Bone growth during daily or intermittent calcitriol treatment during renal failure with advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Calcitriol is a standard therapy for secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure. We evaluated whether the effect of daily or intermittent calcitriol administration is more efficient in enhancing bone growth in renal failure with advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism in weanling 5/6 nephrectomized rats loaded with phosphorus to induce severe secondary hyperparathyroidism. The animals were treated daily or three times weekly with calcitriol for 4 weeks but the total weekly dose of calcitriol was the same. Although calcitriol increased the serum calcium, it did not lower parathyroid hormone (PTH) or improve tibia and body length. Animals with renal failure and advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism had decreased PTH/PTHrP, which was accompanied by an increase in the cyclin kinase inhibitor p57(Kip2). Calcitriol treatment upregulated the PTH/PTHrP receptor but also increased inhibitors of cell proliferation such as p21(Waf1/Cip1), IGFBP3, and FGFR3. Calcitriol also enhanced markers of chondrocyte differentiation, such as IGF1, Vitamin D receptor, FGF23, and bone morphogenetic protein-7. Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappabeta ligand levels improved with calcitriol treatment but without changes in osteoprotegerin suggesting an enhancement of osteo/chondroclastogenesis and mineralization. Overall, both daily and intermittent calcitriol had similar effects on endochondral bone growth in phosphorus-loaded rats with renal failure.

Morphological and immunohistochemical changes in splenic macrophages of pigs infected with classical swine fever.

Classical swine fever (CSF) was induced in 20 pigs by inoculation with a virulent strain of CSF virus to determine sequential changes (2, 4, 7, 10 and 14 days post-inoculation) in the number and morphology of splenic macrophages (red pulp and lymphoid marginal zone) and thus to assess the role of these cells in the pathogenesis of the disease. The first splenic cells to be infected with CSF virus were macrophages in the marginal zone followed by other macrophage populations. The initial phase of CSF was associated with an increase in splenic macrophage numbers in the marginal zone and a decrease in the red pulp. Subsequently, the numbers in the red pulp increased. The study suggested that infection, mobilization and apoptosis of splenic macrophages play an important role in the spread of CSF virus in vivo. Moreover, the secretory changes that occurred in macrophages in the initial phase of the infection suggested that macrophages release chemical mediators capable of modulating pathogenesis.

Prevention and treatment of renal osteodystrophy in children with chronic renal insufficiency and end-stage renal disease.

Histologic features associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism remain the predominant skeletal lesion in adults and children with chronic renal failure. When instituted early, vitamin D therapy has been shown to ameliorate the development and progression of the biochemical, radiographic, and histologic evidence of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic renal insufficiency. Aggressive parathyroid hormone suppression, however, has led to the increased prevalence of adynamic bone. Adynamic bone has been attributed partly to aggressive calcitriol therapy, administration of high amounts of exogenous calcium either as a phosphate binding agent or during dialysis therapy, presence of diabetes, older age, or previous parathyroidectomy. Several vitamin D analogues are currently being evaluated in patients with chronic renal failure to prevent complications associated with calcitriol therapy. In addition, calcium-free phosphate binding agents and the use of calcimimetic drugs may play a significant role in the effective management of secondary hyperparathyroidism in children with chronic renal failure.

A superfamily of variant genes encoded in the subtelomeric region of Plasmodium vivax.

The malarial parasite Plasmodium vivax causes disease in humans, including chronic infections and recurrent relapses, but the course of infection is rarely fatal, unlike that caused by Plasmodium falciparum. To investigate differences in pathogenicity between P. vivax and P. falciparum, we have compared the subtelomeric domains in the DNA of these parasites. In P. falciparum, subtelomeric domains are conserved and contain ordered arrays of members of multigene families, such as var, rif and stevor, encoding virulence determinants of cytoadhesion and antigenic variation. Here we identify, through the analysis of a continuous 155,711-base-pair sequence of a P. vivax chromosome end, a multigene family called vir, which is specific to P. vivax. The vir genes are present at about 600-1,000 copies per haploid genome and encode proteins that are immunovariant in natural infections, indicating that they may have a functional role in establishing chronic infection through antigenic variation.

Modulation of endochondral bone formation: roles of growth hormone, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and hyperparathyroidism.

Impairment of linear growth occurs invariably in children with chronic renal failure. Recombinant human growth hormone and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol) are widely utilized to improve linear growth in children. Large doses of calcitriol, however, have been shown to suppress chondrocyte proliferation and may lead to the development of adynamic bone. Substantial reductions of growth have been shown in children with chronic renal failure treated with intermittent calcitriol therapy. These findings suggest that calcitriol can modify chondrocyte proliferation and/or differentiation in epiphyseal growth plate cartilage and may counteract the effects of growth hormone therapy in increasing linear growth in children with chronic renal failure. Parathyroid hormone related peptide (PTHrP) and its receptor (PTH/PTHrP receptor) play critical roles in regulating chondrocyte differentiation in the growth plate. The expression of PTH/PTHrP receptor mRNA is downregulated in animals with chronic renal failure and advanced secondary hyperparathyroidism; calcitriol and growth hormone therapy may modify the expression of PTH/PTHrP receptor. This article summarizes the separate and combined effects of growth hormone and calcitriol on endochondral bone formation in chronic renal failure and secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Pathogenesis of classical swine fever: renal haemorrhages and erythrodiapedesis.

Thirty pigs were inoculated with a virulent isolate (Quillota strain) of classical swine fever (hog cholera) virus to establish the chronological occurrence of lesions in the kidney and to determine the mechanism responsible for renal haemorrhages. The study included the use of histopathological, ultrastructural, immunohistochemical (detection of viral antigen gp55, MAC387, lambda chains, CD3 and C1q) and morphometrical techniques (vascular area). Renal interstitial oedema and haemorrhages were detected from 7 days post-inoculation (dpi), associated with a slight interstitial mononuclear infiltrate and evidence of viral infection in macrophages and fibroblasts, and in a small proportion of lymphocytes. Viral infection was not detected in capillary endothelial cells. An intense mononuclear infiltrate, with B cells, T cells and small numbers of macrophages, was detected from 10 dpi. In the final phase of the experiment (14 dpi), slight proliferation and degranulation of mast cells were observed. Increased expression of the C1q component of complement was also detected. A significant increase in vascular area was observed from 7 dpi. These results suggest that haemorrhages observed in the kidneys of pigs inoculated with the Quillota strain resulted from erythrodiapedesis and increased vascular permeability, probably aggravated by mast cell degranulation in the final stage of the experiment. The results suggested that mast cell degranulation was linked to activation of the complement system.

Impaired growth, delayed ossification, and reduced osteoclastic activity in the growth plate of calcium-supplemented rats with renal failure.

Linear growth is reduced in prepubertal children with adynamic renal osteodystrophy, suggesting that the proliferation and/or differentiation of epiphyseal growth plate chondrocytes is abnormal in this disorder. To examine this issue, in situ hybridization and histochemistry were used to measure selected markers of endochondral bone formation and bone resorption in the proximal tibia of subtotally nephrectomized rats fed a high calcium diet to induce biochemical changes consistent with adynamic osteodystrophy. Blood ionized calcium concentrations were higher and serum PTH levels were lower in nephrectomized, calcium-supplemented rats than in either intact or nephrectomized control animals. Linear growth and tibial length were reduced, but messenger RNA levels for type II collagen, type X collagen, and the PTH/PTHrP receptor did not differ from control values in nephrectomized rats given supplemental calcium. In contrast, both the width of epiphyseal cartilage and the height of the zone of hypertrophic chondrocytes were greater in calcium-supplemented nephrectomized rats. These morphological changes were associated with decreases in histochemical staining for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase and lower levels of messenger RNA expression for the matrix metalloproteinase MMP-9/gelatinase B immediately adjacent to the epiphyseal growth plate. Diminished chondroclastic/osteoclastic activity alters growth plate morphology and adversely affects linear bone growth in calcium-supplemented, nephrectomized rats.

Penicillium peritonitis in an adolescent receiving chronic peritoneal dialysis.

A 19-year-old female on chronic peritoneal dialysis developed acute peritonitis; multiple peritoneal fluid and catheter tip cultures yielded Penicillium species. She promptly responded to catheter removal and intravenous amphotericin B, followed by oral fluconazole, without further recurrences 1 year later. This is the first reported case of Penicillium peritonitis in the pediatric population. We review the microbiology and clinical spectrum of this disease, as well as the few previous reported cases in adults.

Prevention of renal osteodystrophy in predialysis patients.

Impaired calcitriol synthesis is one of the major factors contributing to the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic renal failure. Vitamin D therapy, particularly 1alpha-hydroxyvitamin D3, even in low doses, has been shown to be effective in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in patients with mild-to-moderate chronic renal failure. Complications associated with calcitriol and alfacalcidol therapy, which include hypercalcemia and progressive deterioration of renal function, have been reported in some patients. The majority of the studies reviewed, however, demonstrated that daily calcitriol and alfacalcidol doses below 0.25 microg are rarely associated with hypercalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, or progressive decline in renal function. In addition, these complications usually resolve with the reduction in dose or discontinuation of the medication. Thus, vitamin D therapy may be valuable in the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate chronic renal failure who may be at high risk of developing secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Growth of long bones in renal failure: roles of hyperparathyroidism, growth hormone and calcitriol.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (2 degrees HPT) associated with chronic renal failure adversely affects skeletal growth. METHODS: We assessed epiphyseal growth plate morphology by quantitative histology and measured mRNA levels for selected markers of chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation by in situ hybridization in the growth plate cartilage of subtotally nephrectomized rats with either mild or advanced 2 degrees HPT. RESULTS: The width of the growth plate cartilage in the proximal tibia and mRNA levels for PTH/PTHrP receptor were unchanged in rats with mild 2 degrees HPT, however, they were markedly less in nephrectomized rats with advanced 2 degrees HPT than in intact controls. Treatment with growth hormone 10 IU/kg/day increased growth plate thickness both in mild and in advanced 2 degrees HPT and raised mRNA levels for type II and type X collagen in rats with advanced 2 degrees HPT. The administration of calcitriol 50 ng/kg/day attenuated these responses in animals with advanced 2 degrees HPT. Overall, PTH/PTHrP receptor mRNA levels did not correspond to the serum levels of PTH indicating that PTH/PTHrP receptor expression is down-regulated in renal failure by a PTH-independent mechanism. CONCLUSION: Calcitriol counteracts the trophic actions of growth hormone on epiphyseal growth plate cartilage and modifies chondrocyte differentiation in vivo, and these mechanisms may contribute to disturbances in longitudinal bone growth in renal failure.

Bone disease in children and adolescents undergoing successful renal transplantation.

Little is known about the extent and severity of bone disease in children undergoing successful renal transplantation. To address this issue, 47 patients with stable renal function 3.2 +/- 1.7 years after transplantation (Tx) underwent iliac crest bone biopsy. The mean age of patients was 12 +/- 2.0 years; 36 had received cadaveric renal grafts, whereas 11 had undergone living-related Tx. Immunosuppressive drugs included cyclosporine 0.17 +/- 0.4 mg/kg/day, prednisone 7.5 +/- 2.1 mg/kg/day, and either azathioprine 1.6 +/- 0.9 mg/kg/day or mycophenolate mofetil 30 +/- 3 mg/kg/day. In addition to quantitative bone histomorphometry, the bone mineral content (BMC) of the lumbar spine was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in 24/47 patients. Thirty-one transplant recipients had normal bone formation (N-Bfr), 11 had mild hyperparathyroidism (HPT) and 5 had adynamic skeletal lesions (AD). The interval since Tx, duration of dialysis before Tx and cumulative prednisone dose did not differ among groups. Trabecular bone area was highest in subjects with HPT. Unexpectedly, eroded bone perimeter exceeded normal reference values both in patients with AD and in those with N-Bfr; the osteoid area and osteoid perimeter were also elevated in these two groups. Hyperparathyroidism improved or resolved after Tx in all 14 subjects with this skeletal lesion prior to Tx, but one patient developed AD after Tx. Bone histology did not change after Tx in those with N-Bfr during regular dialysis, but bone formation increased after Tx in two of three patients with AD during regular dialysis. Z-scores for height in pre-pubertal patients after Tx were below age-appropriate values in each histologic subgroup, but values did not differ among groups. Z-scores for bone mineral content at the lumbar spine were also less than age-predicted values, -0.67 +/- 1.2. After adjusting for the degree of growth retardation, height-adjusted z-scores for lumbar spine BMC after Tx were above normal in all three histologic groups (0.68 +/- 1.0). The results suggest that reductions in bone mass and post-transplant osteoporosis are not prominent findings in pediatric renal transplant recipients when the influence of growth retardation on bone mass measurements by DXA is carefully considered.

Differential stimulation of the Na+/H+ exchanger determines chloroquine uptake in Plasmodium falciparum.

Here we describe the identification and characterization of a physiological marker that is associated with the chloroquine-resistant (CQR) phenotype in the human malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Single cell in vivo pH measurements revealed that CQR parasites consistently have an elevated cytoplasmic pH compared to that of chloroquine-sensitive (CQS) parasites because of a constitutively activated Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE). Together, biochemical and physiological data suggest that chloroquine activates the plasmodial NHE of CQS parasites, resulting in a transitory phase of rapid sodium/hydrogen ion exchange during which chloroquine is taken up by this protein. The constitutively stimulated NHE of CQR parasites are capable of little or no further activation by chloroquine. We propose that the inability of chloroquine to stimulate its own uptake through the constitutively activated NHE of resistant parasites constitutes a minimal and necessary event in the generation of the chloroquine-resistant phenotype.

Alpha-difluoromethylornithine-resistant cell lines obtained after one-step selection of Leishmania mexicana promastigote cultures.

Proliferation of Leishmania mexicana promastigotes in synthetic medium can be blocked by the depletion of intracellular polyamine pools induced by the presence of D,L-alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), a specific and irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Here we report that DFMO-resistant cell lines growing normally at DFMO levels of 10 mM have been obtained from non-proliferating cultures after a single-step selection in the presence of high concentrations of the drug. The DFMO-resistant promastigotes underwent a morphological transformation into an 'amastigote-like' form after incubation for several hours at gradually increasing temperatures up to 35 degrees C. The uptake of DFMO was not significantly altered in the drug-resistant cell lines but in both cases (promastigote and 'amastigote-like' forms) the ODC specific activity was increased approx. 15-fold over the normal enzymic levels found in the wild-type Leishmania. The enzyme affinities for its substrate and for DFMO gave very similar values in the drug-resistant promastigotes and the wild-type parasites. In contrast, ODC from the 'amastigote-like' Leishmania showed a higher affinity for ornithine and a decreased capacity for the binding of DFMO. An 80-fold amplification of the ODC gene and a corresponding increase in its transcripts have been detected in both DFMO-resistant Leishmania cell lines. The drug-resistant phenotypes with their characteristic morphologies, the increased levels of ODC activity and the amplification of the ODC gene have been stable for at least 6 months in the absence of selective pressure.