Renal failure in intracranial lesions. Evidence of function of juxtamedullary nephrons

Acute renal failure was observed in two patients with angiomatous malformations and cysticercosis of the brain. Urinary data revealed hyperosmotic urine with negative water clearance, an indication of retained urine concentration ability despite the severe degree of renal failure. Tubular necrosis of the cortical nephrons was noted at autopsy in both cases. The Juxtamedullary nephrons were rather well preserved. The findings are suggestive of a preferential decrease in renal cortical blood flow as being responsible for tubular necrosis and renal failure. The functioning nephrons were the Juxtamedullary units.     

Revision of the Thai Red Cross intradermal rabies post-exposure regimen by eliminating the 90-day booster injection

The Thai Red Cross intradermal post-exposure rabies prophylaxis regimen (TRC-ID) is being used in Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and is making inroads in India. It consists of two injections of 0.1 mL of any World Health Organization recommended tissue culture rabies vaccine intradermally at two sites on days 0, 3, 7, followed by one injection on days 28 and 90. Two decades of experience had shown that approximately 11% of 187,000 possibly rabies exposed subjects who received the TRC-ID schedule, did not return for the 90-day booster. No rabies deaths had, however, been reported from this group. This stimulated two studies to determine whether the 90-day booster can be abolished. They demonstrated that, if the single 28-day 0.1 mL injection is increased to two at two sites, a comparable antibody response can be achieved and the 90-day booster can be omitted. The tissue culture rabies vaccine used in the preliminary study was purified chick embryo vaccine (PCEC Chiron) and for this study it was chromatography purified Vero cell vaccine (CPRV, Aventis-Pasteur). CPRV had been previously shown to be as immunogenic and effective as purified Vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV).     

Furosemide and acute renal failure.

High dose of intravenous furosemide (2 g/24 hr) was given to six patients with acute renal failure due to leptospirosis. The results, based on urine flow, changes in serum creatinine and creatinine clearance, were compared with a control group of eight patients with the same disease and comparable degree of renal failure. Excellent diuresis was observed following furosemide therapy but renal function and the clinical course of the disease were unaltered. The duration of renal failure was the same in both groups.     

Plasma proteome profiling of von Hippel-Lindau disease after total and subtotal nephrectomy: A preliminary study

ObjectivesCommon treatment of renal cell carcinoma associated with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is total (bilateral) or subtotal nephrectomy. Whereas total nephrectomy is associated with absolutely no residual renal function, subtotal nephrectomy frequently leads to chronic kidney disease (CKD) with some residual renal functions. However, molecular mechanisms underlying CKD remain unclear and the diagnosis of CKD is frequently accomplished at its late stage.Design and methodsWe performed a plasma proteomics study to compare the plasma proteome profile of VHL patient who underwent total nephrectomy to the profiles of VHL patient with subtotal nephrectomy and healthy control. Totally 100 μg proteins from each sample was resolved by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) in triplicate and visualized with SYPRO Ruby fluorescence stain.ResultsThe normal plasma proteome profile markedly differed from the profiles of VHL patients. Comparative analysis between total versus subtotal nephrectomized patients revealed significant differences in levels of 20 plasma proteins. Pathway analysis revealed two important networks involving in lipid metabolism, molecular transport, carbohydrate metabolism, cellular growth and proliferation, and small molecule biochemistry, in which these identified and other proteins interplayed.ConclusionsOur data identified potential biomarkers for CKD. Further characterization of these identified proteins might also lead to better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying CKD.     

Development of a polymerase chain reaction to distinguish monocellate cobra (Naja khouthia) bites from other common Thai snake species, using both venom extracts and bite-site swabs.

A PCR technique was used in this study to identify and distinguish monocellate cobra snake bites using snake venoms and swab specimens from snake bite-sites in mice from bites by other common Thai snakes. The sequences of nucleotide primers were selected for the cobrotoxin-encoding gene from the Chinese cobra (Naja atra) since the sequences of monocellate cobra (Naja kaouthia) venom are still unknown. However, the 113-bp fragment of cDNA of the cobrotoxin-encoding gene was detected in the monocellate cobra venom using RT-PCR. This gene was not found in the venoms of Ophiophagus hannah (king cobra), Bungarus fasciatus (banded krait), Daboia russelii siamensis (Siamese Russell's Viper, and Calloselasma rhodostoma (Malayan pit viper). Moreover, direct PCR could detect a 665-bp fragment of the cobrotoxin-encoding gene in the monocellate cobra venom but not the other snake venoms. Likewise, this gene was only observed in swab specimens from cobra snake bite-sites in mice. This is the first report demonstrating the ability of PCR to detect the cobrotoxin-encoding gene from snake venoms and swab specimens. Further studies are required for identification of this and other snakes from the bite-sites on human skin.