[Clinical and microbiological characteristics of urinary tract infections in the first year after renal transplantation]. / Infecciones urinarias en el primer año postrasplante renal.

Introduction: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most frequent infection in kidney transplant (KT) patients. The main objective was to determine the clinical and microbiological characteristics of UTIs that occur during the first year after KT. Methods: Retrospective cohort study that included patients over 18 years of age who received KT between 2009-2020 in two hospitals in Córdoba city, Argentina. Patients were followed up during the first year after the transplant by recording them in the medical records, and those who presented at least one episode of UTI were analyzed. Results: During the study period, 568 KTs were performed, of which 207 (36.4%) had at least one episode of UTI. In total, there were 419 UTI episodes, 6 (1.4%) polymicrobial UTI episodes, so a total of 426 microorganisms were identified in the urine cultures. Of the total number of episodes, 206 (49.2%) occurred between 31 and 180 days post-transplant. The main etiological agent was E. coli with 225 isolates (52.8%) followed by Klebsiella sp. with 94 (22.1%). 52.1% of all episodes were caused by multi-resistant microorganisms (MRM). Among the E. coli isolates, 94 (41.8%) were MRM. In the multivariate analysis, the risk factors associated with UTI due to MRM were a history of recurrent UTI (Odds ratio 2.43; 95% CI: 1.37-4.30) and induction with basiliximab (Odds ratio 1.53; 95% CI: 1.029-2.29). Main conclusion: UTIs occurred in more than a third of kidney transplant patients, being slightly more than half caused by MOR.

Introducción: Las infecciones del tracto urinario (ITU) constituyen la infección más frecuente en los trasplantados renales (TR). El objetivo principal fue determinar las características clínicas y microbiológicas de las ITU que ocurren durante el primer año posterior al TR. Metodología: Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo, donde se incluyeron pacientes mayores 18 años que recibieron un TR entre 2009-2020 en dos hospitales de la ciudad de Córdoba. A través del registro en las historias clínicas se realizó seguimiento de los pacientes durante el primer año postrasplante y se analizaron los que presentaron al menos un episodio de ITU. Resultados: En el período de estudio, se realizaron 568 TR, de los cuales 207(36,4%) tuvieron al menos un episodio de ITU. En total hubo 419 episodios de ITU, 6(1,4%) episodios de ITU polimicrobianos, se identificaron un total de 426 microorganismos en total en los urocultivos. Del total de episodios 206(49,2%) ocurrieron entre los 31-180 días postrasplante. El principal agente etiológico fue E. coli con 225 aislamientos (52,8%) seguido de Klebsiella sp. con 94(22,1%). El 52,1% del total de episodios fueron causados por microorganismos multirresistentes (MOR). Entre los aislamientos de E. coli, 94(41,8%) fueron MOR. En el análisis multivariado los factores de riesgo asociados a ITU por MOR fueron el antecedente de ITU recurrente (Odds ratio 2.43; IC95%: 1.37-4.30) e inducción con basiliximab (Odds ratio 1.53; IC95%: 1.029-2.29). Conclusión: Las ITU se presentaron en más de un tercio de los pacientes trasplantados renales siendo un poco más de la mitad causados por MOR.

Diagnostic Delay in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases: A Global Health Problem.

In this issue of The Journal of Rheumatology, Xiang et al1 describe the experience and influencing factors of symptom appraisal and help-seeking among patients with various autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) in a multiethnic urban Asian population.The authors guided the interpretation of this qualitative study based on the social cognitive theory framework to enhance the appraisal of symptoms and help-seeking.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 is associated with increased serum total antioxidant capacity and oxidized lipoproteins in humans with different stages of chronic kidney disease.

Background and aims: Oxidative stress (OS) induces the production of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). Previous data have revealed that FGF21 protects cells from OS injury and death, making it a potential therapeutic option for many diseases with increased OS. However, the association of this growth factor with OS markers in humans with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the association of serum FGF21 with serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and oxidized low-density lipoproteins (OxLDL) in subjects in different stages of kidney disease. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that included 382 subjects with different stages of CKD, irrespective of type 2 diabetes (T2D) diagnosis. Associations of serum FGF21 with OxLDL, TAC, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), T2D, and smoking, were evaluated through bivariate and partial correlation analyses. Independent associations of these variables with serum FGF21 were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Serum FGF21 was significantly and positively correlated with age (r = 0.236), TAC (lnTAC) (r = 0.217), and negatively correlated with eGFR (r = -0.429) and male sex (r = -0.102). After controlling by age, sex, BMI, T2D, smoking, and eGFR; both TAC and OxLDL were positively correlated with FGF21 (r = 0.117 and 0.158 respectively, p < 0.05). Using multiple linear regression analysis, eGFR, male sex, T2D, OxLDL, and TAC were independently associated with serum FGF21 (STDß = -0.475, 0.162, -0.153, 0.142 and 0.136 respectively; p < 0.05 for all) adjusted for age, BMI, smoking, and fasting plasma glucose. Conclusion: A positive association between serum FGF21 and OS has been found independently of renal function in humans. Results from the present study provide novel information for deeper understanding of the role of FGF21 in OS in humans with CKD and T2D; mechanistic studies to explain the association of serum FGF21 with oxidative stress in CKD are needed.

Infections in the first year after renal transplant / Infecciones en el primer año post-trasplante renal

Abstract Infections are frequent complications of kidney transplants. We aimed at determining the frequency and type of infections that occur in renal transplant recipients during the early (0-1 month), intermediate (1-6 months) and late (6-12 months) post-transplant period and analyzing the risk factors for infection. To this aim, we conducted a retrospective cohort study on 1-year post-transplant follow-up in two third-level university hospitals in Cordoba city. All consecutive recipients of renal transplants performed between 2009 and 2015 were included, except those with multiple solid organ transplantation and pediatric patients. We included 375 recipients, of which 235 (62.7%) had at least one episode of infection during follow-up. There were 504 episodes of infection, of which 131 (26%) occurred in the early, 272 (53.9%) in the intermediate, and 101 (20.1%) in the late post-transplant period. The most frequent infections in all periods were caused by bacteria (mainly urinary tract infections), and the most frequent viral infection was caused by Cytomegalovirus (mainly in the second and third period). In the multivariate analysis, infection risk factors were: age > 60 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.92; 95% CI = 1.05-3.49), organ transplantation from deceased donor (aOR = 8.19; 95% CI = 2.32-28.9), use of pigtail catheter for urinary tract drainage (aOR = 4.06; 95% CI = 1.27-12.9), and number of days in hospital after transplant (aOR = 1.05; 95% CI = 1.01-1.11). In conclusion, infections in renal transplant recipients represent a very frequent health problem in our hospitals. Understanding the local epidemiology of infection and the potential risk factors for infection acquires utmost importance.

Resumen Las infecciones son complicaciones frecuentes de los trasplantes renales. Los objetivos del estudio fueron determinar la frecuencia y el tipo de infecciones que ocurren en el período post-trasplante temprano (0-1 mes), intermedio (1-6 meses) y tardío (6-12 meses) en nuestro medio y analizar los factores de riesgo de infección. Se realizó un estudio de cohorte retrospectivo que incluyó todos los pacientes con trasplantes renales realizados entre 2009 y 2015 en dos hospitales universitarios de tercer nivel de la ciudad de Córdoba, excluidos los receptores de trasplante simultáneo de múltiples órganos sólidos y los menores de 18 años. Fueron incluidos 375 pacientes, de los cuales 235 (62.7%) tuvieron al menos un episodio de infección. Hubo 504 episodios de infección: 131 (26%) ocurrieron en el período temprano, 272 (53.9%) en el intermedio y 101 (20.1%) en el tardío. La mayoría de las infecciones fueron de origen bacteriano (principalmente del tracto urinario). La mayoría de las infecciones virales ocurrieron en el segundo y el tercer período y Citomegalovirus fue el responsable más frecuente. En el análisis multivariado, los factores de riesgo de infección post-transplante renal fueron: edad > 60 años (odds ratio ajustado [aOR] 1.92; IC95% 1.05-3.49), donante cadavérico (aOR 8.19; IC95% 2.32-28.9), uso de catéter pigtail (aOR 4.06; IC95% 1.27-12.9) y número de días internado postrasplante (aOR 1.05; IC95% 1.01-1.11). En conclusión, confirmamos que las infecciones en pacientes con trasplante renal son muy frecuentes en nuestro medio, por lo cual es importante conocer la epidemiología local y los factores de riesgo.

Infections in the first year after renal transplant.

Infections are frequent complications of kidney transplants. We aimed at determining the frequency and type of infections that occur in renal transplant recipients during the early (0-1 month), intermediate (1-6 months) and late (6-12 months) post-transplant period and analyzing the risk factors for infection. To this aim, we conducted a retrospective cohort study on 1-year post-transplant follow-up in two third-level university hospitals in Cordoba city. All consecutive recipients of renal transplants performed between 2009 and 2015 were included, except those with multiple solid organ transplantation and pediatric patients. We included 375 recipients, of which 235 (62.7%) had at least one episode of infection during follow-up. There were 504 episodes of infection, of which 131 (26%) occurred in the early, 272 (53.9%) in the intermediate, and 101 (20.1%) in the late post-transplant period. The most frequent infections in all periods were caused by bacteria (mainly urinary tract infections), and the most frequent viral infection was caused by Cytomegalovirus (mainly in the second and third period). In the multivariate analysis, infection risk factors were: age > 60 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.92; 95% CI = 1.05-3.49), organ transplantation from deceased donor (aOR = 8.19; 95% CI = 2.32-28.9), use of pigtail catheter for urinary tract drainage (aOR = 4.06; 95% CI = 1.27-12.9), and number of days in hospital after transplant (aOR = 1.05; 95% CI = 1.01-1.11). In conclusion, infections in renal transplant recipients represent a very frequent health problem in our hospitals. Understanding the local epidemiology of infection and the potential risk factors for infection acquires utmost importance.

Las infecciones son complicaciones frecuentes de los trasplantes renales. Los objetivos del estudio fueron determinar la frecuencia y el tipo de infecciones que ocurren en el período post-trasplante temprano (0-1 mes), intermedio (1-6 meses) y tardío (6-12 meses) en nuestro medio y analizar los factores de riesgo de infección. Se realizó un estudio de cohorte retrospectivo que incluyó todos los pacientes con trasplantes renales realizados entre 2009 y 2015 en dos hospitales universitarios de tercer nivel de la ciudad de Córdoba, excluidos los receptores de trasplante simultáneo de múltiples órganos sólidos y los menores de 18 años. Fueron incluidos 375 pacientes, de los cuales 235 (62.7%) tuvieron al menos un episodio de infección. Hubo 504 episodios de infección: 131 (26%) ocurrieron en el período temprano, 272 (53.9%) en el intermedio y 101 (20.1%) en el tardío. La mayoría de las infecciones fueron de origen bacteriano (principalmente del tracto urinario). La mayoría de las infecciones virales ocurrieron en el segundo y el tercer período y Citomegalovirus fue el responsable más frecuente. En el análisis multivariado, los factores de riesgo de infección post-transplante renal fueron: edad > 60 años (odds ratio ajustado [aOR] 1.92; IC95% 1.05-3.49), donante cadavérico (aOR 8.19; IC95% 2.32-28.9), uso de catéter pigtail (aOR 4.06; IC95% 1.27-12.9) y número de días internado postrasplante (aOR 1.05; IC95% 1.01-1.11). En conclusión, confirmamos que las infecciones en pacientes con trasplante renal son muy frecuentes en nuestro medio, por lo cual es importante conocer la epidemiología local y los factores de riesgo.

A Higher Fructose Intake Is Associated with Greater Albuminuria in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

The aim of this single center cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between fructose intake and albuminuria in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This is a single center cross-sectional study. One hundred and forty-three subjects with T2DM were recruited from the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran. The median daily fructose intake was estimated with a prospective food registry during 3 days (2 week-days and one weekend day) and they were divided into low fructose intake (<25 g/day) and high fructose intake (≥ 25 g/day). Complete clinical and biochemical evaluations were performed, including anthropometric variables and a 24-hour urine collection for albuminuria determination. One hundred and thirty-six subjects were analyzed in this study. We found a positive significant association between daily fructose intake and albuminuria (ρ= 0.178, p=0.038) in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Other variables significantly associated with albuminuria were body mass index (BMI) (ρ= 0.170, p=0.048), mean arterial pressure (MAP) (ρ= 0.280, p=0.001), glycated hemoglobin (A1c) (ρ= 0.197, p=0.022), and triglycerides (ρ= 0.219, p=0.010). After adjustment for confounding variables we found a significant and independent association between fructose intake and albuminuria (ß= 13.96, p=0.006). We found a statistically significant higher albuminuria (60.8 [12.8-228.5] versus 232.2 [27.2-1273.0] mg/day, p 0.002), glycated hemoglobin (8.6±1.61 versus 9.6±2.1 %), p= 0.003, and uric acid (6.27±1.8 versus 7.2±1.5 mg/dL), p=0.012, in the group of high fructose intake versus the group with low fructose intake, and a statistically significant lower creatinine clearance (76.5±30.98 mL/min versus 94.9±36.8, p=0.014) in the group with high fructose intake versus the group with low fructose intake. In summary we found that a higher fructose intake is associated with greater albuminuria in subjects with T2DM.

Searching Behavior of Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Response to Mealybug Sex Pheromones.

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a predatory insect widely commercialized for the augmentative biological control of mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Though visual factors that guide this predator to its prey have been reported, the chemical cues that they may also use have not been well studied. In this study, the response of C. montrouzieri to synthetic sex pheromone of two mealybug species, Pseudococcus calceolariae (Maskell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and Pseudococcus viburni (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), were assessed through Y-tube olfactometer and characterization of searching behavior with a video-tracking system. In the olfactometer, both C. montrouzieri males and females showed a significant response to the pheromones of both mealybug species separately. The searching behavior differs depending on the pheromone species, with a shorter total distance, reduction of mean velocity and higher meander with the pheromone stimulus of P. calceolariae when compared to P. viburni. Therefore, it is shown that this predator responds to the pheromone stimuli of its prey, and can do it in a species-specific way. These results can have a practical application through the use of pest pheromones to attract predators to a crop as part of an integrated pest management program.

Reduced intellectual development in children with prenatal lead exposure.

OBJECTIVE: Low-level postnatal lead exposure is associated with poor intellectual development in children, although effects of prenatal exposure are less well studied. We hypothesized that prenatal lead exposure would have a more powerful and lasting impact on child development than postnatal exposure. DESIGN: We used generalized linear mixed models with random intercept and slope to analyze the pattern of lead effect of the cohort from pregnancy through 10 years of age on child IQ from 6 to 10 years. We statistically evaluated dose-response nonlinearity. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 175 children, 150 of whom had complete data for all included covariates, attended the National Institute of Perinatology in Mexico City from 1987 through 2002. EVALUATIONS/MEASUREMENTS: We used the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, Spanish version, to measure IQ. Blood lead (BPb) was measured by a reference laboratory of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) quality assurance program for BPb. RESULTS: Geometric mean BPb during pregnancy was 8.0 microg/dL (range, 1-33 microg/dL), from 1 through 5 years was 9.8 microg/dL (2.8-36.4 microg/dL), and from 6 through 10 years was 6.2 microg/dL (2.2-18.6 microg/dL). IQ at 6-10 years decreased significantly only with increasing natural-log third-trimester BPb (beta=-3.90; 95% confidence interval, -6.45 to -1.36), controlling for other BPb and covariates. The dose-response BPb-IQ function was log-linear, not linear-linear. CONCLUSIONS: Lead exposure around 28 weeks gestation is a critical period for later child intellectual development, with lasting and possibly permanent effects. There was no evidence of a threshold; the strongest lead effects on IQ occurred within the first few micrograms of BPb. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Current CDC action limits for children applied to pregnant women permit most lead-associated child IQ decreases measured over the studied BPb range.

Blood lead secular trend in a cohort of children in Mexico City (1987-2002).

We determined the secular trend in blood lead levels in a cohort of 321 children born in Mexico City between 1987 and 1992. Blood lead level was measured every 6 months during a 10-year period. We modeled the effect of yearly air lead concentration nested within the calendar year in which the child was born, family use of lead-glazed pottery, socioeconomic status, year in which the child was born, age of the child at the time of blood lead measurement, place of residence, and an indicator variable for subjects with complete or incomplete blood lead values. The yearly mean of air lead of the Valley of Mexico decreased from its highest level of 2.80 microg/m3 in 1987 to 0.07 microg/m3 in 2002. The contribution of air lead to blood lead according to year of birth was strongest for subjects born in 1987 and fell to nearly zero for children born in 1992. The geometric mean of the entire cohort rose from 8.4 microg/dL in the first year of life to 10.1 microg/dL in the second and decreased thereafter until it reached 6.4 microg/dL at 10 years of age. Children of families who used lead-glazed ceramics had blood lead levels 18.5% higher than did children of nonusing families. Children who belonged to the lowest socioeconomic levels had blood lead levels 32.2% higher than did those of highest socioeconomic levels. Children who lived in the northeast part of the city had blood lead levels 10.9% higher compared with those who lived in the southwest.