Urinary N-Acetyl-Beta-D-Glucosaminidase Index Activity Normal Values in Healthy Wistar Rats

Reference values have a major importance in describing the diversity of healthy individuals variables. These are population reference ranges (RIs) that comprise 95% of the healthy population. The determination of biological markers, like urinary NAG and creatinine, is considered a simple, rapid and non-invasive method for detecting and monitoring renal tubular function under different conditions. Calculation of the urinary NAG index provides a good estimate of the excretion of the two markers over a 24 hour period. An increase of the urinary NAG index may precede increases in standard parameters used in the diagnosis of renal disease, especially in cases of acute tubular lesions. With the purpose of detecting deviations of the urinary NAG index, this study established the reference values in Wistar rats. Urine samples were collected from 100 healthy Wistar rats, 50 males and 50 females. NAG and creatinine were determined, and subsequently the NAG index was calculated for reference value establishing. The mean value of NAG index was found to be 5.81±1.68 (U / g) for healthy females and 4.10±0.90 (U / g) for healthy males

Urinary N-Acetyl-Beta-D-Glucosaminidase Activity in Rat Experimental Ischemic and Toxic Models of Acute Kidney Injury

The identification of a suitable prevention method which facilitates limiting the deleterious effects of acute kidney injuries is highly required. In order to identify a proper treatment for acute kidney injuries, a suitable experimental model that replicates the structural, metabolic and inflammatory lesions that occur in the natural acute injured kidney is highly necessary. Intense urinary NAG activity can be found in a variety of renal disease such as toxic nephropathies, ischemic renal injury following cardiac surgery or renal transplantation but also in glomerular disease especially in diabetic nephropathy. Rises in urinary NAG enzyme activity strongly suggests tubular cell damage and support NAG enzyme as a biomarker of renal tubular injury. The aim of this paper is to obtain a stable in vivo acute kidney injury experimental model, in Wistar, rats and to evaluate the urinary activity of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) enzyme, blood levels of urea and creatinine and microstructural renal alterations induced by ischemia/reperfusion injury respectively gentamicin nephrotoxicity. For this purpose we have used a rat experimental model. Adult male Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g were randomly divided into 3 groups with 8 rats in each group. Group 1 served as a model for the renal ischemia/reperfusion injury experiment, group 2 served for toxic kidney injury experimental model and group 3 served as control group. All individuals in both groups 1 and 2 presented marked elevations in blood urea and creatinine at the moment of euthanasia (day 3 for group 1 and day 9 for group 2) compared to the control group where biochemical values remained within normal limits. Urine analysis of both group 1 and 2 showed marked urinary NAG index activity which suggests acute tubular injury, suggestion confirmed by histological evaluation of the renal parenchyma sampled from this subject

Study of moisture distribution in drip-irrigated cambic chernozem in the Cracau Plain

Drip irrigation allows plants to be watered by slowly wetting the soil on a small surrounding area using special devices that distribute water drop by drop. The main advantage of drip irrigation compared to classic irrigation methods is that the necessary water amount is considerably reduced by wetting the soil strictly in the area that contains the roots for the plant. This allows a rigorous dose of the distributed water amount. On a clay loam cambic chernozem in the Cracau Plain that has a present moisture content of 19% g/g, field capacity of 23.2 % g/g, wilting coefficient of 14.8% g/g and bulk density of 1.36 g/cm3 (mean values for a depth range of 0 - 80 cm), we performed water irrigation for a duration of 10 hours using spiral microtube dripping devices. The total water discharge per dripping unit ranged from 19.6 – 36.1 l, and the water flux ranged from 1.96 – 3.65 l/hour. Twenty-four hours after irrigation, we observed that the distribution of about 20 l of water, with a water flux of about 2 l/hours, provided soil wetting of the zone under the dripping device at higher values than the field capacity at a depth of 80 – 90 cm. The diameter of the wetting contour ranged from 60 – 100 cm at a depth from 40 – 50 cm, and the border diameter of the wetting zone ranged from 100 – 400 cm at a depth from 50 – 70 cm. Higher water flux values or longer irrigation durations resulted in a longer overwetting state in the upper half of the active layer of the soil and in water loss by percolation