I recettori dellangiotensina : Dalla biologia molecolare alla terapia con gli antagonisti recettoriali
Describes all the structural and functional characteristics of angiotensin receptors, with particular reference to their molecular and pharmacological properties. The therapeutic applications of AT1 receptor antagonists and the results obtained from large trials are also discussed, especially in arterial hypertension, heart failure, diabetic nephropathy and stroke.
Diabetic Kidney Disease
Presents the latest information on the clinical-pathological features of diabetic kidney disease. The data included is based on a cohort study of biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy patients and nephrosclerosis patients, who were observed over a long term, and on the long-term registry for diabetic nephropathy (diabetic kidney disease) in Japan. It provides a clinical-pathological axis in clinical settings, including differential pathological/clinical diagnoses of CKD in diabetic patients (e.g. the presence of “classic” diabetic nephropathy and/or nephrosclerosis and/or other primary kidney diseases). The abundant biopsy specimens with long-term medical records provide a detailed pathological and clinical description. The book also includes urine-sample data for developing and validating possible candidates for novel biomarkers for diabetic kidney disease. Many countries, including Japan, have ageing populations, in which nephrosclerosis contributes to the progression of kidney lesions in patients with diabetic kidney disease. As such, a comparison of a diabetic nephropathy cohort with nephrosclerosis is indispensable to offer better treatments.
Diabetes mellitus and bacterial and fungal urinary tract infection
Diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by variable degrees of insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion, and increased glucose production. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are at increased risk of infections, with the urinary tract being the most frequent infection site. Various impairments in the immune system, in addition to poor metabolic control of diabetes, and incomplete bladder emptying due to autonomic neuropathy, may all contribute in the pathogenesis of urinary tract infections (UTI) in diabetic patients. Factors that were found to enhance the risk for UTI in diabetics include age, metabolic control, and long-term complications, primarily diabetic nephropathy and cystopathy. The spectrum of UTI in these patients ranges from asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) to lower UTI (cystitis), pyelonephritis, and severe urosepsis.


