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The article presents a case study of a 73-year-old male who was referred with impaired renal function. A large solid-cystic retrovesical mass was observed on versicoprostatic ultrasound with bilateral ureterohydronephrosis, grade II in the left kidney (LK) and grade IV in the right kidney. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a big space-occupying lesion of a maximum diameter of 17.5 centimeter (cm) which invades the pelvic cavity having the upper pole at the height of L4-L5.

Objective: To assess the level of compliance and variability of mineral metabolism parameters over time in a sample of haemodialysis patients for the different ranges proposed (KDIGO guidelines/S.E.N recommendations) in both groups and individuals continuously., Material and Method: Every four months, we collected data on calcium, phosphorus, PTH and treatment in a sample of 44 patients followed up continuously for 32 months. We established the percentages of patients who complied with the objectives set for each parameter in both ranges: optimal (KDIGO) and acceptable (S.E.N.) in each control and the percentage that individually complied with the objectives in at least 75% of the determinations., Results: Compliance with the objective using the optimal range improved, although PTH did not exceed 50%. Using the acceptable range, the objective was achieved in the three parameters in over 70% and over 50% of patients achieved the three simultaneously while using the optimal range, 30% was never achieved. Individually, compliance with the optimal range was continuously achieved in 52.3% (calcium), 45.5% (phosphorus) and in only one patient in PTH, while when using the acceptable range, compliance was achieved in 84.1% (calcium) and 70.5% (phosphorus and PTH)., Conclusions: The use of less stringent criteria than the KDIGO guidelines in calcium, phosphorus and PTH objectives allows patients to remain continuously within appropriate ranges with less intervention and less individual variability.

Noggin genes are mainly known as inhibitors of the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signalling pathway. Noggin genes play an important role in various developmental processes such as axis formation and neural differentiation. In vertebrates, inhibition of the BMP pathway is usually carried out together with other inhibitory molecules: chordin and follistatin. Recently, it has been shown in planarians that the BMP pathway has a conserved function in the maintenance and re-establishment of the dorsoventral axis during homeostasis and regeneration. In an attempt to further characterize the BMP pathway in this model we have undertaken an in silico search of noggin genes in the genome of Schmidtea mediterranea. In contrast to other systems in which between one and four noggin genes have been reported, ten genes containing a noggin domain are present in S. mediterranea. These genes have been classified into two groups: noggin genes (two genes) and noggin-like genes (eight genes). Noggin-like genes are characterized by the presence of an insertion of 50-60 amino acids in the middle of the noggin domain. Here, we report the characterization of this expanded family of noggin genes in planarians as well as their expression patterns in both intact and regenerating animals. In situ hybridizations show that planarian noggin genes are expressed in a variety of cell types located in different regions of the planarian body.

The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway has been shown to play an important role in the establishment of the dorsoventral axis during development in both vertebrate and invertebrate species. In an attempt to unravel the role of BMPs in pattern formation during planarian regeneration, we studied this signaling pathway in Schmidtea mediterranea. Here, we functionally characterize planarian homologues of two key elements of the pathway: Smed-BMP and Smed-Smad1. Whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that Smed-BMP is expressed at the planarian dorsal midline, suggesting a role in dorsoventral patterning, while Smed-Smad1 is widely expressed throughout the mesenchyme and in the central nervous system. RNA interference (RNAi) knockdowns of Smed-BMP or Smed-Smad1 led to the disappearance of dorsal markers along with the ectopic expression of ventral markers on the dorsal side of the treated animals. In almost all cases, a duplicated central nervous system differentiated dorsally after Smed-BMP or Smed-Smad1 RNAi. These defects were observed not only during regeneration but also in intact non-regenerating animals. Our results suggest that the BMP signaling pathway is conserved in planarians and that it plays a key role in the regeneration and maintenance of the dorsoventral axis.