Atypical Kawasaki Disease Presenting as Acute Kidney Injury in a Patient with Influenza B Virus Infection / 이화의대지

Influenza virus infection is a common respiratory disease in children. Renal complications of influenza infection were not commonly encountered until the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, when acute kidney injury (AKI) frequently developed in severely ill patients. Kawasaki disease (KD) is another rare association in pandemic influenza virus infections. There are some reports about KD coincident with influenza A H1N1/09 infection. However, simultaneous AKI and KD in influenza A or B virus infections have never been reported. Herein, we report the first case of influenza B virus infection that initially presented as AKI but was subsequently diagnosed as atypical KD.

Changes of Gene Expressions in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Model After Losartan Treatment

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The renin angiotensin system seems to play an important role in the development of cardiac and vascular hypertrophy in hypertension. The changes in pathology, and gene expressions of the angiotensin II receptor type 1A (ATIA) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) were investigated in order to explore the effects of losartan in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve week-old male Wistar rats were grouped as follows: control (C) group, hypertension (H) group, and losartan (L) group in which SHR was treated with losartan (10 mg/kg/day). Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis regarding seven genes such as endothelin-1, ACE, ATIA, neutrophil cytosolic factor, brain natriuretic peptide, troponin I, endothelial nitric oxide synthase were performed. RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure was significantly decreased in the L group compared with the H group in weeks 3 and 5. ACE and ATIA proteins in the L group were lower than H group in week 5. CONCLUSION: Losartan reduced blood pressure, cardiac hypertrophy and protein expressions of ACE and ATIA. Changes of protein expressions were more sensitive than changes in pathology. Further study is needed for the differing doses of losartan in SHR models.