New experimental model of acute aqueductal blockage in cats: effects on cerebrospinal fluid pressure and the size of brain ventricles

It is generally assumed that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is secreted in the brain ventricles, and so after an acute blockage of the aqueduct of Sylvius an increase in the ventricular CSF pressure and dilation of isolated ventricles may be expected. We have tested this hypothesis in cats. After blocking the aqueduct, we measured the CSF pressure in both isolated ventricles and the cisterna magna, and performed radiographic monitoring of the cross-sectional area of the lateral ventricle. The complete aqueductal blockage was achieved by implanting a plastic cannula into the aqueduct of Sylvius through a small tunnel in the vermis of the cerebellum in the chloralose-anesthetized cats. After the reconstitution of the occipital bone, the CSF pressure was measured in the isolated ventricles via a plastic cannula implanted in the aqueduct of Sylvius and in the cisterna magna via a stainless steel cannula. During the following 2 h, the CSF pressures in the isolated ventricles and cisterna magna were identical to those in control conditions. We also monitored the ventricular cross-sectional area by means of radiography for 2 h after the aqueductal blockage and failed to observe any significant changes. When mock CSF was infused into isolated ventricles to imitate the CSF secretion, the gradient of pressure between the ventricle and cisterna magna developed, and disappeared as soon as the infusion was terminated. However, when mock CSF was infused into the cisterna magna at various rates, the resulting increased subarachnoid CSF pressure was accurately transmitted across the brain parenchyma into the CSF of isolated ventricles. The lack of the increase in the CSF pressure and ventricular dilation during 2 h of aqueductal blockage suggests that aqueductal obstruction by itself does not lead to development of hypertensive acute hydrocephalus in cats

Liječiti ili ne visoko normalan krvni tlak?

Vrijednosti sistoličkoga krvnog tlaka od 130 do 139 mmHg te dijastoličkog od 85 do 89 mmHg smatraju se visoko normalnim krvnim tlakom. Već se duže vrijeme raspravlja treba li bolesnike s visoko normalnim krvnim tlakom medikamentno liječiti. Odgovor su dali Europsko društvo za hipertenziju i Europsko kardiološko društvo 2007. godine kada su objavljene smjernice za dijagnosticiranje i liječenje arterijske hipertenzije. Po smjernicama, medikamentno liječenje visoko normalnoga krvnog tlaka ovisi o ukupnome kardiovaskularnom riziku (ostali rizični čimbenici, druge bolesti), pa se tako intervencija kod bolesnika s visoko normalnim krvnim tlakom kreće od promjene životnih navika do medikamentne terapije. Rezultati novih studija (TROPHY, PHARAO) govore u prilog medikamentnom liječenju bolesnika s visoko normalnim krvnim tlakom, ali su potrebna daljnja istraživanja

Hypertension in the elderly

Arterijska hipertenzija (AH) u starijih osoba predstavlja veliki javnozdravstveni problem zbog visoke prevalencije i trenda starenja svjetske populacije. Najčešće se radi o izoliranoj sistoličkoj hipertenziji (90% bolesnika iznad 70 godina) te se kod osoba starije životne dobi kao najbitniji čimbenici rizika izdvajaju vrijednosti tlaka pulsa i sistoličkog tlaka. Patofiziološki u podlozi su brojne strukturne (gubitak elastičnosti velikih krvnih žila, smanjena rastezljivost, porast brzine pulsnog vala) i funkcionalne (endotelna disfunkcija, smanjena osjetljivost beta receptora, smanjena funkcija baroreceptora, osjetljivost na sol) promjene. Liječenje AH u starijih do sada je bilo veliki izazov jer nije bilo dovoljno studija koje su se bavile tom populacijom, što se promijenilo objavom rezultata studije HYVET. Ova je studija uključila najstarije bolesnike (iznad 80 godina) te je dokazala kako sniženje vrijednosti arterijskog tlaka za 15/6 mmHg dovodi do značajno manje opće smrtnosti (21%), kardiovaskularne smrtnosti (23%), incidencije moždanog udara (30%) i srčanog zatajivanja (64%). Kao lijek prvog izbora u starijoj populaciji izdvojili bismo tijazidski diuretik, a budući ti pacijenti većinom zahtijevaju višestruku terapiju izdvojili bismo blokatore kalcijskih kanala ili ACE inhibitore. Naravno i komorbiditeti određuju osnovnu ili dodatnu terapiju.Hypertension in the elderly is a major public health problem due to high prevalence and the world population ageing trend. Most often it is the isolated systolic hypertension (90% of patients over 70 years of age) that is concerned. Furthermore, pulse pressure and systolic pressure are the most important risk factors in elderly persons. Pathophysiologically, there is a great number of structural (loss of elasticity of large blood vessels, decreased elasticity, increased pulse wave velocity) and functional (endothelial dysfunction, decreased sensitivity of beta receptors, decreased baroreceptor function, sensitivity to salt) changes in the background. Treatment of hypertension in the elderly has so far been a big challenge, because there were not enough studies that have dealt with this population. Now this has changed after results of the HYVET study have been published. HYVET study included the oldest patients (above 80 years of age) and has proven that lowering pressure by 15/6 mmHg, leads to significantly lower overall mortality (21%), cardiovascular mortality (23%), incidence of stroke (30%) and heart failure (64%). We emphasize thiazide diuretic as the first choice drug in the elderly population, and since these patients usually require multiple treatment, we emphasize calcium channel blockers or ACE inhibitors. Comorbidities, naturally, determine the basic or additional therapy

Hypertension in the elderly

Arterijska hipertenzija (AH) u starijih osoba predstavlja veliki javnozdravstveni problem zbog visoke prevalencije i trenda starenja svjetske populacije. Najčešće se radi o izoliranoj sistoličkoj hipertenziji (90% bolesnika iznad 70 godina) te se kod osoba starije životne dobi kao najbitniji čimbenici rizika izdvajaju vrijednosti tlaka pulsa i sistoličkog tlaka. Patofiziološki u podlozi su brojne strukturne (gubitak elastičnosti velikih krvnih žila, smanjena rastezljivost, porast brzine pulsnog vala) i funkcionalne (endotelna disfunkcija, smanjena osjetljivost beta receptora, smanjena funkcija baroreceptora, osjetljivost na sol) promjene. Liječenje AH u starijih do sada je bilo veliki izazov jer nije bilo dovoljno studija koje su se bavile tom populacijom, što se promijenilo objavom rezultata studije HYVET. Ova je studija uključila najstarije bolesnike (iznad 80 godina) te je dokazala kako sniženje vrijednosti arterijskog tlaka za 15/6 mmHg dovodi do značajno manje opće smrtnosti (21%), kardiovaskularne smrtnosti (23%), incidencije moždanog udara (30%) i srčanog zatajivanja (64%). Kao lijek prvog izbora u starijoj populaciji izdvojili bismo tijazidski diuretik, a budući ti pacijenti većinom zahtijevaju višestruku terapiju izdvojili bismo blokatore kalcijskih kanala ili ACE inhibitore. Naravno i komorbiditeti određuju osnovnu ili dodatnu terapiju.Hypertension in the elderly is a major public health problem due to high prevalence and the world population ageing trend. Most often it is the isolated systolic hypertension (90% of patients over 70 years of age) that is concerned. Furthermore, pulse pressure and systolic pressure are the most important risk factors in elderly persons. Pathophysiologically, there is a great number of structural (loss of elasticity of large blood vessels, decreased elasticity, increased pulse wave velocity) and functional (endothelial dysfunction, decreased sensitivity of beta receptors, decreased baroreceptor function, sensitivity to salt) changes in the background. Treatment of hypertension in the elderly has so far been a big challenge, because there were not enough studies that have dealt with this population. Now this has changed after results of the HYVET study have been published. HYVET study included the oldest patients (above 80 years of age) and has proven that lowering pressure by 15/6 mmHg, leads to significantly lower overall mortality (21%), cardiovascular mortality (23%), incidence of stroke (30%) and heart failure (64%). We emphasize thiazide diuretic as the first choice drug in the elderly population, and since these patients usually require multiple treatment, we emphasize calcium channel blockers or ACE inhibitors. Comorbidities, naturally, determine the basic or additional therapy

FIBRILLARY GLOMERULONEPHRITIS AND IMMUNOTACTOID GLOMERULOPATHY: CASE REPORTS

Fibrilarni i imunotaktoidni glomerulonefritis dio su rijetke skupine bubrežnih bolesti sa stvaranjem organiziranih depozita u glomerulima. Njihova patogeneza još nije razjašnjena, a mogu se javiti kao primarni oblici bolesti ili u sklopu drugih sustavnih, ponajprije limfoproliferativnih bolesti. Klinički se prezentiraju proteinurijom, hematurijom, hipertenzijom te progresivnim razvojem kronične bubrežne insuficijencije unutar nekoliko godina. U ovom radu prikazali smo bolesnika s primarnim fibrilarnim glomerulonefritisom i bolesnicu sa sekundarnim imunotaktoidnim glomerulonefritisom u sklopu ne-Hodgkinova limfoma. Cilj je rada upozoriti na obilježja ovih bolesti i važnost elektronske mikroskopije u njihovoj dijagnostici.Fibrillary glomerulonephritis and immunotactoid glomerulopathy belong to the rare renal disorders characterized by formation of the organized glomerular deposits. Pathogenesis of these disorders is still not fully clarified but they could appear as a primary condition or be regarded as a part of the various systemic mainly lymphoproliferative disorders. Clinical presentation includes proteinuria, hematuria, arterial hypertension and progressive renal insufficiency during several years. In this work we presented a male patient with fibrillary glomerulonephritis and a female patient with immunotactoid glomerulopathy as a part of a non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The aim of this presentation is to show the features of the fibrillary glomerulonephritis and immunotactoid glomerulopathy as well as emphasize the significance of the electron microscopy in the identification of these uncommon entities

Epidemiologic data of adult native biopsy-proven renal diseases in Croatia

PURPOSE: There is a paucity of epidemiological data on biopsy-proven renal disease in Croatia. The purpose of this report is a review of clinical and histological data, over a period of 15 years, from the single biggest adult native renal biopsy center in Croatia. ----- METHODS: This report includes data from 922 adult native renal biopsies in patients referred from the whole country and performed in our center from 1996 till February 2012. Data on age, gender, serum creatinine, urine sediment, 24-h proteinuria, clinical syndrome and histological diagnosis were collected and analyzed retrospectively. In all patients, light, immunofluorescence and electron microscopic analysis was performed. ----- RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 48 years (interquartile range 36-59 years), and the majority of patients were men (57.8 %). The most common indication for renal biopsy was nephrotic syndrome (40.3 %) followed by asymptomatic urinary abnormalities (31.7 %). The most common biopsy-proven renal disease in total was IgA glomerulonephritis (19.3 %), followed by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) (15.8 %) and membranous glomerulonephritis (9.2 %). In men, similar results were found, while in women, the most common were hereditary nephritis (13.4 %), FSGS (12.9 %) and connective tissue disease-related glomerular disorders (11.6 %). ----- CONCLUSION: The presented data are an important contribution to the better understanding of the epidemiology of biopsy-proven renal disease in Croatia and Europe throughout comparison with other registry data. This data should be the basis for the formation of Croatian Registry of Renal Biopsies