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Background and objectives: Owing to changing epidemiology and therapeutic practices, a change in the spectrum of renal involvement in Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has also been noted. The treatment of non-diabetic kidney disease (NDKD) differs from diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and the reversibility of NDKD in many cases to normal, prompts biopsy for rapid and accurate diagnosis. Data are scarce on kidney biopsy findings in T2DM. Study design & setting: In this observational study, we prospectively collected the data of kidney biopsies of patients aged ≥ 18 years with T2DM admitted between 1 August 2005 and 31 July 2022. The clinical, demographic and histopathological data were evaluated. The spectrum of kidney involvement in the form of DKD and/or NDKD was studied. The impact of these findings with the use of drugs retarding disease progression was also analyzed. Results: A total of 5485 biopsies were performed during the study period and of these 538 patients had T2DM. The mean age of the study population was 56.9 ± 11.5 years and 81% were males. The mean duration of DM was 6.4 ± 6.1 years. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) was noted in 29.7%. The most common indication for biopsy was an acute rise in creatinine (147, 27.3%). Amongst the 538 diabetic patients who underwent biopsy, histological features only of DKD were noted in 166 patients (33%), NDKD alone in 262 (49%) and NDKD with DKD lesions in 110 (20%). On multivariate analysis, duration of DM less than 5 years, absence of CAD, absence of DR, oliguria at presentation, an acute rise in creatinine and low C3 were associated with NDKD. Conclusions: The prevalence of NDKD among diabetics and ATIN in particular might be on an increasing trend in the current era of changing T2DM epidemiological patterns. The use of anti-pro-teinuric agents was associated with lesser degrees of histopathological chronicity in T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(i) Background: ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Covishield®) vaccine is widely used in India. We studied the Covishield® induced antibody response and its durability among health care workers (HCWs) (ii) Method: HCWs received two doses (0.5 mL) four weeks apart. Blood specimens, collected before each dose, day (D) 60, D150 and D270 after second dose, were tested for anti-spike antibody (ASAb) titre and neutralising antibody (%) (NAb) using Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S (Roche) and SARS-CoV-2 NAb ELISA Kit (Invitrogen), respectively. Data are expressed as proportions and median (interquartile range) and compared using non-parametric (iii) Result: Among 135 HCWs (83 males; age 45 (37–53); 36 had pre-existing ASAb), 29 (21.5%) acquired COVID-19 after 60 (39–68) days of vaccination. ASAb titre before second dose and at D60, D150, D270 were 77.2 (19.4–329.4), 512 (114.5–9212), 149 (51.6–2283) and 2079 (433.9–8644) U/mL, respectively. Compared to those without pre-existing ASAb, titres were significantly higher before second dose (5929 vs. 41, p < 0.001), D60 (3395 vs. 234, p = 0.007) and D150 (1805 vs. 103, p < 0.001) in participants with pre-existing ASAb; NAb were also higher (80 vs. 18, p < 0.001) before second dose. Between those who acquired infection or not after vaccination, ASAb titres were comparable before second dose (77 vs. 78, p = 0.362) but significantly higher at D60 (14,019 vs. 317, p < 0.001) and D150 (2062 vs. 121, p = 0.002) in the former group, though NAb percentage were higher at D60 (87 vs. 27, p < 0.001) and D150 (79 vs. 25, p = 0.007) only (iv) Conclusions: Covishield® induces a higher antibody titre in those with pre-existing ASAb. The vaccine induced antibody starts falling 5 months after vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study compares disease characteristics, imaging modalities used, and patterns of treatment in two large cohorts of Takayasu arteritis (TAK) from Italy and India. Clinic files were retrospectively reviewed to retrieve information about initial choices of vascular imaging and immunosuppressive therapies. Unpaired t-tests compared means, and proportions were compared using Fisher's exact test or Chi square test [Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) calculated where appropriate]. The cohorts comprised 318 patients [Italy (n = 127), India (n = 191)] with similar delays to diagnosis. Ultrasound (OR Italy vs. India 9.25, 95%CI 5.02–17.07) was more frequently used in Italy and CT angiography in India (OR 0.32, 95%CI 0.20–0.51). Corticosteroid use was more prevalent and for longer duration in Italy. TAK from Italy had been more often treated with methotrexate, leflunomide or azathioprine, as opposed to tacrolimus in TAK from India (p < 0.05). Biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying agents were almost exclusively used in Italy. Survival on first immunosuppressive agent was longer from Italy than from India (log rank test p value 0.041). Considerable differences in the choice of initial vascular imaging modality and therapies for TAK from Italy and India could relate to prevalent socio-economic disparities. These should be considered while developing treatment recommendations for TAK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) are at a much higher risk of complications and death following COVID-19 and are poor vaccine responders. The data are limited on the immune response to Covishield® in KTRs. We prospectively recruited a cohort of 67 KTRs aged >18 between April 2021 and December 2021. Each participant was given two intramuscular doses of Covishield®, each of 0.5 mL, at an interval of 12 weeks. A blood specimen of 5.0 mL was collected from each participant at two points within a few days before administering the first dose of the vaccine and at any time between 4–12 weeks after administering the second dose. The sera were tested for anti-RBD antibody (ARAb) titre and neutralising antibody (NAb). An ACE2 competition assay was used as a proxy for virus neutralization. According to the prior COVID-19 infection, participants were grouped as (i) group A: prior symptomatic COVID-19 infection, (ii) group B: prior asymptomatic COVID-19 infection as evidenced by detectable ARAb in the prevaccination specimen, (iii) Group C: no prior infection with COVID-19, (iv) group D: Unclassified, i.e., participants had no symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, but their prevaccination specimen was not available for ARAb testing before vaccination. Fifty of sixty-seven participants (74.6%) provided paired specimens (group A 14, group B 27, and group C 9) and 17 participants (25.4%) provided only postvaccination specimens (group D). In the overall cohort (n = 67), 91% and 77.6% of participants developed ARAb and NAb, respectively. Their ARAb titre and NAb proportion were 2927 (520–7124) U/mL and 87.9 (24.4–93.2) %, respectively. Their median ARAb titre increased 65.6 folds, from 38.2 U/mL to 3137 U/mL. Similarly, the proportion of participants with NAb increased from 56% to 86%, and the NAb proportion raised 2.7 folds, from 23% to 91%. A comparison of vaccine response between the study groups showed that all those with or without prior COVID-19 infection showed a significant rise in ARAb titre (p < 0.05) and NAb proportion (p < 0.05) after the two doses of vaccine administration. The median value of folds rise in anti-RBD and NAb between groups A and B were comparable. Hence, ARAb is present in more than 3/4th of KTRs before the ChAdOx1 vaccine in India. The titer of ARAb and the proportion of NAb significantly increased after the two doses of the ChAdOx1 vaccine in KTRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination-induced SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies are required for herd immunity. Vaccine availability and poor vaccine response in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) remain a concern. There is no report on the efficacy of Covaxin and Covishield vaccines in RTRs. We recruited 222 live donors RTRs and analyzed the serum titer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody by chemiluminescent magnetic microparticle immunoassay. Patients were categorized into three groups: group1 with SARS-CoV-2 infection and no vaccination (n = 161); group 2 with only vaccination and no SARS-CoV-2 infection (n = 41); and group 3 with both vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection (n = 20). Overall seroconversion rate was 193/222 (86.9%) with a median titer 1095.20 AU/mL. The median IgG titer value in group 1 was 647.0 AU/mL; group 2 was 1409.0 AU/mL; and group 3 was 1831.30 AU/mL. Covaxin associated seroconversion was observed in 16/19 (84.21%), with a median titer of 1373.90 AU/mL compared to that of Covishield 32/42 (76.19%), whose median titer was 1831.10 AU/mL. The seroconversion rate due to SARS-CoV-2 infection was 145 (90.06%), it was lowest with the vaccination-only group (70.7%), and with both vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection group it was highest (95%). In RTRs, SARS-CoV-2 infection and both Covaxin and Covishield vaccination effectively induce a humoral immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein; however, seroconversion rate was lower and the antibody titer was higher with vaccine than infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]