metabolites and pharmaceuticals, as well as biomarkers for disease progression.

Here, the authors outline the relationship between environmental change and kidney diseases and discuss the environmental impact of kidney care delivery, focusing on dialysis. They highlight existing opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of nephrology, as well as areas for future research.

Here, the authors review drivers of fibrogenesis, including epithelial cell injury, inflammation, regeneration pathways and factors that promote the AKI-to-CKD transition. They discuss direct targeting of fibrotic pathways and therapeutic approaches that have reportedly decreased kidney fibrosis in preclinical and/or clinical studies.

In this Review, the authors discuss current understanding of the expression and dysregulation of factors that regulate angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in the kidney, as well as potential therapeutic strategies to target these factors during various kidney diseases.