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Biomedical subjects

V E Torres

Publications and source records attributed to V E Torres.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Idiopathic membranous nephropathy: the natural history of untreated patients.

We reviewed the diagnostic features and clinical course of 140 patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy who had their index renal biopsies performed at the Mayo Clinic between 1972 and 1984. There were 93 males and 47 females (average age, 50.8 +/- 17 years); 116 patients (83%) had the nephrotic syndrome and 42 (30%) were hypertensive at diagnosis. Eighty-nine patients were not treated with corticosteroid or immunosuppressive drugs and 51 patients were treated mainly with short-term courses of prednisone alone; a minority of patients also received meclofenamate, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, or chlorambucil. Five-year survival, including patients who received dialysis or a renal transplant, was 85%, 75% at 10 years, and no different from expected survival; there was no difference between untreated and treated groups. Also, there were no differences in the outcomes of renal function and protein excretion between untreated and treated patients. Among 28 patients (20%) who developed end-stage renal disease, 17 showed rapid progression within 2.5 years after diagnosis. Fifteen of the 17 patients were males; all were severely nephrotic and had impaired renal function at diagnosis. Only 1 of 24 patients with nonnephrotic proteinuria at index renal biopsy progressed to end-stage renal disease. Overall, a level of baseline proteinuria of 10 g or more per 24 hours and variable blood pressure control in hypertensive patients were associated with renal progression.

Adolescent↗

Efficacy of ganciclovir in liver and kidney transplant recipients with severe cytomegalovirus infection.

Twelve liver and 5 kidney transplant recipients with severe cytomegalovirus infection were treated with Ganciclovir (7.5 mg/kg/day, intravenously). Ten were evaluable (compatible clinical picture, organ involvement shown histopathologically or by culture, viremia, and absence of concomitant infection). All 17 patients were studied for adverse drug side effects. A total of 9 evaluable patients survived the infection; 1 died during treatment due to infection or drug toxicity. A death 19 days after completion of treatment was due to unrelated causes. Patients became afebrile after 2-9 days (mean, 5.3 days) of treatment. Liver function improved, pulmonary infiltrates cleared, and hypoxemia reversed during therapy. Viremia ceased during therapy in 9 patients; asymptomatic viruria persisted or recurred in 6 of 7 patients studied. No relapses occurred during follow-up (7-17 months; mean, 13 months). Transient neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 3 and 1 patients, respectively. Ganciclovir appears promising for treatment of severe CMV infection in patients with kidney or liver transplants.

Acyclovir↗

Renal epithelial hyperplastic and neoplastic proliferation in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

The early v late occurrence of tubular epithelial hyperplasia and the frequency and malignant potential of renal neoplasms in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) are controversial. The kidneys from 87 patients with documented or presumed ADPKD, removed at autopsy (n = 49) or prior to transplantation (n = 38), were thoroughly sectioned and examined. Hyperplastic polyps were found in 90.8% of the patients, even in the absence of renal insufficiency or marked renal enlargement. However, their number was significantly higher in the patients with advanced stages of the disease, and especially in those with a history of dialysis. Hyperplastic polyps were not detected in eight cases, seven of which had no evidence of epithelial hyperplasia, despite thorough examination of multiple sections. A total of 42 neoplasms were observed in 24.1% of the patients. One patient had bilateral low-grade clear cell adenocarcinoma. Another patient had a transitional cell neoplasm. The remaining 39 neoplasms were microscopic adenomas. Neoplasms tended to occur more often in men and older patients. None of these neoplasms had been clinically diagnosed, and no metastasis had occurred. Nonneoplastic mass lesions were observed in two patients: one had malacoplakia and the other had xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis.

Adenoma↗

Blood pressure determinants in living-related renal allograft donors and their recipients.

We studied 99 living related allograft donors with follow-up information of at least 10 years and the 50 recipients who had successful outcomes. Recipients were younger and had significantly lower blood pressures at follow-up than their donors. Borderline and definite hypertension were present in 22.2% and 4.0% of donors prior to donation, in 14.4% and 21.1% of donors at follow-up, and in 2.0% and 18.0% of the 50 recipients at follow-up. Age, relative weight, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) prior to donation were the key variables in predicting the follow-up ranked MAP of the donors. CPAH prior to donation was inversely correlated with the age of the donors and, indirectly, with the follow-up MAP. Donor CPAH prior to donation was significantly correlated with the renal allograft function of the recipients but not with the recipient ranked MAP at follow-up. No correlation of the ranked MAP or blood pressure outcome categories between donors and recipients was found. We conclude that donation of one kidney can accelerate the development of hypertension in those donors with predisposition to develop hypertension. In addition, the predisposition of the donors to develop hypertension and their age, within the range observed in the study, does not significantly influence the long-term blood pressure status of the recipient.

Adult↗

Renal involvement in relapsing polychondritis.

Twenty-nine of the 129 patients with RP seen at the Mayo Clinic between 1943 and 1984 had renal involvement. These patients were older, had arthritis and extrarenal vasculitis more frequently, and had a significantly worse survival rate than those without renal involvement. Renal biopsies were obtained in 11 of these 29 patients. The predominant lesions were mild mesangial expansion and cell proliferation, and segmental necrotizing glomerulonephritis with crescents. Small amounts of electron-dense deposits, predominantly mesangial, were noted on electron microscopy. Immunofluorescence revealed faint deposition of C3 and/or IgG or IgM, predominantly in the mesangium. Autopsies were obtained in 13 of the 47 patients who had died. Information regarding the renal pathology was available in 10 of these 13 autopsies. At the time of the initial evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, 6 of these 10 patients had evidence of renal involvement. At autopsy, none of these 10 patients had evidence of active renal vasculitis or segmental necrotizing glomerulonephritis, but 8 of the 10 patients exhibited variable degrees of vascular and glomerular sclerosis, segmental mesangial proliferation, tubular loss, and interstitial lymphocytic infiltrates. These observations expand the limited information available in the literature, which is based on 11 previously published case reports of renal involvement in RP. In only a few of our patients and previously reported patients were the manifestations of the disease limited to the systems characteristically involved in pure RP. The frequent coexistence of other autoimmune and connective tissue diseases supports the role of immune mechanisms in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Deposition of immune complexes is likely to play a role in the pathogenesis of the glomerular lesions associated with RP. Administration of corticosteroids alone is sufficient to induce a complete remission in some cases, while in others the addition of a cytotoxic agent is necessary to control the activity of the disease or to spare corticosteroid side effects and maintain a remission. Immunosuppression-related infectious complications and undetected relapses after discontinuation of immunosuppressive therapy are largely responsible for the morbidity and mortality observed in these patients.

Adult↗

Benefits and risks of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome.

In this paper we discuss the effects of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs on proteinuria and the specific risks of these drugs in patients with nephrotic syndrome. We summarize the results of a prospective uncontrolled trial of meclofenamate in severe steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome secondary to focal glomerular sclerosis and idiopathic membranous nephropathy. This study examined the effect of meclofenamate on proteinuria, serum albumin levels, serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, renal function, BP, liver function tests, and hematologic values. We also sought and evaluated adverse reactions due to this medication. We offer some suggestions for selective use and careful supervision of NSAIDs in the nephrotic syndrome.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗

Interaction of multiple risk factors in the pathogenesis of experimental reflux nephropathy in the pig.

The importance of several pathogenetic factors in the development of reflux nephropathy was evaluated in 25 piglets with complete unilateral vesicoureteral reflux and urinary tract infection. Three independent risk factors were studied: roentgenographic intrarenal reflux, P-fimbriation of the bacterial strain, absence of previous immunization. E. coli with P-fimbriae produce mannose-resistant agglutination of pig red blood cells and are more adherent to pig uroepithelial cells than E. coli without P-fimbriae. Vesicoureteral reflux was surgically induced at 2 weeks, urinary tract infection introduced at 6 weeks and the animals killed at 12 weeks of age. Independently, the 3 risk factors had a borderline or insignificant effect on renal scarring. Animals with none or only 1 risk factor, however, had significantly less scarring, fewer glomerular lesions and lower serum creatinines than those with 2 or 3 factors present. Several independent pathogenetic factors seem to have a synergistic effect on the development of reflux nephropathy.

Animals↗

The risks of unilateral nephrectomy: status of kidney donors 10 to 20 years postoperatively.

We received requested follow-up information from 105 (73%) of our 144 kidney donors who had undergone unilateral nephrectomy 10 to 20 years previously. Five donors had died of unrelated causes 6 or more years postoperatively. Studies in the remaining 100 donors showed that the current mean serum creatinine concentration was 1.2 mg/dl and the mean 24-hour urinary protein value was 89 mg. Hypertension (defined as 160 mm Hg or more systolic, 95 mm Hg or more diastolic, or both) was present in 19% of the donors. In a subgroup of 66 donors who had had serial serum creatinine determinations, the renal function, as estimated on the basis of these serum creatinine values, had not deteriorated with time. Thus, we consider unilateral nephrectomy in this group of patients relatively safe. Subsequent evaluation will be necessary to ascertain whether these findings prevail.

Adolescent↗

Treatment of severe nephrotic syndrome with meclofenamate: an uncontrolled pilot study.

The effect of meclofenamate on urinary protein excretion, level of serum albumin, and renal function was studied prospectively in 30 patients with corticosteroid-resistant severe nephrotic syndrome: 16 with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, 12 with membranous glomerulopathy, and 2 with minimal-lesion nephropathy. Seventeen patients had a 40% or more reduction in urinary protein excretion ("responders"), and the decrease continued during long-term treatment. Meclofenamate therapy was discontinued after 2 months in eight "nonresponders" and in five other patients because of side effects (progressive increase in the level of serum creatinine in two, diarrhea in two, and pruritus in one). In responders, we recorded the following findings (mean +/- SD): urinary protein excretion decreased from 13.0 +/- 5.2 g/24 h to 7.2 +/- 3.5 g/24 h in 2 to 4 weeks and continued to decrease to 4.1 +/- 1.4 g/24 h at the time of the last follow-up study (median duration, 12 months; range, 6 to 36 months; P less than 0.01, 2 to 4 weeks versus later follow-up); the level of serum albumin increased from 1.9 +/- 0.5 g/dl to 2.9 +/- 0.7 g/dl (P less than 0.001) in 2 to 4 weeks; the level of serum cholesterol decreased from 413 +/- 125 mg/dl to 346 +/- 114 mg/dl (P less than 0.005) at the time of the last follow-up examination; and renal function remained unchanged from the baseline study to the follow-up study (serum creatinine 1.5 +/- 0.5 mg/dl versus 1.6 +/- 0.4 mg/dl and glomerular filtration rate 60.5 +/- 29.2 ml/min per 1.7 m2 versus 64.1 +/- 25.5 ml/min per 1.7 m2).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Vesicoureteral reflux in the adult. IV. Medical versus surgical management.

A group of 27 adults with bilateral primary vesicoureteral reflux diagnosed during a 10-year interval was managed medically for a mean of 87 months. Their outcome was compared to that of 67 adults with bilateral primary reflux treated surgically during the same interval. In both groups the presence of renal insufficiency and hypertension correlated with the severity of renal scarring. Furthermore, the fate of renal function was similar irrespective of the method of management and appeared to be determined by the severity of renal scarring, level of renal function at initial evaluation and presence of proteinuria. The 2 groups appeared to fare equally well during the followup of up to 13 years.

Adolescent↗

Effect of bacterial immunization on experimental reflux nephropathy.

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that young animals with vesicoureteral reflux might be more vulnerable to renal parenchymal infection by bacteria to which they had not been previously exposed. Forty-four crossbred male piglets had surgical induction of vesicoureteral reflux at 2 weeks of age and introduction of urinary tract infection at 6 weeks. They were sacrificed at 12 weeks of age. Between the ages of 2 and 6 weeks, 22 piglets received subcutaneous injections of formalin-killed Escherichia coli in incomplete Freund's adjuvant as described. The remaining 22 piglets received incomplete Freund's adjuvant and vehicle alone. The antibody responses to antigenic challenge were weak to moderate. Immunized animals tended to have less renal scarring and better renal tubular uptake of dimercaptosuccinic acid, in addition to significantly lower serum creatinine values (p less than 0.001) and less mesangial cell proliferation in glomeruli (p = 0.05). We conclude that previous exposure to a specific bacterial strain and bacterial immunization have at least a mild protective effect on the development of reflux nephropathy.

Animals↗

Meclofenamate treatment of recurrent idiopathic nephrotic syndrome with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis after renal transplantation.

Recurrent corticosteroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) caused the failure of a first renal allograft in a 41-year-old man. Recurrence of the nephrotic syndrome in the second renal allograft was successfully controlled by the administration of meclofenamate, and the renal function has remained stable for 2 1/2 years. No accepted treatment is available for corticosteroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome with FSGS. This report suggests that administration of meclofenamate might be beneficial in some patients with corticosteroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome and FSGS. Because of the potential side effects, however, careful supervision of this therapy is of the utmost importance.

Adult↗

Vesicoureteral reflux in the adult. I. Factors in pathogenesis.

The morphologic and functional findings in 67 adults with primary bilateral vesicoureteral reflux were analyzed. A significant correlation was found between the severity of vesicoureteral reflux and the extent of renal scarring but the position and shape of the ureteral orifices did not influence the degree of reflux or scarring. Large bladder capacity was a common finding, especially in patients with residual urine or with renal insufficiency. However, bladder capacity did not correlate with the grade of vesicoureteral reflux. Patient age at the time of the first recognized urinary tract infection, and the frequency and pattern of subsequent infections did not have any influence on the severity of the renal scarring. The interpretation of these findings in the light of the current hypotheses on the pathogenesis of reflux nephropathy is discussed.

Adolescent↗

Vesicoureteral reflux in the adult. II. Nephropathy, hypertension and stones.

The level of renal function, presence of hypertension or characteristics of nephrolithiasis were analyzed in relation to the severity of renal scarring and other clinical parameters in 67 patients with primary bilateral vesicoureteral reflux. A significant positive correlation was observed between impairment of renal function and severity of renal scarring. Renal insufficiency occurred only in patients with bilateral scarring. Significant proteinuria was found more often in patients with depressed renal function. Hypertension was observed in 34 per cent of the patients, mostly in those with bilateral scarring or depressed renal function. Radiopaque calculi were noted in 18 per cent of the patients. In all but 1 case these calculi occurred in scarred kidneys.

Adolescent↗

Vesicoureteral reflux in the adult. III. Surgical correction: risks and benefits.

Antireflux surgery was successful in 97 per cent of 67 adults with primary bilateral vesicoureteral reflux. Mean followup was 43 months. Of the patients 93 per cent became free of acute pyelonephritis, although 50 per cent continued to experience occasional cystitis. Surgical correction of reflux had no beneficial effect on renal size, renal scars or significant proteinuria with impaired renal function. Antireflux surgery does not appear to be justified in cases of proteinuria unless recurrent symptomatic pyelonephritis becomes uncontrollable. Additionally, antireflux surgery did not appear to have any beneficial effect on hypertension or large bladder capacity. However, calculogenesis remained inactive with this and other adjunctive therapies.

Adolescent↗

Epidemiology of adult polycystic kidney disease, Olmsted County, Minnesota: 1935-1980.

Between January 1, 1935 and December 31, 1980, adult polycystic kidney disease (APKD) was diagnosed in 40 residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, resulting in an age- and sex-adjusted annual incidence rate of 1.38/100,000 person-years. In addition, 16 cases were detected at autopsy, increasing the rate to 2.06. It is estimated that 16 additional cases would have been discovered had all deaths come to autopsy, resulting in a rate of 2.75, or approximately twice the incidence rate of cases diagnosed during life. Because of improvements in medical care and diagnostic techniques, APKD has been diagnosed earlier and more frequently in the recent decades. This, along with therapeutic advances, explains the improvement in kidney and patient survival for the patients diagnosed during 1956-1980, as compared to those diagnosed during 1935-1955. Normotension at diagnosis tended to be associated with better kidney and/or patient survival. Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death.

Actuarial Analysis↗