MAPK8 and nephrolithiasis, calcium oxalate: Khan (2013) reported that the p38 MAPK/JNK pathway regulates crystallization modulator production and influences plaque formation as well as calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis. Our previous research also showed that calcium and TGF-β may participate in the pathogenesis of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and lead to stone formation (He et al., 2015).