Masson’s tumor of the kidney: a case report

Background

Intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (known also as Masson’s tumor) is a benign vascular lesion that commonly occurs in the skin and is rarely found in solid organs, especially in the kidney. In what follows, we will look into the first case of an unexpectedly diagnosed Masson’s tumor of the kidney presenting as a suspicious renal cyst.

Case presentation

A 61-year-old Arab man presented with a left renal cyst, incidentally revealed by ultrasonography. The laboratory values were unremarkable. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a 38 mm left renal midportion Bosniak IV cyst. Our patient underwent a radical nephrectomy. Histopathology revealed the diagnosis of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia. There was no recurrence detected after 9 years of follow-up.

Conclusions

Renal intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia is a rare benign tumor which can mimic a suspicious renal mass on radiological findings. Thus, this entity should be considered more often in the thick of the diagnostic possibilities in order to avoid unnecessary nephrectomies.

     

Characterization and properties of biosurfactants produced by a newly isolated strain <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus methylotrophicus</Emphasis> DCS1 and their applications in enhancing solubility of hydrocarbon

Six biosurfactant-producing bacteria were isolated from hydrocarbon contaminated soils in Sfax, Tunisia. Isolates were screened for biosurfactant production by different conventional methods including hemolytic activity, surface tension reduction, drop-collapsing and oil displacement tests. All these screening tests show that all the isolates behave differently. Among the isolated bacteria, DCS1 strain was selected for further studies based on its highest activities and it was identified as Bacillus methylotrophicus DCS1. This strain was found to be a potent producer of biosurfactant when cultivated in mineral-salts medium supplemented with diesel oil (2 %, v/v) as a sole carbon source. Physicochemical properties and stability of biosurfactants synthesized by B. methylotrophicus DCS1 were investigated. The produced biosurfactants DCS1, from Landy medium, possess high surface activity that could lower the surface tension of water to a value of 31 from 72 mN m^?1 and have a critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 100 mg L^?1. Compared with SDS and Tween 80, biosurfactants showed excellent emulsification activities against different hydrocarbon substrates and high solubilization efficiency towards diesel oil. Biosurfactants DCS1 showed good stability in a wide range of temperature, pH and salinity. These results suggested that biosurfactants produced by B. methylotrophicus DCS1 could be an alternative to chemically synthesized surfactants for use in bioremediation processes to enhance the solubility of hydrophobic compounds.     

Vitamin D status and determinants of deficiency in non-supplemented athletes during the winter months in Tunisia

Recent reports suggest that hypovitaminosis D in athletes is as common as in the general population. This study was devised to examine vitamin D status and determinants of deficiency in athletes living in a sunny country (Tunisia). One hundred and fifty national elite athletes, training outdoors (n = 83) or indoors (n = 67), were enrolled from January to February 2012. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D was measured by radioimmunoassay. Concentrations were between 50 and 75 nmol · l^-1 in 21.3% of participants, between 25 and 50 nmol · l^-1 in 55.3% of participants and <25 nmol · l^-1 in 14.7% of participants. The concentrations were significantly lower in indoor athletes than outdoor athletes (36.2±19.0 nmol · l^-1 vs. 49.1±19.2 nmol · l^-1; p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D <50 nmol · l^-1) was associated with indoor sports [multi-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval), 5.03 (1.64-15.4); p = 0.005], female gender [3.72 (1.44-9.65); p = 0.007] and age < 18 years [2.40 (1.01-5.85); p = 0.05]. Athletes living in sun-rich environments are exposed to a high risk of vitamin D inadequacy. Given the importance of vitamin D in health and athletic ability, targeting sufficient levels of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D in athletes is well justified.     

Biodegradation of different molecular-mass polyphenols derived from olive mill wastewaters by Geotrichum candidum

The decolourisation of fresh and stored olive mill wastewaters (OMW) and the biodegradation of three groups (F1, F2 and F3) of phenolic compounds by Geotrichum candidum were investigated. Separated phenolic compounds derived from natural OMW ultrafiltration using membranes with a cutoff 2and 100 kDa. G. candidum growth on fresh OMW decreased pH and reduced COD and colour of 75% and 65%, respectively. However, on the stored-black OMW a failure of COD and colour removal were observed. G. candidum activity on this later substrate was enhanced by the addition of a carbon source easily metabolised, misleading an improvement of the COD reduction and decolourization that reached 58% and 48%, respectively. Growth of G. candidum in the presence of F2 or F3 polyphenolic fractions induced high decolourisation and depolymerisation of phenolic compounds. Whereas, very week decolourisation and biodegradation were observed with F1 fraction. Moreover, the highest levels of lignin peroxidase (LiP) and manganese peroxidase (MnP) activities were obtained in the presence of F2 fraction. These results showed that increasing of molecular-mass of aromatics led to an increase in levels of depolymerisation, decolourisation and COD removal by G. candidum culture.     

Use of Geotrichum candidum for olive mill wastewater treatment in submerged and static culture

The production of lignin peroxidase (LiP), manganese peroxidase (MnP) and lipases by Geotrichum candidum were performed in order to control the decolourisation and biodegradation of olive mill wastewater (OMW). Optimisation of different factors showed that dilution, carbon and ammonium concentrations significantly affected decolourisation and activities of ligniolytic peroxidases (LiP and MnP) on OMW. Moreover, addition of olive oil and agitation improved the lipase production. Batch and continuous OMW treatments in settler or bubble column bioreactors showed high COD and colour removal efficiencies of 60% and 50%, respectively. Lipolytic activity was greater in the batch bubble column whereas, LiP and MnP productions were improved in the settler. The performance of the continuous processes decreased with the decrease of hydraulic retention time (HRT). It has been shown that decolourisation and biodegradation decreased with an average of 40% and 45%, respectively, by decreasing the HRT from 4 d to 1.7 d.     

Inflammation and apoptosis in aortic tissues of aged type II diabetes: Amelioration with α-lipoic acid through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt- dependent mechanism

AimsEndothelial dysfunction is a key triggering event in the development of cardiovascular diseases and the current study explored this phenomenon in the context of inflammation, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway during chronic diabetes.Main methodsα-Lipoic acid (ALA) and wortmannin (WM) were chronically administered to aged Goto Kakizaki (GK) rats, a genetic model of non-obese type II diabetes. Key indices of inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress were assessed using western blotting, real-time PCR and immunofluoresence-based techniques.Key findingsA chronic inflammation (e.g., increased mRNA/protein levels of TNF-α, ICAM, fractalkine, CD-68, myeloperoxidase) in connection with increased caspase-based apoptotic cell death and heightened state of oxidative stress (HSOS)– appear to exist in diabetic cardiovascular tissues. An assessment of NF-κB dynamics in aged diabetic vessels revealed not only a marked increase in cytosolic phosphorylated levels of IκB-α, NIK, IKK but also an enhancement in nuclear localization of p65 concomitantly with augmented NF-κB-DNA binding activity. Most of the aforementioned cardiovascular-based diabetic abnormalities including reduced activities of PI3K and Akt kinase were ameliorated following chronic ALA therapy. WM, given to GK rats negated the anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic actions of ALA.SignificanceOur data highlight a unifying mechanism whereby HSOS through an induction of NF-κB activity together with an impairment in PI3K/Akt pathway favors pro-inflammatory/pro-apoptotic diabetic vascular milieu that culminate in the onset of endothelial dysfunction, a phenomenon which appears to be amenable to treatment with antioxidants and/or PI3/Akt mimetics (e.g., ALA).