[A secondary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis due to prematurity].

Introduction: Both premature birth and low birth weight compromise nephron development. The lower nephron endowment is subjected to compensatory hyperfiltration that overloads the glomeruli and leads to the vicious circle of progressive deterioration of renal function.

Objective: To emphasize the risk of renal involvement in this susceptible population by describing the case of a patient with long-term follow-up.

[A competitive fund of development to improve the quality of university education in Chile. Area of health care].

In 1997, the Chilean Government and the International Bank for Development convened on a strategy to improve Chilean university education. It was based on quality improvement, effectiveness, relevancy and innovation on university education programs. A US$ 245 millions fund was afforded, for a five years competitive grants program, among certain traditional Universities and Technical Education Institutes.

[Why should we research in bioethics?].

This article reviews the conceptual evolution of bioethics, conditioned by cultural changes. The discipline could be strengthened with new analytical methodologies and with an empirical approach. The dangers of a purely descriptive bioethics, solely linked to practical experience are also discussed.

[Professional formation and its accreditation in medicine. A paradigm to sustain public confidence].

Sustaining quality control of learning programs for health professions has become a central issue in university systems, under the pressure of an unexpected merging of new medical schools in Chile, during the last decade, and the massive arrival of other Latin American physicians. Accreditation of institutions and programs represents valid safeguards used in most countries where professional training processes take place. Due guarantee of its quality is required to assure proper health care to people.

[Clinical research in Chile: How to improve its worrying evolution?].

There is still great collective paucity in our society in appreciating the importance of scientific work for the development of the nation. In this context, relevant clinical research has ben greatly discouraged. The Ministry of Education and the National Commission for Technical and Scientific research (CONICYT) have been committed, with no outstanding results however, to encourage these activities, specially sustaining individual projects originated in the traditional universities.

[Initial therapy of primary nephrotic syndrome in children: evaluation in a period of 18 months of two prednisone treatment schedules. Chilean Co-operative Group of Study of Nephrotic Syndrome in Children].

Ninety six patients aged from 6 months to 15 years and were admitted to Chilean hospitals with the diagnosis of primary nephrotic syndrome in a period of 30 months. These patients were randomly separated in two groups, group A received prednisone for 8 weeks and group B received the same drug during 12 weeks. All patients were evaluated at 6, 12 and 18 months after the end of treatment.

[Training in internal medicine and its specialties: universities' proposals].

Medical School graduates can enter a medicine subspecialty training program upon completion of a 3 year Internal Medicine residency. The Ministry of Health has contributed to postgraduate training by defining the type of physician the country needs, and by financial support of specially (Internal Medicine) training. Before 1995, when applicants began being charged a fee, finding for subspecialty training was provided exclusively by the universities.

[Renal scintigraphy with Tc99m DMSA (dimercaptosuccinic acid) in acute pyelonephritis].

Twenty patients, 6 months to 11 year old, with clinically recognized acute pyelonephritis, were evaluated with Tc99m DMSA renal scintigraphy in the first 15 days of their illness to validate this method in the detection of the acute renal inflammatory disease. In 85% of Tc99m DMSA scintigraphies some kind of abnormality (focal or diffuse, unilateral or bilateral) was observed. Second renal images obtained at an average 8.

[Renal artery thrombosis in newborn infants undergoing umbilical artery catheterization].

A prospective study to detect renal artery thrombosis by radionuclide renal scintigraphy in newborn infants who underwent umbilical arterial catheterization over a one year period was done: 62 babies were catheterized, 92% were preterm and 85% had severe respiratory distress syndrome that required mechanical ventilation, 25/62 (40.3%) survived and in all of them Tc-99m DMSA scans were taken at a median of 5 days after withdrawal of the umbilical artery catheters (range 9 h to 29 days). A baby with renovascular hypertension had a DMSA scan which showed segmental vascular defect in one kidney.

Blood pressure levels in urban school-age population in Chile.

Two blood pressure (BP) measurements separated by 3 months were performed according to international guidelines on 2976 students (11 to 19 years) of different economic levels. Obesity was defined based upon height and weight. With the first measurements, 59th and 95th percentile value distribution curves were defined.