Association of Alport's syndrome with HDL-DR2 antigen in a group of unrelated patients

A few studies have evaluated HLA antigens in Alport's syndrome; however, there are no large population studies. In the present report, we studied 40 unrelated white patients with Alport's syndrome seen at the Unit of Renal Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil. HLA-A, -B, -DR and -DQ antigens were typed using a complement-dependent microlymphocytotoxicity assay. A control white populations (N=403) from the same geographical area was also typed for HLA antigens. Although the frequencies of HLA-A and -B antigens of patients were not statistically different from controls, the frequency of HLA-DR2 antigen observed in patients (65 percent) was significantly increased in relation to controls (26 percent; P<0.001). The relative risk and etiologic fraction for HLA-DR2 antigen were 5.2 and 0.525, respectively. Although few immunological abnormalities have been shown in Alport's syndrome, in this report we emphasize the association of HLA molecules and Alport's syndrome. Besides the well-known inherited molecular defects encoded by tyope IV collagen genes in Alport's syndrome, the major histocompatibility alleles may be in linkage disequilibrium with these defective collagen genes.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF ß) activity in urine of patients with glomerulonephritis

Several lines of experimental evidence have shown that transforming growth factor ß (TGF ß) may play a major role in glomerular diseases, mediating the inflammatory response through glomerulosis. In the present study we evaluated TGF ß activity in occasional urine samples from 7 normal individuals and from 15 patients (10 with focal glomerular sclerosis and 5 with membranous glomerulonephritis) using a CCL-64 mink lung cell growth inhibition assay. Urinary TGF ß activity (reported in relation to urine creatinine concentration, Ucr, mean +/- SD) was higher in patients with focal glomerular sclerosis (x/- 17.32 +/- 15.75 / 10 µg Ucr) and patients with membranous glomerulonephritis (x/- = 17.78 +/- 11.53 / 10 µg Ucr) than in normal individuals (x/- = 0.8 +/- 0.44 / 10 µg Ucr). We also observed that TGF ß activity in urine from patients with focal glomerular...

Correlacoes serico-salivares de aldosterona. / Serum and salivary correlation of aldosterone

Dosou-se aldosterona em soro e saliva de individuos normais, atraves de radioimunoensaio com extracao previa, obtendo-se os valores medios de 9,5ng/100ml e 8,8ng/ 100ml, respectivamente. O estudo da correlacao entre estes valores revelou um coeficiente de 0,82. A vantagem de obter valores de aldosterona salivar e a possibilidade de estudos em circunstancias em que o stress da puncao venosa interfere na analise dos resultados e em situacoes em que se necessitam colheitas sanguineas seriadas (p.ex., ritmo hormonal)

Influencia de dietas com carencias especificas de proteinas, potassio e magnesio sobre a capacidade de concentracao urinaria em ratos. / Influence of diets with specific protein, potassium and magnesium carence on the urinary concentration capacity in rats

Com o objetivo de realizar uma analise comparativa da capacidade urinaria, tres grupos de ratos, respectivamente, com carencia especifica de proteinas (GP), potassio (GK) e magnesio (GM), foram submetidos a uma prova padronizada de jejum total de 8 horas. Os resultados, confrontados com os do grupo de controle (GC),alimentados com dieta sem qualqer carencia, indicam que a metodologia utilizada discrimina as anormalidades de habilidade concentrante do rim; os animais GP e GK apresentaram nitidamente disturbios da capacidade de concentracao urinaria; a hipomagnesemia e a diminuicao do conteudo de potassio tissular renal nos ratos GP sao explicacoes plausiveis de pontenciacao da baixa concentracao de ureia no intersticio medular afetando a formacao TcH2O