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Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is the most common cause of adulthood nephrotic syndrome. Diagnosis of membranous nephritis is based on light electron immunofluorescence microscopy and clinical signs. Immune complex deposition against podocyte antigens such as phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) activates the complement system. Of this, complement Component C4d (C4d) is involved in the classical and lectin pathways. This marker may be used by immunohistochemistry to diagnose MGN when other methods are not available. In this work, C4d expression was monitored by immunohistochemical analysis in the glomerular capillaries of patients with primary MGN (study group, N=33) versus patients with minimal change disease (MCD, control group, N=20) in a cross-sectional evaluation performed based on the diagnosis confirmed by light microscopy and immunofluorescence. There was no significant demographic difference between the two groups except for age (P=0.002). C4d immune-expression was positive in glomerular capillary (2+ to 4+) in most of the MGN patients, while it was negative in the MCD group. The sensitivity and specificity of C4d immunostaining were 95% and 100%, respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.74 between C4d (immunohistochemistry) and immunoglobulins (IgG; immunofluorescence) and 0.65 between C4d (immunohistochemistry) and the C3 complement product (immunofluorescence). Immunohistochemical evaluation of C4d is, therefore, a sensitive and specific method that has a high correlation with IgG immunofluorescence.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the possible impact of hydroalcoholic extracts of cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) on glucose status, lipid profile, and histopathological changes in the kidneys of diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two rats (male) were distributed into 4 groups (n=8), including one group as healthy control and three diabetic groups. Streptozotocin was used for inducing diabetes (50 mg/kg). Diabetic rats were grouped into a control group (DC), diabetic treated with 4 mg/kg hydroalcoholic extract of S. aromaticum (DSA), and the DG group receiving 5 mg/kg glibenclamide. After the treatment period, the blood samples of the rats were frozen in -70°C for measuring glycemic indices, insulin, lipid profile, some oxidative stress markers, and enzymes with antioxidant properties. Finally, the kidney was removed for the histological study. Results: Control, DSA, and DG groups had significantly lower levels of fasting blood sugar compared to the DC group (P<0.05) while the levels of insulin were significantly lower in the DC, DSA, and DG groups compared to the control group (P<0.05). The serum levels of urea and creatinine statistically reduced in all groups other than the DC group (P<0.05). Conversely, the levels of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and significantly increased in the DSA and DG as compared to the DC group although the serum levels of malondialdehyde statistically decreased in the therapeutic groups. S. aromaticum showed antioxidant properties and protected the kidneys of the experimented rats from renal damages, resulting from diabetes. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that S. aromaticum may have beneficial effects in diabetes through improving glycemic control and lipid profile and preventing diabetes-induced kidney damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the expression of CD44 and claudin-1 markers using immunohistochemical methods to differentiate patients with minimal change disease (MCD) from those afflicted with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, twenty patients with definite FSGS, twenty patients with FSGS/MCD spectrum, and seven patients with definite MCD were randomly chosen from Imam Reza hospital affiliated with Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. All patients underwent renal biopsy, and then the presence of the immune complex was examined in the obtained samples using immunofluorescence staining. Some renal specimens were paraffin-embedded for the evaluation of the expression levels of CD44 and claudin-1 utilizing the immunohistochemistry method. Results: Among the twenty samples obtained from patients with definite FSGS, 13 samples (65%) were double-positive for CD44 and claudin-1, 3 specimens (15%) were positive only for claudin-1, and 4 samples (20%) were double-negative for CD44 and claudin-1. The percentages of renal specimens expressing claudin-1 in patients with definite FSGS, FSGS/MCD, and MCD were 80%, 85%, and 0%, respectively. Finally, the percentages of renal samples expressing CD44 in patients with definite FSGS, FSGS/MCD, and MCD were 65%, 10%, and 0%, respectively. Conclusions: The results of the present research indicated that the rate of CD44-positive specimens was higher in patients with FSGS while the percentage of claudin-1-positive samples was more frequent in MCD patients compared with FSGS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rhinoplasty is done with external and endonasal methods. One of the main stages of rhinoplasty in both external and endonasal methods is the lateral nasal osteotomy. Lateral nasal osteotomy is the main cause of edema and ecchymosis after rhinoplasty, which is annoying and unpleasant for patients. Piezosurgery is a new method that uses electronic-ultrasonic waves to perform nasal osteotomies. The aim of this study was to compare of edema and ecchymosis after lateral nasal osteotomy using piezosurgery with external osteotomy in rhinoplasty candidates. In this clinical trial, 66 experimental patients for rhinoplasty surgery were selected from Imam Reza hospital in Tabriz, Iran. After examination, the patients were randomly divided into two groups. One group of patients had lateral nasal osteotomy by using the piezosurgery technique, and the other group had a lateral osteotomy with the conventional method of external subcutaneous. On the third and 7 days after the operation, the level of edema and ecchymosis in the patients were examined as per the Gökalan questionnaire (adopted by Yucel) by two persons who were not aware of the goals of the study, and then, they evaluated and scored the questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed by the SPSS 19 software. The highest level of edema and ecchymosis was observed 3 days after surgery in both groups. Meanwhile, the findings revealed a significant difference between the two groups in the amount of edema and ecchymosis on day 3 after surgery. Furthermore on day 7, the amount of edema and ecchymosis compared to that of the 3rd day was statistically significant for both groups. In general, in all studied groups, edema, and ecchymosis decreased in 7 days compared to 3 days and also piezosurgery is more promising and effective than osteotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statement of the Problem: Macrophages are the target of attention in numerous diseases. Many studies reported them as the regulators of the growth, dissemination, and clinical behavior of various lesions. There are relatively scarce data regarding the role of macrophages in oral lesions, particularly odontogenic lesions. Purpose: This study investigated the macrophage density in odontogenic lesions of diverse biologic performance. Materials and Method: In this comparative analytical study, 60 cases of odontogenic lesions including ameloblastoma, keratocystic odontogenic tumor, dentigerous cyst, and radicular cyst were immunohistochemically stained with anti-CD68 antibody. Oneway ANOVA and Tukey's HSD test were used for statistical analysis. Results: The results showed that the macrophage density in keratocystic odontogenic tumor (35.72±7.74) and ameloblastoma (46.12±9.84) was not significantly different from that in dentigerous cyst (43.87±8.13). Interestingly, the macrophage density in keratocystic odontogenic tumor was lower than that in dentigerous cyst. No significant difference was observed in macrophage density between the ameloblastoma and much less aggressive lesions like dentigerous cyst (p= 0.59). Macrophage density in radicular cyst (81.53±11.04) was significantly higher than other odontogenic lesions (p< 0.001). Conclusion: The lack of significant differences in macrophage density between the known aggressive odontogenic tumors and much less aggressive lesions implied that macrophages might not contribute to the biological behavior of the odontogenic lesions. Therefore, it could support the notion that targeted therapy would not have prominent clinical potential to decrease the extent of mutilating surgeries in odontogenic lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNA) are involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease, and can be considered as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Lupus nephritis (LN) remains a major challenge of SLE since it damages the kidneys in the course of the disease.Methods: The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic values of circulating miR-21, miR-148a, miR-150, and miR-423 involved in autoimmunity and kidney fibrosis in plasma samples of LN cases (N = 26) and healthy controls (N = 26) using quantitative- PCR (qPCR). The possible associations between the microRNAs and clinical parameters and their diagnostic values were also calculated.Results: The levels of circulating miR-21 (P < .001) and miR-423 (P < .05) significantly increased, while miR-150 decreased in LN (P > .05) patients as compared with healthy controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that miR-21 was superior in discriminating LN patients from controls with an Area Under Curve (AUC) of 0.912 [95% CI = 0.83 to 0.99, P < .001], whereas the multivariate ROC curve analysis revealed the high accuracy [AUC = 0.93, P < .001, 79% sensitivity and 83% specificity] of the miR-21, -150, and -423 to differentiate LN from controls.Conclusion: The involvement of the studied miRNAs in renal fibrosis and the obtained results make it rational to speculate that they may be used as potential biomarkers in LN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: IgAN occurs following abnormal IgA deposition in the glomerular mesangial regions. It is the most common primary glomerular disease and one of the causes of ESRD, so it is necessary to identify clinical and histopathological findings that predict progression to ESRD. In the physiopathology of this disease, C 4 d causes serious renal injuries and should be counted as a significant prognostic factor too. This study examined C 4 d biomarker and compare it with findings affecting prognosis, to determine the predictive value of C 4 d in progression to ESRD in IgAN., Materials and Methods: In this study, all biopsy samples of IgAN patients who referred to Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz were collected for four years. Their samples were evaluated C 4 d immunohistochemical staining and positive samples have compared with Clinical-histopathological findings affecting prognosis., Results: In this study, C 4 d positivity showed a significant association with mesangial hypercellularity (p = 0.001), segmental glomerulosclerosis (p = 0.003), and endocapillary hypercellularity (p = 0.001); however, it did not show a significant relationship with tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (p = 0.08). The study also found that C 4 d positivity was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with hypertension, increased proteinuria, hematuria, high creatinine, and decreased mean eGFR., Conclusion: This study showed that immunohistochemical staining of C 4 d is a useful method for evaluating the prognosis of the severity of renal injuries in patients with IgAN and could be a valuable alternative for most Clinical-histopathological factors routinely used as predictive factors for its progression to ESRD, especially when the biopsy specimen size is small and insufficient for other studies., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None to declare., (© the Author(s).)