Liver injury due to COVID-19 in critically ill adult patients. A retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged, causing the current pandemic of acute respiratory disease known as COVID-19. Liver injury due to COVID-19 is defined as any liver injury occurring during the course of the disease and treatment of patients with COVID-19, with or without liver disease. The incidence of elevated liver transaminases, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), ranges from 2.5 to 76.3%. The aim of the present study was to describe the hepatic biochemical abnormalities, after a SARS-CoV-2-positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and the mortality rate in critically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted that included 70 patients seen at a private hospital in Mexico City, within the time frame of February-December 2021. Median patient age was 44.5 years (range: 37-57.2) and 43 (61.4%) of the patients were men. Liver function tests were performed on the patients at hospital admission. RESULTS: Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels were elevated (p = 0.032), as were those of AST (p = 0.011) and ALT (p = 0.021). The patients were stratified into age groups: 18-35, 36-50, and > 50 years of age. The 18 to 35-year-olds had the highest liver enzyme levels and transaminase levels were higher, the younger the patient. Due to the low mortality rate (one patient whose death did not coincide with a hepatic cause), the multivariate analysis showed an R2 association of 0.689, explained by AST, GGT, and C-reactive protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the increase in transaminases in our study population during the course of COVID-19, there was no increase in mortality. Nevertheless, hospitalized patient progression should be continuously followed.

[Liver injury due to COVID-19 in critically ill adult patients. A retrospective study]. / Lesión hepática por COVID-19 en pacientes adultos criticamente enfermos. Estudio retrospectivo.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged, causing the current pandemic of acute respiratory disease known as COVID-19. Liver injury due to COVID-19 is defined as any liver injury occurring during the course of the disease and treatment of patients with COVID-19, with or without liver disease. The incidence of elevated liver transaminases, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), ranges from 2.5 to 76.3%. The aim of the present study was to describe the hepatic biochemical abnormalities, after a SARS-CoV-2-positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and the mortality rate in critically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted that included 70 patients seen at a private hospital in Mexico City, within the time frame of February-December 2021. Median patient age was 44.5 years (range: 37-57.2) and 43 (61.4%) of the patients were men. Liver function tests were performed on the patients at hospital admission. RESULTS: Gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels were elevated (p = 0.032), as were those of AST (p = 0.011) and ALT (p = 0.021). The patients were stratified into age groups: 18-35, 36-50, and > 50 years of age. The 18 to 35-year-olds had the highest liver enzyme levels and transaminase levels were higher, the younger the patient. Due to the low mortality rate (one patient whose death did not coincide with a hepatic cause), the multivariate analysis showed an R2 association of 0.689, explained by AST, GGT, and C-reactive protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the increase in transaminases in our study population during the course of COVID-19, there was no increase in mortality. Nevertheless, hospitalized patient progression should be continuously followed.

Routine first-trimester pre-eclampsia screening and risk of preterm birth.

OBJECTIVES: Preterm birth (PTB) is a major public health problem worldwide. It can occur spontaneously or be medically indicated for obstetric complications, such as pre-eclampsia (PE) or fetal growth restriction. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether there is a shared uteroplacental etiology in the first trimester of pregnancy across PTB subtypes. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of singleton pregnancies that underwent screening for preterm PE as part of their routine first-trimester ultrasound assessment at a tertiary center in London, UK, between March 2018 and December 2020. Screening for preterm PE was performed using the Fetal Medicine Foundation algorithm, which includes maternal factors, mean arterial pressure (MAP), uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A). Women with a risk of ≥ 1 in 50 for preterm PE were classified as high risk and offered prophylactic aspirin (150 mg once a day) and serial ultrasound assessments. The following delivery outcomes were evaluated: PTB < 37 weeks, iatrogenic PTB (iPTB) and spontaneous PTB (sPTB). Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association of PTB, iPTB and sPTB with an increased risk of preterm PE. A model for prediction of PTB < 37 weeks and < 33 weeks was developed and its performance was compared with that of an existing model in the literature. RESULTS: A total of 11 437 women were included in the study, of whom 475 (4.2%) had PTB. Of these, 308 (64.8%) were sPTB and 167 (35.2%) were iPTB. Patients with PTB had a higher body mass index, were more likely to be of black or Asian ethnicity, be smokers, have pregestational hypertension or diabetes, or have a history of previous PTB. They also had higher MAP (87.7 vs 86.0 mmHg, P < 0.0001), higher UtA-PI multiples of the median (MoM) (0.99 vs 0.92, P < 0.0001) and lower PAPP-A MoM (0.89 vs 1.08, P < 0.0001) compared to women with a term birth. In women at high risk of PE, the odds ratio for iPTB was 6.0 (95% CI, 4.29-8.43; P < 0.0001) and that for sPTB was 2.0 (95% CI, 1.46-2.86; P < 0.0001). A prediction model for PTB < 37 weeks and < 33 weeks, developed based on this cohort, included previous PTB, black ethnicity, chronic hypertension, diabetes mellitus, PAPP-A MoM and UtA-PI MoM. The performance of the model was similar to that of an existing first-trimester prediction model for PTB < 33 weeks (area under the curve, 0.704 (95% CI, 0.653-0.754) vs 0.694 (95% CI, 0.643-0.746)). CONCLUSIONS: Increased first-trimester risk for uteroplacental dysfunction was associated with both iPTB and sPTB, implying a shared etiological pathway. The same factors used to predict PE risk show acceptable discrimination to predict PTB at < 33 weeks. Women at high risk of uteroplacental dysfunction may warrant additional monitoring and management for an increased risk of sPTB. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The influence of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and HDL subfractions on insulin secretion and cholesterol efflux in pancreatic derived ß-cells.

BACKGROUND: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is considered a complex plasma-circulating particle with subfractions that vary in function, size, and chemical composition. We sought to test the effects of HDL, and HDL subfractions on insulin secretion and cholesterol efflux in the ß-cell line MIN-6. METHODS: We used total HDL and HDL subfractions 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, and 3c, isolated from human plasma, to test insulin secretion under different glucose concentrations as well as insulin content and cholesterol efflux in the insulinoma MIN-6 cell line. RESULTS: Incubation of MIN-6 cells with low glucose and total HDL increased insulin release two-fold. Meanwhile, when high glucose and HDL were used, insulin release increased more than five times. HDL subfractions 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, and 3c elicited higher insulin secretion and cholesterol efflux than their respective controls, at both low and high glucose concentrations. The insulin content of the MIN-6 cells incubated with low glucose and any of the five HDL subclasses had a modest reduction compared with their controls. However, there were no statistically significant differences between each HDL subfraction on their capacity of eliciting insulin secretion, insulin content, or cholesterol efflux. CONCLUSIONS: HDL can trigger insulin secretion under low, normal, and high glucose conditions. We found that all HDL subfractions exhibit very similar capacity to increase insulin secretion and cholesterol efflux. This is the first report demonstrating that HDL subfractions act both as insulin secretagogues (under low glucose) and insulin secretion enhancers (under high glucose) in the MIN-6 cell line.

R230C but not - 565C/T variant of the ABCA1 gene is associated with type 2 diabetes in Mexicans through an effect on lowering HDL-cholesterol levels.

PURPOSE: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and low serum concentration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) are common coexisting metabolic disorders. ABCA1 variants have been shown to be associated to these conditions. We sought to test the combined effect of two ABCA1 gene common variants, rs2422493 (- 565C > T) and rs9282541 (R230C) on HDL-c levels and T2D risk. METHODS: Path analysis was conducted in 3,303 Mexican-mestizos to assess the specific contributions of rs2422493 and rs9282541 ABCA1 variants, insulin resistance, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and age on HDL-c levels and T2D risk. Participants were classified into four groups according to their ABCA1 variants carrier status: (i) the reference group carried wild type alleles for both ABCA1 variants (-/-), (ii) +/- were carriers of rs2422493 but non-carriers of rs9282541, (iii) -/+ for carriers of rs9282541 but not carriers of rs2422493 and (iv) carriers of minor alleles for both SNPs (+/+). Principal components from two previous genome-wide association studies were used to control for ethnicity. RESULTS: We identified significant indirect effects on T2D risk mediated by HDL-c in groups -/+ and +/+ (ß = 0.04; p = 0.03 and ß = 0.06; p < 0.01, respectively) in comparison to the -/- reference group. Low concentrations of HDL-c were directly and significantly associated with increased T2D risk (ß = -0.70; p < 0.01). WHtR, male gender, age, and insulin resistance were also associated with T2D risk (p < 0.05). There was no significant direct effect for any of the ABCA1 groups on T2D risk: p = 0.99, p = 0.58, and p = 0.91 for groups +/-, -/+, and +/+ respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The ABCA1 rs9282541 (R230C) allele is associated with T2D in Mexicans through its effect on lowering HDL-c levels. This is the first report demonstrating that HDL-c levels act as an intermediate factor between an ABCA1 variant and T2D.

mTORC1 Prevents Epithelial Damage During Inflammation and Inhibits Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer Development.

Epithelial cells lining the intestinal mucosa constitute a selective-semipermeable barrier acting as first line of defense in the organism. The number of those cells remains constant during physiological conditions, but disruption of epithelial cell homeostasis has been observed in several pathologies. During colitis, epithelial cell proliferation decreases and cell death augments. The mechanism responsible for these changes remains unknown. Here, we show that the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFNγ contributes to the inhibition of epithelial cell proliferation in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) by inducing the activation of mTORC1. Activation of mTORC1 in response to IFNγ was detected in IECs present along the crypt axis and in colonic macrophages. mTORC1 inhibition enhances cell proliferation, increases DNA damage in IEC. In macrophages, mTORC1 inhibition strongly reduces the expression of pro-inflammatory markers. As a consequence, mTORC1 inhibition exacerbated disease activity, increased mucosal damage, enhanced ulceration, augmented cell infiltration, decreased survival and stimulated tumor formation in a model of colorectal cancer CRC associated to colitis. Thus, our findings suggest that mTORC1 signaling downstream of IFNγ prevents epithelial DNA damage and cancer development during colitis.

Respuesta muscular durante un ejercicio hipopresivo tras tratamiento de fisioterapia pelviperineal: valoración con ecografía transabdominal / Muscle response during a hypopressive exercise after pelvic floor physiotherapy: Assessment with transabdominal ultrasound

Objetivo: Valorar mediante ecografía transabdominal la función de la musculatura del suelo pélvico y de los músculos abdominales durante un ejercicio hipopresivo. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal descriptivo en 30mujeres. Todas ellas completaron con anterioridad un tratamiento de fisioterapia pelviperineal basado en ejercicios hipopresivos. Para la valoración se solicitó un ejercicio hipopresivo en posición supina que implicó el mantenimiento de una apnea tras una espiración hasta volúmenes de reserva espiratoria, durante 10 s, momento en el que las participantes buscaron abrir sus costillas, introducir y elevar el abdomen. La actividad de la musculatura del suelo pélvico se registró con una sonda curvilínea a 3,5MHz colocada inmediatamente por encima del pubis en los planos tanto transversal como sagital. Los músculos abdominales se valoraron con una sonda lineal colocada transversalmente en el lado derecho del abdomen. Resultados: Se observó la elevación de la musculatura del suelo pélvico durante un ejercicio hipopresivo con unos valores medianos (rango intercuartílico) de 6,8 (3,7) mm en el plano transversal y de 4,6 (4,7) mm en el plano sagital. Los músculos transverso del abdomen, oblicuo interno del abdomen y oblicuo externo del abdomen aumentaron su grosor en 1,8 (1,2), 1,5 (1,9) y 0,5 (1,4) mm, respectivamente (p < 0,05). El músculo recto abdominal mostró una tendencia en la reducción de su grosor, pero sin diferencias estadísticamente significativas (p=0,48). Conclusiones: Los ejercicios hipopresivos son capaces de elevar la musculatura del suelo pélvico sin una orden directa de contracción, así como activar la musculatura abdominal profunda

Objective: To use transabdominal ultrasound imaging to assess pelvic floor and abdominal muscle function during a hypopressive exercise. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 30 women who had previously finished a two-month individual physiotherapy treatment based on hypopressive exercises. The women were instructed to perform a hypopressive repetition that involved holding the breath after an exhalation of up to expiratory reserve volume. Breathing was held for 10s during which participants tried to expand their ribcage and to bring the abdominal wall to a posterior and superior position. Transabdominal ultrasound assessment was performed in supine position, with pelvic floor muscle action being recorded above the pubis bone in mid-transversal and mid-sagittal planes by using a curved lineal array probe at a frequency of 3.5MHz. In order to measure the increase of the cross-sectional area of abdominal muscles, a straight lineal array ultrasound transducer was used, being placed transversely on the right side of the abdominal wall. Results: The whole sample achieved an elevation of the pelvic floor muscles during the hypopressive exercise with a median (interquartile range) of 6.8 (3.7) mm in transversal plane and 4.6 (4.7) mm in sagittal plane. The transverse abdominis muscle, internal oblique muscle, and external oblique muscle increased their thickness by 1.8 (1.2) mm, 1.5 (1.9) mm, and 0.5 (1.4) mm, respectively (P<.05). Rectus abdominis muscle showed a tendency to decrease its thickness, although there were no statistically significant differences (P=.48). Conclusions: Hypopressive exercises achieved elevation of pelvic floor muscles without a direct contraction command. Deep abdominal muscles also contracted during a hypopressive exercise

rs3918242 MMP9 gene polymorphism is associated with myocardial infarction in Mexican patients.

Several studies have demonstrated that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a major role in atherosclerotic plaque disruption and lead to myocardial infarction (MI). We investigated the association between the MMP1 -1607 1G/2G (rs1799750), MMP3 -1612 5A/6A (rs3025058), and MMP9 -1562 C/T (rs3918242) polymorphisms and the risk of developing MI in a Mexican mestizo cohort. The genotype analysis was performed using the restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction technique in a group of 236 patients with a history of MI and 285 healthy controls. Similar distributions of rs1799750 and rs3025058 were observed in both groups; however, the MMP9 rs3918242 T allele and the CT genotype were associated with the risk of developing MI (OR = 2.32, pC = 0.02 and OR = 2.40, pC = 0.02, respectively). Multiple logistic analysis was performed between MI patients and controls to estimate the risk, and after adjusting for identified risk factors, the CT + TT genotypes of MMP9 rs3918242 were found to be significantly associated with increased risk of developing MI than those with the CC genotype (OR = 2.88, P < 0.01). In summary, our results reveal that the rs3918242 polymorphism of the MMP9 gene plays a major role in the risk of developing MI.

Maternal serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 at 12, 22, 32 and 36 weeks' gestation in screening for pre-eclampsia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the distribution of maternal serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) at 12, 22, 32 and 36 weeks' gestation in singleton pregnancies that develop pre-eclampsia (PE) and examine the performance of this biomarker in screening for PE. METHODS: Serum sFlt-1 was measured in 7066 cases at 11-13 weeks, 8079 cases at 19-24 weeks, 8472 at 30-34 weeks and 4043 at 35-37 weeks. Bayes' theorem was used to combine the a-priori risk from maternal characteristics and medical history with serum levels of sFlt-1. The performance of screening for PE in women requiring delivery < 32, between 32 + 0 and 36 + 6 and ≥ 37 weeks' gestation was estimated. RESULTS: In pregnancies that developed PE, serum sFlt-1 was increased and the separation in multiples of the median (MoM) values from normal was greater with earlier, compared to later, gestational age at which delivery for PE became necessary. In pregnancies that developed PE, the slope of the regression lines of sFlt-1 MoM with gestational age at delivery increased with advancing gestational age at screening. Measurement of sFlt-1 at 11-13 weeks did not improve the prediction of PE achieved by maternal factors alone, sFlt-1 at 19-24 weeks improved the prediction of PE delivering < 37 weeks but not for PE delivering ≥ 37 weeks, sFlt-1 at 30-34 weeks improved the prediction of PE delivering < 37 and PE delivering ≥ 37 weeks and sFlt-1 at 35-37 weeks improved the prediction of PE delivering ≥ 37 weeks. The detection rates (DRs), at a false-positive rate (FPR) of 10%, of PE delivering < 32 weeks were 52% and 65% with screening at 12 and 22 weeks, respectively. The DRs for PE delivering between 32 + 0 and 36 + 6 weeks were 44%, 44% and 93% with screening at 12, 22 and 32 weeks. The DR for PE delivering ≥ 37 weeks were 37%, 37%, 52% and 69% with screening at 12, 22, 32 and 36 weeks, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of combined screening with maternal factors, medical history and serum sFlt-1 is superior for detection of early, compared to late, PE and improves with advancing gestational age at screening. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Amiloidosis por cadenas livianas de inmunoglobulina con compromiso gástrico al debut: revisión de la literatura basada en un caso clínico / Gastric AL amyloidosis as initial manifestation: literature review from a case report

Systemic amyloidosis comprises a group of diseases characterized by low molecular weight subunit protein deposit in organs, including the gastrointestinal tract. The most frequent clinical manifestations are gastrointestinal bleeding, malabsorption syndrome, protein-losing enteropathy and chronic intestinal dysmotility. The diagnosis is confirmed with gastrointestinal tissue biopsy positive to Congo red stain or recognizing the amyloid fibrils by electron microscopy. The treatment is based in the management of gastrointestinal symptoms and chemotherapeutic drugs, including melphalan and prednisone or cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and prednisone. The bone marrow transplant is reserved for 70-year-old patients or younger without advanced comorbidities. We present a case of a patient with weight loss, anorexia, nausea and early satiety.

La amiloidosis sistémica a un conjunto de enfermedades caracterizadas por el depósito de subunidades fibrilares proteicas de bajo peso molecular en órganos, incluyendo el sistema digestivo. Sus manifestaciones clínicas más frecuentes son la hemorragia digestiva, síndrome malabsortivo, gastro-enteropatía perdedora de proteínas y dismotilidad gastrointestinal crónica. El diagnóstico se confirma con una biopsia de tejido gastrointestinal positiva a tinción rojo Congo o la visualización de fibrillas de amiloide mediante microscopia electrónica. El tratamiento está basado el manejo de los síntomas gastrointestinales y el oncológico, donde destacan esquemas quimioterapéuticos que incluyen melfalan y prednisona o ciclofosfamida, bortezomib y prednisona. El trasplante de médula ósea está reservado a pacientes menores de 70 años sin comorbilidades avanzadas. Presentamos en este artículo el caso de un paciente con baja de peso, anorexia, náuseas y saciedad precoz.

Prediction of small-for-gestational-age neonates: screening by placental growth factor and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 at 35-37 weeks.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential value of maternal serum placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) at 35-37 weeks' gestation in the prediction of delivery of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonates, in the absence of pre-eclampsia (PE). METHODS: This was a screening study in singleton pregnancies at 35-37 weeks, including 158 that delivered SGA neonates with birth weight < 5(th) percentile and 3701 cases unaffected by SGA, PE or gestational hypertension. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine if measuring serum levels of PlGF and sFlt-1 improved the prediction of delivery of SGA neonates provided by screening with maternal characteristics and medical history (maternal factors), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) from fetal head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur length. RESULTS: Compared to the normal group, the median PlGF multiples of the median (MoM) was significantly lower and the median sFlt-1 MoM was significantly higher in the SGA group. Combined screening by maternal factors and EFW at 35-37 weeks predicted, at 10% false-positive rate (FPR), 90%, 92% and 94% of SGA neonates with birth weight < 10(th), < 5(th) and < 3(rd) percentiles, respectively, delivering < 2 weeks following assessment; the respective values for SGA delivering ≥ 37 weeks were 66%, 73% and 80%. When PlGF and sFlt-1 were added to a model that combines maternal factors and EFW, sFlt-1 did not remain as a significant independent predictor of SGA < 5(th). Combined screening by maternal factors, EFW and serum PlGF, predicted, at a 10% FPR, 88%, 96% and 94% of SGA neonates with birth weight < 10(th), < 5(th) and < 3(rd) percentiles, respectively, delivering < 2 weeks following assessment and the respective values for SGA delivering ≥ 37 weeks were 64%, 75% and 80%. CONCLUSION: sFlt-1 does not provide significant independent prediction of SGA, in the absence of PE, in addition to combined testing by maternal factors and fetal biometry at 35-37 weeks; whilst the addition of PlGF alone marginally improves the performance of screening.

Prediction of small-for-gestational-age neonates: screening by maternal biochemical markers at 30-34 weeks.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential value of serum placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), free ß-human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-hCG) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) at 30-34 weeks' gestation in the prediction of delivery of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonates, in the absence of pre-eclampsia (PE). METHODS: This was a screening study in singleton pregnancies at 30-34 weeks' gestation, including 490 that delivered SGA neonates and 9360 cases that were unaffected by SGA, PE or gestational hypertension (normal outcome). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine if screening by serum PlGF, sFlt-1, PAPP-A, free ß-hCG and AFP, individually or in combination, improved the prediction of SGA neonates provided by screening with maternal characteristics and medical history (maternal factors), and estimated fetal weight (EFW) from fetal head circumference, abdominal circumference and femur length. RESULTS: Compared to the normal group, the mean log10 multiples of the median (MoM) values of PlGF and AFP were significantly lower and the mean log10 MoM values of sFlt-1 and free ß-hCG were significantly higher in the SGA group with a birth weight < 5(th) percentile (SGA < 5(th)) delivering < 5 weeks following assessment. The best model for prediction of SGA was provided by a combination of maternal factors, EFW and serum PlGF. Such combined screening, predicted, at a 10% false-positive rate, 85%, 93% and 92% of SGA neonates delivering < 5 weeks following assessment with birth weight < 10(th), < 5(th) and < 3(rd) percentiles, respectively; the respective detection rates of combined screening for SGA neonates delivering ≥ 5 weeks following assessment were 57%, 64% and 71%. CONCLUSION: Combined screening by maternal factors, EFW and serum PlGF at 30-34 weeks' gestation can identify a high proportion of pregnancies that subsequently deliver SGA neonates.

Purinergic receptors in tubulointerstitial inflammatory cells: a pathophysiological mechanism of salt-sensitive hypertension.

Recent studies have suggested that both the tubulointerstitial inflammatory cells and the activation of purinergic receptors integrate common mechanisms that result in salt-sensitive hypertension. The basis of this hypothesis is that renal endothelial cells release ATP in response to shear stress in the setting of hypertension. It has been demonstrated that the over-expression and activation of the P2X7, P2Y12 and P2X1 receptors favour the elevation of blood pressure induced by high-salt intake. In addition, the release of interleukins and inflammatory mediators in the tubulointerstitial area appears to be related to the activation of these receptors. Renal vasoconstriction and tubulointerstitial injury develop as a result, which increase sodium reabsorption by epithelial cells. Consistent with these effects, the reduction of tubulointerstitial inflammation caused by immunosuppressants, such as mycophenolate mofetil, prevents the development of salt-sensitive hypertension. Also, P2X7-receptor knockout mice develop minor renal injury when hypertension is induced via the administration of deoxycorticosterone acetate and a high-salt diet. In the setting of angiotensin II-induced hypertension, which is an early stage in the development of salt-sensitive hypertension, an acute blockade with the specific, non-selective P2 antagonist pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonic acid prevented the renal vasoconstriction induced by angiotensin II. In addition, it normalized glomerular haemodynamics and restored sodium excretion to control values. These findings suggest that chronic administration of P2 purinergic antagonists may prevent the deleterious effects of purinergic receptors during the development of salt-sensitive hypertension.

Angiomiolipoma renal: ¿es siempre un tumor benigno? / Renal angiomyolipoma: Is it always a benign tumor?

El angiomiolipoma (AML) renal es un tumor sólido compuesto por células de músculo liso, vasos sanguíneos dismórfi cos y tejido adiposo. Esta lesión ha sido considerada siempre como una neoplasia benigna. Reportamos a una paciente de 44 años, asintomática, con una lesión sugerente de AML mayor a 4 cm en el TAC que fue sometida a nefrectomía parcial abierta. La biopsia definitiva informó un angiomiolipoma con componente epiteloídeo focal (AMLE). Controles de imágenes posteriores de esta paciente no han evidenciado recidivia. El angiomiolipoma epiteloídeo (AMLE) es una variante descrita en los últimos años y que sugiere un cambio en el paradigma clásico de “benignidad” asociada al AML Las guías para el manejo de los AML no toman en cuenta la posibilidad de que se trate de un AMLE en sus recomendaciones. Existe muy poca información respecto al manejo de este tipo de lesiones, sólo hay series de casos publicadas. Faltan estudios prospectivos que otorguen herramientas para la toma de decisiones terapéuticas adecuadas en estos pacientes.

Renal angiomyolipoma (AML) is a solid tumor formed by smooth muscle cells, dimorphic blood vessels and adipose tissue. This lesion has been always considered as a benign neoplasm. We report an asymptomatic 44 year-old female patient, with a tumor suggesting an AML in a CT scan greater than 4 cms, who had an open partial nephrectomy. The biopsy report showed an AML with a focal epithelioid component. Follow-up imaging in this case has not showed any recurrence. Epithelioid angiomyolipoma (EAML) is a variant with malignant potential that must be considered when a patient with a renal AML is been evaluated. Guidelines for AML management do not take AMLE as a differential diagnosis. Few studies have been published regarding the management of this kind of lesion, only consisting of case series. There is lack of prospective studies that could give tools for the decision-making process in the treatment of these patients.

Linfangiomatosis mesentérica como causa de abdomen agudo en la tercera edad / Mesenteric lymphangiomathosis presenting as an acute abdomen in an older subject

We report a 71 years old male who consulted in the emergency room for abdominal pain lasting 12 hours. On physical examination there was pain on abdominal palpation and signs of peritoneal irritation. An abdominal CT scan showed a thickening of the medial and distal ileum, multiple adjacent collections and signs of peritonitis. The patient was operated, observing multiple white tumors in the mesentery and serosa of small bowel, one of these lesions, adhered to the bowel wall, had a hemorrhagic infarct. One of the lesions was punctured, obtaining a milky fluid. Biopsies were obtained and the infarcted lesion was excised. The pathological study reported a Mesenteric Multilocular Lymphangioma. The patient had an uneventful postoperative evolution.

Presentamos el caso clínico de un hombre de 71 años, sin antecedentes mórbidos, salvo apendicectomía y colecistectomía hace más de 20 años. Consulta en servicio de urgencias por dolor abdominal de 12 horas de evolución, sin otros síntomas asociados. Al examen físico destacaba dolor abdominal e irritación peritoneal a la palpación de hipocondrio izquierdo. Exámenes destacan aumento de parámetros inflamatorios, Ia tomografía computada de abdomen y pelvis revela engrosamiento de íleon medio-distal, con múltiples colecciones adyacentes y signos de peritonitis. Se realiza laparotomía exploradora, evidenciándose múltiples tumoraciones blanquecinas en mesenterio y serosa de todo el intestino delgado, una de las cuales se aprecia con infarto hemorrágico adherida a Ia pared abdominal. Punción de lesiones da salida a líquido lechoso. Se toman biopsias y se reseca lesión infartada. Paciente evoluciona favorablemente, dado de alta al tercer día. La histología reveló un Linfangioma Quístico Multilocular Mesentérico. Pese a ser una patología infrecuente, debe ser considerada dentro de los diagnósticos diferenciales de abdomen agudo, siendo extremadamente rara su presentación en Ia tercera edad.

Factores asociados a displasia en mujeres con atipias de células escamosas de significado indeterminado / Dysplasia associated factors in women with squamous cell atypias of undetermined significance

Objetivo: identificar los factores asociados a displasia en mujeres que asisten al Hospital Central de la Policía Nacional o a diferentes dispensarios, cuya citología cérvicovaginal presentaba atipias de células escamosas de significado indeterminado (ASC-US).Materiales y métodos: estudio de prevalencia en el cual se identificaron los factores asociados a displasia de cuello uterino por medio de la correlación de las diferentes variables, por el servicio de Patología del Hospital Central de la Policía Nacional. Las diferentes variables fueron extraídas de las historias clínicas. Se realizó un reporte descriptivo de las prevalencias y se calcularon OR por medio de regresión logística para establecer la asociación entre las variables.Resultados: se encontraron porcentajes de distribución de displasia así: Sin displasia: 8.6%; Displasia leve: 80.2%; Displasia moderada: 8.2%; Displasia severa: 3.0%. La edad en la población tuvo una mediana de 47. 8 7 años. La población sin displasia fue de 8.6% y con displasia 91.4%. La asociación entre ciclos y displasia fue de 0.008 y entre antecedente personal de cáncer y displasia fue de 0.005. En la regresión logís-tica, la edad mostró asociación con una p<0.05.Conclusiones: la importancia de la toma de la citología cérvicovaginal cobra un papel cada vez más relevante en nuestra población, dado el aumento de la preva-lencia de displasia. Las principales recomendaciones son: adecuada toma de la citología y tener en cuenta la edad como factor importante para la asociación de displasia cérvicovaginal sobre los ASC-US, ya que en muchas ocasiones se pueden pasar por alto en la consulta diaria. Palabras clave: citología cérvicovaginal, asc-us, displasia

Objective: to identify factors associated with dysplasia in women attending the Central Hospital of the National Police or different clinics whose cervico-vaginal cyto-logy presented atypia squamous cell of undetermined significance (ASC-US).Materials and methods: prevalence study of what is intended to identify the factors associated with dysplasia of the cervix through the correlation of different variables, for the service of Pathology of the Central Hospital of the National Police. The variables were obtained through to medical records. It performs a report describing the prevalence's were calculated OR through logistic regression was used to establish the association between the variables.Results: the percentage of the distribution of dysplasia: Without dysplasia: 8.6%; Mild dysplasia: 80.2%; Moderate dysplasia: 8.2%; Severe dysplasia: 3.0%. The population has an average of 47 years. The percen-tage of people without dysplasia was 8.6% and 91.4% dysplasia. The analysis showed that divariado. The partnership between cycles and dysplasia was between 0,008 and personal history of cancer and dysplasia was 0005. For Multivariate logistic regression analysis age showed partnership with p <0.05.Conclusions: the importance of making the cervico-vaginal cytology charged an increasingly important role in our population, given the increased prevalence in dysplasia. Our main recommendation is, in addition to adequate and accurate making cytology, keep in mind that age is an important factor for the association cervico-vaginal dysplasia. And the ASC-US, as many times can be overlooked in the daily consultations. Key words: cervico-vaginal cytology, ASC-US dysplasia

Pioglitazone improves the cardiovascular profile in patients with uncomplicated systemic lupus erythematosus: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: We studied the effect of pioglitazone on insulin levels, inflammation markers, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) composition and subclasses distribution, in young women with uncomplicated systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: This double-blind trial included 30 premenopausal women (30 ±8 years old) with SLE, who were randomized to pioglitazone (30 mg/day) or placebo treatment for 3 months. Plasma and HDL lipids were determined by colorimetric enzymatic assays, insulin by radioimmunometric assay, inflammation by immunonephelometry and HDL size and subclasses distribution by a native 4-30% polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, pioglitazone significantly increased HDL-cholesterol plasma levels (14.2%), reduced fasting insulin plasma levels (23.6%) and the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (31.7%). C-reactive protein (70.9%) and serum amyloid A (34.9%) were also significantly reduced with the pioglitazone use, whereas the HDL particle size was increased (8.80 nm vs. 8.95 nm; p = 0.044) by changes in the distribution of HDL(2b), HDL(3b), and HDL(3c) subclasses. The change in HDL size correlated with a rise in free and cholesterol-ester content in the HDL particles. CONCLUSION: Pioglitazone significantly enhanced insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, and modified HDL characteristics, suggesting a potential beneficial effect of this drug in patients with SLE with a risk to develop cardiovascular disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration System, with the number NCT01322308.

Lípidos sanguíneos en cerdos alimentados con pijiguao (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) y lisina sintética / Blood lipids of pigs fed peach palm (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) and synthetic lysine

Objetivo. Evaluar el efecto de la harina de pijiguao y lisina sintética sobre los lípidos sanguíneos de cerdos en crecimiento y engorde. Materiales y métodos. El estudio se realizó en dos etapas. En la primera etapa se utilizaron 72 cerdos castrados en crecimiento de 30 ± 0.5 kg, en un arreglo factorial 2x3: dos niveles de lisina sintética (0 y 2.70 g/kg) y tres niveles de harina de pijiguao (0, 160 y 320 g/kg). En la segunda etapa se utilizaron 16 cerdos en engorde de 67.25 ± 1.17 kg, en un arreglo factorial 2x2: dos niveles de lisina sintética (0 y 2.70 g/kg) y dos niveles de pijiguao (0 y 175 g/kg). Se determinaron las concentraciones séricas de triacilgliceroles, colesterol total y ácidos grasos. Resultados. Los cerdos en crecimiento que consumieron pijiguao presentaron menores (p<0.001) concentraciones de colesterol que el grupo control (2.27 y 2.23 mmol/l vs 2.56 mmol/l) y triacilgliceroles (0.34 y 0.28 mmol/l vs 0.42 mmol/l). El ácido oleico incrementó (p<0.01) con el mayor nivel de pijiguao (20.78% a 28.84%), y la lisina aumentó (p<0.05) el ácido linoleico (27.83% a 31.29%). Los cerdos alimentados con pijiguao y lisina mostraron menor (p<0.001) ácido palmítico que el grupo con pijiguao sin lisina (0.23 y 0.19% vs 0.45 y 0.62%, respectivamente). En la etapa de engorde los triacilgliceroles disminuyeron (p<0.05) en los cerdos alimentados con pijiguao y lisina (0.46 a 0.36 mmol/l). Los cerdos alimentados con pijiguao mostraron menor ácido linoleico y mayor ácido oleico (p<0.001). Conclusiones. Las dietas con pijiguao y lisina sintética no causaron efectos negativos sobre los lípidos sanguíneos de cerdos.

Malformación arteriovenosa del íleon medio, identificada por cápsula endoscópica: reporte de caso / Ileal vascular malformation, identified by capsule endoscopy: case report

Forty-nine year-old-man, diabetes mellitus Type 2, bone marrow transplantation 10 years ago due to chronic myelocytic leukemia, deep vein thrombosis and placement of cava vein filter 6 years ago, chronic use of Aspirin (100 mg). He presents with melena and abdominal pain. Upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, angio- CT and angiography were negative. Capsule endoscopy (PillCamTMSB) shows two segments of vascular malformation with active bleeding from the second segment in the middle-ileum. Laparotomy was performed founding at the level of the middle-ileum two vascular lesions of variceal type in the intestinal wall. Surgical resection of 15 cm of middle ileum and a primary anastomosis was performed. Histopathology reports, submucosal arteriovenous vascular malformation (AVM).

Hombre de 49 años, con antecedentes de diabetes mellitus tipo 2, trasplante de médula ósea hace 10 años por leucemia mieloide crónica, trombosis venosa profunda e instalación de filtro de vena cava inferior hace 6 años, usuario crónico de Aspirina® 100 mg/día. Presenta melena y dolor abdominal difuso. Es transfundido y se realizan estudios de endoscopia alta, colonoscopia, AngioTC y angiografía sin hallazgos del sitio de sangrado. Paciente ingiere cápsula endoscópica (PillCamTMSB) que muestra dos segmentos en intestino delgado, íleon medio y medio distal con malformaciones vasculares tipo várices, identificando sangrado activo en el segundo segmento. Se realiza laparotomía y a nivel del íleon medio se observan dos paquetes varicosos en la pared intestinal. Se realiza resección quirúrgica de 15 cm de íleon medio, y anastomosis primaria término-terminal. El paciente evolucionó satisfactoriamente sin recurrencia de sangrado. El estudio histopatológico e histoquímico con tinción de Van Gieson-elástica reporta malformación vascular arteriovenosa (AVM) submucosa de la pared del intestino delgado.