The Process of Kidney Donation in the Northern Macroregional Area of Paraná, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: The high morbidity and mortality caused by chronic kidney disease, and consequently, the increase in the need for kidney transplants, makes the evaluation of the kidney donation process relevant to verifying the service's fragility with the goal of optimizing this process. OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed the process of kidney donation in the Northern Macroregional area of Paraná, Brazil. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional and retrospective evaluation study based on 586 reports of deaths provided by the Intra-Hospital Organ Donation and Transplant Tissue Commissions to the Organ Procurement Organization of the Northern Macroregional area of Paraná in Brazil between 2011 and 2015. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, prevalence ratio, and Poisson regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of kidney donation was higher among the deaths of individuals younger than 61 years of age (P = .018) due to traumatic brain injury and hemorrhagic cardiovascular accident (P < .001), assisted in private institutions (P = .037), and occurring in the second half of the year (P = .015). CONCLUSION: The process of kidney donation was mainly compromised due to the refusal of the family and was associated with clinical and organizational aspects.

Renin-angiotensin system function and blood pressure in adult rats after perinatal salt overload.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To study the influence of high salt intake during pregnancy and lactation on body weight, blood pressure, and the function of the renin-angiotensin system in adult rats. METHODS AND RESULTS: Female Wistar rats received a low (0.15 NaCl), normal (1.30), or high (8% diet) salt diet. Mating occurred on the 12th week of age. From weaning, the offspring received normal salt diet. Weekly tail-cuff blood pressure and body weight measurements were performed during pregnancy and in the offspring (body weight since weaning and tail-cuff blood pressure between the 8th and the 12th week of age). Salt sensitivity of the blood pressure was evaluated and plasma renin activity determinations were performed in the 12-week-old offspring. Immunohistochemistry for renal angiotensin II was performed in the adult offspring. Renal mass and the number of glomeruli were determined. Tail-cuff blood pressure was higher in salt overloaded dams than in normal and low salt ones. In the adult offspring from the high salt dams, lower body weight, higher tail-cuff blood pressure, lower salt sensitivity in females, and increased kidney angiotensin II were observed. Plasma renin activity did not change with changes in salt intake in the adult offspring submitted to high salt environment during the perinatal period. In the offspring, renal mass and the number of glomeruli were not influenced by the dams' salt intake. CONCLUSIONS: Salt overload during pregnancy and/or lactation has long-term effects on offspring's body weight and blood pressure. In addition, high salt diet during the perinatal period induced renin-angiotensin system functional disturbances in the offspring.