Association between metabolic syndrome and nephrolithiasis in an inpatient population in southern Italy: role of gender, hypertension and abdominal obesity

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and nephrolithiasis (NL) are quite common disorders. While some of the components of MetS have been proposed as precursors of NL in population studies, no data are available about the possible association between NL and MetS as such. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between MetS and NL. The secondary outcome was to examine the relationship between MetS single constitutive elements and NL considering the strict correlation occurring among these factors. METHODS: We studied 2132 Caucasian inpatients of the 'Spinelli' Hospital in southern Italy (males/females = 0.95; mean age 63.8 +/- 15.8 years; body mass index 26.1 +/- 3.9 kg/m(2)). The MetS diagnosis was performed according to the Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute criteria. The presence of NL was assessed by ultrasound examination of the kidneys and upper urinary tract. RESULTS: Seven hundred twenty-five subjects (34.0%) had a positive diagnosis of MetS. Two hundred twenty subjects (10.3%) had echographic evidence of NL, while 199 subjects reported a past history of NL (9.3%). The presence of MetS, as well as the male sex, and the occurrence of a previous episode of NL (in male subjects only) were each independently related to echographic evidence of NL. Among the individual components of MetS, high blood pressure and abdominal obesity (in female individuals only) were also independently related to echographic evidence of NL. CONCLUSIONS: MetS is significantly associated with echographic evidence of NL. A gender-related difference in the clinical expression of NL was also observed.     

Outcome following patent ductus arteriosus ligation in premature infants: a retrospective cohort analysis

Background  

The patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is an important problem in premature infants. Surgical PDA ligation is usually only be considered when medical treatment has either failed or was contraindicated. The aims of our study were to determine the mortality and morbidity following patent ductus arteriosus ligation in premature infants, and whether prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor (PSI) use prior to ligation affects outcome.     

Greater numbers of human spermatozoa associate with endosalpingeal cells derived from the isthmus compared with those from the ampulla

A simple co-culture bioassay system was used to investigate whether or not the anatomical origin affected the ability of epithelial cells from the human uterine (Fallopian) tube to 'bind' spermatozoa. This study was also used to identify some of the factors which may be involved in the regulation of sperm-epithelial interactions in vitro by comparing different tissue culture models and assessing the effect of oestradiol concentration. Epithelial explants harvested from different regions of human uterine tubes were co-incubated with a known concentration of motile donor spermatozoa. All results were adjusted to reflect a standard sperm concentration of 5 x 10(6)/ml. More spermatozoa associated per field of isthmic compared to ampullary epithelium [isthmus 9.5 +/- 0.9, ampulla 7.1 +/- 0.7 (mean +/- SEM); n = 36, P < 0.05, ANOVA] and cells from post-menopausal patients had an apparently reduced ability to bind spermatozoa [isthmus 5.5 +/- 2.0, ampulla 4.3 +/- 1.4 (mean +/- SEM); n = 4]. Neither menstrual cycle stage nor addition of mid-cycle concentrations of 17beta-oestradiol (750 pmol/l) affected the number of spermatozoa which bound to epithelium from either tubal region. In addition, the number of spermatozoa which bound per field of polarized explants was greater (P < 0.05) than that bound to dissociated primary and passaged epithelial cell monolayers. This report is the first to provide evidence suggestive of a role for sperm- epithelial binding in the formation of an isthmic sperm reservoir in the human uterine tube. Results also indicate that oestrogen is not involved in the regulation of these interactions, and that cell polarity is an important factor for such associations in vitro.      

Serologic evidence that factor IX inhibitor in the plasma of hemophilia B patients detects factor IX on normal red cells

BACKGROUND: Patients with hemophilia B lack factor IX (F IX). These patients may become alloimmunized after the transfusion of F IX concentrates and may develop F IX inhibitors, which have been characterized as polyclonal IgG4 alloantibodies. Two cases in which F IX inhibitors caused difficulty in compatibility testing and antibody identification were encountered. It was hypothesized that, because F IX is present in normal plasma, it might be adsorbed by red cells in vivo and then be detected during antibody screening tests with serum containing F IX inhibitors. CASE REPORT: Sera from two African American half-brothers with hemophilia B were incompatible with all common and rare red cell phenotypes tested in the anti-human globulin test, but did not react with each other's red cells. The brothers' red cell antibodies were neutralized with both normal plasma and a commercially available F IX concentrate, which indicated that the red cell incompatibility was most probably caused by their F IX inhibitors. Red cells from an unrelated patient with hemophilia B and a very low titer of F IX inhibitor were tested against the half-brothers' sera and did not react. The compatible red cells from one of the half-brothers and the unrelated patient with hemophilia B adsorbed F IX from normal plasma or F IX concentrate after 37 degrees C incubation; this rendered them incompatible with the plasma containing F IX inhibitor from the other half-brother. CONCLUSION: F IX appears to be present on normal red cells and may be detected during compatibility and antibody identification procedures when serum or plasma containing F IX inhibitors is tested.     

Limiting-dilution analysis of the effects of colony-stimulating factors, phytohemagglutinin, and hydrocortisone on hematopoietic progenitor cell growth

The effects of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs), phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and hydrocortisone on the growth of human bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells (granulocyte-macrophage; GM) were analyzed in a limiting-dilution assay (LDA). Both low-density bone marrow cells separated by discontinuous Percoll gradients and a T cell- depleted and progenitor-enriched cell fraction obtained by the combination of counterflow elutriation centrifugation and Percoll gradients were examined in LDA. GCT (monocytoid cell line-conditioned medium containing GM-CSF), human placenta-conditioned medium, bladder carcinoma cell line 5637-conditioned medium (containing GM- and G-CSF), and recombinant CSF (G-CSF) directly induced proliferation of progenitors with single-hit kinetics. In some instances, however, PHA- stimulated lymphocyte-conditioned medium (containing G- and GM-CSF) showed deviation from single-hit kinetics, which demonstrated the presence of factor(s) suppressive to progenitor growth. In a T cell- depleted, progenitor-enriched fraction, PHA alone was found to suppress progenitor growth at a level as low as 100 ng/mL. The addition of hydrocortisone (10(-6) mol/L) increased the progenitor frequency but suppressed progenitor growth at 10(-4) mol/L. LDA appears to be a valuable method for exploring mechanisms of factors regulating hematopoietic cell growth.     

Activities of four purified growth factors on highly enriched human hematopoietic progenitor cells

The activities of four purified human growth factors: biosynthetic (recombinant) granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM- CSF); recombinant erythroid-potentiating activity (EPA); natural and recombinant pluripoietin (Ppo); and natural pluripoietin alpha (Ppo alpha), were compared on the growth of hematopoietic colonies from enriched populations of human marrow and blood progenitor cells. Conditioned medium from the Mo T cell line (MoCM) was used as a standard positive control. We found that activities of GM-CSF and Ppo alpha on the growth of hematopoietic colonies were indistinguishable; Ppo alpha is now believed to be identical to GM-CSF. Both factors were able to promote the growth of colonies derived from subpopulations of CFU-GM, BFU-E, and CFU-GEM. Colonies derived from CFU-GM and CFU-GEM in cultures stimulated by GM-CSF and Ppo alpha were much smaller than in cultures stimulated by MoCM. In contrast to previous reports in which less highly enriched progenitors were used as target cells, Ppo had no detectable activity on the growth of colonies derived from BFU-E or CFU- GEM but promoted the growth of a subpopulation of CFU-GM derived colonies. Ppo is now recognized to be identical to G-CSF. The GM colonies in cultures stimulated by G-CSF (Ppo) were much smaller than in cultures stimulated by MoCM. EPA had no detectable activity on either the size or number of colonies derived from CFU-GM, BFU-E, or CFU-GEM. Results from experiments using target cell populations of marrow fractions separated by velocity sedimentation and marrow populations following freezing suggested that GM-CSF (Ppo alpha) and G- CSF (Ppo) primarily affect the growth of relatively mature subpopulations of progenitor cells. It is clear from these results that additional factor(s) are present in MoCM that are necessary to stimulate CFU-GM, BFU-E, and CFU-GEM maximally in vitro.