Artemisia campestris leaf extract alleviates early diabetic nephropathy in rats by inhibiting protein oxidation and nitric oxide end products

Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes leads to free radicals overproduction, which contributes to the development of diabetic nephropathy. The present study investigated the effects of Artemisia campestris (Ac), a plant of the Asteraceae family, on renal impairment and oxidative stress in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by a single subcutaneous injection of alloxan (120 mg kg(-1)) in rats. Ac (200 mg kg(-1)) was administered to diabetic rats for 3 weeks. Diabetic renal injury was associated with hyperglycemia, increased serum creatinine, urea and uric acid levels. This nephropathophysiology was associated with a surproduction of nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) levels and a decrease in glutathione (GSH) levels. In addition, hyperglycemia increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), in the kidney of diabetic rats. Treatment with Ac effectively ameliorated diabetic renal dysfunction by reducing oxidative and nitrosative stress. Histological studies also supported the experimental findings. The results suggested that Ac might act as a beneficial agent against renal dysfunctions developed in alloxan-induced diabetes.     

Hereditary complement deficiency in Tunisian adults with purulent meningitis

Inherited complement deficiency is a rare disease. It predisposes to autoimmune diseases, glomerulonephritis, angioedema, and meningococcal meningitis. A prospective study was conducted over five years. The goal was to evaluate the prevalence of deficiency in Tunisian patients presenting with community acquired purulent meningitis and identify the type of deficiency. We enrolled 122 patients, 15 of whom presented with a complement deficiency (12.3%). This prevalence was higher than the one observed in the global Tunisian population and in reported international data. The mean age of deficient patients (13 men and two women) was 24.7 years.