Tonicity response element binding protein associated with neuronal cell death in the experimental diabetic retinopathy

AIM: To study the contribution of tonicity response element binding protein (TonEBP) in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death of diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: Diabetes was induced in C57BL/6 mice by five consecutive intraperitoneal injections of 55 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). Control mice received vehicle (phosphate -buffered saline). All mice were killed 2mo after injections, and the extent of cell death and the protein expression levels of TonEBP and aldose reductase (AR) were examined. RESULTS: The TonEBP and AR protein levels and the death of RGC were significantly increased in the retinas of diabetic mice compared with controls 2mo after the induction of diabetes. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) -mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) -positive signals co -localized with TonEBP immunoreactive RGC. These changes were increased in the diabetic retinas compared with controls. CONCLUSION: The present data show that AR and TonEBP are upregulated in the DR and TonEBP may contribute to apoptosis of RGC in the DR.close2

Arctic-North Pacific Coupled Impacts on the Late Autumn Cold in North America

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is known to bring an anomalously cold (warm) period to southeastern (northwestern) North America during the cold season of its positive phase through a Rossby wave linkage. This study provides evidence that the remote connection between the North Pacific and the downstream temperature over central North America is strengthened by the warm arctic conditions over the Chukchi and East Siberian Sea, especially in the late autumn season. The modulation effect of the Arctic manifests itself as an altered Rossby wave response to a transient vorticity forcing that results from an equatorward storm track shift, which is induced collaboratively by the PDO and the warm Arctic. This observational finding is supported by two independent modeling experiments: 1) an idealized coupled GCM experiment being nudged toward the warm arctic surface condition and 2) a simple stationary wave model (SWM) experiment forced by transient eddy forcing

Perirenal Fluid Collection after Kidney Transplantation

A 30-year-old male presented with pitting edema. He had received a kidney transplantation 3 months previously. His serum creatinine level was increased, and a renal ultrasound showed hypoechoic fluid collection in the perirenal space and pelvic cavity. We conducted sono-guided percutaneous drainage of the fluid collected in the pelvic cavity. The chemistry of the peritoneal fluid was more equivalent to serum chemistry values than to urinary values. Simple aspiration and treatment with antibiotics were performed. We have presented a case of lymphocele after kidney transplantation. This case suggests that physicians should remember how to differentiate the pelvic cavity fluid collection in patients who have received a kidney transplant

Incomplete Distal Renal Tubular Acidosis with Nephrocalcinosis

We report the case of a female patient with incomplete distal renal tubular acidosis with nephrocalcinosis. She was admitted to the hospital because of acute pyelonephritis. Imaging studies showed dual medullary nephrocalcinosis. Subsequent evaluations revealed hypokalemia, hypocalcemia, hypercalciuria, and hypocitraturia with normal acid-base status. A modified tubular acidification test with NH4Cl confirmed a defect of urine acidification, which is compatible with incomplete distal tubular acidosis. We treated our patient with potassium citrate, which corrects hypokalemia and prevents further deposition of calcium salts