Chronic kidney disease prevalence in asymptomatic patients with risk factors-usefulness of serum cystatin C: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Chronic kidney disease is recognized as a worldwide public health problem, particularly within an increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. This disease affects more than 13% of the world's population and is increasing. Further biochemical assessment with new biomarkers, such as serum cystatin C (CysC), would improve patient care and disease control.

Hepatic fibrogenesis and transforming growth factor/Smad signaling activation in rats chronically exposed to low doses of lead.

Lead is an important heavy metal pollutant in the environment. The nervous system, kidney and liver are the most susceptible organs to lead deposition, showing that this pollutant has no single target system. To examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in their pathobiology of chronic lead at low-dose exposure in the liver, male Wistar rats were exposed to 0.

Inflammatory and prothrombotic activation with conserved endothelial function in patients with chronic, asymptomatic Chagas disease.

Unlabelled: Previously, our group showed a prothrombotic state in asymptomatic patients with chronic Chagas disease. The current paper studies the inflammatory status and endothelial function in these patients.

Methods: In 40 patients and 40 healthy volunteers, we evaluated prothrombotic state, blood parasitemia (molecular biology: polymerized chain reaction [PCR]-amplification), tissue factor pathway inhibitor antibodies (aTFPI), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1).

Vitamin A deficiency injures liver parenchyma and alters the expression of hepatic extracellular matrix.

Vitamin A is an essential lipid-soluble nutrient that is crucial for morphogenesis and adult tissue maintenance. The retinoid homeostasis in the liver depends on a regular supply of vitamin A from an adequate dietary intake to preserve the normal organ structure and functions. This study focuses on the effect of vitamin A deficiency on the morphology and extracellular proteins expression of the liver in adult Wistar rats.

Renal gangliosides are involved in lead intoxication.

The biological effects of lead are well defined; however, neither the risk exposure level nor the subcellular mechanism of its action is completely clear. The present work was undertaken to investigate the effects of low level and long term lead exposure on the composition and expression of rat renal gangliosides. In order to identify ganglioside expression, frozen sections of kidneys were stained with monoclonal antibodies GMB16 (GM1 specific), GM28 (GM2 specific), AMR-10 (GM4 specific) and CDW 60 (9-O-Ac-GD3 specific).

[Prothrombotic state in early stages of chronic Chagas' disease. Its association with thrombotic risk factors].

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the presence of prothrombotic state in early stages of chronic Chagas' disease with serum markers of thrombosis and fibrinolysis, and to investigate it's association with thrombotic risk factors for venous thromboembolic disease.

Patients And Methods: Forty two patients with chronic Chagas' disease were compared with 21 healthy volunteers. Thrombotic markers used were fragment 1 + 2, ATM complex, fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products, D-dimer and beta-thromboglobulin.

[Cardiovascular risk factors in children with type 1 diabetes and their relationship with the glycemic control].

Diabetics have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this work was to evaluate the cardiovascular risk factors in infant-juvenile type 1 diabetics and their association with the degree of glycemic control. A total of 52 patients, aged 5-15 years, were studied and compared with 37 control subjects.