Renocardiac Effects of p-Cresyl Sulfate Administration in Acute Kidney Injury Induced by Unilateral Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury In Vivo

The precise mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular complications due to acute kidney injury (AKI) and the retention of uremic toxins like p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) remain incompletely understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the renocardiac effects of PCS administration in animals subjected to AKI induced by ischemia and reperfusion (IR) injury. C57BL6 mice were subjected to distinct protocols: (i) administration with PCS (20, 40, or 60 mg/L/day) for 15 days and (ii) AKI due to unilateral IR injury associated with PCS administration for 15 days. The 20 mg/L dose of PCS led to a decrease in renal mass, an increase in the gene expression of Cystatin C and kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), and a decrease in the α-actin in the heart. During AKI, PCS increased the renal injury biomarkers compared to control; however, it did not exacerbate these markers. Furthermore, PCS did not enhance the cardiac hypertrophy observed after 15 days of IR. An increase, but not potentialized, in the cardiac levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in the IR group treated with PCS, as well as in the injured kidney, was also noticed. In short, PCS administration did not intensify kidney injury, inflammation, and cardiac outcomes after AKI.

Finding of a bullet in the cervical column of a body hit by a train

This case is about the finding of a body of an unidentified male of approximately 70 years of age who was hit by a train. During the carrying out of the corresponding autopsy and after the radiological tests for posterior odontological identification, a foreign body of a cylindrical-cone shape, identical to that of a bullet, was found lodged between the first and second cervical vertebrae. During dissection of the neck, a bullet was found. When the ballistic test was carried out, it was ascertained that the bullet was from a cartridge of 7.92 by 57-mm Mauser caliber, manufactured in Spain in 1936. This ammunition corresponds to that used during the Civil War in Spain (1936-1939). After the identification of the body, it was proved that the bullet was the result of a war wound. However, the victim had been unaware of the existence of the bullet, which had remained in his body for 50 years.