Impaired autoregulation of renal blood flow in the fawn-hooded rat

The responses to changes in renal perfusion pressure (RPP) were compared in 12-wk-old fawn-hooded hypertensive (FHH), fawn-hooded low blood pressure (FHL), and August Copenhagen Irish (ACI) rats to determine whether autoregulation of renal blood flow (RBF) is altered in the FHH rat. Mean arterial pressure was significantly higher in conscious, chronically instrumented FHH rats than in FHL rats (121 +/- 4 vs. 109 +/- 6 mmHg). Baseline arterial pressures measured in ketamine-Inactin-anesthetized rats averaged 147 +/- 2 mmHg (n = 9) in FHH, 132 +/- 2 mmHg (n = 10) in FHL, and 123 +/- 4 mmHg (n = 9) in ACI rats. Baseline RBF was significantly higher in FHH than in FHL and ACI rats and averaged 9.6 +/- 0.7, 7.4 +/- 0.5, and 7.8 +/- 0.9 ml. min-1. g kidney wt-1, respectively. RBF was autoregulated in ACI and FHL but not in FHH rats. Autoregulatory indexes in the range of RPPs from 100 to 150 mmHg averaged 0.96 +/- 0.12 in FHH vs. 0.42 +/- 0.04 in FHL and 0.30 +/- 0.02 in ACI rats. Glomerular filtration rate was 20-30% higher in FHH than in FHL and ACI rats. Elevations in RPP from 100 to 150 mmHg increased urinary protein excretion in FHH rats from 27 +/- 2 to 87 +/- 3 microg/min, whereas it was not significantly altered in FHL or ACI rats. The percentage of glomeruli exhibiting histological evidence of injury was not significantly different in the three strains of rats. These results indicate that autoregulation of RBF is impaired in FHH rats before the development of glomerulosclerosis and suggest that an abnormality in the control of renal vascular resistance may contribute to the development of proteinuria and renal failure in this strain of rats

Altered renal hemodynamics and impaired myogenic responses in the fawn-hooded rat

The present study examined whether an abnormality in the myogenic response of renal arterioles that impairs autoregulation of renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular capillary pressure (PGC) contributes to the development of renal damage in fawn-hooded hypertensive (FHH) rats. Autoregulation of whole kidney, cortical, and medullary blood flow and PGC were compared in young (12 wk old) FHH and fawn-hooded low blood pressure (FHL) rats in volume-replete and volume-expanded conditions. Baseline RBF, cortical and medullary blood flow, and PGC were significantly greater in FHH than in FHL rats. Autoregulation of renal and cortical blood flow was significantly impaired in FHH rats compared with results obtained in FHL rats. Myogenically mediated autoregulation of PGC was significantly greater in FHL than in FHH rats. PGC rose from 46 +/- 1 to 71 +/- 2 mmHg in response to an increase in renal perfusion pressure from 100 to 150 mmHg in FHH rats, whereas it only increased from 39 +/- 2 to 53 +/- 1 mmHg in FHL rats. Isolated perfused renal interlobular arteries from FHL rats constricted by 10% in response to elevations in transmural pressure from 70 to 120 mmHg. In contrast, the diameter of vessels from FHH rats increased by 15%. These results indicate that the myogenic response of small renal arteries is altered in FHH rats, and this contributes to an impaired autoregulation of renal blood flow and elevations in PGC in this strain

Urological anomalies in anorectal malformations in the Netherlands: Effects of screening all patients on long-term outcome

Introduction: Urological anomalies are frequently seen in patients with anorectal malformations (ARM) and can result in upper urinary tract deterioration. Whether the current method of screening is valid, adequate and needed for all patients is not clear. We, therefore, evaluated the urological screening methods in our ARM patients for changes in urological treatment, outcome and follow-up. Methods: The medical records of 331 children born with an ARM in the period 1983-2003 were retrospectively studied. Documentation of diagnosis, screening method, urological anomalies, treatment, complications, follow-up and outcome were measured. Results: The overall incidence of urological anomalies was 52%. The incidence of urological anomalies and urological follow-up time decreased with diminishing complexity of the ARM. Hydronephrosis, vesico-urethral reflux, lower urinary tract dysfunction and urinary incontinence were encountered most. Treatment invasiveness increased with the increase of complexity of an ARM. Lower urinary tract dysfunction needing urological care occurred in 43% in combination with lumbosacral or spinal cord anomalies and in 8% with no abnormalities in the lumbosacral-/spinal region. Conclusions: Urological anomalies in patients with complex ARM are more severe than in patients with less complex ARM. Ultrasonography of the urinary tract should be performed in all patients. Voiding cysto-urethrography can be reserved for patients with dilated upper urinary tracts, urinary tract infections or lumbosacral and spinal abnormalities. All patients with complex ARM need urodynamic investigations. When using these indications, the screening for urological anomalies in ARM patients can be optimized with long-term follow-up in selected patients

New rat model that phenotypically resembles autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease

Numerous murine models of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) have been described. While mouse models are particularly well suited for investigating the molecular pathogenesis of PKD, rats are well established as an experimental model of renal physiologic processes. Han:SPRD-CY: rats have been proposed as a model for human autosomal dominant PKD. A new spontaneous rat mutation, designated wpk, has now been identified. In the mutants, the renal cystic phenotype resembles human autosomal recessive PKD (ARPKD). This study was designed to characterize the clinical and histopathologic features of wpk/wpk mutants and to map the wpk locus. Homozygous mutants developed nephromegaly, hypertension, proteinuria, impaired urine-concentrating capacity, and uremia, resulting in death at 4 wk of age. Early cysts were present in the nephrogenic zone at embryonic day 19. These were localized, by specific staining and electron microscopy, to differentiated proximal tubules, thick limbs, distal tubules, and collecting ducts. In later stages, the cysts were largely confined to collecting ducts. Although the renal histopathologic features are strikingly similar to those of human ARPKD, wpk/wpk mutants exhibited no evidence of biliary tract abnormalities. The wpk locus maps just proximal to the CY: locus on rat chromosome 5, and complementation studies demonstrated that these loci are not allelic. It is concluded that the clinical and renal histopathologic features of this new rat model strongly resemble those of human ARPKD. Although homology mapping indicates that rat wpk and human ARPKD involve distinct genes, this new rat mutation provides an excellent experimental model to study the molecular pathogenesis and renal pathophysiologic features of recessive PKD

Care-for-child-refugees

A foreign body in the bladder is a well-recognized, although rare, cause of urinary tract infections. We describe a 15-year-old girl who presented with abdominal pain and recurrent urinary tract infections. On analysis, a forceps was found, with the two legs of the instrument separately perforating both the back wall of the bladder and the trigone, with the top of the forceps lying in the vagina, covered with a large calculus. The forceps must have been left behind during laparotomy for bowel invagination in her first year of life

A structural account of the difference between achievements and accomplishments: evidence from Changsha Xiang Chinese

Abstract This paper offers an analysis of ka41, an aspectual element in ChangshaXiang Chinese. It is argued that this element occupies a position in the inneraspectualstructure of the clause, between the higher aspectual marker ta21 and thelower elements expressing a lexical result (like clean in wash clean). On the basis ofits co-occurrence with various verb types, we treat ka41 as an achievement marker:when present, it blocks any reading in which the denoted event proceeds along amulti-point scale, allowing only the instantaneous, two-point scale reading in whichthe beginning and the endpoint of the event coincide. On the basis of its syntacticdistribution we argue that the syntactic position ka41 occupies is an intermediateaspectual projection (Asp2P) in the inner aspect domain, which is sandwichedbetween the lowest inner aspectual projection dedicated to telicity and the highestone signaling perfectivity (or realization of the end point). We review the implicationsof the analysis for the aspectual domain of Mandarin clauses and point outthat the intermediate inner aspectual projection (Asp2P) we introduce for Changshaappears to be a suitable syntactic position for the structural analysis of the small setof grammaticalized items generally known as “Phase complements” as well

Radioastronomía solar y actividades del Observatorio de San Miguel

Invitado por la Comisión Organizadora de la presente reunión astronómica Argentina, pensé sería de interés presentar las nuevas facilidades y planes del Observatorio de Física Cósmica de San Miguel.Asociación Argentina de Astronomí

Radioastronomía solar y actividades del Observatorio de San Miguel

Invitado por la Comisión Organizadora de la presente reunión astronómica Argentina, pensé sería de interés presentar las nuevas facilidades y planes del Observatorio de Física Cósmica de San Miguel.Asociación Argentina de Astronomí

A structural account of the difference between achievements and accomplishments: evidence from Changsha Xiang Chinese

Abstract This paper offers an analysis of ka41, an aspectual element in ChangshaXiang Chinese. It is argued that this element occupies a position in the inneraspectualstructure of the clause, between the higher aspectual marker ta21 and thelower elements expressing a lexical result (like clean in wash clean). On the basis ofits co-occurrence with various verb types, we treat ka41 as an achievement marker:when present, it blocks any reading in which the denoted event proceeds along amulti-point scale, allowing only the instantaneous, two-point scale reading in whichthe beginning and the endpoint of the event coincide. On the basis of its syntacticdistribution we argue that the syntactic position ka41 occupies is an intermediateaspectual projection (Asp2P) in the inner aspect domain, which is sandwichedbetween the lowest inner aspectual projection dedicated to telicity and the highestone signaling perfectivity (or realization of the end point). We review the implicationsof the analysis for the aspectual domain of Mandarin clauses and point outthat the intermediate inner aspectual projection (Asp2P) we introduce for Changshaappears to be a suitable syntactic position for the structural analysis of the small setof grammaticalized items generally known as “Phase complements” as well

Voice and little v and VO-OV word-order variation in Chinese languages

This article addresses some issues related to Voice and little v. It does so by discussing and analyzing the variation that exists in the Chinese language family with respect to object placement (VO versus OV). It turns out that this variation can be accounted for straightforwardly as long as we assume, first, that Voice and v are sometimes split and sometimes bundled, even within one language, and, second, that Voice does not always select vP; it can also select VP.Theoretical and Experimental Linguistic