BACKGROUND Despite the development of biomarkers and noninvasive imaging tools, biopsy remains the only method for correctly diagnosing patients with unexplained hematuria, proteinuria and renal failure. Renal biopsy has been performed for several decades in Taiwan; however, a national data registry is still lacking until 2013. METHODS The Renal Biopsy Registry Committee was established withi...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by the production of a wide array of autoantibodies. Thus, the condition was traditionally classified as a "B-cell disease". Compelling evidence has however shown that without the assistance of the helper T lymphocytes, it is indeed difficult for the "helpless" B cells to become functional enough to trigger SLE-related inflammation. T cells ha...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the risk factors associated with renal vein thrombosis (RVT) in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS Data on clinical symptoms, renal biopsy, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome profile, and serological examinations of lupus features were examined retrospectively in six patients with RVT confirmed by angiography from a total of 625 patients w...

Mycoplasma pneumoniae has been associated with respiratory tract infections. Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia-related pleural effusion is rarely reported. Extra-pulmonary abnormalities such as encephalitis, myocarditis, glomerulonephritis, and myringitis have been reported. However pulmonary manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus include pneumonitis, pleurisy, interstitial lung disease, ...

Lupus nephritis is a frequent manifestation of systemic lupus erythematous. Lupus nephritis usually presents with abnormal urinalysis, proteinuria, and/or renal insufficiency. We report a case of a 48-year-old woman who underwent partial nephrectomy for a fortuitously discovered solid enhancing left kidney mass. No neoplastic cells were found in the biopsy specimen; however, the pathology findi...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a devastating multisystemic autoimmune disorder. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis remain elusive. Some patients with Noonan syndrome, a congenital disorder predominantly caused by gain-of-function mutations in the protein tyrosine phosphatase SH2 domain-containing PTP (SHP2), have been shown to develop SLE, suggesting a function...

We report a rare case of dengue fever triggering systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis. The patient presented herself during a large outbreak of dengue fever in December 2012 in Maharashtra, India. The diagnosis of dengue fever was confirmed by the presence of NS-1 antigen during the first few days of febrile illness. Eight weeks later, kidney tissue biopsy studies revealed evidence ...