Renal manifestations of sarcoidosis: from accurate diagnosis to specific treatment

ABSTRACT Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease characterized by epithelioid noncaseating granulomas associated with clinical and radiologic findings. The cause of this disease is still uncertain. Sarcoidosis affects mostly lungs and lymph nodes and is not usually considered a urological disease, therefore, this etiology may be overlooked in several urological disorders, such as hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria and nephrolithiasis. It affects all races and genders. This review aims to describe the urological manifestations of sarcoidosis and to elucidate how the disease may affect the management of numerous urological conditions.

Renal manifestations of sarcoidosis: from accurate diagnosis to specific treatment.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease characterized by epithelioid noncaseating granulomas associated with clinical and radiologic findings. The cause of this disease is still uncertain. Sarcoidosis affects mostly lungs and lymph nodes and is not usually considered a urological disease, therefore, this etiology may be overlooked in several urological disorders, such as hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria and nephrolithiasis. It affects all races and genders. This review aims to describe the urological manifestations of sarcoidosis and to elucidate how the disease may affect the management of numerous urological conditions.

Effect of TEX-OE(®) treatment on the development of heat shock proteins in commercial broiler chicks and the impact on performance indicators in the grow-out period.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved proteins, shown to protect organisms against physical and physiological stress. TEX-OE(®) is a patented total extract of the fruit of Opuntia ficus indica, which has been demonstrated to accelerate the development of HSPs in several animal species. One-day-old commercial broiler chicks were treated with TEX-OE(®); HSP was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and a large commercial field trial investigated key performance indicators (KPIs) in treated versus untreated controls chicks. TEX-OE(®) significantly increased HSP concentrations in treated chicks versus controls. Final cumulative mortality, liveweight and percentage factory-rejects were better than in controls. The accelerated HSP response may enable chicks to cope with early stressors, which is reflected in improved KPIs.

BTES and aldehydes analysis in PET-bottled water in Lebanon.

The aim of this study was to determine benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene (BTES), formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and benzaldehyde in Lebanese polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-bottled water. Aldehydes were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible detection (HPLC/UV-vis) after 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) derivatisation and solid phase extraction (SPE) concentration, whereas headspace trap gas chromatograph-flame ionisation detector (GC/FID) was used for BTES determination. Both methods were validated according to the NF XP 90-210 and showed good linearity ranging from 3 (limit of quantification [LOQ]) to 15 µg L⁻¹ for BTES and from 20 (LOQ) to 900 µg L⁻¹ for aldehydes. No quantified contamination with BTES, acetaldehyde and benzaldehyde was determined in all analysed fresh Lebanese PET-bottled waters. Formaldehyde was quantified in 3 of the 15 samples at concentrations lower than the maximum contaminant level set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organisation. The samples' exposure to sunlight during 5 months increases the migration of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Similar migration increase was observed when the samples were incubated at 40°C during 10 days.

Heat shock proteins (chaperones) in fish and shellfish and their potential role in relation to fish health: a review.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs), also known as stress proteins and extrinsic chaperones, are a suite of highly conserved proteins of varying molecular weight (c. 16-100 kDa) produced in all cellular organisms when they are exposed to stress. They develop following up-regulation of specific genes, whose transcription is mediated by the interaction of heat shock factors with heat shock elements in gene promoter regions. HSPs function as helper molecules or chaperones for all protein and lipid metabolic activities of the cell, and it is now recognized that the up-regulation in response to stress is universal to all cells and not restricted to heat stress. Thus, other stressors such as anoxia, ischaemia, toxins, protein degradation, hypoxia, acidosis and microbial damage will also lead to their up-regulation. They play a fundamental role in the regulation of normal protein synthesis within the cell. HSP families, such as HSP90 and HSP70, are critical to the folding and assembly of other cellular proteins and are also involved in regulation of kinetic partitioning between folding, translocation and aggregation within the cell. HSPs also have a wider role in relation to the function of the immune system, apoptosis and various facets of the inflammatory process. In aquatic animals, they have been shown to play an important role in health, in relation to the host response to environmental pollutants, to food toxins and in particular in the development of inflammation and the specific and non-specific immune responses to bacterial and viral infections in both finfish and shrimp. With the recent development of non-traumatic methods for enhancing HSP levels in fish and shrimp populations via heat, via provision of exogenous HSPs or by oral or water administration of HSP stimulants, they have also, in addition to the health effects, been demonstrated to be valuable in contributing to reducing trauma and physical stress in relation to husbandry events such as transportation and vaccination.

Phenylpropanoids from Umbilicus pendulinus.

Phytochemical investigation of the leaves of Umbilicus pendulinus afforded in addition to 2-O-caffeoyl malate, isoquercitrin and Z-venusol, the new isomer E-venusol. Special NMR experiments were carried out to elucidate the configuration of the two latter compounds.

Drug use and its relationship to other behavior disorders and maladjustment signs among adolescents.

Based on a representative sample of 1,312 students 13 to 19 years of age from Mallorca, Spain, we used 19 variables from an anonymous questionnaire to define three groups of problems frequently found in adolescents: depression, deviant behaviors, and the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. We have found a close relationship between drug use and deviant behaviors which shows no relationship with depressive symptoms. There is a small group which uses drugs with no relationship to deviant behaviors. There are also relationships between these problem behaviors and sleeping difficulties, enuresis, weight problems, family difficulties, etc., which leads us to think of a network of connections with other problems of the adolescent and his family.