Acute kidney injury in nonagenarians: clinical characteristics and mortality.

Introduction: Nonagenarians constitute a rising percentage of inpatients, with acute kidney injury (AKI) being frequent in this population. Thus, it is important to analyze the clinical characteristics of this demographic and their impact on mortality.

Methods: Retrospective study of nonagenarian patients with AKI at a tertiary hospital between 2013 and 2022.

Reduction of estimated glomerular filtration rate after COVID-19-associated acute kidney injury.

Introduction: Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), a frequent manifestation in COVID-19, can compromise kidney function in the long term. We evaluated renal function after hospital discharge of patients who developed AKI associated with COVID-19.

Methods: This is an ambidirectional cohort.

Kidney biomarkers in tropical infections: an update.

Neglected tropical diseases affect over 1 billion people, and cause 170,000 deaths each year. They result in disability, stigma and disfigurement, and also push families into poverty. Tropical infections can involve the kidney, presenting as a wide variety of ways, varying from transient urinary abnormalities to severe acute kidney injury (AKI).

Aquaporin-2 and NKCC2 expression pattern in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis.

Objective: Schistosoma mansoni infection is considered a public health problem. Glomerular involvement in schistosomiasis is a well-documented complication, especially in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HSS). However, renal tubular function is poorly understood.

Renal function in hepatosplenic schistosomiasis--an assessment of renal tubular disorders.

Background: Renal involvement in Schistosoma mansoni infection is not well studied. The aim of this study is to investigate the occurrence of renal abnormalities in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HSS), especially renal tubular disorders.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 20 consecutive patients with HSS followed in a medical center in Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.

Retinoic acid prevents ventricular remodelling induced by tobacco smoke exposure in rats.

Objective: Our objective was to test the hypothesis that retinoic acid supplementation could attenuate ventricular remodelling induced by tobacco smoke exposure in rats.

Methods And Results: Wistar rats were allocated into three groups: control (C, n = 8); exposed to tobacco smoke (ETS, n = 9); exposed to tobacco smoke and all-trans-retinoic acid (ETS-RA, n = 9). After two months, cardiac function and geometry were assessed by echocardiography, and geometry changes were confirmed by morphometric analysis.

Referral to the nephrology outpatient clinic: inappropriate referral to the nephrologist.

Introduction: There are scarce data in Brazil concerning the referral of the patients with renal diseases to the nephrologist care.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to describe the adequacy of early referral of these patients to a nephrology out-patient clinic.

Material And Methods: It was a cross-sectional study.

Influence of lisinopril on cardiac remodeling induced by tobacco smoke exposure.

Background: To investigate the effect of lisinopril on cardiac remodeling induced by smoking.

Material/methods: Rats were allocated into 3 groups: group CON (n=8): control; group CSE (n=8): cigarette smoke exposure; group CSE-LIS (n=8): exposed to tobacco smoke and treated with lisinopril.

Results: After 2 months, the tail systolic pressure was lower in CSE-LIS (CON=116 +/-27 mm Hg, CSE=126+/-16, CSE-LIS=89+/-12; P<.

Remodeling pattern and ventricular function in rats exposed to cigarette smoke.

Background: The relevance of the remodeling pattern in the model of rats exposed to cigarette smoke is not known.

Objective: Analyzing the presence of different remodeling patterns in this model and its relation with the ventricular function.

Methods: Smoking rats (n=47) have been divided according to the geometry pattern, analyzed by echocardiogram: normal (normal mass index and normal relative wall thickness), concentric remodeling (normal mass index and increased relative wall thickness), concentric hypertrophy (increased mass index and increased relative wall thickness) and eccentric hypertrophy (increased mass index and normal relative wall thickness).

Halomonhystera parasitica n. sp. (Nematoda: Monhysteridae), a parasite of Talorchestia brito (Crustacea: Talitridae) in Portugal.

Halomonhystera parasitica n. sp. (Monhysterida: Monhysteridae) is described from the body-cavity and under the dorsal plates of the sandy beach amphipod Talorchestia brito Stebbing (Crustacea: Talitridae) in Portugal.

Role of lipoperoxidation in the remodeling intensification induced by beta-carotene after infarction.

Background: The mechanisms involved in the biggest remodeling caused by the post-infarct beta-carotene are unknown.

Objective: To analyze the role of lipoperoxidation in the ventricular remodeling after infarct of the myocardium in rats supplemented with beta-carotene.

Methods: Rats were infarcted and divided into two groups: C (control) and BC (500mg/kg/regimen).

Effects of the administration of beta-blockers on ventricular remodeling induced by cigarette smoking in rats.

Background: The role of the adrenergic system on ventricular remodeling induced by cigarette smoking is unknown.

Objectives: To investigate the influence of propranolol on ventricular remodeling induced by exposure to tobacco smoke.

Methods: Rats were divided into three groups: 1) C, n=10--control group; 2) F, n=10--animals exposed to tobacco smoke; 3) BB, n=10--animals receiving propranolol and exposed to tobacco smoke (40 mg/kg/day).

The role of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in ventricular remodeling induced by tobacco smoke exposure after myocardial infarction.

Objective: To evaluate the roles of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in the ventricular remodeling that is induced by tobacco smoke exposure after myocardial infarction.

Methods: After induced myocardial infarction, rats were allocated into two groups: C (control, n=25) and ETS (exposed to tobacco smoke, n=24). After 6 months, survivors were submitted to echocardiogram and biochemical analyses.

Scurvy induced by obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Historically, scurvy has been associated with sailors of great navigational epochs. This disease has been known since ancient Egypt, but nowadays it is almost forgotten. Although its prevalence has decreased over the centuries, scurvy is still present in developed countries.

Exposure time and ventricular remodeling induced by tobacco smoke exposure in rats.

Background: We investigated the effects of length of exposure to tobacco smoke on the cardiac remodeling process induced by exposure to cigarette smoke in rats.

Material/methods: Rats were separated into 4 groups: nonsmoking (NS)2 (n=25; control animals not exposed to tobacco smoke for 2 months), smoking (S)2 (n=22; rats exposed to smoke from 40 cigarettes/d for 2 months), NS6 (n=18; control animals not exposed to tobacco smoke for 6 months), and S6 (n=25; rats exposed to smoke from 40 cigarettes/d for 6 months). All animals underwent echocardiographic, isolated heart, and morphometric studies.

Tobacco smoke-induced left ventricular remodelling is not associated with metalloproteinase-2 or -9 activation.

Aim: To investigate the role of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in cardiac remodelling induced by tobacco smoke exposure in rats.

Methods: Rats were allocated into two groups: C (n=9): control animals; ETS (n=9): exposed to tobacco smoke. After 4months, the animals underwent echocardiography, morphometric study and determination of MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity.

Effects of beta-carotene and smoking on heart remodeling after myocardial infarction.

Objective: To analyze the effects of beta-carotene on the ventricular remodeling process following myocardial infarction (MI) in rats exposed to cigarette smoke.

Methods: After acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the animals were divided into four groups: 1) Group C, 24 animals that were given standard diet; 2) Group BC, 26 animals that were given beta-carotene; 3) Group ECS, 26 animals that were given standard diet and were exposed to cigarette smoke; and 4) Group BC+ECS, 20 animals that were given beta-carotene and were exposed to cigarette smoke. After six months, a morphofunctional study was performed.

Comparison of different methods to measure experimental chronic infarction size in the rat model.

Objective: To evaluate the differences between three methods for the measurement of experimental infarction in rats in comparison to the traditional method.

Methods: Histological analysis of the infarction area (AREA), histological analysis of the internal cavity perimeter (PER) and echocardiogram analysis of the internal perimeter (ECHO) were compared to the traditional method (histological analysis of the epicardial and endocardial circumferences of the infarction region - CIR). Repeated ANOVA measurements were used in conjunction with the Dunn multiple comparison test, the Bland and Altman concordance method and the Spearman correlation test.

Heart failure due to right ventricular metastatic neuroendocrine tumor.

We report a case of a female patient that was referred to our service with progressive weakness and dyspnea. Three years ago, she had been submitted to hysterectomy and salpingo-oforectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy due to uterine cervix neuroendocrine tumor. Two-dimensional echocardiography showed a dense sessile mass in the right ventricle causing right and left ventricular filling restriction.

Myxedema ascites with elevated serum CA 125 concentration.

We report a case of myxedema ascites and markedly elevated serum CA 125 concentration. The cause of ascites and elevated tumor markers in hypothyroidism remains unknown. Diagnosis was characterized by no evidence of malignancy seen by transvaginal ultrasonography or abdominal computed tomography and ascites resolution with serum CA 125 normalization after adequate hormonal treatment.