Suppression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis induced reactive oxygen species and tumor necrosis factor-alpha activity in human monocytes of systemic lupus erythematosus patients by reduced glutathione

The etiology and pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus remains unknown, evidence exists for the involvement of mycobacterial antigen. This study is aimed to determine the effect of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on clinical course of SLE patients and the role of ROS and TNF-alpha in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis associated SLE patients. This study was done on 100 patients divided into SLE group [n=30] TB group [n=30], SLE-TB group [n=30] and control group [n=10]. All patients underwent clinical, biochemical and immunological evaluation by employing techniques such as SDS-PAGE, direct binding and competition ELISA, PBMC and cell culture. Fever, arthritis, skin rash, photosensitivity were more common in both SLE and SLE-TB group Reduced glutathione showed amelioration of ROS and TNF-alpa, induced action, which in turn, subsequently suppressed the immune-bindings observed in monocytes of TB and SLE patients cultured without glutathione. Data shows that SLE patients are more susceptible to developing Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as ROS and TNF-alpha in SLE patients could activate the replication of mycobacterial Ag85B [30 kDa] after bacilli infection

Renal replacement lipomatosis with coexisting xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in a pregnant woman

Renal replacement lipomatosis of the kidney is a rare entity characterized by renal sinus and perirenal fat proliferation often caused by renal calculi. Most of the renal parenchyma is replaced by fat and the kidney is usually small, atrophic and nonfunctioning. We report magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography findings of a pregnant woman with Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis and renal replacement lipomatosis coexisting in the same kidney