ABSTRACT Introduction: Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease worldwide. A kidney biopsy in a diabetic patient must be considered when non-diabetic renal disease is suspected, such as in the presence of a rapid decline in renal function or severe unexplained proteinuria. However, the timing and criteria of a biopsy remain controversial in these patients. We aimed to identify clinical and histological markers that could help differentiate diabetic and non-diabetic renal disease and decide if this invasive approach is needed or not. Subjects and Methods: We reviewed 30 years of biopsies from diabetic patients performed at a tertiary hospital. We collected patient demographic data, biopsy indications, histological findings, and clinical and analytical data both at the moment of the biopsy and extensive followup. Based on kidney biopsy findings, patients were categorized as isolated diabetic nephropathy, non-diabetic kidney disease, or non-diabetic kidney disease superimposed on diabetic nephropathy (diabetic kidney disease). Results and Discussion: We enrolled 92 patients, mostly with type 2 diabetes, with a mean age of 62.9 ± 13.2 years. Nearly half of them had isolated diabetic nephropathy (53.3%), and 15.2% had diabetic nephropathy superimposed on non-diabetic kidney disease, comprising a total of 63 patients (68.5%) with diabetic kidney disease. Twenty-nine patients (31.5%) were considered to have non-diabetic kidney disease. These last patients were significantly less likely to need insulin therapy (p=0.002), had more frequently an acute deterioration of renal function (p=0.01), lower albumin levels (p=0.03), and a higher prevalence of microhematuria (p=0.001). We found the latter to be an independent predictor of non-diabetic kidney disease. Further, patients with the primary diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy had higher survival than those who had nondiabetic kidney disease, contradicting published data. Conclusions: The criteria for performing a biopsy in diabetic patients still lack consensus, although the priority to identify non-diabetic kidney disease prevails. We believe the non-diabetic kidney disease predictors we describe may prove helpful for determining the need for a histological assessment in diabetic patients.

ABSTRACT Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis is an ANCA vasculitis characterized by asthma, rhinosinusitis and peripheral eosinophilia. The kidney is infrequently involved, usually in the form of necrotizing crescentic glomerulonephritis. We present the case of a 60-year-old man who presented with painless sudden loss of visual acuity, purpuric exanthem in his legs, asthenia and myalgia. CT-scan ruled out acute vascular and intracranial space occupant lesions. Optical coherence tomography showed signs of left central retinal artery occlusion and perfusion deficits in the right arterial retinal blood supply. Complementary study showed prominent peripheral eosinophilia (24.500 cel/uL), increased serum IgE (1260U/L) and increased C-reactive protein (10.6mg/dl). During admission, the patient presented with acute kidney failure (serum creatinine of 4.7mg/dl) and an exceptionally high p-ANCA MPO titer (>600U/L). Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis was diagnosed and plasmapheresis, pulse steroid therapy and intravenous cyclophosphamide were provided. Kidney biopsy showed interstitial nephritis with high eosinophil content while the glomerulus was relatively spared, with only mild endocapillary proliferation. The patient didn’t require dialysis. Kidney function was normal at discharge, although the visual deficit did not improve.

Resumo No Brasil, as indústrias sucroalcooleiras, além de gerar produtos importantes como o álcool e o açúcar, produzem subprodutos como a cinza do bagaço de cana de açúcar (CBC). A CBC possui um alto material pozolânico, podendo ser aplicado em materiais de construção civil como substituto parcial do cimento. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar a cinza do bagaço da cana-de-açúcar e utilizá-la como material cimentício suplementar na produção de tijolos solo-cimento. A CBC foi utilizada substituindo percentuais de cimento utilizados na composição de de tijolos nas proporções de 10, 20 e 50% em massa. A caracterização química da CBC indicou a presença de sílica cristalina na forma de quartzo e cristobalita. Após a substituição parcial do cimento pela cinza, os tijolos conservaram sua resistência à compressão. Entre as composições estudadas, a substituição parcial do cimento pela CBC em 20% apresentou a maior resistência a compressão simples. De acordo com o estudo, a CBC se mostrou como um subproduto indicado para a produção de materiais de construção sustentáveis.

Abstract In Brazil, the sugar and alcohol industries generate important products such as alcohol and sugar, and produce byproducts as sugarcane bagasse ash (SBAS). The SBAS has a high pozzolan content and can be applied as a partial cement substitute in the production of building materials. This study aims to characterise sugarcane bagasse ash and use it as a supplementary cementitious material in the production of soil-cement bricks. SBAS was used to replace the percentages of cement used in brick composition in the proportions of 10, 20 and 50% by mass. The chemical characterisation of SBAS indicated the presence of crystalline silica in the form of quartz and cristobalite. After partial replacement of cement by ash, the bricks preserved their compressive strength. Among the compositions studied, the partial replacement of cement by SBAS at 20% presented the highest compressive strength. The results showed that SBAS is a suitable byproduct for the manufacture of sustainable building materials.

C3 Glomerulopathy is a rare disease caused by abnormal control of the alternative complement pathway, resulting in a predominant glomerular C3 deposition. Its association with multiple myeloma has been reported in recent literature. We present a case of a 66-year-old women, referred for a nephrology consultation with a stage 4 chronic kidney disease, microhematuria, leukocyturia, sub-nephrotic range proteinuria (1.3 g/24hours), albumin 3.7 g/dl and dyslipidemia. She had been previously studied in a Hematology consultation for a normocytic anemia and an IgG Kappa monoclonal gammopathy, with 16% of plasma cells in bone marrow aspiration, but no hypercalcemia or lytic bone lesions. Autoimmune tests (ANCA, ANA, Anti-dsDNA antibody), C3 and C4 were negative. Eight months later, the patient complained of hypertension and edema, and presented a mild decrease in serum C3 (0.86 g/L [0.90-1.80]) and progressive nephrotic proteinuria (from 4.5 to 6.1 g/24h), with hypoalbuminemia. A kidney biopsy was performed, and we found mild chronic non-specific glomerular and tubule-interstitial findings, on light microscopy, and mesangial C3 deposits (+++), without immunoglobulin deposits, on immunofluorescence. Immunofluorescence with protease-digested paraffin sections was also negative. Genetic study found no complement gene mutation. She was treated with prednisone 1mg/Kg/day, with a favorable clinical and laboratorial response, but whether this treatment is enough it is still being pondered between nephrologists and hematologists

A hiperplasia linfóide angiofolicular foi inicialmente descrita por Castleman como uma hiperplasia do gânglio linfático, caracterizada por folículos anormais, com centros germinativos pequenos e marcada proliferação capilar. Os autores apresentam o caso de um homem de 37 anos com toracalgia e massa mediastínica com 4 cm de diâmetro, constituída por tecido vermelho-escuro e carnudo, com pequena área central branca. Foi diagnosticada a variante plasmocitária da hiperplasia infóide angiofolicular em gânglio linfático mediastínico. Apresentava mais dois gânglios "diafragmáticos" envolvidos pela mesma doença. A hiperplasia linfóide angiofolicular, ou doença de Castleman, é uma doença linfoproliferativa rara que atinge frequentemente o mediastino ou os gânglios linfáticos do hilo pulmonar. Pode ter, no entanto, outras localizações, na forma multisistémica. Estão descritas duas variantes morfológicas: a vascular hialina e a plasmocitária. A IL-6 parece ter um papel importante na sua patogenia, quando se trata da variante plasmocitária. A doença de Castleman deve ser considerada no diagnóstico diferencial de massas mediastínicas, nomeadamente com linfomas.

Angiofolicular lymphoid hyperplasia was first described by Castleman as a lymph node hyperplasia characterized by abnormal follicles with small germinal centres and high capillary proliferation. The authors present a case of a 37 year old man with thoracalgy and a mediastinal mass of 4 cm diameter, fleshy and red with a white central area. The diagnosis of plasma cell type of angiofolicular lymphoid hyperplasia in an mediastinal lymph node was made. He also had involvement of two "diaphragmatic" lymph nodes. Angiofolicular lymphoid hyperplasia - Castleman’s disease - is a rare lymphoproliferative disease that involves the mediastine or the pulmonary hilus when of solitary form but it can also have other localizations (multicentric or systemic form). Two histological variants are described, the hyaline vascular type and the plasma cell type. IL-6 seems to be in the plasma cell type, due to plasma cells proliferation. Castleman’s Disease must be considered in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal masses, namely lymphomas.