Poor prognostic factors of lupus nephritis

The occurrence of renal involvement during the clinical course of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is generally considered to be the most important factor influencing the prognosis in terms of morbidity and mortality. The factors influencing prognosis in lupus nephritis (LN) are variable in literature. Our aim was to determine predictive factors of poor prognosis in LN among our population. In this retrospective study, 82 cases of LN observed over 18 years were studied. There were 12 males and 70 females with a mean age of 26.9 ± 11 years. At presentation, the mean proteinuria was 3.9 ± 4 g/day; the nephrotic syndrome, hematuria, leukocyturia and renal failure were observed in 67.1%, 63.4%, 56.1% and 37.8% of cases, respectively. LN was of class I, II, III, IV and V in 4.9%, 13.4%, 23.2%, 50% and 8.5% of the cases, respectively. Fifteen patients developed end-stage renal failure and/or died. The presence of hypertension, renal failure, massive proteinuria and high activity index score of LN was associated with poor renal prognosis

Extraction Strategy for DNA Recovery from Putrefied Teeth and Skull Bone

Forensic samples are commonly exposed to harsh environmental conditions which affect the degree of sample (DNA) preservation and subsequent genetic profiling. The aim of this study was to develop a better strategy for DNA extraction from hard putrefied tissues (Teeth and Skull bone). Jaw (teeth) and the skull samples were collected from the putrefied corpses and the authors were asked to determine if the two specimens belonged to the same body. The DNA was extracted by phenol-chloroform and DNA IQ™ System Kit. The PowerPlex®  16 and the PowerPlex® Y System Kits were used for autosomal STR and Y-STR genotyping, respectively. DNA profiling found evidence in favor of DNA degradation. Phenol-Chloroform extracted-DNA was re-extracted by using DNA IQ ™ System kit and managed to identify 13 autosomal STR loci and 13 Y-STR markers from doubly extracted DNA. In conclusion, the combination of two DNA extraction methods (phenol-chloroform + DNA IQ™) improved the quality of DNA extracted from putrefied teeth and skull bone

Evaluation of anti-diabetic and anti-tumoral activities of bioactive compounds from Phoenix dactylifera L’s leaf: In vitro and in vivo approach

International audienceAmong various chronic disorders, cancer and diabetes mellitus are the most common disorders. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of hydroalcoholic extract of Phoenix dactylifera L. leaves (HEPdL) in animal models of type II diabetes in vitro/in vivo and in a human melanoma-derived cell line (IGR-39). A liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis was also performed to determine the amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in this plant. The physicochemical results by LC–MS/MS analysis of HEPdL showed the presence of 10 phenolic compounds. The in vitro study showed that the extract exhibited a more specific and potent inhibitor of α-glucosidase than α-amylase with an IC50 value of 20 ± 1 μg/mL and 30 ± 0.8 μg/mL, respectively. More importantly, the in vivo study of the postprandial hyperglycemia activity with (20 mg/kg) of HEPdL showed a decrease in plasma glucose levels after 60 min in resemblance to the glucor (acarbose) (50 mg/kg) effect. The oral administration of HEPdL (20 mg/kg) in alloxan-induced diabetic mices for 28 days showed a more significant anti-diabetic activity than that of the drug (50 mg/kg). Moreover, cytotoxicity effects of HEPdL in IGR-39 cancer cell lines were tested by MTT assay. This extract was effective in inhibiting cancer cells growth (IGR-39) at dose 35 and 75 μg/mL. These results confirm ethnopharmacological significance of the plant and could be taken further for the development of an effective pharmaceutical drug against diabetes and cance

Effects of probiotic strains, Lactobacillus plantarum TN8 and Pediococcus acidilactici, on microbiological and physico-chemical characteristics of beef sausages

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of a combination of probiotic strains namely, Lactobacillus plantarum TN8 and Pediococcus acidilactici MA 18/5M and dietary fiber on microbiological and physico-chemical characteristics of sausages stored at 4 °C up to 12 days. L. plantarum TN8 might be a potential food additive in the meat industry as a probiotic agent. Microbial counts revealed a decrease in Enterobacteriaceae of inoculated sausages, which reached values below 2 log CFU/g in the stored product. Reformulated sausages recorded good textural attributes and improved sensory features. At the end of storage period, sausages with different probiotic strains decreased the b* color parameter and cooking loss when compared with control samples. Sensorial and color parameters could be used for constructing regression models to predict overall acceptability. On the other hand, the free fatty acid profile was significantly affected by probiotic strains. Overall, the inclusion of two probiotic strains and fiber improved the hygienic quality and sensorial features of sausages.This research was funded by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (LRCBS05), and by a bilateral project between Tunisia and Morocco (17TM06).Peer Reviewe

Effects of two fibers used separately and in combination on physico-chemical, textural, nutritional and sensory properties of beef fresh sausage

[Purpose]: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of different dietary fibers on color, nutritional, physico-chemical, sensory and textural properties of fresh sausage.[Design/methodology/approach]: This study was undertaken to determine the effects of partial beef meat substitution (15, 10.5 and 6 percent) at different combinations: barley beta-glucan concentrate (BBC at 1 percent) alone, carrot fiber (ID809 at 1 percent) alone and a mixture of both fibers (BBC and ID809 at 0.5 percent of each), on the quality of fresh sausage.[Findings]: Results revealed that the supplementation of dietary fibers generally decreased protein contents and increased moisture. Color parameters were significantly affected by the addition of dietary fibers. Meat substitution with dietary fibers tended toward red coloration, which enhanced sensory properties of fresh sausages, especially general acceptability. Fresh sausages formulated with a mixture of dietary fibers recorded good firmness. Indeed, it increased extrusion force values and provided a greater hardness at sensory level. This manuscript reports that beef sausage formulated with a mixture of BBC and ID809 and reduced beef meat rate improved acceptability to consumer.[Originality/value]: The paper approaches a new subject that may be relevant to functional food. There are few research works to evaluate consumer preferences of new product developments and to achieve healthier and more economic fresh sausages formulated with a mixture of two fibers after reducing beef meat content.This research was financially supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Information and Communication Technology.Peer reviewe

Effect of partial replacement of nitrite with a novel probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum TN8 on color, physico-chemical, texture and microbiological properties of beef sausages

This work investigates the effects of partial nitrite substitution by the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum TN8, on the quality and safety of beef sausages during 10 days of storage at 4 °C. The obtained results revealed that the texture was affected in terms of a reduction of hardness, springiness and chewiness. Color ratio a*/b* was also significantly affected (P 0.05) were observed while a significant decrease in pH values in sausage formulated with TN8 strain were reported due to the growth of lactic acid bacteria. Finally, our study demonstrated that TN8 strain addition at 7 log CFU/g can be used as a biopreservative for beef sausage by decreasing the growth of Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes and maintaining lipid oxidation. Overall, our findings demonstrated that the incorporation of TN8 strain into beef sausage formulation could be an interesting strategy to produce healthier sausage by lowering nitrite levels.This research was financially supported by the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (LRCBS05).Peer Reviewe

HLA Class III: A susceptibility region to systemic lupus erythematosus in Tunisian population

<div><p>Background and objectives</p><p>Short tandem repeats (STR) are usually used as informative polymorphic markers for genetic mapping and for disease susceptibility analysis. The involvement of these microsatellite markers localized in the MHC region was reported in many auto-immune diseases.</p><p>In this study we analyzed for the first time eight polymorphisms of microsatellite loci at the HLA region: D6S291, D6S273, TNFa, b and c, MICA, D6S265 and D6S276, in Tunisian systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.</p><p>Materials and methods</p><p>We performed a case control study in which the microsatellite loci were amplified using specific primers labeled with NED, VIC, PET or 6-FAM and analyzed using GeneScan software 3.7. For the statistical analysis, we used SPSS software and we performed a sub-haplotype scoring test using the haplo.stats software developed in the R language.</p><p>Results</p><p>We found that two mean associated regions existed; the most statistically significant encompassed the 3 TNF markers (p = 0.0003, OR = 19.34); the latter covered the DR region. In fact, when scoring haplotypes in 3 marker- sliding windows, the p value increased as we moved away from the TNF region and decreased again when we approached the DRB1 locus. We also established for the first time the negative association between alleles of D6S291 and SLE. The majority of clinical and serological correlations were noted with TNF alleles.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Our results confirm the association between TNF and DRB1 polymorphisms and SLE. The association between alleles of D6S291 and SLE needs however to be verified by the analysis of other markers beyond this region.</p></div

Characteristics of studied STR.

<p>Characteristics of studied STR.</p

Clinical and serological associations with STR markers.

<p>Clinical and serological associations with STR markers.</p