Influence of surgery on renal amyloidosis

It is well known that renal amyloidosis (RA) leads to ESRD in a few years. This evolution may be accelerated by several factors such as steroids, renal vein thrombosis, infections or surgery. We report 22 patients (14M,8F) mean age = 41.6 years (13-72) with RA in whom surgery revealed or aggravated renal disease. The group I includes 15 patients with no previous history of renal disease and who developed oedema few days after surgery with acute renal failure in 5 of them. Proteinuria was present in all the cases with a nephrotic syndrome in 10. Percutaneous kidney biopsy (KB) showed renal amyloidosis in all patients (AA+ = 8 cases, AA- = 3 cases). Only 9 patients were followed-up (mean period = 40 months): 2 patients are stationary; 1 is on complete remission 2 are on HD and 4 died. The group II includes 7 patients with a previous history of nephropathy (Histologically proven amyloidosis: 3 CRF = 1, Oedema: 3). All these patients developed oedema few days after surgery with acute RF in 4 patients. KB performed in all of them showed RA (AA+ = 33, AA- = 1). 6 patients were followed up for a mean period of 11 months: 5 died, 1 patient is on HD. The influence of surgery on renal amyloidosis is often unforeseeable. It may have no effect on renal disease, but very often it reveals RA and sometimes dramatically aggravates the course of the disease with occurrence of irreversible CRF. The pathogenic role of surgery on RA is discussed.     

Eosinophilic granuloma revealed by torticollis: a case report]

Langerhans cell histiocytose is a rare condition in childhood. It presents in different ways ranging from a single bony disease to a multisystemic disease involving vital organs. CASE REPORT: We report a case of single bone involvement revealed by torticollis in an eight-year-old boy. The diagnosis was evocated on radiological findings and confirmed by histologic aspects. After a period of 2,5 years, this child is in total spontaneous remission. CONCLUSION: Torticollis must be explored and watched. Eosinophilic granuloma can be a rare aetiology in children. The outcome is often favorable.     

Insect management products from Malian traditional medicine--establishing systematic criteria for their identification

In material-resource poor countries like Mali, traditional practices incorporate the use of plants for medicinal purposes. Ethnobotanical research has documented traditional uses of plants, while concomitant studies by natural product chemists, ethnobotanists, and microbiologists have verified the efficacy of using traditional medicinal plants that have proven antimicrobial activity. These plants may also be used to protect agricultural crops pre-harvest and post-harvest from insect herbivory. In Mali, subsistence farmers, regional scientists, and extension specialists rely on local plants for many medicinal needs and are amenable to using traditional plant materials for insect pest management. The goal of this research was to develop Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies using Malian traditional medicine as a discovery lead. The discovery premise was based on identifying plants through a matrix approach utilizing agricultural scientists, traditional practitioners, and subsistence farmers. We hypothesized that plants used in traditional medicine with antimicrobial activity lead to potential insect pest management agents. To test our hypothesis, we developed a four-step process for selecting Malian plant species. Seven criteria were selected to create a systematic matrix to identify the most promising plant materials for practical, affordable, ecologically-sound insect management by Malian farmers. In the first step of the process, we developed a list of 294 medicinal Malian plant species which were evaluated using the matrix. Sixty-seven plant species met our main criteria. After the environmental soundness of these species was evaluated using four minor criteria, 50 species emerged from this pre-chemical, pre-bioassay process for further consideration in IPM programs in Mali.     

Inhibitory potential of nitrogen,oxygen and sulfur containing heterocyclic scaffolds against acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase

Heterocycles are the key structures in organic chemistry owing to their immense applications in the biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical fields. Heterocyclic compounds perform various noteworthy functions in nature, medication, innovation etc. Most frequently, pure nitrogen heterocycles or various positional combinations of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur atoms in five or six-membered rings can be found. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymes is a popular strategy for the management of numerous mental diseases. In this context, cholinesterase inhibitors are utilized to relieve the symptoms of neurological illnesses like dementia and Alzheimer''s disease (AD). The present review focuses on various heterocyclic scaffolds and their role in designing and developing new potential AChE and BChE inhibitors to treat AD. Moreover, a detailed structure–activity relationship (SAR) has been established for the future discovery of novel drugs for the treatment of AD. Most of the heterocyclic motifs have been used in the design of new potent cholinesterase inhibitors. In this regard, this review is an endeavor to summarize the biological and chemical studies over the past decade (2010–2022) describing the pursuit of new N, O and S containing heterocycles which can offer a rich supply of promising AChE and BChE inhibitory activities.

The present review focuses on various heterocyclic scaffolds and their role in designing and developing new potential AChE and BChE inhibitors to treat AD.     

Prevalence and Predictors of Liver Fibrosis in People Living with Hepatitis B in Senegal

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the first cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer in West Africa. Although the exposure to additional environmental and infectious risk factors may lead to the faster progression of liver disease, few large-scale studies have evaluated the determinants of HBV-related liver fibrosis in the region. We used transient elastography to evaluate the prevalence of liver fibrosis and assessed the association between HBV markers and significant liver fibrosis in a cohort of people living with HBV in Dakar, Senegal. The prevalence of significant liver fibrosis was 12.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 9.6%–15.9%) among 471 people with HBV mono-infection (pwHBV) and 6.4% (95% CI 2.6%–12.7%) in 110 people with HIV/HBV co-infection (pwHIV/HBV) on tenofovir-containing antiretroviral therapy (p = 0.07). An HBV viral load > 2000 IU/mL was found in 133 (28.3%) pwHBV and 5 (4.7%) pwHIV/HBV, and was associated with significant liver fibrosis (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.95, 95% CI 1.04–3.66). Male participants (aOR 4.32, 95% CI 2.01–8.96) and those with elevated ALT (aOR 4.32, 95% CI 2.01–8.96) were especially at risk of having significant liver fibrosis. Our study shows that people with an HBV viral load above 2000 IU/mL have a two-fold increase in the risk of liver fibrosis and may have to be considered for antiviral therapy, independent of other disease parameters.     

Tumeur stromale rectale : à propos d’une observation

Gastro-intestinal stromal tumors are uncommon mesenchymal tumors. There are localized preferentially in the stomach. The rectal localization is exceedingly rare. Through a new case of rectal stromal tumour as well as a review of the literature, we propose to focus on clinical, radiological and therapeutic particularities of this rare entity.