Background: The nephrotoxicity of gadolinium [Gd (III)] has been reported, raising concerns about the safety of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA). Gd (III) exposure, in renal tubular cells (HK-2), causes apoptosis, and leads to upregulation of genes related to lipogenesis/lipolysis and to signaling pathways related to inflammation/hypoxia [1].Gadoteric acid (Gd-DOTA), a macrocyclic GBCA, appears to be one...
Background: Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) differ in their potential to release gadolinium [Gd (III)], known to be toxic. Gadoteric acid (Gd-DOTA) is a macrocyclic GBCA, with a more stable structure. After GBCA exposure, Gd (III) retention in red blood cells (RBC) and kidney has been reported [1,2]. Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, a severe condition found in renal disease patients exposed to GBCA, is as...
Background: There are currently concerns about the safety of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA), as they can release gadolinium [Gd (III)], known to be toxic. Free Gd (III) deposition at different organs, as kidney and liver, has been reported [1,2]. We found that Gd (III) promotes inflammation and fibrosis in proximal tubular cells [3]. GBCA with macrocyclic structure, as gadoteric acid (Gd-DOTA), are con...
Dyslipidemia is a major traditional risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, although the altered lipid profile does not explain the number and severity of CVD events. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is a heterogeneous (size, composition, and functionality) population of particles with different atherogenic or atheroprotective properties. HDL-cholesterol concentratio...
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) events are the main causes of death in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis. The number and severity of CVD events remain inappropriate and difficult to explain by considering only the classic CVD risk factors. Our aim was to clarify the changes and the relationship of lipoprotein subfractions with other CVD risk factors, namely, body mass index (BMI) and adipokines, ...
Variations in the gene encoding uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) are particularly important because they have been associated with hyperbilirubinemia in Gilbert’s and Crigler-Najjar syndromes as well as with changes in drug metabolism. Several variants associated with these phenotypes are non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs). Bioinformatics approaches have gained incre...
Background: The genetic contribution to obesity and to circulating adipokine levels has not been completely clarified. We aimed to evaluate adipokine genes' single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) prevalence and its association with circulating adipokine levels and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in an obese Portuguese pediatric population. Methods: Two hundred forty-eight obese adolescents (mean age 13.4 ...
This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms explaining the persistence of anemia and resistance to recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) therapy in a rat model of chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated anemia with formation of anti-rHuEPO antibodies. The remnant kidney rat model of CKD induced by 5/6 nephrectomy was used to test a long-term (nine weeks) high dose of rHuEPO (200 UI/kg bw/week) treatment. H...