Results Of Biochemical Markers Research Articles

Integrated lecithin–bile salt nanovesicles as a promising approach for effective skin delivery of luteolin to improve UV-induced skin damage in Wistar Albino rats

The present study improved the effectiveness of a poorly water-soluble drug, luteolin (LUT), by encapsulating it in lecithin–bile salt-integrated system called bilosomes (BLs). Such a delivery system offers the benefits of mimicking the skin's biological structure and being a prominent tool to circumvent skin delivery obstacles. The prepared BLs underwent complete in vitro assessment. The developed BLs showed enhanced characteristics compared to free luteolin suspension (P < 0.05). Optimized BLs attained good entrapment efficiency (78.60% ± 0.88%), small particle size (226.1 ± 2.45 nm), and sustained drug-release pattern. The study also showed that both blank and LUT-loaded BLs preparations were safe to the skin with a primary irritancy index of < 2 based on the Draize test. In vivo tests were conducted to study the effect of the bile salt-based nanovesicles compared with the free LUT suspension. The photoprotective effect was evaluated according to the visual examination and biochemical analyses of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-wrinkling markers after ultraviolet B irradiation. Results of biochemical markers and histopathological examination demonstrated that the LUT-BLs effect was superior than the LUT suspension (P < 0.05). Consequently, the current study proves that novel LUT-loaded BLs is a promising nanoplatform that overcome LUT delivery obstacles and, hence, alleviate UV-induced skin damage.

THE STUDY OF RENOPROTECTIVE PROPERTIES OF ERYTROPOETIN DERIVATIVES ON THE KIDNEY ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION MODEL

Aim.The research was designed to study the renoprotective properties of erythropoietin derivatives on the kidney ischemiareperfusion experimental model.Materials and methods.The renoprotective properties of asialo erythropoietin (0.4 μg/kg and 2.4 μg/kg 30 minutes before the induction of ischemia) and carbamylated darbepoetin (50 μg/kg 24 hours before the ischemic stimulus) were studied in comparison with erythropoietin and darbepoetin in a series of experiments on male Wistar rats on a 40-minute bilateral model of renal ischemia-reperfusion. The renoprotective properties were evaluated by the results of biochemical markers of acute kidney injury, the dynamics of glomerular filtration rate and fractional sodium excretion, as well as the severity of microcirculatory disorders.Results.It was found that the prophylactic use of asialo erythropoietin (dose-dependent) and carbamylated darbepoetin leads to a decrease in the serum concentration of markers of acute renal damage, an increase in the glomerular filtration rate, a decrease in fractional sodium excretion, and a decrease in microcirculatory disorders.Conclusion.Asialo erythropoietin and carbamylated darbepoetin have the pronounced renoprotective properties and are the promising agents for the prevention and treatment of acute kidney injury.

Diagnóstico prenatal de anomalías cromosómicas Biopsia de vellosidades coriales y amniocentesis para cariotipo fetal

Introducción: El diagnóstico prenatal temprano de anomalías cromosómicas requiere de técnicas invasivas, como la biopsia de vellosidades coriales (BVC) y la amniocentesis (AMC), con el fin de obtener células fetales, cultivarlas y obtener el cariotipo en los fetos con riesgo alto para estas anomalías, identificadas mediante marcadores ecográficos y bioquímicos desde las 11 semanas. Reportamos nuestra experiencia hasta junio del año 2016. Diseño: Estudio descriptivo longitudinal. Institución: Instituto Latinoamericano de Salud Reproductiva (ILSAR), Lima, Perú. Participantes: Fetos de primer y segundo trimestres del embarazo. Intervenciones: Se analizó los resultados del estudio de 400 fetos que cursaban el primer y segundo trimestre y que tenían riesgo alto para anomalías cromosómicas (mayor de 1/270 inicialmente y 1/100 desde el año 2012), resultado cuantificado utilizando la base de datos del Fetal Test de España más el resultado de los marcadores bioquímicos (riesgo combinado). El análisis del cariotipo fetal se realizó en muestras obtenidas por medio de 338 amniocentesis genéticas y 62 biopsias de vellosidades coriales realizadas durante el período comprendido de enero 2003 a junio 2016 en nuestro centro ILSAR. Principales medidas de resultados: Presencia de arcadores ecográficos y normalidad de los cariotipos. Resultados: Los marcadores ecográficos encontrados con mayor frecuencia fueron: higroma quístico (35,8%), translucencia nucal aumentada (13%), ductus venoso con onda de velocidad de flujo anormal (8,5%), dos o más marcadores asociados a anomalías fetales (13,7%). De 400 muestras estudiadas, 141 (35%) fueron cariotipos anormales: 64 (45%) T21, 35 (25%) T18, 21 (15%) 45X, 7 (5%) T13, 14 (10%) otras anomalías. No hubo complicación importante alguna atribuida al procedimiento invasivo. Conclusiones: En los fetos con riesgo alto para anomalías cromosómicas estudiados, el 35% tuvo cariotipo anormal, siendo las más frecuentes las trisomías de los cromosomas 21 y 18, seguidas de la monosomía del cromosoma X. El higroma quístico, la translucencia nucal aumentada y la presencia de 2 o más marcadores asociados a anomalías fetales fueron los hallazgos más frecuentes en la determinación del riesgo ecográfico. El higroma quístico mostró el mayor valor predictivo para anomalías cromosómicas.

Influence of blood transfusion rate on some clinical manifestations in β-thalassaemia major patients

Background The commonest form of life-long treatment for individuals with β-thalassaemia major (TM) is blood transfusion; however,regular and multiple transfusion can result in iron overload as well as serious infections.Objectives This study was designed to evaluate clinical manifestations in β-TM patients according to the blood transfusion rate.Methods Forty-two patients of homozygous β-TM in the thalassaemia Division/Children’s Teaching Hospital, Kerbela in the middle part ofIraq, during March–June 2015. All patients (17 males and 25 females) with age range 3–31 years were blood transfusion-dependent andon iron chelation therapy. They were divided into three groups according to the yearly average of blood transfusion received during the last3 years; those who received less than 16 times/year (G1, n = 16), between 16 and 21 times/year (G2, n = 14) and more than 21 times/year(G3, n = 12). Several biochemical tests were carried out to estimate the serum level of ferritin, total serum bilirubin (TSB), GPT, GOT, alkalinephosphatase (ALP), albumin and total protein.Results The results showed that half of patients were presented either with splenomegaly (28.6%) or splenectomy (21.4%), about onequarter of them (26.2%) were presented with hepatomegaly, more than half of patients (54.8%) were represented with HCV infection andthe majority (97.6%) of patients have normal BMI. However, results of biochemical markers revealed that all of patients (100%) havealbumin and total protein concentrations respectively, while all of them (100%) and the majority of them (76.2%) have elevated serum levelmore than the upper limit of normal reference of ferritin and TSB respectively. Additionally, liver enzymes levels (GPT, GOT and ALP) alsorecorded an elevation in about 31, 42.9 and 21.4% of thalassaemic patients. On the other hand, results demonstrated that increasing in therate of blood transfusion revealed an association with the reduction in the frequency of patients with normal liver, spleen and negative HCVinfection, and the three different groups of thalassaemic patients have significant differences in their age, BMI, rate of transfusion and totalprotein. However, the rest of biochemical tests (ferritin, TSB, GPT, GOT, ALP and Alb) revealed non-significant differences in their serumlevels among the three groups of patients, but the percentage of patients that have elevated ALP were significantly different (0, 35.7 and33.3%) (P = 0,029) among the G1, G2 and G3 respectively.Conclusion Although blood transfusion is the commonest therapy to improve the life-span of β-thalassaemic patients worldwide, its rateshould be reduced as less as possible to avoid the serious complications by searching for another criteria to indicate transfusion rather thanhaemoglobin concentration such as the antioxidant status of thalassaemic patients.

Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the kidney

The objective of the study was to report a rare case of primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the right kidney in a 36 year old male. The patient was clinically assessed; CT and OctreoScan scintigraphy were performed and levels of 5-HIAA, vanillylmandelic acid and NSE were determined. The tumor and metastases were histologically and immunohistochemically examined. The imaging methods showed a cystic tumor in the lower pole of the right kidney. Macroscopically, the entire tumor was sized 8x8x7 cm. Histologically, it was made up of ribbon-line or trabecular patterns of tumor cells. Occasional adenomatoid and cystic structures were present. The tumor cell nuclei were round or oval, with no irregularities and fine lumpy chromatin. The mitotic count was < 1 /10HPF and the proliferation marker Ki-67 was < 1 % of tumor cells. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive with antibodies against chromogranin A, synaptophysin, CD56 (focally), cytokeratins AE1-AE3 (focally), vimentin (most cells), glucagon (focally), and pancreatic polypeptide (PP; focally). Antibodies against serotonin, somatostatin, gastrin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and calcitonin did not react with the tumor. The results of biochemical markers (5-HIAA, vanillylmandelic acid and NSE) did not correlate with development or treatment of the tumor. Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of the kidney was diagnosed both histologically and immunohistochemically. The patient was clinically investigated using CT and OctreoScan scintigraphy. Within two years from nephrectomy, metastases were found in the right humerus and retrocaval lymph nodes. The metastatic lesions were surgically removed. Currently, the patient's condition is good, with no tumor progression detected.