Increased blood pressure in adult offspring of families with Balkan Endemic Nephropathy: a prospective study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have linked smaller kidney dimensions to increased blood pressure. However, patients with Balkan Endemic Nephropathy (BEN), whose kidneys shrink during the course of the disease, do not manifest increased blood pressure. The authors evaluated the relationship between kidney cortex width, kidney length, and blood pressure in the offspring of BEN patients and controls. METHODS: 102 offspring of BEN patients and 99 control offspring of non-BEN hospital patients in the Vratza District, Bulgaria, were enrolled in a prospective study and examined twice (2003/04 and 2004/05). Kidney dimensions were determined using ultrasound, blood pressure was measured, and medical information was collected. The parental disease of BEN was categorized into three groups: mother, father, or both parents. Repeated measurements were analyzed with mixed regression models. RESULTS: In all participants, a decrease in minimal kidney cortex width of 1 mm was related to an increase in systolic blood pressure of 1.4 mm Hg (p = 0.005). There was no association between kidney length and blood pressure. A maternal history of BEN was associated with an increase in systolic blood pressure of 6.7 mm Hg (p = 0.03); paternal BEN, +3.2 mm Hg (p = 0.35); or both parents affected, +9.9 mm Hg (p = 0.002). There was a similar relation of kidney cortex width and parental history of BEN with pulse pressure; however, no association with diastolic blood pressure was found. CONCLUSION: In BEN and control offspring, a smaller kidney cortex width predisposed to higher blood pressure. Unexpectedly, a maternal history of BEN was associated with average increased systolic blood pressure in offspring

Reduced renal length and volume 20 years after very preterm birth

Intrauterine growth retardation is presumed to be associated with decreased renal size and impaired renal function as a result of stunted kidney development and nephron deficit. To study whether very preterm birth also affects renal size at young adulthood, we sonographically measured bipolar kidney length and volume in 51 very premature individuals (<32 weeks of gestation), either small (SGA) or appropriate (AGA) for gestational age (22 SGA and 29 AGA), and 30 full-term controls 20 years after birth. Relative kidney length and volume were calculated. Both absolute and relative left kidney length and volume were significantly lower in SGA and AGA individuals, notably in women. Renal size did not differ between SGA and AGA individuals. In 70% of controls, the left kidney was larger than the right one compared with 40.9% in SGA [relative risk (RR) 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0−3.0] and 48.3% in AGA (RR 1.5; 95% CI 0.9−2.3) individuals. Renal structural anomalies were present in eight prematurely born participants only. Our data suggest that kidney growth is stunted after preterm birth, especially on the left side, and in the female gender

Cardiac troponin I and beta 2 microglobulin as risk factors for early-onset atherosclerosis in patients on haemodialysis

PubMedID: 16221094Aim: To investigate the associations of different risk factors with carotid artery intima-media thickness (C-IMT) in non-diabetic haemodialysis (HD) patients who had no clinical evidence of atherosclerosis. Methods: Seventy-two HD patients (43 men, 29 women; mean age: 34.5 ± 10.6 years; mean time on HD: 47.9 ± 40.0 months) and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (26 men, 14 women; mean age: 35.5 ± 7.1 years) participated in the study. The relationship between C-IMT and haematocrit-corrected erythrocyte sedimentation rate (Hct-corrected ESR), beta 2 microglobulin (beta2M) and serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels beyond C-reactive protein (CRP), lipid profile and lipoprotein(a), fibrinogen, homocysteine and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) were examined. Results: Mean C-IMT of the HD patients was significantly greater than that of the control subjects (0.59 ± 0.06 vs 0.53 ± 0.07 mm, P = 0.002). C-IMT of patients was positively correlated with age (r = 0.33), body mass index (r= 0.40), Hct-corrected ESR (r = 0.37), CRP (r = 0.34), beta2M (r = 0.34), cTnI (r = 0.26), triglyceride (r = 0.26) and fibrinogen (r = 0.28) levels (P < 0.05 for all). The mean C-IMT was significantly greater in patients with LVH than it was in those without LVH (P = 0.004). In multivariate regression analysis, age (P = 0.02), beta2M (P = 0.001), log-transformed CRP (P = 0.03) and LVH (P = 0.01) were independently related with C-IMT. Conclusion: Besides well-known cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, cTnI and beta2M were related with C-IMT in that they may have important roles in early-onset atherosclerosis in this high-risk population. © 2005 Asian Pacific Society Of Nephrology

Effect of lawsonia inermis treatment on mice with sarcoma

Lawsonia inermis commonly is used as cosmetic material. However many studies had shown that L. inermis had antitumoural, antimicrobial and anti-tuberculostatic effects. The aim of this study was to investigate whether L. inermis can destroy cancer cells by induction of apoptosis due to decreasing of intracellular H+ ion level or increasing intracellular free radicals and H2O2 levels in cancer cells as a result of oxidative effect or not. We used 70 female Swiss albino mice and divided them into four groups. Group 1 was given only tap water. Group 2 was given only L. inermis. Group 3 was given Ehrlich ascites tumour (EAT) cells + tap water and Group 4 was given EAT + L. inermis. At the result of this study the thickness of subcutaneous lipid tissue, diameters of gluteal mass, the pH levels of gluteal mass, the GSH levels at the liver tissue samples and the MDA levels of the liver tissue samples of these groups were measured. This study showed that, L. inermis can be used as a supplementary agent for cancer treatment. © 2008 Academic Journals

Atherosclerosis in haemodialysis patients without significant comorbidities: Determinants of progression

PubMedID: 17199784Aim: The aim of this prospective study was to assess the determinants of the progression of carotid artery intima-media thickness (CA-IMT) for 1 year in haemodialysis (HD) patients without significant comorbidities. Methods: Fifty-four HD patients younger than 55 years, without diabetes, obesity and any clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease (29 men, 25 women; mean age 33.3 ± 10 years; mean time on HD 49.4 ± 43 months) were included in the 1-year study. CA-IMT was assessed at baseline and after 12 months. The difference in IMT between these two points of time was calculated (?CA-IMT). C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), haematocrit-corrected ESR, beta-2 microglobulin, cardiac troponin I, lipid profile, fibrinogen, homocysteine, CaXP product, intact parathyroid hormone, haematocrit, albumin, uric acid levels, anthropometric parameters (age, body mass index), smoking, hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy were recorded at baseline. Results: The mean value for CA-IMT at baseline (0.59 ± 0.05 mm) was significantly lower than that at 12 months (0.64 ± 0.07 mm) (P &lt; 0.001). CA-IMT had increased in 41 patients (75.9%). Age (P = 0.02), CRP (P = 0.03), beta-2 microglobulin (P = 0.001) and left ventricular hypertrophy (P = 0.01) were independently related with CA-IMT at baseline. Age (P = 0.003) and CRP (P = 0.04) were the independent variables related with CA-IMT, measured at 12 months. ?CA-IMT correlated positively with age (r = 0.31, P &lt; 0.05). Age and sex were independent predictors of ?CA-IMT (R2 for the model 0.56). Conclusion: In addition to age and male sex, non-specific inflammation may have a possible role in the progression of atherosclerosis in HD patients without significant comorbidities. © 2006 The Authors

Effect of Lawsonia inermis treatment on mice with sarcoma

Lawsonia inermis commonly is used as cosmetic material. However many studies had shown that L. inermis had antitumoural, antimicrobial and anti-tuberculostatic effects. The aim of this study was toinvestigate whether L. inermis can destroy cancer cells by induction of apoptosis due to decreasing of intracellular H+ ion level or increasing intracellular free radicals and H2O2 levels in cancer cells as aresult of oxidative effect or not. We used 70 female Swiss albino mice and divided them into four groups. Group 1 was given only tap water. Group 2 was given only L. inermis. Group 3 was given Ehrlich ascites tumour (EAT) cells + tap water and Group 4 was given EAT + L. inermis. At the result of this study the thickness of subcutaneous lipid tissue, diameters of gluteal mass, the pH levels of gluteal mass, the GSH levels at the liver tissue samples and the MDA levels of the liver tissue samples of these groups were measured. This study showed that, L. inermis can be used as a supplementary agent for cancer treatment