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Objective: Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) was developed to diminish ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). There are two main ways of performing it: direct ischemic-preconditioning (DIP) and remote ischemic-preconditioning (RIP). The objectives of this study were to investigate local and systemic effects of DIP and RIP in liver IRI., Methods: Thirty-two weaning rats (50-70 g body weight; 21 days old) were divided into 4 groups: control (C); ischemia followed by reperfusion (IR); DIP followed by ischemia and reperfusion; and RIP followed by ischemia and reperfusion. In the IR group, the vascular pedicles of medial and left lateral liver lobes were clamped for 60 minutes and then unclamped. In the DIP group, a 10-minute cycle of ischemia followed by a 10-minute reperfusion of the same lobes was performed before 60 minutes of ischemia. In the RIP group, three 5-minute cycles of clamping and unclamping of the femoral vessels were performed before liver ischemia. The animals were euthanized 24 hours after the surgical procedures., Results: The serum levels of liver enzymes were significantly lower in the RIP group compared to the control and IR groups and to the DIP group. The scores of histologic hepatic lesions were significantly lower in RIP animals than those of IR animals (P = .002) and similar to the C group animals. The Bax/BCl-xl relation was lower in the DIP group than that in the RIP group (P = .045) and no differences were observed in histologic analyses of kidney, lung, intestine, and heart., Conclusion: In young animals, the beneficial effects of RIP are more evident than those of DIP., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Diabetes mellitus (DM) may progress to diabetic nephropathy (DN) in approximately 40% of cases and it accounts for one of the most common causes of end-stage of renal disease (ESRD). The pathogenesis of DN involves complex interactions between metabolic and hemodynamic factors. DM type 1 has a dominant impact on morbidity and mortality after renal transplantation. We report a kidney transplantation patient with DM and DN as the etiology of end-stage renal disease and whose post-transplantation evolution over 19 years was remarkably atypical. DM was diagnosed at the age of 7 years and the patient suffered a rapid and aggressive progression of her disease with early development of DN and diabetic retinopathy. Nineteen years post-transplantation, the patient shows neither deterioration of graft function nor clinical reactivation of DN. There seems to be two quite distinct answers to the same injury supported by a group of factors that led to micro- and macrovascular lesions, all present before transplantation and potentially aggravated through some immunosuppressive therapy. This clinical evolution suggests the hypothesis that not only the graft but also the donor may have inherent characteristics that enabled him to display the resistance to DN despite the genetic susceptibility of the receptor. The answers to these questions would help to explain why some patients with diabetes progress to macro- and microvascular complications and others remain resistant to developing these vascular disorders. In this case, the resistance to DN is apparently a feature related to the donor., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The new law implemented in August 2007 changed the criteria to select renal transplantation (RT) candidates in Portugal, favoring hyperimmunized subjects and those on the waiting list for a longer time, making human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatibilities less important. The authors compared patients who received a deceased donor kidney between 2005 and 2010. Patients were divided in group A who underwent transplantation before August 2007 (n = 132) and group B (n = 125) after that date. We considered a value of P < .05. Overall mean age at RT was 46.6 ± 13.9 years with 58.8% men, 88% on hemodialysis (HD), with a mean dialysis time of 82.8 ± 119 months. Also, 10.5% of patients underwent a previous transplantation. The mean follow-up was 35 ± 17.1 months. Group B showed significant adverse differences, including dialysis time (50.9 vs. 117 months), length of hospitalization (14.4 vs. 23.2 days), need for HD (1 vs. 3.4 days), HLA match (3.3 vs. 1.4 compatibilities), previous sensitization (4.4% vs. 21.7%), acute rejection episodes in the 1st year (23% vs. 37%), greater use of immunosuppressive drugs, higher costs of induction therapy (2790 vs 4360ϵ), and greater costs of drugs during first hospitalization (3456 vs. 7144ϵ). Among the 16 subjects who lost their grafts, 7 were in group A (3 in the first year) and 9 in group B all in the first year. There was a 5.1% decrease in graft survival at 12 months (P = .07). Univariate analysis showed an association of acute rejection episodes with HLA mismatches, hyperimmunized patients, absence of immediate graft function, hospitalization time, longer HD need, and higher creatinine level at months 1, 2, 3, and 6. Multivariate analysis revealed acute rejection episodes to be associated with a lower number of HLA compatibilities (odds ratio = 0.65; 95% confidence interval, [0.46-0.9]). Application of the law has led to a greater number of acute rejection episodes in the first year and increased costs., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)