CR was defined as remission of both proteinuria and hematuria, specifically, (1) a protein/creatinine ratio of <0.1 (g/g) for at least 3 months, after correction of urinary protein levels for urinary creatinine concentrations, and (2) <5 red blood cells per high-power field on microscopic evaluation of the urinary sediment. The secondary endpoint was the efficacy of our treatment in preventing progressive deterioration of IgAN, which was assessed by evaluation of renal function and

immunological investigations. The eGFR was calculated using the equation recommended by the Japanese Society of Nephrology: eGFR = 194 × sCr−1.094 × age−0.287 MLN2238 molecular weight (×0.739 if female) [13], and patients were categorized into three stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on the eGFR values. The immunological parameters evaluated were the serum levels of IgA and IgG. When possible, urinary IgE levels were also measured along with the urinary levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) using a highly sensitive IL-6 assay. The presence or absence of adverse events was examined during the follow-up period by periodic determination of blood pressure, hematological and biochemical parameters, urinalysis, and infection markers. Statistics Statistical analysis was conducted by examination of normality, and the results were

compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. The uniformity of process variables was analyzed by the chi-squared (χ 2) test. To test the equality of the means, repeated-measures very ANOVA was employed. The statistical significance level was set at P < 0.05 (for a two-tailed test). The statistical software package

EX 527 in vitro SPSS for Microsoft Windows version 11.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) was used for the analyses. The mean values and standard deviations were calculated for data representation. Results Table 1 shows the baseline characteristics of the patients according to CKD stage. The duration of illness (from detection of urinalysis abnormalities to tonsillectomy) averaged 5.7 ± 4.8 (0.4–20) years (unknown in 3 cases). The duration of illness tended to be longer in elderly patients. The proportion of RAS inhibitor users was 38%. This percentage rose significantly as CKD stage became higher. No significant change in blood pressure was observed during the treatment, and none of the patients required the use of additional antihypertensive medication after the start of the therapy. Table 1 Baseline characteristics of patients according to CKD stage Characteristic All (n = 42) CKD stage 1 (n = 18) CKD stage 2 (n = 16) CKD stage 3 (n = 8) Age (years) 30.4 ± 11.9 22.6 ± 4.9 31.9 ± 6.2 45.0 ± 16.8 LCZ696 Gender (M/F) 17/25 6/12 8/8 3/6 Urine OB score 2.60 ± 0.59 2.78 ± 0.43 2.31 ± 0.70 2.75 ± 0.46 Proteinuria (g/g × Cre) 0.98 ± 0.98 0.73 ± 0.68 0.72 ± 0.59 2.03 ± 1.49 No. of patients with UP >1.0 g/g × Cre 17 (40.5%) 7 (38.9%) 5 (31.3%) 5 (62.5%) eGFR (ml/min/1.73 m2) 85.0 ± 27.7 111.6 ± 12.5 75.3 ± 8.6 44.8 ± 8.