The Incidence of Primary vs Secondary Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis: A Clinicopathologic Study

Objectives

To describe the change in the incidence rates of primary and secondary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) from 1994 through 2013 in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and to identify the clinical and biopsy characteristics that distinguish primary from secondary FSGS.

The potential of DBP gels containing intervertebral disc cells for annulus fibrosus supplementation:in vivo

Demineralized bone particle (DBP), which is widely used as a biomaterial in the field of tissue engineering, contains various bioactive molecules, such as cytokines. For this reason, in this study we investigated the effects of injectable DBP gels on cell proliferation, inflammation and maintenance of the shape of DBP gels as a scaffold able to substitute for intervertebral discs (IVDs) in vivo. DBP gels were fabricated with different percentages (5% and 10%) of DBP powder and 3% acetic acid, including 0.02% pepsin. DBP gels with 1 × 10⁶ annulus fibrosus (AF) cells were implanted into the dorsal subcutaneous region of BALB/C‐nu mice for 1, 2 and 3 weeks. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay. The effect of DBP gels on the inflammatory response was analysed by measuring the amount of tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNFα) released. Also, histological methods were carried out to analyse the response of DBP gels in vivo. This study demonstrated that injectable DBP gels are able to provide physical scaffolds for growing IVD cells in vivo. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

邻苯二甲酸二丁酯（DBP）与2型糖尿病的研究进展

邻苯二甲酸二丁酯(di-n-butyl phthalate,DBP)属于邻苯二甲酸脂类,是塑化剂的一种常见成分,也是一种我们普遍接触的到的低水平污染物。糖尿病的发病率在全世界范围内不断增加,如今已成为危害人类身体健康的主要疾病之一。国外研究证实DBP通过氧化应激以及损害过氧化物酶增殖物激活物(PPAR)信号旁路,参与葡萄糖代谢和糖尿病发展。该综述就DBP与2型糖尿病近几年的研究综述如下。     

Use of the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework to evaluate species concordance and human relevance of Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)-induced male reproductive toxicity

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a phthalate ester used as a plasticizer, and solvent. Studies using rats consistently report that DBP exposure disrupts normal development of the male reproductive system in part via inhibition of androgen synthesis. However, studies using xenograft models report that in human fetal testis DBP exposure is unlikely to impair testosterone synthesis. These results question the validity of the rat model for assessment of male reproductive effects caused by DBP. The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework was used to evaluate the available evidence for DBP-induced toxicity to the male reproductive system. Three relevant biological elements were identified: 1) fetal rats are more sensitive than other rodents and human fetal xenografts to DBP-induced anti-androgenic effects, 2) DBP-induced androgen-independent adverse outcomes are conserved amongst different mammalian models and human fetal testis xenografts, and 3) DBP-induced anti-androgenic effects are conserved in different mammalian species when exposure occurs during postnatal life stages.     

Pyruvate remediation of cell stress and genotoxicity induced by haloacetic acid drinking water disinfection by‐products

Monohaloacetic acids (monoHAAs) are a major class of drinking water disinfection by‐products (DBPs) and are cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, and teratogenic. We propose a model of toxic action based on monoHAA‐mediated inhibition of glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as a target cytosolic enzyme. This model predicts that GAPDH inhibition by the monoHAAs will lead to a severe reduction of cellular ATP levels and repress the generation of pyruvate. A loss of pyruvate will lead to mitochondrial stress and genomic DNA damage. We found a concentration‐dependent reduction of ATP in Chinese hamster ovary cells after monoHAA treatment. ATP reduction per pmol monoHAA followed the pattern of iodoacetic acid (IAA) > bromoacetic acid (BAA) >> chloroacetic acid (CAA), which is the pattern of potency observed with many toxicological endpoints. Exogenous supplementation with pyruvate enhanced ATP levels and attenuated monoHAA‐induced genomic DNA damage as measured with single cell gel electrophoresis. These data were highly correlated with the S_N2 alkylating potentials of the monoHAAs and with the induction of toxicity. The results from this study strongly support the hypothesis that GAPDH inhibition and the possible subsequent generation of reactive oxygen species is linked with the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, teratogenicity, and neurotoxicity of these DBPs. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 54:629–637, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Metabolic syndrome and its components in postmenopausal women living in southern Italy,Apulia region

Objectives

The goal of our study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and all its components, in a population of postmenopausal women aged over 45 years, consecutively accessed to our Heart Station, during 2014, for their first cardiac examination,furthermore to estimate their cardiovascular risk and the achievement of target blood values of main risk factors, according to current Guidelines.