Browsing by Author "Ortiz, Mireya"

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    Expression of gremlin, a bone morphogenetic protein antagonist, is associated with vascular calcification in uraemia
    (OXFORD UNIV PRESS, 2009) Jara, Aquiles; Chacon, Cecilia; Eugenia Burgos, Maria; Droguett, Alejandra; Valdivieso, Andres; Ortiz, Mireya; Troncoso, Pablo; Mezzano, Sergio
    Background. Vascular calcification has been widely recognized as a significant contributor to cardiovascular risk in patients with chronic kidney disease. Recent evidence suggests that BMP-7 decreases the vascular calcification observed in uraemic rats, while BMP-2 could also be participating in this process. Gremlin, a bone morphogenetic protein antagonist, has been detected in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and since the role of the VSMCs into vascular calcification in uraemia is considered critical in this process, we hypothesized that gremlin could be participating in its pathogenesis. With this aim, we studied its expression in aorta from uraemic rats with calcitriol-induced vascular calcification and in 16-vessel biopsies of uraemic patients undergoing kidney transplantation.
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    The health system in Chile: the nephrologist perspective
    (WICHTIG EDITORE, 2011) Ardiles, Leopoldo G.; Poblete, Hugo; Ortiz, Mireya; Elgueta, Susana; Maria Cusumano, Ana; Vukusich, Antonio; Mezzano, Sergio
    Chile is a country with 17 million inhabitants, 13% of them living in rural areas, and with a per capita income of approximately US $14,500. Three percent of national income is assigned to the health budget, with a mixed public and private system, with guaranteed medical benefits from the state to cover chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal replacement therapy (RRT). Hemodialysis has reached in 2009 a prevalence of 857 patients per million population (pmp). Peritoneal dialysis is less developed, with a prevalence of 40 patients pmp. Both therapies show good quality indexes with a patient mortality rate close to 12% per year. A centralized national renal transplantation program registered 5,949 renal transplants performed up to 2009. Renal survival at 5 years is 86% for living and 76% for cadaveric donor transplants. Organ donation is relatively low with 7.1 cadaveric donors pmp in 2009, despite legal and educational strategies to increase it. Although the country demonstrates one of the highest standards for RRT indexes in Latin America, the proportion of resources invested makes it necessary to improve early diagnosis and renal prevention policies to avoid having the growing incidence of CKD constrain the national health budget.