Allergic contact dermatitis from Laurus nobilis oil induced by massage

Non-occupational contact allergy to Laurus nobilis (laurel) oil is considered rare. Herein, we report a case of allergic contact dermatitis after a massage with a mixture of olive oil and L. nobilis oil. Patch testing showed (+++) reactions to laurel oil and (++) to the mixture of olive oil and laurel oil.     

The impact of nutrition in urogenital cancers

Prostate, bladder and kidney cancers remain the most common cancers of the urinary tract. Despite improved primary prevention, detection and treatment, the incidence of age-related cancers of the urinary tract is likely to rise as a result of global population ageing. An association of diet with prostate, bladder and kidney carcinogenesis is plausible since the majority of metabolites, including carcinogens, are excreted through the urinary tract. Moreover, large regional differences in incidence rates of urologic tumours exist throughout the world. These rates change when people relocate to different geographic areas, which is suggestive of a strong environmental influence. As a result of these observations, numerous studies have been conducted to assess the effects of diet and nutritional status in kidney, bladder and prostate carcinogenesis. Here, we review the literature assessing the effect of diet and nutritional status on urological cancer risk, which has attracted the most interest.     

Protective effects of N-acetylcysteine on the peroxidative changes of rat lungs exposed to inhalation of thinners

OBJECTIVE: Long-term inhalation of thinners may cause damage, both to the lungs and to other organ systems. It causes cellular damage via formation of reactive oxygen species. The lung is protected from oxidative stress by the glutathione (GSH) antioxidant system which can be augmented by the thiol drug, N-acetylcysteine (NAC). This study investigated the protective effect of NAC on peroxidative changes in rat lungs exposed to inhalation of thinners for 8 weeks. METHODOLOGY: Seventy-two male Wistar albino rats were used and divided into two groups: one group inhaled only thinners (TI), while the other inhaled TI plus NAC. Rats in the TI and TI + NAC groups were divided into four subgroups (each consisting of eight rats) according to the duration of exposure to TI: 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. A control group (n = 7) of rats inhaled neither TI nor NAC. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and GSH levels, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were determined in the lung tissues. Histopathological findings were evaluated as acute and chronic changes in the alveoli and interstitium in the TI and TI + NAC groups and compared with those in the control group. RESULTS: While tissue MDA levels in the groups inhaling TI for 4, 6 and 8 weeks were significantly higher than those in the control groups (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.0001, respectively), GSH levels were significantly lower (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.01, respectively). Tissue SOD activities in the groups inhaling TI for 6 and 8 weeks were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). In the TI group, MDA levels were significantly increased (P < 0.01) with increasing duration of inhalation (from the second week through to the eighth week), while GSH levels and SOD activities were significantly decreased (P < 0.01, P < 0.01). Tissue MDA levels were significantly lower in the TI + NAC groups across all inhalation periods, when compared with the TI groups (P < 0.01, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, respectively). Tissue GSH levels in the TI + NAC groups were significantly higher than those of the TI groups (respective values: P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.0001). Tissue SOD activities in the TI + NAC groups were significantly higher than those of the TI groups (respective values: P < 0.05, P < 0.0001, P < 0.05, P < 0.0001). Pathological examinations with light microscopy did not show any beneficial effect of NAC application in terms of deferring or alleviating the negative effects of TI. CONCLUSIONS: Thinners are agents that cause imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants produced by aerobic cellular systems. This imbalance between oxidant and antioxidant systems is decreased by the effect of NAC. However, ultrastructural studies may be needed to substantiate this evidence morphologically, as light microscopy was inconclusive.     

Microalbuminuria is associated with the severity of coronary artery disease independently of other cardiovascular risk factors

The potential early predictive value of microalbuminuria (MA) in the estimation of atherosclerosis and the relation between the degree of urinary albumin excretion and the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) were investigated. Patients (n = 159) with stable angina pectoris and angiographically significant stenosis in at least 1 of the major coronary arteries were included. Microalbuminuria was measured by immunoturbidimetry. The extent of coronary artery stenosis was graded using the Gensini score. The Gensini score was significantly greater in patients who had MA. Also, the Gensini increased by 0.15 units with 1 unit increase in MA. In the groups who had diabetes mellitus and hypertension, there was no correlation between MA and Gensini score. The results of the present study suggest that MA is associated with the severity of CAD independent of other cardiovascular risk factors.     

Serum M65 as a Biomarker for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Introduction/BackgroundEffective cancer biomarkers for early detection, prognosis, or therapy response prediction are urgently need in metastatic RCC. M30 and M65 are released during apoptotic cell death and precisely reflect epithelial tumor cell death. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of plasma M30 and M65 levels in predicting survival rates for patients with metastatic RCC.Patients and MethodsThirty-nine patients with metastatic RCC and 39 healthy control subjects were included in this study. Serum M30 and M65 levels were measured by ELISA.ResultsThe median ages of the patients and control subjects were 60 and 58 years, respectively. No difference was detected in the median serum M30 level between the patients and control subjects (53.7 vs. 49.1 U/L; P = .31). The median serum M65 level was significantly higher in patients than in control subjects (334.0 vs. 179.1 U/L; P < .001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the best cutoff value for serum M65 level for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) was 313.6 U/L. The median PFS of patients whose M65 levels were ≤ 313.6 U/L was better than that of patients whose M65 levels were > 313.6 U/L (P = .03).ConclusionTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate serum M30 and M65 levels in patients with RCC. Serum M65 levels were significantly elevated in patients with metastatic RCC compared with healthy individuals. In addition, the serum M65 level could be predictive of PFS in patients with RCC.     

The concept of crosstalk‐directed embryological target mining and its application to essential hypertension treatment failures

This review aims to introduce the novel concept of embryological target mining applied to interorgan crosstalk network genesis, and applies embryological target mining to multidrug‐resistant essential hypertension (a prototype, complex, undertreated, multiorgan systemic syndrome) to uncover new treatment targets and critique why existing strategies fail. Briefly, interorgan crosstalk pathways represent the next frontier for target mining in molecular medicine. This is because stereotyped stepwise organogenesis presents a unique opportunity to infer interorgan crosstalk pathways that may be crucial to discovering novel treatment targets. Insights gained from this review will be applied to patient management in a clinician‐directed fashion.     

Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background and Aim: It is speculated that the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) might increase with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of GERD in patients with asthma and COPD in an area representative of developing countries. Methods: A validated GERD questionnaire was conducted face‐to‐face with 308 consecutive asthma (240 women) and 133 COPD (35 women) patients in the tertiary referral pulmonary outpatient clinic, and 694 controls from the research area. Detailed histories of patients and pulmonary function tests were also recorded. Results: The prevalence of GERD (heartburn/regurgitation once a week or more) was 25.4%, 17.0%, 19.4% and occasional symptoms (less than weekly) were 21.2%, 16.3% and 27.0% of patients with asthma, COPD and controls, respectively. The prevalence was higher in the asthma group compared with the controls and the COPD group. No significant difference was found between the COPD group and the controls. Heartburn started following pulmonary disease in 24.1% of the asthma group, and 26.4% of the COPD group. The majority of additional symptoms were significantly higher in asthmatics compared with the controls. No difference was found in the consumption of pulmonary medications in asthmatic patients in groups with different symptom frequency. Heartburn was increased 13.8% by the consumption of inhaler medications. Conclusions: These results implicate that the prevalence of GERD in asthma and COPD are lower than in published reports in a tertiary referral center. These differences might be related to the characteristics of developing countries, increased consumption of powerful medications in GERD and pulmonary diseases, or methodological flaws in earlier studies.     

Do maternal parenting practices predict problematic patterns of adolescent alcohol consumption?

Objective This study examines whether a mother's style of parenting at child age 5 years predicts problematic patterns of drinking in adolescence, after controlling for relevant individual, maternal and social risk factors. Methods Data were used from the Mater‐University Study of Pregnancy, an Australian longitudinal study of mothers and their children from pregnancy to when the children were 14 years of age. Logistic regression analyses examined whether maternal parenting practices at child age 5 predicted problematic drinking patterns in adolescence, after controlling for a range of confounding covariates. Results Physical punishment at child age 5 did not predict adolescent alcohol problems at follow‐up. Results indicated that low maternal control at child age 5 predicted adolescent occasional drinking patterns at age 14. More frequent maternal partner change coupled with lower levels of control was the strongest predictor of more problematic patterns of drinking by adolescents. Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of family structure and level of parental control in the development of problematic patterns of drinking in adolescence.