Hematuria Research Articles

Biomonitoring of volatile organic compounds and organophosphorus flame retardands in commercial aircrews after „fume and smell events“

Health risks to humans after „fume and smell events“, short-term incidents on aircrafts that are accompanied by unpleasant odour or visible smoke, remain a subject of controversy. We assessed exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOC) and organophosphorus compounds (OPC) by biomonitoring in 375 aircrew members after self-reported “fume and smell events” and in 88 persons of the general population. A total of 20 parameters were analysed in blood and urine by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Median levels of acetone in blood and urine and 2-propanol in blood were elevated in aircrews compared to controls (p < 0.0001). Additionally, elevated peak exposures, best estimated by the 95th percentiles, were observed in aircrews for n-heptane and n-octane in blood, and acetone, 2,5-hexanedione and o-cresol in urine. Only the maximum observed levels of 2,5-hexandione in urine (768 μg/L) and toluene in blood (77 μg/L) in aircrew members were higher than the current biological exposure indices (BEI® levels) (500 and 20 μg/L, respectively) of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (US-ACGIH) for workers occupationally exposed to n-hexane and toluene, two well-accepted human neurotoxicants. Low-level exposures to n-hexane and toluene could be also observed in controls. The majority of OPC parameters in urine, including those of neurotoxic ortho-isomers of tricresylphosphate, were below the limit of quantitation in both aircrews and controls. Our comparative VOC and OPC analyses in biological samples of a large number of aircrew members and controls suggest that exposures are similar in both groups and generally low.

Immediate inflammatory response to mechanical circulatory support in a porcine model of severe cardiogenic shock

BackgroundIn selected cases of cardiogenic shock, veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) is combined with trans valvular micro axial flow pumps (ECMELLA). Observational studies indicate that ECMELLA may reduce mortality but exposing the patient to two advanced mechanical support devices may affect the early inflammatory response. We aimed to explore inflammatory biomarkers in a porcine cardiogenic shock model managed with V-A ECMO or ECMELLA.MethodsFourteen landrace pigs had acute myocardial infarction-induced cardiogenic shock with minimal arterial pulsatility by microsphere embolization and were afterwards managed 1:1 with either V-A ECMO or ECMELLA for 4 h. Serial blood samples were drawn hourly and analyzed for serum concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and serum amyloid A (SAA).ResultsAn increase in IL-6, IL-8, and SAA levels was observed during the experiment for both groups. At 2–4 h of support, IL-6 levels were higher in ECMELLA compared to V-A ECMO animals (difference: 1416 pg/ml, 1278 pg/ml, and 1030 pg/ml). SAA levels were higher in ECMELLA animals after 3 and 4 h of support (difference: 401 ng/ml and 524 ng/ml) and a significant treatment-by-time effect of ECMELLA on SAA was identified (p = 0.04). No statistical significant between-group differences were observed in carotid artery blood flow, urine output, and lactate levels.ConclusionsLeft ventricular unloading with Impella during V-A ECMO resulted in a more extensive inflammatory reaction despite similar end-organ perfusion.

Immune reconstitution in children after haploidentical haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Immune reconstitution (IR) kinetics of paediatric patients underwent haploidentical haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) have not been extensively studied. We compared IR patterns of children receiving HSCT from haploidentical (n = 92) and HLA-matched donors (n = 36), and analysed risk factors for viral infection in these patients. We prospectively measured lymphocyte subset numbers before HSCT and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after HSCT. Blood cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus, adenovirus, BK virus (BKV) and urine adenovirus and BKV viral loads were measured at designated time points. The median numbers of total T and T helper cells at 1 month were significantly lower in the haploidentical group compared with the HLA-matched group. Haploidentical HSCT recipients had significantly lower median numbers of several T cell subsets and B cells for 1 year after HSCT. The median NK cell count of the haploidentical group was lower at 1 month. BKV haemorrhagic cystitis, blood CMV and urine adenovirus reactivation were more frequently found in the haploidentical group. Post-haploidentical HSCT patients receiving anti-T lymphocyte globulin (ATG) had significantly lower median numbers of total T cells (at 1 month) and T helper cells (at 6 and 12 months) and higher rate of blood BKV reactivation compared with those without ATG. Paediatric patients who undergo haploidentical HSCT with PTCy are likely to have delayed IR and an increased risk of viral reactivation/infection compared with HLA-matched HSCT. The addition of ATG to PTCy delayed T cell recovery and increased risk of BKV reactivation.

Bioelectrochemical Sensing Using Benchtop Fabricated Nanoroughened Microstructured Electrodes

AbstractCost‐effective miniaturized electrodes that maintain a high electroactive surface area (ESA) are needed for the widespread deployment of point‐of‐care sensors. Cost‐effective methods are recently developed to fabricate nanoroughened microstructured gold electrodes (NR‐MSEs) with ultrahigh ESA. In this work, the effectiveness of NR‐MSEs for bioelectrochemical enzymatic sensors is evaluated. A glucose sensor is constructed by first casting onto NR‐MSEs a solution containing reduced graphene oxide decorated with gold nanoparticles, glucose oxidase, and glutaraldehyde, followed by a solution containing ferrocene, and a layer of chitosan to prevent the leakage of sensor components. A urea biosensor is also fabricated using Nafion as a cationic exchanger for the electropolymerization of polyaniline, followed by the deposition of a composite containing urease, bovine serum albumin, and glutaraldehyde. The limit of quantification for both biosensors is below clinically relevant concentrations of the analytes in biofluids, 0.67 mm for glucose and 1.70 mm for urea. The sensors exhibit excellent performance in complex matrixes (human blood serum and wine for glucose and human blood serum and urine for urea), with recovery for spiked analytes in the range of 92–108%. It is anticipated that NR‐MSEs will expedite the development of highly sensitive bioelectrochemical sensors for use in resource‐limited settings.

Renal pelvic plasmacytoid subtype urothelial carcinoma accompanied with solitary mammary metastasis.

A 72-year-old female was referred to our institution for further evaluation of right renal tumor detected during work-up for macroscopic hematuria in other hospital. CT urography performed at our institution suggested renal pelvic tumor. Voiding cytology was atypical. CT also revealed a small mass in the right mammary gland. Percutaneous needle biopsies were performed on the right mammary gland and renal mass, leading to a pathological diagnosis of UC with plasmacytoid subtype, suggesting metastasis from the renal pelvic UC to the mammary gland. She had a favorable response to four cycles of dose-dense MVAC therapy; therefore, we performed nephroureterectomy. One month after nephroureterectomy, new intraperitoneal metastatic lesions were observed and pembrolizumab therapy was started. After seven doses of pembrolizumab, CT revealed a marked size reduction of intraperitoneal metastases and the mammary metastasis remained small.

Investigating bleeding adverse events associated with BTK inhibitors in the food and drug administration adverse event reporting system (FAERS)

ABSTRACT Background This study analyzed the bleeding adverse events (AEs) resulting from the treatment of B-cell lymphoma with Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors, according to reports in the US Food and Drug Administration’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Methods Bleeding AEs associated with BTK inhibitors (including ibrutinib, zanubrutinib, and acalabrutinib) from the first quarter of 2013 to the third quarter of 2023 were extracted. Reporting odds ratio (ROR) and proportional reporting ratio (PRR) were reported. Preferred Terms (PTs) of Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terms were mapped to System Organ Class terms (SOC) terms and analyzed bleeding AEs associated with three BTK inhibitors. Results A total of 463 cases of bleeding AEs were included. Contusion, subcutaneous hemorrhage, hematuria, and cerebral hemorrhage were included in PTs. Blood urine was present and subdural hematoma were also reported. The incidence of bleeding AEs was higher with ibrutinib (Case number = 10,696) than with zanubrutinib (Case number = 213) and acalabrutinib (Case number = 314). Conclusion Our findings indicate that bleeding AEs linked to BTK inhibitors in various conditions underscore the need for cautious clinical decision-making, particularly in nervous system disorders, injuries, poisoning, surgical complications, vascular disorders, and others.

Machine learning pipeline to analyze clinical and proteomics data: experiences on a prostate cancer case

Proteomic-based analysis is used to identify biomarkers in blood samples and tissues. Data produced by devices such as mass spectrometry requires platforms to identify and quantify proteins (or peptides). Clinical information can be related to mass spectrometry data to identify diseases at an early stage. Machine learning techniques can be used to support physicians and biologists in studying and classifying pathologies. We present the application of machine learning techniques to define a pipeline aimed at studying and classifying proteomics data enriched using clinical information. The pipeline allows users to relate established blood biomarkers with clinical parameters and proteomics data. The proposed pipeline entails three main phases: (i) feature selection, (ii) models training, and (iii) models ensembling. We report the experience of applying such a pipeline to prostate-related diseases. Models have been trained on several biological datasets. We report experimental results about two datasets that result from the integration of clinical and mass spectrometry-based data in the contexts of serum and urine analysis. The pipeline receives input data from blood analytes, tissue samples, proteomic analysis, and urine biomarkers. It then trains different models for feature selection, classification and voting. The presented pipeline has been applied on two datasets obtained in a 2 years research project which aimed to extract hidden information from mass spectrometry, serum, and urine samples from hundreds of patients. We report results on analyzing prostate datasets serum with 143 samples, including 79 PCa and 84 BPH patients, and an urine dataset with 121 samples, including 67 PCa and 54 BPH patients. As results pipeline allowed to identify interesting peptides in the two datasets, 6 for the first one and 2 for the second one. The best model for both serum (AUC=0.87, Accuracy=0.83, F1=0.81, Sensitivity=0.84, Specificity=0.81) and urine (AUC=0.88, Accuracy=0.83, F1=0.83, Sensitivity=0.85, Specificity=0.80) datasets showed good predictive performances. We made the pipeline code available on GitHub and we are confident that it will be successfully adopted in similar clinical setups.

Ghrelin alleviates placental dysfunction by down-regulating NF-κB phosphorylation in LPS-induced rat model of preeclampsia

In our previous study, we uncovered that ghrelin promotes angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro by activating the Jagged1/Notch2/VEGF pathway in preeclampsia (PE). However, the regulatory effects of ghrelin on placental dysfunction in PE are unclear. Therefore, we applied Normal pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), to establish a PE-like rat model. The hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining method and immunohistochemistry (IHC) technology were used to detect morphological features of the placenta. IHC and Western blot were applied to examine Bax and Bcl-2 expression levels. The concentrations of serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1) and placental growth factor (PIGF) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. In addition, the apoptosis rates of JEG-3 and HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cells were determined by Annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis detection kit. Cell migratory capacities were assessed by scratch-wound assay, and RNA-sequencing assay was used to determine the mechanism of ghrelin in regulating trophoblast apoptosis. It has been found that ghrelin significantly reduced blood pressure, urinary protein, and urine creatinine in rats with PE, at the meanwhile, ameliorated placental and fetal injuries. Second, ghrelin clearly inhibited placental Bax expression and circulating sFlt-1 as well as elevated placental Bcl-2 expression and circulating PIGF, restored apoptosis and invasion deficiency of trophoblast cells caused by LPS in vitro. Finally, transcriptomics indicated that nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) was the potential downstream pathway of ghrelin. Our findings illustrated that ghrelin supplementation significantly improved LPS-induced PE-like symptoms and adverse pregnancy outcomes in rats by alleviating placental apoptosis and promoting trophoblast migration.

A nomogram clinical prediction model for predicting urinary infection stones: development and validation in a retrospective study.

This study aimed to develop a nomogram prediction model to predict the exact probability of urinary infection stones before surgery in order to better deal with the clinical problems caused by infection stones and take effective treatment measures. We retrospectively collected the clinical data of 390 patients who were diagnosed with urinary calculi by imaging examination and underwent postoperative stone analysis between August 2018 and August 2023. The patients were randomly divided into training group (n = 312) and validation group (n = 78) using the "caret" R package. The clinical data of the patients were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen out the independent influencing factors and construct a nomogram prediction model. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical impact curves were used to evaluate the discrimination, accuracy, and clinical application efficacy of the prediction model. Gender, recurrence stones, blood uric acid value, urine pH, and urine bacterial culture (P < 0.05) were independent predictors of infection stones, and a nomogram prediction model ( https://zhaoyshenjh.shinyapps.io/DynNomInfectionStone/ ) was constructed using these five parameters. The area under the ROC curve of the training group was 0.901, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.865-0.936), and the area under the ROC curve of the validation group was 0.960, 95% CI (0.921-0.998). The results of the calibration curve for the training group showed a mean absolute error of 0.015 and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test P > 0.05. DCA and clinical impact curves showed that when the threshold probability value of the model was between 0.01 and 0.85, it had the maximum net clinical benefit. The nomogram developed in this study has good clinical predictive value and clinical application efficiency can help with risk assessment and decision-making for infection stones in diagnosing and treating urolithiasis.

Predictive factors of progression to chronic glomerulonephritis in pediatric patients with post streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis

BackgroundPost streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis (PSAGN) patients have favorable prognosis, in which most patients showed full recovery in terms of kidney function. However, there is a slight chance ranging from 3 to 6% that PSAGN patients develop chronic kidney diseasewhich may progress into end-stage kidney disease in later life. It is important to identify the factors that can predict the development of chronic glomerulonephritis following PSAGN. Therefore, early intervention can be performed to halt the progression of chronic kidney disease. This study aimed to determine the predictive factors of chronic glomerulonephritis in pediatric patients with PSAGN. MethodsThis study was an analytical observational study with retrospective cohort design. The accessible population was children within the age of 2–18 years old who were admitted with PSAGN between January 2015 and December 2020 in Dr. Sardjito General Hospital Yogyakarta. All anonymized patient data were evaluated for demographic variables, clinical features, laboratory profiles and outcome. Multivariate analysis was performed with multivariate logistic regression method. ResultsA total of 124 patients with PSAGN were obtained from medical record data. There were 65 patients (52.4%) with chronic glomerulonephritis. Bivariate analysis was performed on assumed predictive factors with the results indicating massive proteinuria with hypoalbuminemia (OR 1.670, 95%CI 1.199–2.326; p = 0.003), oliguria (OR 1.517, 95%CI 1.101–2.089; p = 0.028) and macroscopic hematuria (OR 1.647, 95%CI:1.061–2.555; p = 0.013) were significantly higher in the PSAGN group with chronic glomerulonephritis compared to those without. Results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed massive proteinuria with hypoalbuminemia (OR 2.896, 95%CI 1.177–7.123, p = 0.021) and macroscopic hematuria (OR 2.457, 95%CI ,1.018–5.933, p = 0.046) would highly predict chronic glomerulonephritis in subjects with PSAGN. ConclusionWe concluded that massive proteinuria with hypoalbuminemia and macroscopic hematuria are the predictive factors which highly predict chronic glomerulonephritis in PSAGN.

Effects of Selenium and Cadmium on Human Liver and Kidney Functions in Exposed Black Shale Areas.

Animal experiments suggest that selenium (Se) may alleviate cadmium (Cd) toxicity in animal liver and kidneys, but its effect on human liver and kidneys remains uncertain. In China, areas with black shale have shown elevated levels of Se and Cd. According to the USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) evaluation method, the soil and rice in these areas pose significant risks. In black shale regions such as Enshi and Zhuxi County, residents who long-term consume local rice may surpass safe Se and Cd intake levels. Significantly high median blood Se (B-Se) and urine selenium (U-Se) levels were detected in these areas, measuring 416.977μg/L and 352.690μg/L and 104.527μg/L and 51.820μg/L, respectively. Additionally, the median blood Cd (B-Cd) and urine Cd (U-Cd) levels were markedly elevated at 4.821μg/L and 3.848μg/L and at 7.750μg/L and 7.050μg/L, respectively, indicating substantial Cd exposure. Nevertheless, sensitive liver and kidney biomarkers in these groups fall within healthy reference ranges, suggesting a potential antagonistic effect of Se on Cd in the human body. Therefore, the USEPA method may not accurately assess Cd risk in exposed black shale areas. However, within the healthy ranges, residents in the Enshi study area had significantly greater median levels of serum creatinine and cystatin C, measuring 67.3μmol/L and 0.92mg/L, respectively, than those in Zhuxi did (53.6μmol/L and 0.86mg/L). In cases of excessive Se and Cd exposure, high Se and Cd levels impact the filtration function of the human kidney to some extent.

Two Cases of Bleeding from the Ileal Conduit Due to Ectopic Varices

Case 1 : A 75-year-old man was emergently admitted to our hospital with a complaint of continuous bleeding from the ileal conduit. The conduit was constructed by a total pelvic resection for sigmoid colon cancer that invaded the urinary bladder 24 years ago. Swollen cutaneous mucosa was seen around the ileal conduit, but no obvious bleeding spot was observed. The contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) scan and 3D visualization revealed varices extending to the abdominal wall. Percutaneous transhepatic embolization successfully stopped the bleeding, but it was needed again after two years. Case 2 : A 72-yearold man with a history of open cystectomy and ileal conduit for bladder cancer came to our hospital two years after the surgery, complaining of continuous bleeding from the conduit. The skin around the stoma site was discolored purple, but no obvious bleeding site or bloody urine was observed. The CT scan similar to Case 1 revealed varices in the ileal conduit, and percutaneous transhepatic embolization successfully stopped the bleeding, but it was needed again after five months. After that, three months passed without recurrence.

Early complications in scoliosis surgery and relation to preoperative factors: A single-center retrospective study.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the perioperative complications of the patients who underwent scoliosis surgery in our hospital and the factors that may affect the outcome. Between 2014 and 2018, scoliosis patients recorded data was examined retrospectively. Age, gender, height, body weight, comorbidity, Cobb index, scoliosis etiology, operation time, preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin, hematocrit, leukocyte, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, coagulation value, operation time, level of instrumentation, intraoperative and postoperative blood loss, blood transfusion, intraoperative fluid administration, preoperative pulmonary function test values, blood gas values, urine outputs, hospital (LOS) and post anesthesia care unit stays, complications and mortality rates were examined. The files of 77 patients (48 female, 29 male) were retrospectively analyzed. The average age was 19.54 ± 16.32 years and 98.7% were elective surgery. The mean of LOS was 13.55 ± 9.13 days. As the preoperative hematocrit value decreases, LOS increases significantly. In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smokers and high ASA scores, LOS is prolonged in patients with previous operations. As intraoperative colloid administration increased, crystalloid and blood products increased, it was also observed that the amount of crystalloid increased LOS. As the amount of intraoperative colloid or red blood cell administration increases, the duration of surgery and anesthesia increases, also increases the duration of post anesthesia care unit. Compared to patients with complications (n = 29) to the patients without complications (n = 47), it was found that they had longer anesthesia, and surgery times, also longer LOS times (P < .05). Our study showed that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the preoperative period, smoking, high ASA score, excessive use of colloid, prolonged duration of surgery and anesthesia, and long intubation durations increase the length of hospital stay. Preoperative comorbidity is directly related to postoperative complications and causes longer hospitalization after reconstructive scoliosis surgery.

Effect of a single small volume fluid bolus with balanced or un-balanced fluids on chloride and acid-base status: a prospective randomized pilot study (the FLURES-trial).

To compare the short-term effects on acid base, electrolyte status and urine output of a single fluid bolus of saline to that of the balanced solution Plasmalyte® in critically ill patients. Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Adult patients (≥ 18years) admitted to the ICU receiving a fluid bolus were randomized to receive 1 L of saline (NaCl 0.9%, Baxter) or a balanced fluid [Plasmalyte® (Baxter)]. Blood samples and urine output were collected just before (T0), just after (T1), 2 h after (T2) (only for urinary output) and three hours after termination of the fluid bolus (T4). The effect of fluid boluses on serum chloride, apparent strong ion difference, base excess, urinary output and blood pressure or vasopressor need were analyzed. Patients who received a 1 L saline fluid bolus had a significant increase in serum chloride (1.60; 95% CI 1.10 to 2.10; P < 0.001) and short-term decrease in apparent strong ion difference (-1.85; 95% CI -2.71 to -0.99; P < 0.001) and base excess (-0.90; 95% CI -1.31 to -0.50; P < 0.001). We observed a 17% increase in patients developing hyperchloremia in the saline group (0.17; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.29; P = 0.005). No significant difference in urinary output, blood pressure or vasopressor need was observed in either group. Even a single, small bolus of saline, administered to critically ill patients, causes a significant increase in chloride concentration and a decrease in apparent strong ion difference and base excess, and an increase in the number of patients developing hyperchloremia. No difference in effect on urinary output, blood pressure or vasopressor need was observed between the two groups. 2014-001005-41; date of registration: 28/10/2014. EC project number 2014/038.

Pharmacokinetic evaluation of a single chain antibody fragment against scorpion toxins in sheep

A key aspect during the development of antivenoms is the evaluation of the efficiency and security of the therapeutic molecules. In this work, we report the pharmacokinetic analysis of a neutralizing single chain antibody fragment named LR (scFv LR) where three sheep were used as a large animal model. The animals were injected through i.v. route with 2 mg of scFv LR. Blood samples were drawn every minute within the first 15 min, the sampling continues at 20, 25, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 min, subsequently at 1-h intervals, 3, 4, 5, 6 h, two more samples at 9 and 12 h and, two more samples at 24 and 48 h and finally at one-day intervals during 4 days. scFv LR levels were measured from blood serum and urine samples by an ELISA. The pharmacokinetics of the experimental data was analyzed using the three-exponential kinetics. The value of the fast initial component (τ1=0.409±0.258min) indicated that the scFv is distributed rapidly into the tissues. The mean residence time, MRT, was 45 ± 0.51 min and the clearance (CL), 114.3 ± 14.3 mL/min. From urine samples it was possible to detect significant amounts of scFv LR, which is evidence of renal elimination.

Exploring a New Pathophysiological Association in Acne Vulgaris and Metabolic Syndrome: The Role of Biogenic Amines and Glutathione Peroxidase.

Background and Objectives: Metabolic disorders cause many skin issues, including acne vulgaris. This research investigated the function of glutathione peroxidase (GTPx) and biogenic amines as a potential novel pathophysiological link between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and acne vulgaris. Materials and Methods: The patients were distributed into two groups: metabolic precondition (MPG, n = 78) and control (CG, n = 81). To determine the extent of acne and metabolic preconditioning, patients were subjected to extensive clinical/paraclinical investigations. Additionally, catecholamine levels in urine and GTPx levels in blood were measured. Results: Mild acne was more common in the CG (32.1 vs. 6.4, p < 0.001), and severe acne was more common in the MPG (61.54 vs. 25.9, p < 0.001), with the average age being substantially higher in the MPG (23.81 vs. 21.05, p = 0.002). Significant variations were observed in the paraclinical levels for catecholamines (p < 0.05). In the MPG, most severe acne patients were overweight (52.1%), insulin-resistant (48.8%), or obese (47.9%). Moderate acne was most often linked to obesity (56%), overweight (44%), and insulin resistance (20%). Patients with severe acne (48.83%) had a considerably greater incidence of insulin resistance syndrome (p = 0.039) than those with moderate or severe acne (20%). The presence of two or three metabolic disorders considerably raised the risk of severe acne. Significant differences between groups were observed only in the subgroup of patients with severe acne, with lower values in the MPG (p = 0.015). Significant differences between groups were observed regarding the subgroup of patients with severe acne, with lower DTPx values in the MPG. At the group level, only CG patients with severe acne had reduced GTPx levels. Significant differences in catecholamine values were seen between groups (p < 0.05), independent of acne severity, except for adrenaline in mild acne patients (p = 0.059). Conclusions: The complex connection between GTPx and catecholamines in MetS suggests a significant role of these factors in the pathogenesis of acne associated with this condition, opening new perspectives in the research and treatment of acne in the context of MetS.

Pediatric Cases Diagnosed with Drug-Related Acute Tubulointerstitial Nephritis: A Single-Center Experience

Aim: Acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) is inflammation of the renal interstitium. It is also a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). The aim is to contribute to the literature by evaluating patients diagnosed with drug-induced TIN.&#x0D; Material methods: 29 Turkish children aged between 3 and 217 months, 5 of whom had undergone a biopsy, were retrospectively analyzed in terms of clinical and laboratory findings.&#x0D; Results: 29 patients, 19 of whom were girls, were evaluated. The mean age at diagnosis was 138.6(3-217) ± 67.4 months. Nausea-vomiting complaint of 12 cases, 6 under treatment during hospitalization, 4 with headache, 2 with isolated fatigue, and the remaining 5 patients with incidentally detected renal function test disorder, oligo-anuria, urinary incontinence, red urination, and uveitis. At the time of diagnosis, 4 patients had hypertension and 26 patients had AKI. Two of these cases were anuric. The low eGFR values at the time of diagnosis were observed to improve at the end of the follow-up. Hematuria was detected in 18 cases and of them were macroscopic hematuria. 4 patients had pyuria, 19 patients had proteinuria, and 2 of them were nephrotic. FeNa was the most common abnormality of the tubular tests with 4.5%. Biopsy was performed in 5 cases. While one of the patients presented with uveitis, uveitis developed in 1 patient during the 3rd month of follow-up.&#x0D; Conclusion: Consequently, although TIN is a reversible disease, its recognition is important in terms of treatment and follow-up.

Investigating the mechanism of cornel iridoid glycosides on type 2 diabetes mellitus using serum and urine metabolites in rats

Ethnopharmacological relevanceCornel iridoid glycosides (CIG) are extracted from Corni fructus, a herbal medicine used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diabetes. However, the antidiabetic effects of CIG and the underlying metabolic mechanisms require further exploration. Aim of the studyThis study aimed to assess the antidiabetic effects and metabolic mechanism of CIG by performing metabolomic analyses of serum and urine samples of rats. Materials and methodsA rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was established by administering a low dose of streptozotocin (30 mg/kg) intraperitoneally after 4 weeks of feeding a high-fat diet. The model was evaluated based on several parameters, including fasting blood glucose (FBG), random blood glucose (RBG), urine volume, liver index, body weight, histopathological sections, and serum biochemical parameters. Subsequently, serum and urine metabolomics were analyzed using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS). Data were analyzed using unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) and supervised orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Differential metabolites were examined by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathways to explore the underlying mechanisms. ResultsAfter 4 weeks of treatment with different doses of CIG, varying degrees of antidiabetic effects were observed, along with reduced liver and pancreatic injury, and improved oxidative stress levels. Compared with the T2DM group, 19 and 23 differential metabolites were detected in the serum and urine of the CIG treatment group, respectively. The key metabolites involved in pathway regulation include taurine, chenodeoxycholic acid, glycocholic acid, and L-tyrosine in the serum and glycine, hippuric acid, phenylacetylglycine, citric acid, and D-glucuronic acid in the urine, which are related to lipid, amino acid, energy, and carbohydrate metabolism. ConclusionsThis study confirmed the antidiabetic effects of CIG and revealed that CIG effectively controlled metabolic disorders in T2DM rats. This seems to be meaningful for the clinical application of CIG, and can benefit further studies on CIG mechanism.

One-drop micro-array towards accelerated optical quantification of dopamine in human biofluids using triangular silver nanoparticles: Smartphone-assisted biomedical analysis by colorimetric sensing and Lab-on-paper technology

Trace-level detection of Dopamine (DA) in human body fluids is crucial for diagnosing neurological disorders, understanding mental health, and advancing drug discovery, but found challenging with rapid and low-cost detection technologies. Herein, an innovative paper-based photochemical method has been developed for the detection of DA using triangular silver nanoprism (AgNPrs), as an optical nanoprobe, in human blood plasma and urine samples. The redox reaction between DA and AgNPrs was evaluated through a color change at two pHs (5.35and 6.14), which can be analyzed by UV–Vis spectrophotometry and microfluidic paper-based colorimetric device (µPCD) with low limit of quantification of 0.01 µM. This study presents pioneering work with the potential to inspire the development of simple and effective on-site semi quantifying recognition devices for other neurotransmitters, requiring only a lightweight piece of paper and a single drop of the necessary reagent.

Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) and 3 (TIMP-3) as New Markers of Acute Kidney Injury After Massive Burns.

BACKGROUND Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and serious complication after massive burn injury. One of the postulated etiologies is destruction of the extracellular matrix of nephrons, caused by a local imbalance between matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and specific inhibitors. The aim of this study was to analyze the dynamics of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) during the first 5 days after massive thermal injury and the relationship with the risk of AKI. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-three adults (22 men, 11 women) with severe burns were enrolled in the study. The values of TIMPs 1 to 4 were measured in blood serum and urine using the multiplex Luminex system. The associations between TIMPs and the risk of AKI were analyzed by using the generalized linear mixed models for repeated measurements. RESULTS Significant changes in serum and urine activities of TIMPs were confirmed, especially during the first 2 days after burn injury. Almost half of patients presented renal problems during the study. Significant differences between values of TIMPs in AKI and non-AKI status were also observed. However, a significant relationship between concentration of TIMPs and risk of AKI was confirmed only for urine TIMP-1 and serum TIMP-3. CONCLUSIONS The evaluation of TIMPs in the early stage after burn injury has potential benefits. The important roles of urine TIMP-1 and serum TIMP-3, as novel markers of the risk of AKI development, were confirmed. Other parameters require further analysis.