CCN2 and diabetic kidney disease: Moreover, correlative studies in diseased human tissues indicate important links between CTGF and TGF-β in a number of fibrotic disease states, including diabetic nephropathy, idiopathic and non-idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, liver fibrosis, skin fibrosis (including keloids and systemic sclerosis), atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, pancreatitis and various forms of malignant disease [3,8].