Factor affecting arterial stiffiness on renal transplant patients [Böbrek nakli hastalarinda arteriyel sertligi etkileyen faktörler]

Cardiovascular diseases are the major causes of death in renal transplant patients. Arterial stiffness measurement is a risk marker for cardiovascular events. The recipient's age, blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, graft function, immunosuppressive drugs, donor's age and cold ischemia time have been reported as predictors of arterial stiffness after renal transplantation

Plasmapheresis therapy in renal transplant patients [Böbrek Nakli Hastalarinda Plazmaferez Tedavisi]

In clinical practice, plasmapheresis is utilized to remove circulating immune complexes, endotoxins and high molecular weight molecules such as lipoproteins containing cholesterol. It is useful in certain diseases in rheumatology, oncology, dermatology and nephrology. Renal transplantation is the most exclusive treatment modality in end stage renal failure. Acute and chronic rejections along with the recurrence of the primary kidney disease at the post-transplant period shorten graft survival. Plasmapheresis treatment can be used both at the pre- and post-transplant period in cases of ABO incompatibility, highly sensitized patients, acute and chronic rejections, recurring glomerulonephritis and thrombotic microangiopathies

Prevalence of Leishmania infantum and Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs in Aydin province and the town of Selçuk, İzmir, Turkey [Aydin'in bazi i·lçe ve köyleri ile İzmir'in Selçuk i·lçesindeki köpeklerde Leishmaniosis ve Dirofilariasis'in prevalansi]

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Leishmania infantum and Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs housed outdoors in Aydin province and Selçuk in western Turkey. Anti-Leishmania antibodies were evaluated in sera samples by IFA and ELISA techniques. The presence of D. immitis microfilariae was determined in blood samples by use of the modified Knott's test. Using the IFA and ELISA on 158 dogs surveyed, 5 (3.2%) were positive for anti-Leishmania antibodies while 22 (13.9%) were found infected with D. immitis. Only 2 out of 5 seropositive dogs exhibited major signs of canine visceral leishmaniosis, and amastigotes were detected in parasitological examinations of popliteal lymph node aspirates. It was noted that there were dogs infected with Leishmania in dog shelters in the towns of Kuşadasi and Selçuk, and the infection rate of dogs for D. immitis was high in 3 villages near the city of Aydin. © TÜBİTAK

In vitro anti-leishmanial activity of Sarcopoterium spinosum against Leishmania tropica [Sarcopoterium spinosum’un Leishmania tropica’ya karşı in vitro anti-leishmanial etkisi]

Complex clinical symptoms such as ulcerative skin lesions, destructive mucosal inflammation, and disseminated visceral infection can reveal in leishmaniasis. The conventional drugs are toxic and expensive. In addition, patients receive a long treatment with these drugs which have adverse effects and unfortunately there are some limitations during the treatment. The aim of this study is to investigate the in vitro anti-leishmanial activities of four different extracts of Sarcopoterium spinosum against Leishmania tropica. Initially, different concentrations of ethanol, methanol, n-hexane, and water extracts of S. spinosum were incubated with L. tropica promastigotes. After 72 hours of incubation, the growth of L. tropica promastigotes was significantly inhibited and the percentage of inhibition ranged between 42.8 and 100 %. Among these extracts, the most efficient growth inhibition (100 %) was obtained with methanol extract (at a dose of 50 µg/ml). In conclusion, S. spinosum may be a potential source for the development of novel therapeutic agents to treat L. tropica infection. © 2018, Chartered Inst. of Building Services Engineers. All rights reserved

Investigation of human herpesvirus 6 infections in kidney and bone marrow/stem cell transplant recipients [Böbrek ve kemi·k i·li·gi·/kök hücre alicilarinda i·nsan herpesvi·rus 6 enfeksi·yonunun araştirilmasi]

PubMed ID: 14593901In this study, active human herpesvirus (HHV)-6 infection were investigated in 39 renal and 9 bone marrow/stem cell transplant recipients. For this purpose, the presence of HHV-6 DNA in patients sera have been searched by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). In addition, HHV-6 IgM and IgG antibodies were performed by micro-enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect seronegative patients before transplantation and IgM response in active or primary HHV-6 infection. Active infection with HHV-6 DNA positivity was detected in 5.3% of renal and 22.2% of bone marrow/stem cell transplant recipients. Active HHV-6 infection was found to be related with asemptomatic reactivation, graft disfunction and cytomegalovirus disease in renal transplant recipients, and, fever and graft versus host disease in bone marrow/stem cell transplant recipients. It has been concluded that, the investigation of HHV-6 DNA by nPCR in the transplant sera, was a practical and useful method for the laboratories, in order to diagnose active HHV-6 infection, while HHV-6 IgG antibody detection was also useful for the differentional diagnosis of primary infection or reactivation/reinfection, but HHV-6 IgM antibodies has low value to detect active HHV-6 infection

In vitro activity of Arbutus unedo against Leishmania tropica promastigotes.

PubMed ID: 19598085Pentavalent antimonials are the first choice for the treatment of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in health centers in Turkey, however in rural areas, traditional plants may be preferred for the treatment of lesions. In recent years a number of papers are published related to the natural products especially plant derivates. Our aim is to investigate the antileishmanial effect of Arbutus unedo which is a wild plant mainly grown in maquis and rocky places of the seabord in South Europe. In the present study, the ethanolic, water and n-hexane extracts from the leaves of Arbutus unedo were originally tested in vitro against Leishmania tropica promastigotes. The ethanol extract of Arbutus unedo leaves at the concentrations of 100, 250, 500 microg/ml were found to be more effective than the other extracts (p:0.000). Our study showed that the ethanolic extract of Arbutus unedo leaves can be a promising antileishmanial agent and further experiments are needed

Incidence and Importance of C4d Deposition in Renal Allograft Dysfunction

PubMed ID: 18261578Recent studies showed that peritubular capillary deposition of C4d is a marker of humoral immune responses directed against a renal allograft. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the incidence, clinical features, and prognostic implications of C4d deposition in renal allograft biopsy specimens. The biopsies had been performed due to acute graft dysfunction. This study of 104 renal allograft biopsies performed in 2004 classified histopathological findings according to Banff criteria. All paraffin-embedded biopsy samples were stained with an immunohistochemical method for C4d deposition. Demographic data, clinical findings, and biochemical findings were obtained from patients' charts. C4d staining was positive in 15/104 (14%) samples. The staining pattern was diffuse in 8 and focal in 7 patients. Nine patients were males. The overall mean age was 33 ± 6 years. Ten received live-donor grafts. The biopsy occurred at a mean of 1007 ± 1415 (range, 15-4712) days after the operation with a mean serum creatinine (SCr) level of 2.8 ± 1.5 (1.25-6.0) mg/dL. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the occurrence time: early (before 100 days) and late (after 100 days). Among the early group (n = 5), the mean SCr level was 2.8 ± 1.5 mg/dL; a diffuse staining pattern was seen in 4 (80%) patients. Histological findings were acute rejection in 3, borderline changes in 1, or thrombotic microangiopathy in 1 patient. Two patients were treated with pulse steroids and 3 with ATG, intravenous immunoglobulin, and plasmapheresis. Three patients lost their grafts at the mean of 118 ± 100 days after the biopsy. In the late group (n = 10), the mean SCr level was 2.8 ± 1.7 mg/dL with a diffuse staining pattern in 4 (40%) patients. The histological findings included acute rejection in 6, chronic vascular rejection in 2, thrombotic microangiopathy in 1, and chronic allograft nephropathy in 1 patient. Six patients were treated with pulse steroids, and 3 with ATG and intravenous immunoglobulin. Five patients lost their grafts at a mean of 200 ± 270 days. The overall incidence of C4d deposition was 14%; it was seen both in the early and late posttransplantation period. Although a diffuse staining pattern was more frequently seen in the early period, C4d deposition indicated a poor allograft prognosis in both periods. Introduction of C4d staining into the routine may guide more specific treatments directed toward the humoral alloresponse. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved