The UNESCO national biosphere reserve (Marismas del Odiel, SW Spain): an area of 18,875 ha affected by mining waste.

At the mouth of the Odiel River, within the Natural Area "Marismas del Odiel", there has been for years a collection of waste from different mining sites. In the present work, an approach has been made to the problem that this supposes, quantifying the pollutants that are poured into the estuary from the mineral collection located on the banks of the river. The study carried out has been able to determine high metal concentrations, comparable with any rubble from the upstream mines, with pH value of 1.

[Risk of falls and consumption of medicines in an elderly population].

Objectives: To describe the risk factors and the effect of medication use on the risk of falls in a population of 65 years or older.

Material And Methods: Descriptive study of falls in the elderly population. The risk factors and consequences of the fall were recorded.

Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the caruncle in a 4 year-old boy: case report.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare tumor, with an annual incidence of 4.3 cases per million children. Even thought, it is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood, with a mean age of 6 to 8 years at diagnosis.

Immunohistochemical diagnosis of Fabry nephropathy and localisation of globotriaosylceramide deposits in paraffin-embedded kidney tissue sections.

Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder of glycosphingolipids, mostly globotriaosylceramide (Gb3). Proteinuric chronic kidney disease develops frequently, and recognition of Fabry nephropathy on a kidney biopsy may be the first clue to the underlying diagnosis. Since the accumulated glycosphingolipids are largely extracted by the paraffin-embedding procedure, the most characteristic feature of Fabry nephropathy on routine light microscopy (LM) is nonspecific cell vacuolization.

Kidney histologic alterations in α-Galactosidase-deficient mice.

Fabry disease is a rare X-linked disorder caused by mutations in the α-galactosidase gene (GLA), the resultant deficiency of lysosomal α-galactosidase enzyme activity leading to systemic accumulation of globotriaosylceramide and other glycosphingolipids. GLA knockout mice ("Fabry mice") were generated as an animal model for Fabry disease but, as they do not manifest progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD), their relevance as a model for human Fabry nephropathy is uncertain. We evaluated the histological alterations in the kidneys of Fabry mice at different ages, as contrasted to those observed in wild-type mice.

Scoring system for renal pathology in Fabry disease: report of the International Study Group of Fabry Nephropathy (ISGFN).

Background: In Fabry nephropathy, alpha-galactosidase deficiency leads to accumulation of glycosphingolipids in all kidney cell types, proteinuria and progressive loss of kidney function.

Methods: An international working group of nephrologists from 11 Fabry centres identified adult Fabry patients, and pathologists scored histologic changes on renal biopsies. A standardized scoring system was developed with a modified Delphi technique assessing 59 Fabry nephropathy cases.

Kidney biopsy findings in heterozygous Fabry disease females with early nephropathy.

Fabry disease is an X-linked glycosphingolipidosis caused by deficiency of alpha-galactosidase. Progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in males. Although 40% of heterozygous females may develop renal involvement, pathologic data on Fabry nephropathy in heterozygotes are scarce.

Splenomegaly, hypersplenism and peripheral blood cytopaenias in patients with classical Anderson-Fabry disease.

A 39-year-old male with classical Anderson-Fabry disease (AFD) and long-standing idiopathic splenomegaly, who had been on haemodialysis since the age of 24, was splenectomised for symptomatic pancytopaenia. Spleen enlargement was first noted at clinical presentation, at age 16, but despite thorough investigation its cause remained unclear. Anaemia, leukopaenia and thrombocytopaenia were first observed a few years thereafter, but well before the start of dialytic treatment.

Fruit and vegetable consumption and gastric cancer by location and histological type: case-control and meta-analysis.

The available information favours a greater impact of environmental exposures on intestinal type gastric cancer, and risk factors for the cardia and distal stomach cancers also appear to be different. We aimed to estimate the association between fruit and vegetable intake and gastric cancer, by location and histological type. We performed a population-based case-control study and a meta-analysis of studies addressing this issue.

Systemic polyarteritis nodosa associated with acute Epstein-Barr virus infection.

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a rare cause of systemic vasculitis in children, affecting medium and small-sized arteries. We report on a patient who presented with prolonged fever, shock, acute renal failure with nephrotic range proteinuria, hypertension, and sudden deterioration of consciousness. Cranial tomography revealed a left extensive hemorrhagic lesion.

Renal diseases: a 27-year renal biopsy study.

Background: Data from registries of renal biopsy (RB), currently an important source for diagnosing renal disease, are available for a number of countries, but different patterns seem to exist in different countries.

Methods: We reviewed the records of all patients who underwent an RB at our institution over a 27-year period (January 1, 1977, to December 31, 2003), in northern Portugal, a European region with a predominantly Caucasian population. We aimed at identifying patterns of glomerular disease frequency, as well as the corresponding changes over time.

Antioxidant vitamins and risk of gastric cancer: a case-control study in Portugal.

We quantified the effect of antioxidant vitamins in gastric cancer risk, taking into account Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and overall fruit and vegetable intake. Incident cases were identified in two large hospitals in Porto, Portugal, and controls were randomly sampled among city dwellers. Food intake was assessed with a previously validated semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire.

[Lung-kidney syndrome].

The lung-kidney syndrome is characterized by the coexistence of glomerulonephritis and pulmonary hemorrhage. However these manifestations can define different pathologies. The association of diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage, glomerulonephritis and circulating anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies define Goodpasture syndrome.

Esophageal GIST: therapeutic implications of an uncommon presentation of a rare tumor.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rarely reported in the esophagus. The authors report a patient with an esophageal GIST, incidentally found after an echocardiogram. CT scan and endoscopic ultrasonography showed the tumor in the dependence of the muscularis propria of the esophageal wall.

[Solitary fibrous tumor -- report of two cases].

Solitary Fibrous Tumor is a rare neoplasm derived from mesenchymal cell. To achieve a diagnosis and to differentiate from others neoplasm immunohistochemical analysis is needed. The majority of these tumours are benign, and complete surgical resection remains the mainstay of therapy for both the benign and malignant variants.

Renal dopamine and salt sensitivity of blood pressure in IgA nephropathy.

Background: Patients with chronic glomerulonephritis exhibit salt-sensitive (SS) hypertension. In the early stage, however, the exact characteristics are still unclear. A decrease in renal dopamine production under basal conditions or after a sodium load has been reported in a subset of patients with SS primary hypertension.

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis.

Four children were diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis (IPH), over a period of 4 years. Retrospectively, antineurtrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) were studied by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and ELISA in 18 sera from these patients, stored at -20 degrees C. ANCA-positive sera, from 1/20 to 1/1, 200 dilution, were found in 3/4 of the patients, by IIF.

[Cystic angiomatosis of bone with hematologic involvement. Report of a case].

A case of cystic angiomatosis of bone without visceral involvement is presented. Lesions were noted in: skull, ribs, pelvis, long bones and phalanges. Besides clinical and radiological findings, the case, associates pancytopenia and coagulation disorders.

[Leukemic infiltration in the anterior chamber of the eye].

Leukaemic infiltration of the anterior chamber of the eye (hypopyon and corneal opacity) was the only sign of relapse in two girls with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who had been off treatment for one and three years. The malignant cells had probably been present in the eye since the onset of the disease. The anterior segment of the eye may be a pharmacologycal "sanctuary" in patients with ALL.

[Evaluation of initial risk factors in acute lymphoblastic leukemias in children].

In an attempt to establish a possible correlation between clinical course and initial characteristics of the disease, 88 children with ALL (diagnosed between 1970-1978) were studied. Basis for comparison was whether relapses (medullary or extramedullary) occurred within 36 months. Twenty parameters, including history data, physical exploration, laboratory findings and early response to induction treatment, were evaluated.

[Modification of complement factors and their inhibitors during meningococcal sepsis (author's transl)].

Various complement components (C'1s, C'3, C'4, C'5, C'8, C'9, C'3 act., C'1 inh., C'3b inact.