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This study aims to quantify the topography of the Moho boundary, the lower crust and uppermost mantle contact of Egypt, in order to estimate the crustal thickness variation and its link to the distribution of thermal anomalies under Egypt. This is accomplished by modeling satellite gravity, supported by the passive seismic constraints throughout Egypt. However, when estimating the thickness of the crust in Egypt using just seismic data, substantial uncertainty and deviation are produced due to the sparsely dispersed stations. Integrating seismic and gravity data minimizes uncertainty and improves estimate accuracy. The investigation is broken down into four stages, the first involving utilizing the Sentinel-3B satellite to create land surface temperature maps. The subsequent steps consist of gravity and seismic data adjustments, inversion and forward modeling. We used seismically restricted nonlinear inversion to look at Goco06s satellite gravity data to model the Moho's topographic surface. The data gathered from deep seismic refraction and receiver functions adjusted the analyzed data. The inversion process relies on the adapted Bott's approach and Tikhonov regularization, using the assumption of the sphericity of the Earth planet. Reference values for depth of Moho and density contrast were set at 35 km and 500 kg/m3, respectively. The average statistical difference for Moho depth between gravity-based model and seismic data is − 0.10 km. Through forward gravity modeling, five gravity profiles were chosen and interpreted in 2.5D models. The results indicated that the Moho depth in the south varies from 35 to 39 km and decreases in the north and the Mediterranean. In upper Egypt, the highest Moho depth is 39 km. The depth varies beneath the Sinai Peninsula as it is about 35 km in its south, reaches 30 km in the northern portion, and ranges along the Red Sea's Rift Margin from 29 to 32 km. Moreover, the final model shows the relation between Moho coincides with the surface temperature anomalies approved by satellite images and hot springs. The model reveals a correlation between Moho discontinuity and surface temperature anomalies, revealing the highest geothermal potential in a rectangular area in central Egypt, between latitudes 25°N and 30°N, based on satellite imagery and hot springs distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of evapotranspiration has crucial importance in arid regions like Egypt, which suffers from the scarcity of precipitation and water shortages. This study provides an investigation of the performance of 31 widely used empirical equations and 20 models developed using five artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to estimate reference evapotranspiration (ET0) to generate gridded high‐resolution daily ET0 estimates over Egypt. The AI algorithms include support vector machine‐radial basis function (SVM‐RBF), random forest (RF), group method of data handling neural network (GMDH‐NN), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), and dynamic evolving neural fuzzy interference system (DENFIS). Daily observations records of 41 stations distributed over Egypt were used to calculate ET0 using FAO56 Penman–Monteith equation as a reference estimate. The multiparameter Kling‐Gupta efficiency (KGE) metric was used as an evaluation metric for its robustness in representing different statistical error/agreement characteristics in a single value. By category, the empirical equations based on radiation performed better in replicating FAO56‐PM followed by temperature‐ and mass‐transfer‐based ones. Ritchie equation was found to be the best overall in Egypt (median KGE 0.76) followed by Caprio (median KGE 0.64), and Penman (median KGE 0.52) equations based on station‐wise ranking. On the other hand, the RF model, having maximum and minimum temperatures, wind speed, and relative humidity as predictors, outperformed other AI algorithms. Overall, the RF model performed the best among all the AI models and empirical equations. The generated 0.10° × 0.10° daily estimates of ET0 enabled the detection of a significant increase of 0.12–0.16 mm·decade−1 in the agricultural‐dependent Nile Delta using the modified Mann–Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current work makes use of the geometrical configuration of the two lower-altitude Swarm satellites (Swarm A and C), moving side by side with a longitudinal distance of 1.4°, to estimate a two-dimensional (2D) model of the lithospheric magnetic anomaly field over Egypt using gradient data. The gradient in both the north–south and the east–west directions have been inverted using the weighted damping least-squares fit technique to estimate the best model coefficients of the 2D model. The best model coefficients have been obtained under the expansion of the Legendre polynomial from degree n = 7 to n = 56. Results showed that the gradient of the field in the north–south direction is always much smoother than that in the east–west direction. The noise in the east–west direction is attributed to the different environmental conditions surrounding both satellites. The modeled field always showed smoother variations than the observed data, even for the horizontal components (Bx and By). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective was to study the complications of chronic renal failure (CRF) among pediatric live-donor kidney transplant recipients. Between March 1976 and December 2005, 1,785 live-donor kidney transplantations were carried out at our center. Of the recipients, 292 were 20 years old or younger (mean age 12.8 years, ranging from 4 years to 20 years). Clinical and laboratory parameters of these 292 patients were analyzed retrospectively. They were 182 boys and 110 girls. Patients who had received transplants before 1988 were treated with prednisolone and azathioprine as combined therapy. From 1988 to 1998, a triple regimen comprising prednisolone, azathioprine and cyclosporine A (CsA) was administered. Tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) were introduced as primary therapy in 1998. Growth, anemia, infections, and surgical, cardiac, neurologic, bone and other medical complications were assessed. Triple-drug immunosuppression (prednisone + CsA + azathioprine) was used in 68.2% of transplants. Acute rejection rate was 47.6%; chronic rejection rate was 31%. Hypertension (62%) was the commonest complication. Anemia was diagnosed in 61%. A substantial proportion of patients (48%) were short, with height standard deviation scores (SDSs) of less than −1.88. The overall infection rate was high, and the majority (54%) was bacterial. Malignancy was diagnosed in eight (3%) patients. The incidence of urological complications was 14%, and that of vascular complications was 1%. Cardiac complications included left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in 47.9% of patients, left atrial enlargement (31.5%) and left ventricular dilatation and systolic dysfunction (13.7% for each). Neuropathic changes were found in 19% of our cases, with the distal muscles of lower limbs more affected. Other complications included avascular bone necrosis in 8% (all of them in the hip joint) and bone loss in 60% of patients. We concluded that, despite the long-term success of pediatric renal transplantation in a developing country, there is a risk of significant morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Cyclosporine A is used in the treatment of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. We conducted this study to evaluate the effect of cyclosporine and its combination with ketoconazole in Egyptian nephrotic children with steroid-resistant and steroid-dependant minimal change. Materials and Methods. Forty-eight children with minimal change lesions who received cyclosporine with or without ketoconazole were studied. Their mean age was 5.17 ± 1.59 years, and they were 31 boys and 17 girls. The mean duration of the disease was 6.22 ± 3.16 years. Thirty-one of the children were steroid dependent and 17 were steroid resistant. Cyclosporine treatment was commenced after remission was attained and adjusted to a target trough level of 100 ng/mL. The mean cyclosporine therapy at a dose of 2.07 ± 0.91 mg/kg was administered for a mean of 25.75 ± 1.95 months. Thirty-three patients received adjunctive ketoconazole therapy. Results. Thirty-eight patients (79.2%) responded well to cyclosporine. Steroid therapy could be discontinued in 43 patients (89.6%), but 9 experienced relapse. Ten patients (20.8%) were resistant to cyclosporine therapy. Fifteen patients received cyclosporine alone, while 33 received concomitant cyclosporine and ketoconazole. The response to cyclosporine was significantly better in those on ketoconazole. The economic effect of ketoconazole therapy was a reduction in the costs of cyclosporine treatment by 47.4% at 1 year of treatment. Conclusions. Cyclosporine treatment in children with minimal change nephrotic syndrome is effective in preventing relapse and decreasing steroid toxicity. Its combination with low-dose ketoconazole is safe, reduces treatment costs, and improves the response to cyclosporine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the impact of four gene polymorphisms on acute renal allograft rejection (AR) and graft survival among Egyptian population. These 4 gene polymorphisms include: (1) CD 28 (rs3116496), (2) CD86 (rs1129055), (3) CTLA-4 (rs3087243), (4) PD-1 (rs2227982). This is a non-concurrent cohort study including 50 kidney transplant recipients diagnosed histopathologically as (AR) [study group] and another 50 matched allograft recipients without AR [control group]. Blood samples were taken from both groups and subjected to genotyping for the selected four genetic polymorphisms by TaqMan genotyping assay. The difference in genotypic distribution of CD 28: rs3116496 and CD86: rs1129055 wasn't statistically significant between the study and control groups (P = 0.22 and 0.33 respectively) and also both polymorphisms had no effect on graft survival (P = 0.36 and 0.74 respectively) while the addition of C allele to IVS3 +17T/C polymorphism in CD28 gene showed a protective effect against AR (P = 0.03). CTLA-4: rs3087243 AG genotype showed a protective effect against AR as it was more frequent in no rejection group compared to those with AR (P = 0.001) with a statistically significant impact on graft survival (P < 0.001), while PD-1: rs2227982 AG genotype was equally distributed between both groups (variant of unknown significance). There was no detected association between CD86 polymorphism: rs1129055 and CD 28 polymorphism: rs3116496 with the development of AR. However, C allele of CD 28 IVS3 +17T/C polymorphism and CTLA-4 polymorphism: rs3087243AG genotype both demonstrated a protective effect against AR., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Pruritus is one of the most common and disturbing symptoms in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The pathogenesis of pruritus in HD patients is multifactorial; however, a little progress in understanding this pathogenesis has been achieved., Objectives: To evaluate the frequency and risk factors of pruritus among HD patients in Dakahlia, Egypt., Methods: A total of 193 patients from 4 HD centers were included in this study. Pruritus intensity was assessed by visual analog scale. All patients were assessed by clinical and laboratory parameters, such as age, sex, duration of dialysis, dialysis adequacy, urea, calcium, phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, fasting insulin, fasting sugar, HOMA-IR, serum ferritin, high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and hemoglobin. They were also investigated for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by HCV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, HCV-PCR for plasma and buffy coat for further detection of occult HCV infection., Results: Male gender, dialysis duration, inadequate dialysis, anemia, high ferritin, hyperphosphatemia, hypocalcemia, hs-CRP, and insulin resistance were characteristic features in pruritic patients (p = 0.01, 0.006, 0.0001, 0.047, 0.01, 0.0001, 0.024, 0.000, and 0.0001, respectively). Significant positive correlations were found between pruritus score and each of age (p = 0.002, r = 0.222), duration of dialysis (p = 0.03, r = 0.151), serum ferritin (p = 0.001, r = 0.213), serum phosphorus (p = 0.0001, r = 0.59), fasting insulin (p = 0.001, r= 0.273), and HOMA-IR (p = 0.0001, r = 0.349), while there was a negative correlation with Kt/V (p= 0.0001, r = -0.459). Linear multivariate regression analysis showed that age, duration of dialysis, serum phosphorus, Kt/v, and hs-CRP were good predictors for pruritic score in HD patients. All HCV-infected patients (who were positive for both plasma and buffy coat HCV-PCR) had pruritus with -significantly higher pruritus score than non-infected patients (p = 0.009), they also showed significantly higher fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and hs-CRP levels (p = 0.0001)., Conclusions: Uremic pruritus (UP) is a serious problem in HD patients. hs-CRP, male gender, dialysis duration, insulin resistance, dialysis inadequacy, and hyperphosphatemia are positively correlated with the intensity of UP. HCV infection is associated with severe UP, insulin resistance, and inflammation., (© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Previous studies have suggested that loss of bone mineral density (BMD) frequently occurs in patients with chronic viral liver disease, presenting with histologically proven liver cirrhosis. However, little is known about the occurrence of bone disease in non-cirrhotic patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, such an effect has never been studied in pediatric renal transplant recipients. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of HCV infection on BMD in pediatric renal transplant patients. We performed a cross-sectional study to assess BMD and HCV in 83 patients who received living renal allotransplants in the Mansoura Urology and Nephrology Center between 1983 and 2005. The mean age of the study patients at transplantation was 13.4 ± 2.9 years; there were 53 males (63.9%) and 30 females (36.1%). BMD was studied using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry at various time intervals up to 16 years after transplantation (mean duration after transplantation was 48 ± 34 months, range 12- 192 months). Thirty-three patients tested positive for HCV-RNA (positive group) and 50 patients were negative (negative group), and we compared the BMD between the two groups. Before transplantation, 58 patients (69.9%) were on maintenance hemodialysis, four (4.8%) were on peritoneal dialysis and 21 (25.3%) were pre-emptive. Among the HCV-positive group, six patients (18.2%) had osteoporosis, 17 (51.5%) had osteopenia and ten (30.3%) had normal BMD. In the HCV-negative group, ten patients (20.0%) had osteoporosis, 24 (48.0%) had osteopenia and 16 (32.0%) had normal BMD. The difference was not significant between the two groups (P = 0.9). Also, there was no significant difference in the serum creatinine, calcium, phosphorus and parathormone levels between the two groups. Our results suggest that chronic HCV infection does not pose a risk for low BMD in pediatric renal transplant recipients.

To evaluate the effects of gender on HRQOL and overall health status in our pediatric kidney transplants. We performed a cross-sectional study in 77 children who received living renal allo-transplants in our center between 1981 and 2003. The patients were given a questionnaire at a post-transplant visit. After completing, the patients returned it in a closed envelope. The questionnaire included demographic questions plus 57 multiple-choice questions designed to analyze various aspects of post-transplant life. Overall, the patients show satisfactory HRQOL. Most of the patients lived with their parents (79.2%). The current health status did not cause difficulties at work in 70.1% and did not interfere with the social life in 62.3% of patients. Physical and sexual growth was delayed in 48% and 85.7% of patients, respectively. A total of 67.5% of patients had normal health life or minor symptoms with normal activity. There was no significant effect of gender on HRQOL except for onset of puberty, sexual function, practicing sports, and obesity. Overall, the patients show satisfactory HRQOL. There was mild significant effect of gender on HRQOL. These findings may help health care professionals to develop gender-specific interventions to optimize HRQOL of kidney transplants.

Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) remains a major cause of graft failure over the long term, second only to patient mortality. The main adverse effects of cyclosporine A (CsA) include nephrotoxicity, hypertension, symptomatic hyperuricemia, hirsutism, and gum hyperplasia. Available studies among live related donor renal transplants lack adequate information regarding the long-term efficacy and safety of primary CsA-based immunosuppressive regimens. This prospective randomized study is aimed at evaluating the long-term results of CsA-based immunosuppressive protocols in live-donor kidney transplantation. The follow-up data of 444 renal transplant recipients operated at the Urology and Nephrology Center, Mansoura University, prior to 1996 were reviewed. Primary immuno-suppressive protocols included: steroids and azathioprine (group I, 130 cases); steroids and CsA (group II, 75 cases); and steroids, CsA, and azathioprine (group III, 239 cases). Only adult primary renal transplant recipients with age ranging between 18 and 60 years and one haplotype HLA mismatch with the donor were included. All patients received kidneys from living related donors with previous donor non-specific blood transfusions. The percentage of cases with chronic rejection was significantly higher in group III. Living cases with graft failure were significantly higher in group III, whereas mortality was significantly higher in group I. Diabetic patients and those with serious bacterial infections were significantly more prevalent in group II. Hypertensive patients were significantly more common in groups I and II. Liver disease was more prevalent among patients in group III. Our study suggests that the long-term results of treatment with steroids and azathioprine are satisfactory in live related donor kidney transplant recipients. Chronic rejection was significantly higher in patients in group III, possibly due to the risk of CsA nephrotoxicity. Groups with CsA-based protocols experienced many adverse reactions of CsA such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic rejection.

Introduction: Chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection has been associated with glomerular disease in native and transplanted kidneys. We evaluated the presence of HCV infection at the time of transplantation and occurrence of proteinuria in Egyptian kidney transplant patients and their link with graft survival., Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was done on 273 patients with end-stage renal disease transplanted in Mansoura Urology and Nephrology Center Between 1993 and 1996. Their sera were routinely assayed for anti-HCV antibodies at the time of transplantation. The relationship between the HCV and the development of posttransplantation proteinuria was evaluated, along with the possible effects of proteinuria on long-term graft survival., Results: A total of 169 kidney recipients (61.9%) were positive for anti-HCV antibodies. The mean durations of post-transplant follow-ups were 87.73 +/- 26.79 months (range, 19 to 123 months) and 84.29 +/- 28.55 months (range, 11 to 123 months) for the patients with and without anti-HCV antibodies, respectively. The patients in these groups were comparable regarding the incidence of proteinuria (33% and 32%, respectively) and its quantity (median, 0.6 g/d and 0.4 g/d, respectively). Irrespective of the HCV infection, patients with nephrotic-range proteinuria showed a worse graft survival (P < .001) and a higher frequency of chronic allograft nephropathy (P = .03) compared with nonproteinuric patients., Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of HCV infection in our patients with end-stage renal disease awaiting kidney transplantation. The incidence and quantity of proteinuria do not increase by HCV infection, and nephrotic-range proteinuria is independently associated with chronic allograft nephropathy and a poorer graft outcome.

Our objective was to evaluate our overall experience in pediatric renal transplantation. Between March 1976 and March 2004, 1,600 live-donor kidney transplantations were carried out in our center; 216 of the patients were 18 years old or younger (mean age 12.9 years). There were 136 male patients and 80 female patients. The commonest causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were renal dysplasia (22%), nephrotic syndrome (20%), hereditary nephritis (16%), and obstructive uropathy (16%). Of the donors, 94% were one-haplotype matched and the rest were identical. Pre-emptive transplantation was performed in 51 (23%) patients. Triple-therapy immunosuppression (prednisone + cyclosporine + azathioprine) was used in 78.2% of transplants. Rejection-free recipients constituted 47.7%. Hypertension (62%) was the commonest complication. A substantial proportion of patients (48%) were short, with height standard deviation score (SDS) less than -1.88. The overall infection rate was high, and the majority (53%) of infections were bacterial. The graft survival at 1 year, 5 years and 10 years were 93.4%, 73.3% and 48.2%, respectively, while the patients' survival at 1, 5 and 10 years were 97.6%, 87.8% and 75.3%, respectively. Despite long-term success results of pediatric renal transplantation in a developing country, there is a risk of significant morbidity.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) constitutes a real human threat. Its presence in human milk has previously been reported in different countries. This study is the first Egyptian report on the presence of OTA in both mothers' milk and infants' sera, addressing its correlation with infants' kidney functions, which was not previously addressed in the literature. Fifty healthy breast-lactating mothers and their infants who were exclusively breast-fed for at least 4 months were included. All of them were subjected to a thorough laboratory evaluation including determination of OTA concentration by high-performance liquid chromatography. Thirty-six mothers (72%) and their infants had been contaminated with OTA. Univariate analysis showed that the presence of OTA was associated with significantly higher levels of urinary beta2 microglobulin and microalbuminuria. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between a higher OTA level in infants' sera and the degree of microalbuminuria. Mothers and their infants in our locality are exposed to a high OTA contamination rate (72%). To establish the role of OTA in causation of future renal dysfunction for infants, large controlled studies are warranted.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Egypt has reached an epidemic proportion and is associated with many extra hepatic manifestations; Glomerulonephritis (GN) is one of the most consequences of HCV infection often resulting in end stage renal disease in some cases. Detection of viral genome or particles within the kidney biopsies from HCV-infected patients has proven to be difficult. Histological characterization of renal lesions still represents a major challenge. The aim of our work was to describe the histological pattern of HCV-associated nephropathy., Methods: Fifty Patients--out of 233--presented to Mansoura Urology and Nephrology clinic with manifestations of glomerular disease were screened for HCV antibodies by a 3rd generation ELISA test. Those tested positive for HCV antibodies were confirmed by PCR for HCV-RNA and subjected to more detailed clinical, biochemical and histological study. Kidney biopsies and in appropriate cases liver biopsies were examined by LM and electron microscopy (EM)., Results: Histological study of renal biopsies revealed membranoproliferative (MPGN) type 1 to be the most common lesion encountered (54%), followed by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) (24%), mesangioproliferative GN (18%), membranous nephropathy (MN) (4%) in that order. EM examinations of renal biopsies were successful in identifying HCV like particles in frozen renal tissue., Conclusion: HCV-associated glomerulopathy is a distinct category of glomerulonephritis. Results of LM showed some peculiar features. In addition, we were successful in location and detection of HCV particles in renal tissues by EM.

The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes and serotypes in anti-HCV-positive hemodialysis patients and determine the concordance between genotyping and serotyping methods. Sixty-two hemodialysis patients were included in this study. HCV RNA was determined using polymerase chain reaction assay and genotypes using a line probe assay. HCV serotyping was performed with competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Genotype 4 (52 patients) was the most predominant genotype, followed by type 1 (10 patients). The most prevalent HCV serotype was type 4 (41 patients), followed by serotype 1 (6 patients). We detected multiple serotypes in 4 patients and untypeable strains in 11. The overall sensitivity of serotyping assay was 82% for the study patients. According to the genotyping results, the sensitivity of serotyping was 60% and 86.5% for HCV types 1 and 4, respectively. There was a 100% concordance between results of serotyping and genotyping in the identification of HCV type 1 and 91% concordance in HCV type 4. Serological typing method may be of great value in microbiology laboratories that require a simple assay for identification of HCV genotypes, although the sensitivity of this assay may be limited by the immunocompetence of infected hemodialysis patients.

Background: HCV infection in Egypt has reached epidemic proportion, it is associated with many extra hepatic manifestations. Glomerulonephritis (GN) is one of the most serious ending in renal failure in some cases. Detection of viral genome or particles within the kidneys of HCV-infected patients proved to be difficult. Histological characterization of renal lesions still represents a major challenge. The aim of our work was to describe the histological patterns of HCV-associated nephropathy., Methods: Fifty patients--out of 233 presented to Mansoura Urology and Nephrology clinic with manifestations of glomerular disease were screened for HCV antibodies by 3rd generation ELISA test-, those proved positive for HCV antibodies were confirmed by PCR for HCV RNA and were thoroughly investigated regarding clinical, biochemical, histological criteria's of HCV-associated nephropathy. Kidney and liver biopsies were examined by LM and electron microscopy., Results: Histological study of renal biopsies revealed membranoproliferative (MPGN) type 1 to be the commonest lesion encountered (54), followed by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) (24), mesangioproliferative GN (18), membranous nephropathy (MN) (4) in that order. Electron microscopic examinations of renal biopsies were successful in identifying HCV-like particles in frozen renal tissue., Conclusion: HCV-associated glomeruloapthy is a distinct category of glomerulonephritis, by LM it has some peculiar features, we were successful in localization of HCV particles in renal tissues by EM.

A random sample of 68 males and 25 females who reside in Mansoura city, Egypt, was examined for concentrations of cadmium, lead, and mercury in blood, urine, hair, and nails. The effect of gender and smoking on such levels was studied. The influence of dental amalgam on the levels of mercury in these biological samples was also examined. The results obtained show that only blood lead, which increased among males, was affected by gender. Blood levels of cadmium and lead as well as hair lead appeared to increase with smoking habit. Mercury levels in blood and urine were related to the presence of dental amalgam fillings. International comparisons between our results and the corresponding levels in other localities in the world showed that there were environmentally related variations in terms of cadmium levels in hair, lead levels in blood, urine, hair, and nails, and mercury levels in blood, hair, and nails. In conclusion, reference intervals of cadmium, lead, and mercury in the biological samples are environmentally related parameters. Some factors, such as gender, smoking habit, and the presence of dental amalgam fillings, may affect such levels and therefore should be considered.

We followed up 128 patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis (CGN), having sufficient clinical and histopathological data for a mean period of 34 +/- 28 months. There were 49 males and 79 females, mean age 22.7 +/- 14 years. We studied the effects of clinical, laboratory and histopathological parameters on kidney function and survival at the end point of the study. Multivariate analysis indicated that serum creatinine at presentation, nephrotic range proteinuria during the follow-up period, percentage of glomeruli with crescents, percentage of fibrous crescents and absence of cellular infiltration were significant risk factors affecting kidney function at the end of the study. The only risk factor significantly correlated with mortality was serum creatinine at last follow-up.