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Introduction Protein-energy wasting (PEW) is a strong predictive factor for morbidity and mortality in haemodialysis (HD) patients. However, there is no consensus for its assessment. The present study aimed to assess the nutritional status of patients on chronic HD by use of different nutritional assessment parameters, and at verifying which can identify the greatest number of HD patients with PEW. Also, to investigate predictors of nutritional status in a haemodialysis center in Morocco. Patients and methods This is a cross-sectional analysis performed on 126 patients aged 44.82 ± 14.01 years, undergoing maintenance HD in the Department of nephrology of the university hospital centre of Casablanca, Morocco. Energy and nutrients intake assessment was obtained by a three-day period food recall. Biochemical parameters, bioelectric impedance analysis, and subjective global assessment (SGA), have been performed to assess nutritional status. Results According to SGA the prevalence of PEW was 74.62%. However, when using the ISRMN malnutrition criteria only 36.50% of the patients were diagnosed with PEW. Pearson correlation showed a negative association between the degree of malnutrition evaluated by SGA and serum prealbumin (r = −0.54; P = 0.0001), serum albumin (r = −0.50; P = 0.001), energy (r = −0.34; P = 0.002), protein intake (r = −0.41; P = 0.0001), and a significant positive correlation with CRP (r = 0.65; P = 0.0001) was determined, but not with anthropometric measurements nor lipids profile. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.841 (95% CI: 0.751–0.932) for serum prealbumin, and 0.737 (95% CI: 0.634–0.840) for serum albumin. Conclusion Our results showed a high prevalence of PEW among Haemodialysis patients. Also, our findings suggest that SGA, serum albumin and prealbumin may be relative appropriate and practical markers for assessing nutritional status in HD patients.

Summary Aims The Maghreb region is considered to be an endemic area for classical Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) but the few published reports have focused on clinical descriptions. We report here the clinical, virological and pathological features of 26 KS cases, including 17 classic forms, eight epidemic forms and one case of post-transplant KS. Methods Evidence of human herpesvirus (HHV)-8 infection was detected by serology, immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction. Results Antibodies directed against HHV-8 latent nuclear antigen (LNA-1/ORF73) were present in sera from all 26 KS cases and the ORF26 HHV-8 gene fragment was amplified from the tumour DNA of all patients. KS lesions that met the classical criteria for KS (spindle cells, positive endothelial markers) and were immunostained with the anti-LNA-1 marker, demonstrated typical granular intranuclear labelling of the spindle cells in all but one case of KS, in which very few spindle cells were present. Furthermore, whereas LNA-1 staining was largely confined to spindle cells in the late nodular stage, it was also observed in endothelial cells forming the walls of slit-like vessels in early patch-stage lesions. Conclusion This study confirms that Morocco is an endemic area for classical KS, which remains the most frequent type of KS in this country, and emphasises the value of the LNA-1 marker for the early diagnosis of KS lesions.

Impact of transport distance on stress biomarkers levels in dromedary camel (#Camelus dromedaries#) The welfare conditions of domestic animals during transport to the slaughterhouse are largely known able to influence the level of their stress, physiology and meat quality. Furthermore, the reaction of animals to stressors depends on the duration and intensity of these stressors. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of transport distance on some blood physiological indicators of stress (haematocrit, haemolysis, cortisol, glucose and lactate) and biomarkers of oxidant stress (malondialdehyde and catalase) in camels. Transport distances were categorized as short (72-80km), medium (160- 170km) and long (350-360km) distance. All parameters analyzed here increased gradually and significantly (P

Alterations in both calcitonin (CT) secretion and plasma calcium were recently described in adult obese Zucker rats. We have investigated the CT biosynthetic activity of thyroid glands in 30-day-old obese Zucker rats (fa/fa), and their controls (Lean). Plasma calcium level was significantly increased (+0.6 mg/dl) in obese animals, but plasma phosphate was unchanged. Plasma CT levels measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) were significantly decreased in fatty (0.50 +/- 0.03 vs 0.68 +/- 0.03 ng/ml in Leans; P less than 0.001), but thyroidal hormone content was not different between Lean and fatty rats (68.7 +/- 5.1 in Leans vs 60.5 +/- 3.6 ng/gland in fatty rats). mRNA was extracted from 10 thyroids, and translated in a rabbit reticulocyte lysate (NEN) in the presence of [35S]methionine. After polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, specific immunoprecipitates were autoradiographed and quantified by integration. A 50% decrease in translatable CT mRNA was observed in fatty rats. In basal conditions, the biosynthetic activity of C cells in obese rats correlates with the secretion rate of the hormone in the face of unchanged thyroidal CT contents.

The genetic variability of the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) strains circulating in the populations living in the Maghreb region, an endemic area for HHV-8 and associated Kaposi's sarcoma, remains largely unknown. We have thus analyzed the genetic variation of the complete K1 gene of HHV-8 in a series of 35 viral strains, originating from 28 Moroccan patients with classic, AIDS-associated or iatrogenic Kaposi's sarcoma lesions. All but one of the 35 strains belonged to the large C molecular subtype. Furthermore, high genetic diversity within the C subtype was observed in the 35 sequenced HHV-8 K1 genes, with strains belonging to several and distinct subgroups highly supported from a phylogenetically viewpoint (e.g., C3, C7, C″ and C5). Considering these newly identified Moroccan viral strains in the context of 189 complete K1 genes, we were able to characterized, using the Simplot program, two main groups of recombinant chimeric K1 genes, either intertypic (C5) or intratypic (C7). In addition, the genetic characterization of the host maternal gene pool, through the analyses of mtDNA variation, did not provide evidence for any association between a particular human ethno-geographic background (i.e., North African vs. sub-Saharan African vs. West Eurasian linages) and any HHV-8 strain because both C′ and C″ strains were randomly distributed among the different patients' population backgrounds.

Vitamin D metabolites are able to change plasma calcitonin (CT) levels, but nothing is known about a possible effect at the CT gene level. Here we have investigated the acute effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) on the CT biosynthetic activity of thyroid glands from adult rats. Plasma CT levels were significantly increased (X2) 1 and 2 h after 1,25-(OH)2D3 injection in the face of unchanged plasma calcium values. The thyroidal CT content also was unchanged. A 2-fold increase in CT mRNA level measured by dot-blot hybridization occurred 1 and 2 h after 1,25-(OH)2D3 administration. Expression of CT gene products was examined in the rabbit reticulocyte lysate cell-free translation assay. After polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, specific immunoprecipitates were autoradiographed and quantified by integration. A single precursor of Mr approximately equal to 15 000 could be specifically immunoprecipitated with CT antisera. A 3-4-fold rise in translatable CT mRNA activity was observed 1 and 2 h after 1,25-(OH)2D3 injection. Thus, parallel changes in CT mRNA level, CT mRNA activity and plasma CT levels were observed in adult female rats after administration of 1,25-(OH)2D3. These findings demonstrate for the first time that 1,25-(OH)2D3 enhanced CT gene expression in the face of unchanged plasma calcium levels.