DES and chronic kidney disease: Moreover, renal desmin positive cells were increased in the CKD-PF group compared to the Control-PF group, while renal desmin positive cells were fewer in the CKD-IRPF group compared to the CKD-PF group (Fig 3A and 3D), suggesting that glomerular podocyte damage was less pronounced in the CKD-IRPF group compared to the CKD-PF group.