BackgroundThe United States is faced with an unprecedented epidemic of drug abuse. Every year thousands of Americans visit the emergency departments all over the country with illicit drug related complaints. These drugs have been known to be associated with a range of renal pathologies, from reversible acute kidney injuries to debilitating irreversible conditions like renal infarction. So far, no comprehensive study or systematic review has been published that includes the commonly used street drugs and designer drugs with potential nephrotoxic outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of published case reports, case series, and cross sectional studies of nephrotoxicities related to drugs of abuse. Literature review was conducted using PubMed/Medline from January 1, 2005 -December 31, 2016 to search for publications related to drug abuse with a defined renal outcome. Publications which reported renal injury in relation to the use of illicit drugs were selected, specifically those cases with raised creatinine levels, clinically symptomatic patients, for instance those with oliguria and proven renal biopsies.ResultsA total of 4798 publications were reviewed during the search process and PRISMA flow chart and Moose protocol regarding systematic reviews were followed. 110 articles were shortlisted for the review. A total of 169 cases from case reports and case series, and 14 case studies were analyzed. Renal manifestations of specific illicit drug abuse were included in this review.ConclusionBased on the evidence presented, a wide range of renal manifestations were found to be associated with drug abuse. If the trend of increasing use of illicit drug use continues, it will put a significant percentage of the population at an elevated risk for poor renal outcomes. This study is limited by the nature of the literature reviewed being primarily case reports and case series.

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For many years the concept relating salt to blood pressure (BP) changes has been debated and the concept of natriuretic hormone eliminating excessive sodium by direct inhibition of Na/K-ATPase has raised controversy. However, a recently discovered Na/K-ATPase signaling function has been widely confirmed and provided a novel mechanism to explain the relationship between sodium and blood pressure. Recently, we have demonstrated that activation of this Na/KATPase signaling function regulates sodium reabsorption in renal proximal tubules (RPTs) to correct sodium retention related volume expansion and BP increase. This mechanism demonstrates that rather than contributing to development and maintenance of hypertension, a properly regulated RPT Na/K-ATPase signaling has a protective effect by stimulating renal sodium excretion. A clear understanding of molecular mechanisms whereby the Na/K-ATPase signaling axis counterbalance volume expansion would have major pathophysiological and therapeutic implications for volume expansion mediated hypertension. In this review, we will focus on the effect of the newly appreciated cardiotonic steroids (CTS)-Na/K-ATPase signaling on RPT-mediated sodium handling by coordinated regulation of the Na/K-ATPase and sodium/proton exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3).

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Shiftwork does not seem to affect bone mineral density in those performing moderate physical activity.

Loeys-Dietz syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder notable for rapidly progressive vascular aneurysmal disease and craniofacial defects. Patients are at an increased risk for aneurysm rupture and dissection at younger ages compared to other aneurysmal syndromes. Early surgical intervention is important for prevention of ruptures and/or dissection. The coronary arterial tree is mostly involved as a result of postoperative complications of an aortic root repair. This fact has been sparsely reported. We report a unique case of LDS2 presenting with chest pain that was later diagnosed as a pseudoaneurysm as a result of a right coronary artery graft dehiscence.

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There is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and higher rate of hypertension in post-menopausal (compared to pre-menopausal women). We analysed the cross-sectional National Health and Nutritional Examination and Survey 2007-2012 to look at the factors that affect systolic blood pressure in post-menopausal women. We also performed a linear regression with systolic blood pressure as the dependent variable and age, body mass index, total cholesterol, triglycerides, A1C and serum creatinine as independent variables. In the regression model, only body mass index was a significant predictor of systolic blood pressure (adjusted r (2) of 0. 100, F(6, 740) = 14.74, standard error β = 0.08, standardized coefficient B = 0.31, p < 0.01).