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In latent hereditary diabetes mellitus increased protein excretion has been found in male diabetic mice compared to controls. This proteinuria is partly due to an increased excretion of higher molecular weight proteins, which could be identified as deriving from plasma. The suggested glomerular proteinuria has been verified by an increase in the renal excretion of high molecular weight PVP. No changes in GFR occurred in this early stage of diabetic glomerulopathy. No changes in morphology could be detected, suggesting some changes in the biochemical membrane structure that cause the findings of increased permeability of the diabetic basement membrane for plasma proteins.

Der deutsche Maschinen- und Anlagenbau befindet sich gegenwärtig in einer robusten Wachstumsphase. Das gute internationale Geschäft ist für viele Unternehmen der Branche zu einem wichtigen Standbein des Geschäftserfolgs geworden. In solch einem von Wachstum und hoher Internationalisierung gekennzeichneten Umfeld ist die Ressource Wissen ein erfolgskritischer Wettbewerbsfaktor. Diese Ressource zu nutzen und auszubauen ist Bestandteil einer wissensorientierten Unternehmensführung. Dieser Beitrag stellt Konzepte und Methoden in den Mittelpunkt, die eine wissensorientierte Unternehmensführung und eine nachhaltige Implementierung von Wissensmanagement ermöglichen. Durch den Einsatz der Wissensbilanz und der GPO-WM-Prozessanalyse (GPO-WM -Geschäftsprozessorientiertes Wissensmanagement) ist ein durchgängiges und systematisches Vorgehen gewährleistet: von der strategischen Ausrichtung bis zur operativen Implementierung. Beide Methoden wurden bereits zahlreich in den vom Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie unterstützten Projekten >Wissensbilanz - Made in Germany< und >ProWis - Prozessorientiertes und -integriertes Wissensmanagement in KMU< angewendet. Am Beispiel der Braunschweigischen Maschinenbauanstalt AG wird das Vorgehen in seiner praktischen Anwendung beschrieben. Entnommen aus TEMA

The effect of the increasing thickness of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), which is seen in ageing rats, on the effective hydraulic conductivity (k) of the glomerular capillary wall was studied in Wistar rats aged 2 and 18 months.With the use of micropuncture techniques, ultrafiltration characteristics of cortical glomeruli were determined in isolated cell-free perfused kidneys. Because the filtration fraction in this preparation is low (3%) as a consequence of high perfusion rates at glomerular filtration rates comparable with in vivo conditions, uniform ultrafiltration conditions are provided over the whole filtering surface. After fixation at a defined perfusion pressure, the surface of glomerular capillaries (S) was obtained morphometrically on light microscopic sections of the glomeruli studied previously.The glomerular ultrafiltration coefficient (K(f)) was 0.025 nl/s.mmHg in young rats and 0.038 nl/s.mmHg in old rats (P0.0005) and S was 0.140 mm(2) in young and 0.244 mm(2) in old rats (P0.0005). However, k was not significantly different (18.0 nl/s.mmHg.cm(2) in young and 15.8 nl/s.mmHg.cm(2) in old rats) despite a 2.4-fold increase of GBM thickness as estimated from electron microscopic sections.These findings indicate that the age-dependent increase of GBM thickness in rat kidneys did not substantially increase hydraulic resistance of the glomerular capillary wall.

The present study has been carried out in the framework of a collaborative research project on the development of new markers of nephrotoxicity. A battery of more than 20 potential indicators of renal changes has been applied to 50 workers exposed to lead (Pb) and 50 control subjects. After application of selection criteria 41 exposed and 41 control workers were eventually retained for the final statistical analysis. The average blood Pb concentration of exposed workers was 480 micrograms/l and their mean duration of exposure was 14 years. The battery of tests included parameters capable of detecting functional deficits (for example, urinary proteins of low or high molecular weight), biochemical alterations (for example, urinary eicosanoids, glycosaminoglycans, sialic acid) or cell damage (for example, urinary tubular antigens or enzymes) at different sites of the nephron or the kidney. The most outstanding effect found in workers exposed to Pb was an interference with the renal synthesis of eicosanoids, resulting in lower urinary excretion of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and an enhanced excretion of thromboxane (TXB2). The health significance of these biochemical alterations, detectable at low exposure to Pb is unknown. As they were not associated with any sign of renal dysfunction, they may represent reversible biochemical effects or only contribute to the degradation of the renal function from the onset of clinical Pb nephropathy. The urinary excretion of some tubular antigens was also positively associated with duration of exposure to Pb. Another effect of Pb that might deserve further study is a significant increase in urinary sialic acid concentration.