Immunosenescence is an age-related reduction of immune system activity that can be associated with frailty. This study aimed to compare cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) reactivations (based on viremias) between young and elderly women who had a chronic CMV and/or EBV infection (i.e., an IgG+ serostatus) without an acute infection (i.e., an IgM− serostatus), and among the elderly group categorized according to frailty status. DNA was extracted from plasma using standard protocols and serostatus was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses for CMV and EBV were carried out and viral loads were determined. Among elderly women (n = 71), 59% were positive for CMV, in contrast to only 8% of young women (n = 73). Elderly women classified as frail, pre-frail, and non-frail presented 82%, 56%, and 48% positivity for CMV, respectively. Frequency and viral load were significantly higher in the elderly group vs. the young group (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.01, respectively) and in elderly with frailty vs. those without frailty (p = 0.007 and p = 0.03, respectively). The frequency of CMV reactivation presented odds ratios of 11.77 for aging and 6.13 for frailty, and relative risks of 5.39 for aging and 1.93 for frailty. EBV was detected in 30% of the elderly women and 15% of the young women (p = 0.04); however, the viral load did not significantly differ between the two age groups. The frequency of EBV reactivation presented odds ratios of 2.36 for aging and 2.90 for frailty, and relative risks of 1.96 for aging and 2.12 for frailty. However, no difference in EBV viral load among the frailty status subgroups was found. In conclusion, the frequency of CMV reactivation was associated with aging and ongoing frailty, whereas the frequency of EBV reactivation was associated only with aging.
Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is characterized by proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, generalized edema, and hyperlipidemia. It begins by changes in the glomerular filtration barrier, with increased permeability to plasma proteins. It affects all age groups and can progress to end-stage renal disease. NS pathophysiology is still unknown. However, the critical role of the immune system is well recognized. Animal models are useful tools for the investigation of NS. Among different experimental models proposed in the literature, disease induced by Doxorubicin has been considered helpful to the purpose of many studies. The aim of this review article is to describe the animal model of NS induced by the injection of Doxorubicin in rodents, with emphasis on action of the drug, potential mechanisms of renal injury, as well biochemical, histological, and corporal changes obtained with this model.
Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) is a multifactorial disease, characterized by proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, edema and hyperlipidemia. Studies in humans and animal models have associated INS with changes in the immune response. The purpose of this article is to review clinical and experimental findings showing the involvement of the immune response in the pathogenesis of INS. The role of the immune system in INS has been shown by clinical and experimental studies. However, the pattern of immune response in patients with INS is still not clearly defined. Many studies show changes in the dynamics of T lymphocytes, especially the regulatory T cells. Alternatively, there are other reports regarding the involvement of the complement system and B lymphocytes in the pathophysiology of INS. Indeed, none of the immunological biomarkers evaluated were undeniably linked to changes in glomerular permeability and proteinuria. On the other hand, some studies suggest a link between urinary chemokines, such as IL-8/CXCL8 and MCP-1/CCL2, and changes in glomerular permeability and/or the deterioration of glomerulopathies. To understand the pathophysiology of INS, longitudinal studies are clearly needed. The characterization of the profile of the immune response might help the development of specific and individualized therapies, leading to clinical improvement and better prognosis.
Determination of urinary catecholamines and metanephrines is important for diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed for the determination of catecholamines and metanephrines in human urine using deuterated internal standards (IS). In this method, 1000 µL of urine samples were treated by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate and subjected to LC-MS/MS analysis using positive electrospray ionization (ESI+). A BDS HYPERSILTM C18 column (125 mm × 3 mm, 3 µm) was used and mobile phase was water:methanol (98:2, v/v) with 0.25% of formic acid at 200 µ L min
−1
. The method has a chromatographic running time of approximately 10 min. The average of recovery was 92.9-106.1% for epinephrine, 94.6-107.7% for norepinephrine, 98.0-108.8% the dopamine, 94.2-105.1% the metanephrine, 97.0-106.0% for normetanephrine. The precision was lower than 7.0% for all analytes. Furthermore, this method has been implemented successfully in routine laboratory due to its easy execution and excellent precision.
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