PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L Revert

Publications and source records attributed to L Revert.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources

Postsynaptic adrenergic unresponsiveness in hypotensive haemodialysis patients.

In order to ascertain the significance of autonomic dysfunction in hypotensive maintenance haemodialysis patients, plasma norepinephrine (NE) was measured by radioenzymatic assay in 15 nondiabetic uraemic subjects of similar age and time on dialysis, five of them chronically hypotensive and 10 normotensive. Hypotensive patients had: 1) Significantly higher NE levels than their normotensive counterparts, both in basal conditions and after orthostatism and 2) significantly lesser increments in mean arterial blood pressure during a NE infusion than the normotensive group. Rather than implicating a mechanism based on autonomic neuropathy, our results suggest that in haemodialysis patients with chronic hypotension, there is a defect located at the adrenergic postsynaptic level.

Adult↗

[Long-term hemodialysis in acute barbiturate intoxication (author's transl)].

From 1975 to 1978, ten patients were on long-term hemodialysis due to acute barbiturate intoxication. Duration of hemodialysis varied from 16 to 40 hours (mean 23 +/- 9.4 hours). Phenobarbital was the most common type of barbiturate ingested (6 out of 10 patients), and diazepam the drug most frequently taken in association with barbiturates (3 out of 10 patients). All patients were in a state of deep unconsciousness (coma II: 1 case; coma III: 5 cases; coma IV: 4 cases), and all of them required endotracheal intubation. Seven patients needed the assistance of automatic intermittent positive-pressure respirator. Two patients presented hypothermia, and another a peripheral collapse. Long-term hemodialysis was well tolerated without major complications. Significant decreases of barbiturate levels were obtained in all cases (before hemodialysis: 7.3 +/- 1.9 mg/dl, after hemodialysis: 1.8 +/- 1.2 md/dl, corresponding to the pattern of secobarbital used to refer the results). No correlation was observed between initial levels of barbiturates and number of hours of long-term hemodialysis required. Neurologic symptoms improved in all cases. Eight patients were conscious after hemodialysis had been discontinued, and only two patients remained unconscious (coma I). Intratracheal tube could be removed in six patients, but positive-pressure respirator could be took away from all cases. Complete recovery was achieved in eight patients. Two patients died on the 2nd. and 8th. postdialysis days due to respiratory distress. Long-term hemodialysis has proven of value in the treatment of severe barbiturate intoxication, particularly better to conventional hemodialysis.

Adolescent↗

[Lupus nephritis: clinicomorphological manifestations (author's transl)].

Forty patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have been evaluated for clinicopathological evidence of renal involvement. Average age at the onset of the disease was 23 years; 90 percent of the patients were women. Indications for renal biopsy included clinical symptoms of nephropathy (34 patients) and signs of immunological activity (6 patients(. All biopsied specimens were examined under light microscope; 28 of them under immunofluorescence, and 18 under electron microscope. Histological classification was as follows: I) Normal kidney (2 patients); II) mesangial glomerulonephritis (6 patients); III) focal glomerulonephritis (10 patients); IV) diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (19 patients), and V) membranous glomerulonephritis (3 patients). Six patients had no clinical nephritis, two of them had normal kidneys and four had a mesangial glomerulonephritis. Patients in groups III, IV, and V showed clinical and biological evidence of renal involvement. Highest incidence of renal failure, nephrotic syndrome or high blood pressure was found among cases in group IV. Group IV accounted also for the highest mortality rate. Clinical course of 25 cases (1 of type II, 8 or type III, and 16 of type IV) on corticosteroid therapy for an average follow-up of 22.8 months has showed greater clinical improvement (proteinuria and renal function) of nephropathy type III than nephropathy type IV. Renal biopsy is a useful diagnostic and prognostic method in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, even in those cases without clinical evidence of renal disease.

Adolescent↗

[Partial defect in the secretion of antidiuretic hormone and disproportionate polydipsia (author's transl)].

A 20-year-old patient was evaluated because of polydipsia and polyuria; by means of the dehydration test a partial defect in the secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) was demonstrated, since the urinary osmolality after the administration of exogenous vasopressin was superior by 25 percent to the maximum spontaneous urinary osmolality reached after a period of fluid restriction. Nevertheless, there was also a component of psychogenic polydipsia because the daily basal fluid intake was superior to 15 liters, and in view of the fact that the urinary osmolality could reach 600 mOsm/kg, the endocrine defect cannot totally be responsible for the enormous volume of fluid intake. This is the first case in the world literature in which the association between potomania and deficiency in the secretion of ADH is reported. Since ADH is one of the factors which regulate the behaviour of various animal species it is possible that its deficiency may be directly responsible for the psychic disorder which led to the potomania. It is also possible that an anatomical hypothalamic lesion, too small to be demonstrated, might have a simultaneous effect on the centers regulating thirst and the neurons producing vasopressin.

Adult↗

[Hemolytic-uremic syndrome in the adult (author's transl)].

This article presents six cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome, defined as the combination of acute renal insufficiency, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and thrombocytopenia, in six adult patients, two men and four women, between 20 and 52 years old. Three of the cases were considered idiopathic, two secondary to the use of oral contraceptives, and one appeared after an abortion. All of the patients presented severe hypertension, frequently accompanied by increased renin levels; in no cases was there any important coagulation disorder. In all of the biopsies there were lesions denoting intravascular thrombosis in the arterioles and medium-sized arteries of the kidney, as well as thickening of the glomerular basal membrane. Immunofluorescence was positive for fibrinogen and C3 in the majority of biopsies examined. Two patients suffered acute pancreatitis, hypertension having perhaps been an important factor in this complication. One of the two patients died as a result of acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis and was the only death in the series. Of the five remaining subjects, three required periodic hemodyalisis and the other two presented a considerable degree of chronic renal failure, which confirms that the prognosis for the hemolytic-uremic syndrome is much worse for the adult than for the child.

Adult↗

Familial IgA nephropathy: report of two cases and brief review of the literature.

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy developed in two siblings who shared the DRw4 antigen but who were otherwise HLA-A, -B, and -C unrelated. It is suggested that a genetically induced alteration in the immune response can cause some of the cases of mesangial IgA glomerulopathy and that close blood reltaives of patients with this disease should be checked for the possible existence of renal abnormalities.

Adult↗

[Endocarditis by Coxiella burnetti. A chronic form of Q fever. Report of one case (author's transl)].

The authors describe a case of chronic endocarditis by Q fever, in a patient who had been operated for coarctation of the aorta twelve years previously and at the same time was carrier of a congenital bivalve aorta. The clinical picture was suggestive of subacute endocarditis, but the blood culture was negative repeatedly. There was also a prolonged and relapsing febrile syndrome over a period of one-year-and-a-half. The following data are also worthy of note: the coexistence of a liver disorder and a focal and segmentary glomerulonephritis. Based on some recent publications (one by the same group) the authors feel that Coxiellosis burnetti must be more frequent in their environment than is suspected.

Adult↗

[Hemodialysis and complement (author's transl)].

After observing alterations in the activity of the serum complement in patients undergoing periodic hemodialysis, the authors performed a preliminary study to determine repeatedly the activity of C3, C4, and CH50 in 44 patients. They discovered a consistent drop in C3 and CH50 while C4 remained normal. An attempt to explain these findings with information from the literature offered no more than a hypothesis for further study. While the possibility of a decline in the synthesis of the complement factors cannot be disregarded, the authors believe it is much more probable that they are consumed at a rate higher than normal. Since the C4 factor does not appear to be involved, activation is probably along the alternative pathway. Defective synthesis cannot be attributed to liver disease because the latter is not always present and because there is no relationship between C3 levels and levels of albumin or the presence of hepatopathy. The literature was reviewed for data that might support the idea that the complements in these patients are activated continuously by some process in connection with dialysis, by chemical products employed for to clean the machines, by commonly administered drugs, etc. Because so few data could be found on the subject, the authors consider that is necessary to study these mechanisms and their repercussions over a longer period of time.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Renin-induced massive proteinuria in man.

A 30 year old man developed renovascular hypertension and extreme elevation of plasma renin activity. Daily proteinuria ranged from 13 to 31 g. There were no criteria for the diagnosis of malignant hypertension. A primary glomerulopathy was excluded by a basically normal renal biopsy from the unprotected kidney. On electron microscopy the epithelial cell foot processes were not fused, thus ruling out simultaneous lipoid nephrosis. The source of renin was removed by means of a left nephrectomy. Following the procedure the patient became normotensive, the renin values normalized and the proteinuria disappeared. The results suggest that renin can cause significant proteinuria in man.

Adult↗