IgA nephropathy in a laboratory worker that progressed to end-stage renal disease: a case report

BACKGROUND: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common form of glomerulonephritis, a principal cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) worldwide. The mechanisms of onset and progression of IgAN have not been fully revealed, and epidemiologic studies have yielded diverging opinions as to the role of occupational exposure to organic solvents in the initiation or worsening of IgAN. As the authors encountered a laboratory worker with IgAN that progressed to ESRD, we present a case report of IgAN progression due to dichloromethane exposure along with a review of literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old male laboratory worker began to experience gross painless hematuria after two years of occupational exposure to toluene. Although clinical follow-up was initiated under the impression of IgAN based on clinical findings, the patient continued to work for four more years in the same laboratory, during which he was in charge of laboratory analysis with direct exposure to a high concentration of dichloromethane without proper protective equipment. During that time, his renal function rapidly worsened and finally progressed to ESRD 10 years after the first clinical symptoms. The result of exposure assessment through reenactment of his work exceeded the occupational exposure limit for dichloromethane to a considerable degree. CONCLUSIONS: The causal association between occupational solvent exposure and IgAN is still unclear; therefore, this case report could be used as a basis to support the relevance of occupational solvent exposure to IgAN and/or its progression. Early intervention as well as close monitoring of laboratory workers exposed to various organic solvents is important to prevent or delay the progression of glomerulonephritis to ESRD in the occupational setting

A comparative study of Brachychiton populneus seed and seed-fiber oils in Tunisia

We conducted a comparative study of two oils extracted from Brachychiton populneus seeds and seed fibers grown in Tunisia. Oil yields from seed and seed fiber were 29.95 and 5.30%, respectively. GC-MS analysis showed that the most abundant fatty acid was linoleic acid (37.91%) followed by oleic acid (30.67%) in seeds. In seed fiber, the most abundant were oleic acid (62.04%) and linoleic acid (11.90%). Sterculic acid (7.27%), a rare fatty acid, was detected in seed oil. Moreover, carotenoid and chlorophyll levels were approximately two-fold higher in seed-fiber oil (39.66 and 1.9 mg/kg) than in seed oil (19.48 and 0.78 mg/kg). Tocol contents were more than 10-fold higher in fiber-seed oil (979.31 mg/100 g) than in seed oil (83.2 mg/100 g). Furthermore, thermal behavior (TGA and DSC) in both oils, and the antioxidant activity, phenolic content, and oxidative stability at different temperatures in seed oil were evaluated. The results of this study suggest that B. populneus seed oil may have an important role in non-food applications and that seed-fiber oil is a source of high-value compounds