Effect of aluminosilicates and bentonite on aflatoxin-induced developmental toxicity in rat.

Numerous studies have established that aflatoxin is a potent developmental toxin in animals. Previous research has demonstrated that a phyllosilicate clay, hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS or Novasil), tightly binds and immobilizes aflatoxins in the gastrointestinal tract of animals and markedly reduces the bioavailability and toxicity of aflatoxin. Our objective in this study was to utilize the pregnant rat as an in vivo model to compare the potential of HSCAS and bentonite to prevent the developmental toxicity of aflatoxin. Aluminosilicates (HSCAS) and bentonite were added to the diet at a level of 0.5% (w/w) and fed to the pregnant rat throughout pregnancy (i.e. days 0-20). Test animals were fed an aflatoxin-contaminated diet (2.5 mg kg(-1) diet) with or without sorbents during gestation days 6-15. Evaluations of toxicity were performed on day 20. These included maternal (mortality, body weights, feed intake and litter weights), developmental (embryonic resorptions and fetal body weights) and biochemical (ALT, AST and AP) evaluations. Sorbents alone were not toxic and aflatoxin alone resulted in significant maternal and developmental toxicity. Animals treated with phyllosilicate (plus aflatoxin) were comparable to controls following evaluations for resorptions, live fetuses and fetal body weights, as well as biochemical parameters. While bentonite plus aflatoxin resulted in significant reduction in fetal body weight, none of the fetuses from HSCAS or bentonite plus aflatoxin-treated groups had any gross, internal soft tissue or major skeletal malformations.     

Erratum to: Evaluation of cardiac functions in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus with two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography

Clinical Rheumatology -     

Evaluation of the thyroid disorders in children with familial Mediterranean fever

Clinical Rheumatology - Although it is well-known that autoimmune thyroid diseases are more common in most of the autoimmune connective tissue diseases, the relationship between autoinflammatory...     

Clinical features and outcomes of 76 patients with COVID-19-related multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children

Clinical Rheumatology - Multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a less understood and a rare complication of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Given the scarce data regarding...     

Caregiver burden and related factors in caregivers of patients with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus

Clinical Rheumatology - Having a child with a chronic illness is a source of stress for the whole family, especially the primary caregiver. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations...     

The arsenic-based cure of acute promyelocytic leukemia promotes cytoplasmic sequestration of PML and PML/RARA through inhibition of PML body recycling

Arsenic in the form of arsenic trioxide (ATO) is used as a therapeutic drug for treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The mechanism by which this agent cures this disease was previously shown to involve direct interactions between ATO and the promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML), as well as accelerated degradation of the APL-associated fusion oncoprotein PML/retinoic acid receptor α (RARA). Here we investigated the fate of PML-generated nuclear structures called PML bodies in ATO-treated cells. We found that ATO inhibits formation of progeny PML bodies while it stabilizes cytoplasmic precursor compartments, referred to as cytoplasmic assemblies of PML and nucleoporins (CyPNs), after cell division. This block in PML body recycling is readily detected at pharmacologic relevant ATO concentrations (0.02-0.5μM) that do not cause detectable cell-cycle defects, and it does not require modification of PML by SUMOylation. In addition, PML and PML/RARA carrying mutations previously identified in ATO-resistant APL patients are impeded in their ability to become sequestered within CyPNs. Thus, ATO may inhibit nuclear activities of PML and PML/RARA in postmitotic cells through CyPN-dependent cytoplasmic sequestration.     

Survival assessment of the extended-wear insulin infusion set featuring lantern technology in adults with type 1 diabetes by the glucose clamp technique

Maintaining good glycaemic control with the same infusion set for longer than 3 days may improve the quality of life of insulin pump users. The aim of the current study was to assess the efficacy and safety of the novel, extended-wear infusion set over 7 days of wear in adults with type 1 diabetes. Sixteen participants completed three identical 8-hour euglycaemic clamp experiments on Days 1, 4 and 7 of infusion set wear. Between the experiments, the participants were discharged home for routine diabetes management while wearing the same extended-wear infusion set throughout the study. Time to reach the maximum glucose infusion rate (T_GIRmax) on Day 7 was reduced by 67% compared with Day 1 (p < .001). The corresponding area under the glucose infusion rate curve (AUC_GIR) was comparable for the first 2 h of the clamp (p = .891) but decreased by 28% over time (p < .008). While the extent of insulin absorption decreased with prolonged wear, it was accompanied by an increase in insulin absorption rate. The infusion set survival rate was 100% without leakages, occlusion alarms, severe hypoglycaemia or ketoacidosis. The extended-wear infusion set proved safe and effective during prolonged wear in real-life conditions.     

Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Inflammatory Parameters Including Neopterin in the Setting of Pneumonia,COPD, and Acute Exacerbations

Acute exacerbations and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are severe complications in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this study, we analyzed inflammatory parameters in serum including C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and serum neopterin (NPT) to determine their potential to differentiate between patients with CAP+COPD and with acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) without pneumonia. 102 (39 women and 63 men) patients were included in this retrospective study, of whom 48 presented with CAP without underlying COPD, 20 with CAP+COPD and 34 with AECOPD. CRP, PCT, and blood counts were determined by routine automated tests, and NPT concentrations were determined by ELISA. The ratios of CRP to NPT levels were calculated. Upon patient admission, CRP, PCT, and NPT levels were significantly higher in patients with CAP compared to those in AECOPD patients. CRP/NPT ratio was lower in AECOPD compared to CAP (+/?COPD) patients. Positive correlations were found between duration of hospitalization and CRP levels and the CRP/NPT ratio at study entry. Patients who were readmitted within 30 days tended to have higher NPT levels at initial presentation. Patients under ongoing corticosteroid treatment presented with lower inflammatory parameters. The CRP/NPT-ratio was suited well to discriminate between AECOPD and CAP on the basis of COPD, a CRP/NPT cutoff of 0.346 provided a sensitivity of 65% and a specificity of 79%. The combinatory use of inflammatory patterns might help to differentiate patients with AECOPD from those with CAP on the basis of COPD.