Gremlin, A Potential Urinary Biomarker of Anca-Associated Crescentic Glomerulonephritis.

Gremlin renal overexpression has been reported in diabetic nephropathy, pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis and chronic allograft nephropathy and has been implicated in the pathophysiology of the progression of renal damage. However, it is unknown whether urinary Gremlin can be associated with renal functional status, renal biopsy findings and outcome. To examine these associations we studied 20 patients with ANCA+ renal vasculitis and very high urinary Gremlin (354 ± 76 ug/gCr), 86 patients with other glomerular diseases and moderately elevated urinary Gremlin (83 ± 14 ug/gCr) and 11 healthy controls (urinary Gremlin 11.

[Predictive value of breast imaging report and database system (BIRADS) to detect cancer in a reference regional hospital].

Background: To validate the BIRADS in mammography, the calculation of its predictive value in each center is required, as recommended by the American College of Radiology.

Aim: To determine the predictive value of the BIRADS system in our center.

Material And Methods: All ultrasound guided needle percutaneous biopsies, performed at our center between 2006 and 2010 were reviewed.

Pre-stimulation of the kallikrein system in cisplatin-induced acute renal injury: an approach to renoprotection.

Antineoplastic treatment with cisplatin is frequently complicated by nephrotoxicity. Although oxidative stress may be involved, the pathogenic mechanisms responsible for renal damage have not been completely clarified. In order to investigate the role of the renal kinin system in this condition, a group of rats was submitted to high potassium diet to stimulate the synthesis and excretion of tissue kallikrein 1 (rKLK1) previous to an intraperitoneal injection of 7 mg/kg cisplatin.

Antihypertensive and renoprotective effect of the kinin pathway activated by potassium in a model of salt sensitivity following overload proteinuria.

The albumin overload model induces proteinuria and tubulointersitial damage, followed by hypertension when rats are exposed to a hypersodic diet. To understand the effect of kinin system stimulation on salt-sensitive hypertension and to explore its potential renoprotective effects, the model was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats that had previously received a high-potassium diet to enhance activity of the kinin pathway, followed with/without administration of icatibant to block the kinin B₂ receptor (B₂R). A disease control group received albumin but not potassium or icatibant, and all groups were exposed to a hypersodic diet to induce salt-sensitive hypertension.

Expression of gremlin, a bone morphogenetic protein antagonist,is associated with vascular calcification in uraemia.

Background: Vascular calcification has been widely recognized as a significant contributor to cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic kidney disease. Recent evidence suggests that BMP-7 decreases the vascular calcification observed in uraemic rats, while BMP-2 could also be participating in this process. Gremlin, a bone morphogenetic protein antagonist, has been detected in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and since the role of the VSMCs into vascular calcification in uraemia is considered critical in this process, we hypothesized that gremlin could be participating in its pathogenesis.

[Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors].

All pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors derive from Langerhans islet cells and have a low incidence. Half of them are functioning tumors that produce diverse hormones and occasionally cause serious clinical endocrine syndromes. They may be malignant, but they have a better survival, if compared to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.