AC biosusceptometry and magnetic nanoparticles to assess doxorubicin-induced kidney injury in rats.

This paper aims to investigate a doxorubicin (DOX) chronic kidney disease rat model using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) associated with the alternate current biosusceptometry (ACB) to analyze its different perfusion profiles in both healthy and DOX-injured kidneys. We used the ACB to detect the MNP kidney perfusion . Furthermore, we performed biochemical and histological analyses, which sustained results obtained from the ACB system.

Membranous nephropathy PLA2R+ associated with Chagas disease.

Chagas disease (CD) - a tropical parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi - is a major health problem in Latin America. The immune response against the parasite is responsible for chronic CD lesions. Currently, there are no reports of an association between CD and membranous nephropathy (MN).

Why medical schools are tolerant of unethical behavior.

The exposure to unethical and unprofessional behavior is thought to play a major role in the declining empathy experienced by medical students during their training. We reflect on the reasons why medical schools are tolerant of unethical behavior of faculty. First, there are barriers to reporting unprofessional behavior within medical schools including fear of retaliation and lack of mechanisms to ensure anonymity.

Effect of renal revascularization on the development of renal dysfunction in atherosclerotic ischemic nephropathy.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by a progressive loss of renal function and its main causes are hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Among the causes of hypertension is atherosclerotic renal disease (ARD). The development of CKD in patients with ARD appears to be due not only to the involvement of the main renal arteries, but also of the renal microcirculation, which may explain the fact that the success of the procedure does not guarantee an improvement in the progression of CKD.

Comparison of different methods of erythrocyte dysmorphism analysis to determine the origin of hematuria.

Background/aims: There is disagreement regarding the performance of conventional optical microscopy to assess the origin of hematuria. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal cutoff point for dysmorphic cells in order to detect glomerular hematuria by optical and phase-contrast microscopy.

Methods: In total, 131 urine samples (66 from patients with glomerulopathies and 65 from nephrolithiasis patients) were evaluated in a blinded fashion.

Proteinuria predicts relapse in adolescent and adult minimal change disease.

Objective: This study sought to outline the clinical and laboratory characteristics of minimal change disease in adolescents and adults and establish the clinical and laboratory characteristics of relapsing and non-relapsing patients.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients with confirmed diagnoses of minimal change disease by renal biopsy from 1979 to 2009; the patients were aged >13 years and had minimum 1-year follow-ups.

Results: Sixty-three patients with a median age (at diagnosis) of 34 (23-49) years were studied, including 23 males and 40 females.

[Clinical and laboratorial characteristics associated with biopsy proved hypertensive nephroangiosclerosis].

Introduction: Hypertensive nephroangiosclerosis is a major cause of chronic kidney disease requiring dialysis. Clinical characteristics that distinguish a patient with hypertension that evolves to nephroangiosclerosis from another that keeps stable renal function are not well established because of the difficulty in ensuring that the carriers of that disease are not actually suffering from glomerulonephritis or other kidney diseases. Thus, our objective was to identify clinical or laboratory features that distinguish the patients who developed chronic renal failure from hypertension, confirmed by renal biopsy, of those who, even with arterial hypertension, did not develop nephroangiosclerosis.