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Introduction. Renal biopsy is the principal instrument to evaluate the diagnosis and prognosis of children with kidney disease. There are relatively few studies establishing epidemiology of its findings in the pediatric population. Methods. A descriptive study was conducted to describe characteristics of pediatric patients who had undergone a renal biopsy over the last 10 years in a national reference center, trying to accomplish an etiopathogenic approach of biopsy findings. Results. 241 patients were included. Most frequent indications were nephrotic syndrome (34.1%) and systemic disease with renal involvement (30.2%). The most prevalent biopsy diagnosis was glomerulonephritis (44%) and among these patients, glomerulonephritis mediated by immune complexes was the most frequent pathogenic type (90.5%). When the biopsy was indicated for proteinuria plus hematuria and systemic disease with renal involvement, the most frequent biopsy diagnosis was glomerulonephritis (60 and 85%, respectively). For isolated hematuria, the predominant biopsy diagnosis was inherited diseases of the glomerular basement membrane (70%) and for nephrotic syndrome, podocytopathy (82%). Glomerulonephritis was more frequent in patients older than 10 yrs (65%) and the rate of postbiopsy major complications was low (1.2%). Conclusion. Immune complex glomerulonephritis was the most frequent histological finding, differing from previous reports. To our knowledge this is the first description that classifies biopsy findings according to the probable pathogenic mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To compare the ocular surface symptoms and signs in an adult population of silicone-hydrogel (Si-Hy) contact lens (CL) wearers with another modality of CL wear, overnight orthokeratology (OK). Materials and Methods. This was a prospective and comparative study in which 31 myopic subjects were fitted with the same Si-Hy CL and 23 underwent OK treatment for 3 months. Dry eye questionnaire (DEQ) was filled in at the beginning of the study and then after 15 days, 1 month, and 3 months using each CL modality. The tear quality was evaluated with noninvasive tear break-up time. Tear production was measured with Schirmer test. Tear samples were collected with Schirmer strips being frozen to analyze the dinucleotide diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) concentration with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Results. After refitting with ortho-k, a reduction in discomfort and dryness symptoms at the end of the day (p<0.05, χ2) was observed. No significant changes were observed in Ap4A concentration in any group. Bulbar redness, limbal redness, and conjunctival staining increased significantly in the Si-Hy group (p<0.05, Kruskal–Wallis test). Conclusion. Discomfort and dryness symptoms at the end of the day are lower in the OK CL group than in the Si-Hy CL group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]