Effect of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Agonist (Pioglitazone) and Methotrexate on Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis (Experimental and Clinical Study)

Objective To investigate the combined effect of both pioglitazone and methotrexate on disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis in a biphasic study; experimental and clinical. Methods Experimentally: 50 rats were divided into 5 equal groups; controls, experimental arthritis, methorexate treated (0.1 mg/Kg daily), pioglitazone-treated (10 mg/kg daily), and methotrexate and pioglitazone treated. Clinically: forty-nine diabetic rheumatoid arthritis patients were included. Patients group consisted of 28 patients and they received pioglitazone 30 mg orally beside their usual treatment. Control group consisted of 21 patients and they continued their usual treatment plus placebo. Disease activity was assessed using DAS28 score. Patients were followed up for 3 months. Results Pioglitazone produced a significant improvement of serum oxidative stress parameters ( P < 0.05), and inflammatory cytokines in the treated arthritic group ( P < 0.05). Clinically, the pioglitazone treated group showed significant improvement in DAS28 ( P = 0.001) and C-reactive protein ( P < 0.0001) compared to placebo group. Conclusion The concomitant use of the PPAR γ agonist pioglitazone and methotrexate appears to be promising therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis patients

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Renoprotective Effects Aliskiren on Adenine-induced Tubulointerstitial Nephropathy: Possible Underlying Mechanisms

The present study investigated the possible renoprotective effect of direct renin inhibitor (aliskiren) on renal dysfunctions as well as its underlying mechanisms in rat model of adenine â induced tubulointerstitial nephropathy. Forty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomized into 4 groups; normal group, aliskiren group (normal rats received 10 mg/kg aliskiren), adenine group (animals received high adenine diet for 4 weeks and saline for 12 weeks) and aliskiren group (animals received adenine for 4 weeks and aliskiren 10 mg/kg for 12 weeks). It was found that adenine caused significant decrease in body weight, Hb, HR, serum Ca+2, eNOS and nrf2 expression, GSH and catalase in kidney tissues with significant increase in arterial blood pressure (ABP), serum creatinine, BUN, plasma renin activity (PRA), K+ and P, urinary albumin excretion (UAE), caspase-3 and MDA (lipid peroxidation marker) in kidney tissues compared to normal group (pThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Effect of age on the contractile response of the rat carotid artery in the presence of sympathetic drugs and L-NAME

For evaluating the age-related change in noradrenaline (NA)-induced contraction of isolated rat carotid artery (CA), the effect of α and β adrenoreceptor (AR) blockers and the role of nitric oxide (NO) were investigated. Methods: Concentration-response curves to NA (10−10–10−4 M) and α1 agonist phenylephrine (PE; 10−10–10−5 M) were constructed in isolated CA rings from young and middle-aged rats. The effects of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor (L-NAME; 100 μM), α1-AR antagonist (prazosin; 0.1 μM), α2-AR antagonist (yohimbine; 0.1 μM) and β-AR antagonist (propranolol; 1 μM) on NA-induced contraction of isolated CA rings were examined. In CA rings preconstricted with NA, the responses to α2-AR agonist (clonidine; 10−7–10−5 M), β-AR agonist (isoprenaline; 10−8–10−5 M),), sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 10−9–10−5 M) were assessed. Results: The maximum contractile response of CA to NA and to PE was higher in younger than in middle-aged rats. Prazosin reduced the contractile response to NA in both groups, while propranolol, yohimbine and L-NAME did not affect NA-induced contraction in either of them. Clonidine, isoprenaline and SNP produced a dose-dependent vasorelaxation of CA rings, isoprenaline-induced vasodilatation was lower in middle-aged rats, while there was no difference in clonidine or SNP-induced relaxant effect between the two groups. Conclusions: NA-induced contraction of isolated rat CA rings is decreased in old rats, this is related to α1-AR. β-AR mediated dilatation was compromised in middle-aged rats (endothelium-dependent). α2-AR and SNP-mediated dilator effect seems to be unchanged

Chemical constituents and ovicidal effects of mahlab, Prunus mahaleb L. kernels oil on cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.) eggs

The carried out investigations evaluated ovicidal activity of mahlab, Prunus mahaleb L. kernel oil against cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.). The chemical constituents of the fixed oil of mahlab were analyzed using gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). Timnodonic (33.07%), oleic (28.71%) and linoleic (24.35%) were the basic fatty acids, while the major hydrocarbon and sterol were found to be heneicosane (62.57%) and β-sitosterol (10.57%). The LC50 values for the one-day-old egg masses were found to be more susceptible than 3-day-old ones. Moreover, the leaf dip technique occurred to be more efficient than spraying technique. The results also showed abnormalities in the external morphology of egg shell, chorion surface, shell imprints and aeropyles of S. littoralis eggs treated with mahlab and KZ oils as compared to a control by using scanning electron microscope. Generally, the tested oils significantly reduced the activities of transaminase enzymes (AST and ALT), acid and alkaline phosphatases and total soluble protein except mahlab oil on acid phosphatase as compared to a control. Additionally, the oils of both mahlab and KZ oil affected some biological aspects such as incubation period, larval duration, larval mortality and pupal weight comparing to a control