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Alcohol-related health and social problems are prevalent in almost all societies that consume alcohol and the presence of alcohol use in the movies is a known issue. The same holds true for smoking prevalence in film-making. The aim of this study is to assess tobacco-related content and alcohol consumption in "The Saint" series and movies. Five episodes from each "The Saint" TV series, from the '60s, were randomly selected. A predefined template was used for data collection and multiple variables were recorded and then analyzed. The main character was reported to smoke in 81.9% of episodes and consume alcohol in 87.1% episodes and similar were the results for supporting actors. Mean time to first cigarette and first drink ranged from 0.5 to 40 minutes and from 0.5 to 40.5 minutes, respectively. The prevalence of smoking and drinking in "The Saint" movies is high on average; however, the main character has ceased smoking and reduced alcohol consumption in the two contemporary movies, probably following the changes in the era and respecting the law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background . Endothelin-1 (ET-1), which acts via the specific receptors ET-A and ET-B, has been implicated in the development of renal scarring. The activation of the endothelin system was observed in experimental models of glomerular diseases and was attributed to the toxic action of proteinuria on the tubular epithelial cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the endothelin system in the kidney is altered in glomerular diseases and possibly related to proteinuria. Methods . Thirty-seven patients with different types of glomerulonephritis and 14 controls were included. Patients presented either nephrotic syndrome (n=25) or mild proteinuria (<1g/24h, n=12). The expression of ET-A and ET-B receptors in the renal tissue was examined immunohistochemically. At the time of biopsy, urinary ET-1 was determined. Results. Both receptors were mainly localized within tubular epithelial cells, and their expression was significantly higher in patients with glomerulonephritis compared to controls. The expression of ET-B was higher in nephrotic compared to non-nephrotic patients, while no difference was observed in the expression of ET-A receptors. A significant positive correlation of the degree of proteinuria with the excreted ET-1 (r= 0.487, p&l;t0.05) and the extent of immunostaining for ET-B receptors (r=0.420, p<0.05) was observed. The expression of ET-B receptors and the excretion of ET-1 decreased significantly in patients with remission of nephrotic syndrome after therapy. Conclusion. This study provides evidence that the endothelin system is activated in human glomerular disease, confirming data from experimental studies. Proteinuria seems to be related to the activation of endothelin system, though further investigation is necessary to clarify this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Apoptosis, a gene-directed form of cell death, has been involved in the resolution of renal injury but also in the development of scarring. Bcl-2 and bax are proteins related to apoptotic process that either provides a survival advantage to rapidly proliferating cells(bcl-2) or promote cell death by apoptosis(bax). Various cytokines and growth factors are involved in this process. This study investigates the expression of bcl-2 and bax and the presence of apoptotic bodies in relation to the TGF-β1 expression at the time of diagnosis in the renal biopsies of patients with glomerulonephritis(GN). METHODS: Fifty patients with various types of GN and ten controls were included in the study. Bcl-2, bax and Transforming Growth Factor(TGF-β1) positive cells were detected in kidney biopsies by immunohistochemistry, while apoptotic cells were detected by in situ end labeling of fragmented DNA(ISEL). Morphometric analysis was used for quantitation of immunostaining. RESULTS: The intensity of bcl-2, bax and TGF-β1 immunostaining in the renal tissue of patients with GN was significantly more to the observed in the control biopsies. Bcl-2 and bax were expressed within the epithelial cells of proximal, distal and collecting tubules and in the renal interstitium. Bax and bcl-2 proteins were also identified within the glomeruli in a few patients but their distribution was not related to the type of GN. TGF-β1 was expressed in the cytoplasm of tubular epithelial cells and to a lesser extent in the renal interstitium and glomeruli. A positive correlation of TGF-β1 with the extent of bax immunostaining(r = 0.498, p < 0.05) and an inverse correlation with that of bcl-2(r = − 0.490, p < 0.05) were identified. Apoptotic bodies were identified only in the renal tissue of patients with GN and were mainly localized among tubular epithelial and interstitial cells. CONCLUSION: The intensity of bcl-2 and bax proteins expression and the presence of apoptotic bodies in the renal tissue of patients with GN suggest that apoptotic process is ongoing during the evolution of renal disease. The correlation of TGF-β1 expression with that of apoptosis-related proteins might represent an implication of this growth factor with apoptotic process in the human diseased kidney. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), the major fibrogenic growth factor, is implicated in the pathogenesis of renal scarring in experimental and clinical nephropathies as well as in chronic allograft nephropathy. In this study we examined the pattern of changes of TGF-β1 excretion in the urine and the sites of TGF-β1 expression in the kidney of transplanted patients during the early post-transplantation period. METHODS: Eighteen renal allograft recipients were included in the study. In all patients urinary TGF-β1 levels were determined by ELISA in sequential measurements during the first two postoperative months and compared to that of 14 healthy subjects. The renal expression of TGF-β1 protein was studied in 4 patients that underwent a biopsy of the transplanted kidney at the same period. All patients were treated with prednisolone, cyclosporin, and mycophenolate mofetil. RESULTS: Urinary TGF-β1 levels were increased during the first postoperative days. Although they were gradually reduced during the first two post-operative months, they remained significantly higher compared to those of normal subjects (580 ± 148 ng/24 h vs. 310 ± 140 ng/24 h p<0.01). The decline of urinary TGF-β1 excretion followed that of serum creatinine. TGF-β1 protein expression was identified within the cytoplasm of tubular epithelial cells of transplanted patients. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated urinary TGF-β1 levels are observed during the early post-transplantation period in renal allograft recipients and are maintained high even after restoration of renal function to normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]