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F Vrtovsnik

Publications and source records attributed to F Vrtovsnik.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

[Dissecting aneurysm of the left iliac artery disclosing Marfan's disease].

Marfan's syndrome only very rarely presents as a peripheral arterial complication. In the case described, dissection of the left iliac artery in a 52-year-old man presented as intermittent claudication of sudden onset and enabled the diagnosis of previously unrecognised Marfan's syndrome on the basis of great height, a dorsal kyphoscoliosis, a positive family history and aortic abnormalities. Treatment based upon vasodilators and platelet antiaggregation enabled a favourable outcome with frequent monitoring.

Aortic Dissection↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Kimura's disease associated with extracapillary glomerulonephritis].

BACKGROUND: Kimura's disease is a rare and benign chronic inflammatory soft-tissue disorder of unknown origin. Most cases involve young Asian males. The typical presentation consists of painless papules or nodules with a predilection for the head and neck region, associated with lymphadenopathy, parotid gland involvement, peripheral blood eosinophilia and raised immunoglobulin E. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 49-year-old Mauritian man was hospitalized for nephrotic syndrome. Examination revealed a painless 3 cm nodule in the left pre-auricular region and multiple enlarged left cervical lymph nodes. Histopathologic examination of a nodule confirmed the diagnosis of Kimura's disease, which was associated with necrotic extracapillary glomerulonephritis. Corticosteroids were initiated, resulting in rapid improvement of renal function and partial regression of the patient's cutaneous nodules and lymph node disorder. DISCUSSION: Renal manifestations are the only visceral localization of Kimura's disease, and proteinuria is seen in 12% of cases, of which 50% are accompanied by nephrotic syndrome. Many different histologic types of renal involvement may be observed with potentially severe lesions. To our knowledge, this is the first case of Kimura's disease associated with extracapillary glomerulonephritis.

Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia with Eosinophilia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Renal tubular cells cultured from genetically modified animals.

The culture of renal tubular cells from genetically modified animals opens the opportunity of biochemical, cell biology and physiological studies under strictly controlled conditions. Either primary cultures or cell lines can be used. Through two examples of primary cultures of proximal tubular cells obtained from knock-out mice, important information about the function of proteins were obtained. Mice lacking vimentin, an intermediate filament normally reexpressed in tubular cells during regeneration and culture, have a normal tubular function under basal conditions. Proximal cells grown from these animals exhibit a defect in sodium-glucose cotransport activity, most likely related to alterations in the dimer/monomer ratio of the transporter in the apical membranes. These alterations may be important in terms of tubular function during the recovery phase following acute tubular necrosis. The situation is strikingly different with regard to mice lacking HNF-1, a transactivator involved in the transcription of multiple genes. These animals suffer from severe Fanconi syndrome related to decreased expression of proximal transporters including isoforms of sodium-glucose (SGLT2) and sodium-phosphate (NPT1) cotransporters. Whereas transport defects are observed in isolated tubules, they are no longer apparent in cultured proximal cells because the expression of these isoforms is suppressed under culture conditions. These observations illustrate the interest and limits of the in vitro models for studying renal function in transgenic animals.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Inhibitors of HMG CoA reductase: new modes of action, new indications?].

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, or statins, are hypocholesterolaemic agents used in the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia and cardiovascular diseases. Their hypocholesterolaemic action results from the inhibition of the intracellular synthesis of cholesterol via the mevalonate pathway. Recent studies have demonstrated that cholesterol is not the only intracellular target of statins. Indeed, statins have been shown to inhibit protein isoprenylation, a post-translational modification involved in membrane localization and protein activity. By inhibiting isoprenylation of Ras protein, statins induce the inhibition of the Ras-AP1 pathway and the decrease in cell proliferation. Similarly, inhibition of Rho protein insoprenylation leads to the disorganization of the cytoskeleton and the induction of the fibrinolytic system. All these effects need to be confirmed in vivo and in the human, and open new areas for these therapeutics agents.

Anticholesteremic Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Vasculitis with mesangial IgA deposits complicating relapsing polychondritis.

The authors report the case of a patient presenting with cutaneous, renal and neurologic vasculitis in the course of relapsing polychondritis (RPC). A 78-year-old man presented with a palpable purpura of the lower limbs, high fever arthralgias, delirium, and nephrotic syndrome. He had a history of relapsing polychondritis treated by corticosteroids. Renal biopsy showed diffuse endo- and extracapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis with mesangial IgA deposits. A spectacular regression of the symptoms was observed in response to pulse intravenous methylprednisolone. Relapsing polychondritis is complicated by vasculitis in 25% of the cases. This vasculitis is characterized by cutaneous, neurologic and renal manifestations, usually occurring in elderly patients. Renal involvement is characterized by segmental and focal or diffuse necrotizing glomerulonephritis. The mesangial IgA deposits observed in our patient are rarely present in the course of RPC. Renal manifestations identify severe forms of RPC, justifying systematic screening for renal complications.

Aged↗