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Biomedical subjects

B H Spargo

Publications and source records attributed to B H Spargo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Endocytosis of calcium oxalate crystals and proliferation of renal tubular epithelial cells in a patient with type 1 primary hyperoxaluria.

A patient with primary hyperoxaluria who received a liver-kidney transplant is presented. A postoperative renal biopsy showed apparent tubular cell endocytosis of calcium oxalate crystals and cell proliferation, indicating that renal epithelial cells do not perceive urinary crystals as inert. Such cellular responses to crystals may have a role in nephrolithiasis.

Adult

Efficacy of percutaneous renal biopsy in obese patients under computerized tomographic guidance.

The performance of percutaneous renal biopsy under ultrasound guidance in markedly obese patients is associated with technical difficulties because of the production of poor image quality. Fluoroscopy can be potentially used as an alternative guidance method when the kidneys are not visualized sonographically. However, the presence of uremia in an obese patient imposes an additional risk when fluoroscopy is used because of possible nephrotoxicity from the use of radiocontrast dye. Computerized tomography (CT) provides advantages over these two methods because of the production of excellent spatial resolution of images leading to accurate localization of the kidneys. We performed 59 consecutive percutaneous renal biopsies in 58 patients using CT as guidance. The body mass index (BMI) defined as weight in kilograms/(height in meter)2 [Watson et al. 1979], was used to assess the severity of obesity. Twenty-nine patients had Grade 0 (BMI less than or equal to 24.9), 17 had Grade I (BMI 25-29.9), 7 had Grade II (BMI 30-39.9) and 5 had Grade III (BMI greater than or equal to 40) obesity. Thirty-two patients had superimposed uremia of varying degrees. Image quality was maintained in all four groups, and tissues adequate for diagnosis were obtained in 98% of the attempts. Complications were minimal with no deaths, nephrectomies or surgical interventions attributable directly to the biopsy procedure itself. We recommend the use of CT guidance in the grossly obese patients (Grade II or III) when their kidneys are poorly visualized by sonography.

Biopsy, Needle

Neuropsychiatric problems in mixed connective tissue disease.

A group of 20 patients with mixed connective tissue disease, followed for up to five years, was found to have a 55 per cent incidence of neuropsychiatric problems. An aseptic meningitis-like syndrome was the most common presentation and was rapidly responsive to corticosteroid therapy. Other findings were psychosis, convulsions, peripheral neuropathy, trigeminal neuropathy and cerebellar ataxia. An abnormal cerebrospinal fluid was found in five patients; mild pleocytosis, an increased protein content and a first phase colloidal gold curve were the main abnormalities. These neuropsychiatric problems have not been a cause of mortality in this group of patients with mixed connective tissue disease.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Changing histopathology patterns in lupus nephropathy.

The initial clinical and histologic renal findings and the subsequent course of 90 patients with SLE were evaluated in a study of the natural history of lupus nephropathy. Initial renal biopsy revealed focal glomerulonephritis in 32 patients, diffuse glomerulonephritis in 47, membranous nephropathy in seven and minimal changes in four. Forty-one patients were rebiopsied three months to five years later; ten of 15 patients with focal glomerulonephritis showed progression to diffuse glomerulonephritis or membranous nephropathy, whereas changes in morphologic pattern were less common in the other types of lupus nephropathy. There was no difference between the patients with the focal lesion who progressed and those who did not in age, sex distribution, duration of SLE prior to biopsy, renal function, and serological studies; however, the patients with progression initially had more proteinuria, higher histologic activity on light microscopy, and more intensive glomerular electron-dense deposition. Focal lupus glomerulonephritis progresses frequently to diffuse glomerular involvement. Certain clinical and morphologic findings at initial evaluation may help to predict future progression in the course of lupus nephropathy.

Adolescent

Nephrotic proteinuria with pre-eclampsia.

During a retrospective study of 100 patients who underwent renal biopsy because of pregnancy complicated by hypertension, we found 19 patients whom proteinuria exceeded 5.0 Gm. per 24 hours and an additional eight patients in whom excretion ranged between 3.5 and 5 Gm. per day. Of these 27 patients, 23 had the kidney lesion of pre-eclampsia, and three of them had superimposed hypertensive changes in the vasculature. The remaining four had other renal diseases. We located and re-examined 10 of the 23 pre-eclamptic women, 12 to 104 (mean, 36) months after delivery. Serum creatinine levels were normal in all but one, who was discovered to have polycystic kidney disease. During the same time period, we located the records of six women who had heavy proteinuria during gestation but were normotensive. Thus, at our institution, pre-eclampsia is the most common cause of the nephrotic syndrome in pregnancy. The frequency of nephrotic proteinuria in pre-eclampsia appears higher than previously suspected, but, despite this fact, recovery was complete in most instances.

Creatinine

Premature coronary atherosclerosis in a 5-year-old with corticosteroid-refractory nephrotic syndrome.

We report the case of a 5-year-old girl who died two years after onset of the idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, which failed to respond to treatment with corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide. Severe atherosclerotic changes were noted in both coronary arteries. Prolonged hyperlipidemia in patients with long-standing nephrotic syndrome may represent a major risk factor predisposing to premature coronary atherosclerosis in children who are also destined to develop chronic renal failure.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Immune complex nephropathy in mixed connective tissue disease.

Initial reports on the clinical spectrum of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) indicated that renal involvement was uncommon. Four of 20 patients with MCTD underwent renal biopsy and all showed evidence of immune complex trapping with a membranous glomerulonephritis in three patients. Clinically evident renal disease was absent in two patients. These findings suggest that renal involvement in MCTD may be more prevalent than previously indicated.

Adolescent

Idiopathic membranous glomerulopathy preceding the emergence of systemic lupus erythematosus in two children.

An idiopathic nephrotic syndrome associated with membranous glomerulopathy antedated the subsequent emergence of systemic lupus erythematosus in two patients (7-year-old and 14-year-old girls). At the onset of INS, there was neither clinical evidence of multisystem disease nor unequivocal serologic evidence of SLE. The only early possible indication of SLE was the presence of microtubular inclusions in glomerular endothelial cells on electron microscopy. In each instance (one year and three years after onset of INS), a second renal biopsy showed transformation of the membranous glomerular lesion to a more florid type with glomerular subendothelial dense deposits. One patient died of overwhelming pulmonary infection while she was receiving prednisone and cyclophosphamide; the other developed progressive renal failure despite steroid treatment. SLE should be considered in patients presenting with apparent idiopathic MG, in whom nephrotic syndrome persists. Intraendothelial cell microtubular inclusions may be an early clue to later emergence of SLE.

Adolescent

The differential diagnosis of crescentic glomerulonephritis. The pathology of specific lesions with prognostic implications.

Combined findings from light and electron microscopy with immunofluorescence studies make a definitive diagnosis possible in most cases of crescentic glomerulonephritis. The patient's prognosis and pattern of response to therapy are matters of immediate concern in the light of recent developments in nephrology. The frequency of crescentic lesions varies depending on the specific types of disease, but the idiopathic lesion is seldom seen.

Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease

Phospholipid metabolism during renal regeneration after acute tubular necrosis.

Renal function, structure, and membrane metabolism were studied during regeneration of proximal tubular cells in rats. A reversible syndrome of nonoliguric acute renal failure was induced by the intravenous administration of a low dose of mercuric chloride (1.0 mg Hg/kg). At day 1 there was a marked increase in serum urea nitrogen concentration (SUN), decrease in food intake, and a zone of proximal tubular cell necrosis in the inner cortex. By day 3 low cuboidal epithelial cells were seen, indicating that regeneration had been initiated despite decreased food intake and increasing SUN. Phospholipid synthesis for new membrane formation in regenerating cells was studied by using [14C] choline as a precursor of phosphorylcholine and cytidine diphosphocholine (CDP-choline), which are intermediates in the synthesis of renal choline-containing phospholipid. The rate of [14C]choline incorporation into phospholipids in inner cortical slices was lowest 1 day after mercury administration, then increased constantly for the next 4 days to reach a maximal value 104% above control. The rate declined slowly for the next 11 days and returned to normal by 28 days. The increased rate represented choline phosphoglyceride synthesis, since degradation was unchanged. The entire increment in choline radioactivity in regenerating tissue 2 and 3 days after mercury administration was in phospholipid or CDP-choline, which suggests that the increased number of choline molecules entering the growing cells were trapped in these two forms. The results indicate that renal regeneration is associated with a specific enhancement of the synthesis of choline-containing phospholipids. This anabolic response of the kidney occurs in the presence of systemic catabolism and progressive renal functional insufficiency.

Acute Kidney Injury

Stimulation of renal phospholipid formation during potassium depletion.

Potassium depletion induces increased membrane phospholipid formation and renal growth in rats. To determine the mechanism by which potassium depletion augments phospholipid formation, the metabolism of radioactive choline, a precursor of choline-containing phospholipids, was studied in renal slices. Cortical and medullary tissue from potassium-depleted and control animals accumulated extracellular choline and sequentially converted it to phosphorylcholine, cytidine diphosphocholine (CDP-choline), and choline phosphoglyceride, thereby demonstrating that renal cells can utilize the Kennedy pathway for phospholipid synthesis. [14C]Choline uptake into intracellular fluid was increased in cortical slices from potassium-depleted animals. The apparent Km and Vmax of the kinase reaction which converts entering [14C]choline to [14C]phosphorylcholine were unchanged during potassium depletion. The rate of [14C]phosphorylcholine conversion to [14C]CDP-choline was also unchanged. In contrast, the Vmax of [14C]choline phosphoglyceride formation from [14C]CDP-choline was increased, whereas the apparent Km for this reaction was unchanged. These results indicate that increased renal choline phosphoglyceride formation during potassium depletion can occur via the Kennedy pathway and appears to be mediated by increases in choline uptake and the rate of CDP-choline incorporation into phospholipid, the first and last steps of the pathway.

Animals

Renal disease.

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Amyloidosis