[Efficacy of rituximab in minimal change disease, an atypical renal manifestation of antiphospholipid syndrome]. / Skutecznosc rytuksymabu w leczeniu choroby zmian minimalnych stanowiacej nietypowa nerkowa manifestacje zespolu antyfosfolipidowego.

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is defined as presence of antiphospholipid antibodies along with hypercoagulable events. Renal involvement in APS usually manifests as thromboembolic complications observed in large blood vessels or small intrarenal vessels (APS nephropathy). We report a rare case of glomerulitis associated with APS and being characterised by features different from typical APS nephropathy. A CASE REPORT: A 23-years-old patient was admitted to the nephrology department with steroid-sensitive, steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome secondary to minimal change disease, first diagnosed at the age of 18 months. Subsequent thromboembolic events, such as deep vein thrombosis, unilateral thrombosis of the popliteal artery, and pulmonary embolism, led to the diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome. The patient also had a history of acute kidney injury. On the day of admission, the patient had normal renal function and was taking an increased dose of prednisone owing to nephrotic syndrome relapse. In the past, attempts to reduce the dosage of glucocorticoids were made using cyclophosphamide, cyclosporin A, mofetil mycophenolate, and their combinations. It rendered ineffective as nephrotic syndrome relapses occurred. The patient's eligibility for the rituximab treatment was established in a series of diagnostic tests which excluded any contraindications. No adverse effects were observed during or after intravenous infusion of the drug. CONCLUSIONS: The case emphasizes a rare renal clinical manifestation of APS in nephrologist's practice. The combination of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and anticoagulants is highly likely to be the optimal solution for this problem.

Quantification of Salicylates and Flavonoids in Poplar Bark and Leaves Based on IR, NIR, and Raman Spectra.

Poplar bark and leaves can be an attractive source of salicylates and other biologically active compounds used in medicine. However, the biochemical variability of poplar material requires a standardization prior to processing. The official analytical protocols used in the pharmaceutical industry rely on the extraction of active compounds, which makes their determination long and costly. An analysis of plant materials in their native state can be performed using vibrational spectroscopy. This paper presents for the first time a comparison of diffuse reflectance in the near- and mid-infrared regions, attenuated total reflection, and Raman spectroscopy used for the simultaneous determination of salicylates and flavonoids in poplar bark and leaves. Based on 185 spectra of various poplar species and hybrid powdered samples, partial least squares regression models, characterized by the relative standard errors of prediction in the 4.5-9.9% range for both calibration and validation sets, were developed. These models allow for fast and precise quantification of the studied active compounds in poplar bark and leaves without any chemical sample treatment.

[Etiology of acute diarrheas in children from the Lodz region. I. Occurrence of etiologic agents]. / Etiologia ostrych biegunek u dzieci w regionie lódzkim. I. Czestosc wystepowania czynników etiologicznych.

UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was determination of the etiologic agents (bacterial, fungal or viral) of acute diarrheas in children from the Lódz region, suffering from acute diarrhoea during the period from October 1998 to February 2001. Rotaviruses were detected by the latex test. Other microorganisms belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae and Vibrionaceae families, as well as the genera Listeria, Campylobacter, Candida, Staphylococcus were cultured on standard or selective culture media according to the NDH recommendations and identification by means of API system. Acute diarrhea in 155 small children below 6 years of age from the Lódz region were caused by rotaviruses (n = 42; 27%). Enteropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli (n = 25; 16.1%) occupied the third place after Salmonella bacteria (n = 30; 19.3%--second place). Among bacterial etiologic factors of diarrhea Campylobacter bacteria showed high frequency of occurrence (n = 22; 14.1%). The investigations enabled identification both the mixed infections (n = 25; 16.1%) and more rare etiologic agents of diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Acute diarrhea in children from the region Lódz were most frequently caused by rotaviruses; 2. Modern microbiological diagnostics of acute diarrhea in children should be multilateral, taking account of the mixed infections and expanding the routine search for bacteria of the genus Campylobacter.