Metabolic status of 1088 patients after renal transplantation: Assessment of twelve years monitoring in Algiers Mustapha Hospital

Since the introduction of monitoring levels of immunosuppressive medications in our service in July 2000, 1088 kidney transplant patients were received for therapeutic drug monitoring and regular follow-up. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the data on these renal graft patients in Algeria and correlate with our 12 years′ experience with calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) measurements. In addition, during this period, we also examined other bioche-mical parameters. The analysis was focused on the difference of effect of cyclosporin A (CsA; 623 patients) and Tacrolimus (Tac; 465 patients) on lipid and glucose metabolism and their side-effects, if any, on the renal function. The mean age at the time of transplantation was 36.1 years. A great majority of the transplanted kidneys had been taken from living related donors (88.6%). Three-quarters of all grafts were transplanted in our country (79.5%). Dyslipidemia and renal dysfunction were the most common adverse effects of CsA and Tac exposure, with a frequency of 21.4% and 10.3%, respectively. Both the CNIs had a similar effect on the lipid levels. The highest incidence occurred at 3-12 months after renal graft. Tac seemed to have more side-effects on glycemia, causing the onset of diabetes mellitus more than two-fold than CsA (6.9% vs. 3.1%). A significant difference was observed during 12-24 months after transplantation. However, Tac was associated with the most favorable effects on renal function estimated with the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula

Fruit vinegars attenuate cardiac injury via anti-inflammatory and anti-adiposity actions in high-fat diet-induced obese rats

<p><b>Context:</b> Fruit vinegars (FVs) are used in Mediterranean folk medicine for their hypolipidemic and weight-reducing properties.</p> <p><b>Objective:</b> To investigate the preventive effects of three types of FV, commonly available in Algeria, namely prickly pear [<i>Opuntia ficus-indica</i> (L.) Mill (Cectaceae)], pomegranate [<i>Punica granatum</i> L. (Punicaceae)], and apple [<i>Malus domestica</i> Borkh. (Rosaceae)], against obesity-induced cardiomyopathy and its underlying mechanisms.</p> <p><b>Materials and methods:</b> Seventy-two male Wistar rats were equally divided into 12 groups. The first group served as normal control (distilled water, 7 mL/kg bw), and the remaining groups were respectively treated with distilled water (7 mL/kg bw), acetic acid (0.5% w/v, 7 mL/kg bw) and vinegars of pomegranate, apple or prickly pear (at doses of 3.5, 7 and 14 mL/kg bw, acetic acid content as mentioned above) along with a high-fat diet (HFD). The effects of the oral administration of FV for 18 weeks on the body and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) weights, plasma inflammatory and cardiac enzymes biomarkers, and in heart tissue were evaluated.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Vinegars treatments significantly (<i>p</i> < .05) attenuated the HFD-induced increase in bw (0.2–0.5-fold) and VAT mass (0.7–1.8-fold), as well as increase in plasma levels of CRP (0.1–0.3-fold), fibrinogen (0.2–0.3-fold), leptin (1.7–3.7-fold), TNF-α (0.1–0.6-fold), AST (0.9–1.4-fold), CK-MB (0.3–1.4-fold) and LDH (2.7–6.7-fold). Moreover, vinegar treatments preserved myocardial architecture and attenuated cardiac fibrosis.</p> <p><b>Discussion and conclusion:</b> These findings suggest that pomegranate, apple and prickly pear vinegars may prevent HFD-induced obesity and obesity-related cardiac complications, and that this prevention may result from the potent anti-inflammatory and anti-adiposity properties of these vinegars.</p