BILATERAL RENAL ARTERY STENOSIS IN A HYPERTENSIVE LUPUS PATIENT WITHOUT RENAL DYSFUNCTION: A CASE REPORT

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with a high prevalence of atherosclero-sis and an enhanced cardiovascular mortality. In adult subjects, several studies have shown the coexistence of SLE and renal artery stenosis, most of them with unilateral in-volvement or with renal dysfunction. We observed a 62-year-old man with SLE and a 10-year history of moderate-to-severe hy-pertension who was admitted to our hospital because of uncontrolled blood pressure val-ues (152/95 mmHg), despite drug therapy. No signs of renal impairment were evident. After an initial physical examination, which presented a periumbilical bruit, a renal ultra-sound was performed with evidence of bilateral renal artery stenosis. An angio-MR study also confirmed the diagnosis and showed a double renal artery on the right side. Many different factors can contribute to the bilateral renal artery stenosis in this patient. Chronic inflammatory state associated to SLE, metabolic alterations with dyslipidemia and steroid therapy may all be involved in the development of the renal atherosclerotic le-sions

Ferromagnetic models for cooperative behavior: Revisiting Universality in complex phenomena

Ferromagnetic models are harmonic oscillators in statistical mechanics. Beyond their original scope in tackling phase transition and symmetry breaking in theoretical physics, they are nowadays experiencing a renewal applicative interest as they capture the main features of disparate complex phenomena, whose quantitative investigation in the past were forbidden due to data lacking. After a streamlined introduction to these models, suitably embedded on random graphs, aim of the present paper is to show their importance in a plethora of widespread research fields, so to highlight the unifying framework reached by using statistical mechanics as a tool for their investigation. Specifically we will deal with examples stemmed from sociology, chemistry, cybernetics (electronics) and biology (immunology).Comment: Contributing to the proceedings of the Conference "Mathematical models and methods for Planet Heart", INdAM, Rome 201

Assessing the Impact of Inflammation on Erythropoietin Resistance in Hemodialysis: The Role of the NLR.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has emerged as a readily available marker of systemic inflammation and immune dysregulation. In patients undergoing hemodialysis, inflammation is a known contributor to erythropoietin resistance. However, the relationship between the NLR and the erythropoietin resistance index (ERI) has not been extensively characterized. Methods: A total of 317 hemodialysis patients were retrospectively evaluated and stratified into tertiles based on NLR levels. Biochemical, inflammatory, and anthropometric variables were compared across groups. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess the relationship between the NLR and the ERI. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive ability of the NLR for erythropoietin resistance, defined as ERI > 10. Subsequently, linear and logistic regression models were employed to examine the independent association between the NLR and the ERI, adjusting for relevant covariates. Results: Higher NLR tertiles were significantly associated with increased CRP, lower serum iron, and elevated ERI (p = 0.002). Spearman’s analysis revealed a modest but significant correlation between the NLR and the ERI (ρ = 0.31, p < 0.0001). ROC analysis identified an NLR threshold of 4.4 for detecting ERI > 10. In multivariable analysis, the NLR was independently associated with the ERI both as a continuous variable (β = 0.848, p = 0.046) and as a binary outcome (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.95–1.24, p = 0.0021), while serum iron and hemoglobin also emerged as significant predictors. Conclusions: In this cohort of hemodialysis patients, a higher NLR was independently associated with increased erythropoietin resistance, suggesting its potential utility as an accessible inflammatory biomarker in anemia management. These findings add to the limited but growing body of evidence supporting the prognostic role of the NLR in dialysis populations and warrant further validation in prospective studies

New Insight on the Bioactivity of Solanum aethiopicum Linn. Growing in Basilicata Region (Italy): Phytochemical Characterization, Liposomal Incorporation, and Antioxidant Effects

Food extract’s biological effect and its improvement using nanotechnologies is one of the challenges of the last and the future decades; for this reason, the antioxidant effect of scarlet eggplant extract liposomal incorporation was investigated. Scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.) is a member of the Solanaceae family, and it is one of the most consumed vegetables in tropical Africa and south of Italy. This study investigated the antioxidant activity and the phytochemical composition of S. aethiopicum grown in the Basilicata Region for the first time. The whole fruit, peel, and pulp were subjected to ethanolic exhaustive maceration extraction, and all extracts were investigated. The HPLC-DAD analysis revealed the presence of ten phenolic compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanones, flavanols, and four carotenoids (one xanthophyll and three carotenes). The peel extract was the most promising, active, and the richest in specialized metabolites; hence, it was tested on HepG2 cell lines and incorporated into liposomes. The nanoincorporation enhanced the peel extract’s antioxidant activity, resulting in a reduction of the concentration used. Furthermore, the extract improved the expression of endogenous antioxidants, such as ABCG2, CAT, and NQO1, presumably through the Nrf2 pathway

New Insight on the Bioactivity of Solanum aethiopicum Linn. Growing in Basilicata Region (Italy): Phytochemical Characterization, Liposomal Incorporation, and Antioxidant Effects

Food extract’s biological effect and its improvement using nanotechnologies is one of the challenges of the last and the future decades; for this reason, the antioxidant effect of scarlet eggplant extract liposomal incorporation was investigated. Scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.) is a member of the Solanaceae family, and it is one of the most consumed vegetables in tropical Africa and south of Italy. This study investigated the antioxidant activity and the phytochemical composition of S. aethiopicum grown in the Basilicata Region for the first time. The whole fruit, peel, and pulp were subjected to ethanolic exhaustive maceration extraction, and all extracts were investigated. The HPLC-DAD analysis revealed the presence of ten phenolic compounds, including hydroxycinnamic acids, flavanones, flavanols, and four carotenoids (one xanthophyll and three carotenes). The peel extract was the most promising, active, and the richest in specialized metabolites; hence, it was tested on HepG2 cell lines and incorporated into liposomes. The nanoincorporation enhanced the peel extract’s antioxidant activity, resulting in a reduction of the concentration used. Furthermore, the extract improved the expression of endogenous antioxidants, such as ABCG2, CAT, and NQO1, presumably through the Nrf2 pathway

Detección de leptospiras patógenas en tejido renal de murciélagos de Corrientes, Argentina

Existen muchos animales que participan en la transmisión de diferentes serovares de leptospiras. Los murciélagos han acrecentado su presencia en zonas urbanas; este cambio de hábitat se atribuye a razones de origen antropogénico y ha elevado las probabilidades de contacto entre quirópteros, seres humanos y animales domésticos. El objetivo del trabajo fue identificar, mediante una reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR sencilla), la infección natural de especies de leptospiras patógenas en quirópteros colectados durante los años 2010 a 2012 en la ciudad de Corrientes. Para la captura se utilizaron redes de mano y trampas balde. La identificación de los quirópteros se efectuó en base a su características fenotípicas y morfométricas, determinándose la presencia de ejemplares de tres de las cuatro familias existentes en Argentina. Los animales fueron sacrificados bajo anestesia de hidrato de cloral 20%, obteniéndose muestras de tejido renal. Se realizó el procedimiento de extracción de ácido desoxirribonucleico; se amplificaron 2 genes en PCR sencillas separadas, un gen mitocondrial, mt DNA 12S/16S como control de especie y luego, en las mismas muestras, se amplificó parte de los genes LipL32. Se detectó presencia de ADN de leptospiras en el 20% de los quirópteros, siendo éste el primer hallazgo por PCR publicado para murciélagos del país. Revelar la presencia de ADN de leptospiras resulta de gran importancia, debido a su utilidad en los casos en que la búsqueda molecular del patógeno ha sido no detectable

Detección y diferenciación molecular de Leptospira sp. utilizando diferentes técnicas de extracción de ADN

Existen diversas estrategias diagnósticas para identificar leptospiras, siendo la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) una técnica de alta sensibilidad y especificidad. El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo optimizar técnicas de extracción de ADN a partir de cultivos bacterianos y establecer condiciones de PCR multiplex para diferenciar leptospiras saprófitas de patógenas. Para ello se ensayaron técnicas de bromuro de cetiltrimetil amonio (CTAB) y hervido (boiling). Se analizaron dos secuencias de ácidos nucleicos, correspondientes a una fracción de un gen conservado en ambos grupos de bacterias (ARNr 16S) y otra procedente de una fracción de un gen (LipL32) presente sólo en especies de leptospiras patógenas, las cuales dieron amplicones de 474 y 430 pb respectivamente, utilizándose como controles positivos de amplificación muestras de cultivos bacterianos de Leptospira icteroahemorragiae, L. canicola y apatógena (Patoc I), utilizando agua como control negativo. Se concluyó que no existen diferencias en la perdurabilidad del ADN extraído a partir de cepas de referencia al comparar el método de digestión con el detergente CTAB y el de boiling y sus variantes. Considerando el más bajo costo y menor tiempo de desarrollo, este último resultó la mejor alternativa para la obtención de moldes para amplificación por PCR

Detección de Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis en gato doméstico de Corrientes, Argentina, por técnicas de biología molecular

Ruiz, R.M.; Ramírez, N.N.; Alegre, A.E.; Bastiani, C.E.; De Biasio, M.B.: Detección de Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis en gato doméstico de Corrientes, Argentina, por técnicas de biología molecular. Rev vet 26: 2, 147-150, 2015

Structure of p15PAF–PCNA complex and implications for clamp sliding during DNA replication and repair

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