N-acetylcysteine attenuates cyclosporin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Background. Cyclosporin(CsA) has played an important role in the improvement of solid-organ transplant patients and graft survival. However, nephrotoxicity due to CsA remains an important clinical challenge. The renal toxicity of CsA is attributed to reduced renal blood flow which leads to hypoxia-reoxygenation injury accompanied by excessive generation of oxygen-derived free radicals (ODFR). N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) is a highly potent antioxidant that has been shown to reduce ODFR injury. In this study an attempt was made to assess the effect of NAC on CsA-induced lipid peroxidation and nephrotoxicity

Significant increases in monocyte counts and serum creatine kinase in acute myocardial infarction versus general infections

Background: Biomarkers specificity is an important factor for their reliable utilization. Known markers for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), including creatine kinase (CK), C-reactive protein (CRP), and blood cell counts are thought to be altered in other pathologic conditions, such as infections. Aim: To compare the level of these biomarkers in AMI patients and infected controls with respect to normal subjects. Materials and Methods: We recruited 15 AMI patients, 15 patients with bacterial infections (infected control group) and 35 normal subjects. Peripheral blood samples were obtained for blood cell counts and biochemical analyses. Results: Only monocytes were significantly increased in AMI patients (0.793 × 10 9 /L) than normal controls (0.497 × 10 9 /L). Infected controls showed a significant increase in total white blood cell (11.50 × 10 9 /L versus 6.149 × 10 9 /L) and neutrophil (9.360 versus 3.223 × 10 9 /L) counts and a significant decrease in red blood cell (3.750 versus 5.105 × 10 12 /L) counts as compared with normal controls. Serum CK was significantly increased in AMI patients (313.20 ± 94.84 U/L) and decreased in infected controls (48.40 ± 10.35 U/L) as compared with normal controls (100.82 ± 8.86 U/L). The levels of CRP were significantly higher in infected controls (136.93 ± 34.83 mg/L) and nonsignificantly higher in AMI patients (38.53 ± 12.76 mg/L) than normal controls (3.48 ± 0.59 mg/L). Monocytes were significantly correlated with both CK and CRP; however, there was no correlation between CK and CRP. Conclusion: Differential trends of monocytes and CK in AMI and infective controls point toward their possible application in prognosis of AMI patients