New Insights into the Pathogenesis and the Therapy of Recurrent Focal Glomerulosclerosis

Recurrent focal glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in renal allografts has remained a frustrating and enigmatic disease. Recent studies on gene mutations encoding podocin and other components of the slit-diaphragm in patients with native kidney nephrotic syndrome have underscored the heterogenecity of the idiopathic form of FSGS. While familial FSGS rarely recurs following transplantation, the sporadic variety of FSGS is associated with a 30% recurrence rate. The patients with the sporadic variety of FSGS who have homozygous or complex heterozygous podocin mutations have a low recurrence rate. In the other patients with sporadic FSGS, a more complex and likely multifactorial etiology accounts for the recurrence of FSGS. The role of CD80 expression on podocytes is intriguing but requires confirmation in kidney biopsies of patients with recurrent FSGS. Recent findings on podocin genomics, the permeability factor and CD80 expression may ultimately lead to a better understanding of recurrent FSGS as well as a more effective approach to its prevention and treatment.     

Effect of cognitive and motor tasks on postural stability in Parkinson's disease: a posturographic study.

To analyse the effect of concomitant cognitive or motor task performance on balance control in Parkinson's disease (PD), we performed a posturographic study in 24 PD patients and in 20 sex- and age-matched control subjects. Postural sway was measured with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) during quiet stance and during performance of calculation or motor sequence of thumb opposition to the other fingers. No difference of centre of foot pressure (COP) parameters was observed during quiet standing (either EO or EC) between patients and controls, but visual deprivation induced in both groups a worsening of postural stability. COP area was significantly increased in PD patients during dual task performance, whereas no difference of COP path and x-y axes was observed. The effects induced by the performance of cognitive or motor task were significantly more evident in PD patients with clinical evidence of postural instability (presence of prior falls in the history). This study demonstrates that dual task interference on postural control can be observed in PD patients during performance of cognitive as well as motor tasks. The balance deterioration during dual task performance was significantly enhanced in patients with history of prior falls. These findings have some implications for the strategies to be used in reducing the risk of fall in PD.     

Natural killer cell activity and serum immunoglobulins in epileptic patients

Serum immunoglobulins and the activity of natural killer (NK) cells of 50 epileptic patients (eight with idiopathic generalized epilepsy and 42 with cryptogenic partial epilepsy) and 28 controls have been studied. The values of IgA, IgG and IgM were the same-in patients and controls. The NK activity in controls was linearly related to the effector-to-target ratio, but this linear relationship was not observed in epileptic patients. The cytotoxic activity of NK cells at the lowest effector-to-target ratio was significantly greater in patients than in controls. This increase was observed in each therapy group. Our results seem to confirm a disturbance of the immune system in epileptic patients and suggest that this modification of cellular immunity is not a drug effect but is related to the illness itself.     

An 11-year clinical evaluation of leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic crowns: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively evaluate leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic crowns placed over a 6-year period at two different private dental practices. METHOD AND MATERIALS: One hundred twenty-five Empress crowns were placed in 54 patients. The 93 anterior and 32 posterior crowns were evaluated clinically with a mirror and probe, radiographically, and from clinical photographs, in accordance with a modified California Dental Association and Ryge quality evaluation system. The risk of fracture was determined with the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: Crowns were studied over periods ranging from 4 to 11 years. The probability of survival of the 125 crowns was 95.2% at 11 years (98.9% in the anterior segment and 84.4% in the posterior segment). Six crowns had to be replaced. Most of the 119 successful crowns were rated excellent; Alfa ratings were assigned to 94.2% for color match, 91.6% for porcelain surface, 86.6% for marginal discoloration, and 94.2% for marginal integrity. CONCLUSION: Leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic crowns showed a low clinical failure rate and excellent esthetics after up to 11 years.     

The potential role of lonidamine (LND) in the treatment of malignant glioma

Summary Up-to-date unsatisfactory results obtained in multimodality treatments of malignant glioma have prompted the research of new therapeutic modalities with unconventional modes of action. Lonidamine (LND) is a drug which reduces aerobic glycolytic activity in both human and experimental tumors. This effect mainly depends on the inhibition of mitochondrially-bound hexokinase (HK) which is present in large amounts in malignant cells. A Phase II study was conducted on patients with recurrent glioma; 12 patients were admitted to the study. Clinical side effects were moderate, necessitating a reduction of the dosage in only 1 case. The objective results were evaluated according to the indications of Levin. 2 responders and 3 cases of stable disease were observed out of 10 evaluable patients. The potential value of this new drug is discussed.     

Recombination does not generate pinworm susceptibility during experimental crosses between two mouse subspecies

The susceptibility to Aspiculuris tetraptera of European Mus musculus hybrids is thought to reflect the disruption of genomic co-adaptation through recombination of the parental genomes. Here, we compared the susceptibility to this parasite between parents and experimental hybrids (intersubspecific until F4, intrasubspecific F1, F2) to clarify the contributions of heterosis and subspecies incompatibility. F1 showed hybrid vigor. Unlike intrasubspecific F2, intersubspecific F2 were less resistant than F1, but revealed no increased susceptibility relative to the parents. Intersubspecific F3 and F4 showed the same hybrid vigor as F1. Heterosis contributed most to the resistance, but the differences between intra- and intersubspecific F2 suggested genomic incompatibilities between subspecies. However, the susceptibility did not increase through the recombination process, showing that disruption of co-adaptation does not directly affect resistance. Even if previous studies still support the selective role of parasites in the current hybrid zone, an alternative hypothesis on the origin of hybrid susceptibility is warranted.