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Introduction. The renal resistive index (RRI) reflects intrarenal vascular resistance and stiffness, which are associated with chronic kidney disease. The links connecting renal function, intrarenal arterial resistance, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) with hypertension and metabolic factors remain elusive. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible relationship of RRI with glomerular filtration rate, PTH, hypertension, obesity (body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio), bioelectrical impedance analysis in body composition assessment, serum lipids, and insulin resistance assessed by homoeostasis model insulin resistance index. Patients and methods. This study was carried out on 387 (246 women, 141 men) nondiabetic patients, between >25 and <75 years, referred to an Internal Medicine Clinic and Day Hospital for essential hypertension, overweightness-obesity, and/or dyslipidemia. Lower salt/lower calorie Mediterranean diet, physical activity increase, smoking withdrawal, and lifestyle counseling, provided by a health psychologist support, were prescribed. Results. Higher hypertension risk, present in 42.5%% of the overall group of eligible patients (164/387), is associated with high PTH and high RRI, along with greater renal insufficiency, insulin resistance, and obesity. There is a straight linear relationship of RRI to PTH (0.202; p == 0.009) in arterial hypertension, which is not observed in normal blood pressure patients. By gender-adjusted multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that fat mass, waist-to-hip ratio, and PTH account significantly for 62.3%% of the variance to RRI in hypertensive patients. Conclusion. Increased arterial stiffness and intrarenal arterial resistance are associated with higher PTH in arterial hypertension; obesity (defined by greater fat mass and waist-to-hip ratio) and PTH are the independent conditions that account significantly for higher RRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the effects of different methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C>T gene polymorphism and hyperhomocysteinemia for the development of renal failure and cardiovascular events, which are controversial., Methods: We challenged the relationship, if any, of MTHFR 677C>T and MTHFR 1298A>C polymorphisms with renal and heart function. The present article is a reappraisal of these concepts, investigating within a larger population, and including a subgroup of dialysis patients, if the two most common MTHFR polymorphisms, C677T and A1298C, as homozygous, heterozygous or with a compound heterozygous state, show different association with chronic renal failure requiring hemodialysis. MTHFR polymorphism could be a favorable evolutionary factor, i.e., a protective factor for many ominous conditions, like cancer and renal failure. A similar finding was reported in fatty liver disease in which it is suggested that MTHFR polymorphisms could have maintained and maintain their persistence by an heterozygosis advantage mechanism. We studied a total of 630 Italian Caucasian subject aged 54.60 ± 16.35 years, addressing to the increased hazard of hemodialysis, if any, according to the studied MTHFR genetic polymorphisms., Results: A favorable association with normal renal function of MTHFR polymorphisms, and notably of MTHFR C677T is present independently of the negative effects of left ventricular hypertrophy, increased Intra-Renal arterial Resistance and hyperparathyroidism., Conclusion: MTHFR gene polymorphisms could have a protective role on renal function as suggested by their lower frequency among our dialysis patients in end-stage renal failure; differently, the association with left ventricular hypertrophy and reduced left ventricular relaxation suggest some type of indirect, or concurrent mechanism.

Obesity and liver steatosis are usually described as related diseases. Obesity is regarded as exclusive consequence of an imbalance between food intake and physical exercise, modulated by endocrine and genetic factors. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a condition whose natural history is related to, but not completely explained by over-nutrition, obesity and insulin resistance. There is evidence that environmental infections, and notably adipogenic adenoviruses (ADV) infections in humans, are associated not only with obesity, which is sufficiently established, but also with allied conditions, such as fatty liver. In order to elucidate the role, if any, of previous ADV36 infection in humans, we investigated association of ADV36-ADV37 seropositivity with obesity and fatty liver in humans. Moreover, the possibility that lifestyle-nutritional intervention in patients with NAFLD and different ADV36 seropositive status, achieves different clinical outcomes on ultrasound bright liver imaging, insulin resistance and obesity was challenged. ADV36 seropositive patients have a more consistent decrease in insulin resistance, fatty liver severity and body weight in comparison with ADV36 seronegative patients, indicating a greater responsiveness to nutritional intervention. These effects were not dependent on a greater pre-interventional body weight and older age. These results imply that no obvious disadvantage - and, seemingly, that some benefit - is linked to ADV36 seropositivity, at least in NAFLD. ADV36 previous infection can boost weight loss and recovery of insulin sensitivity under interventional treatment.

Sentinel lymph nodes are the first lymph nodes in the region that receive lymphatic drainage from a primary tumor. The detection or exclusion of sentinel lymph node micrometastases is critical in the staging of cancer, especially breast cancer and melanoma because it directly affects patient's prognosis and surgical management. Currently, intraoperative sentinel lymph node biopsies using blue dye and radioisotopes are the method of choice for the detection of sentinel lymph node with high identification rate. In contrast, conventional ultrasound is not capable of detecting sentinel lymph nodes in most cases. Contrast enhanced ultrasound with contrast specific imaging modes has been used for the evaluation and diagnostic work-up of peripherally located suspected lymphadenopathy. The method allows for real-time analysis of all vascular phases and the visualization of intranodal focal "avascular" areas that represent necrosis or deposits of neoplastic cells. In recent years, a number of animal and human studies showed that contrast enhanced ultrasound can be also used for the detection of sentinel lymph node, and may become a potential application in clinical routine. Several contrast agents have been used in those studies, including albumin solution, hydroxyethylated starch, SonoVue(®), Sonazoid(®) and Definity(®). This review summarizes the current knowledge about the use of ultrasound techniques in detection and evaluation of sentinel lymph node.