Exploring inflammatory and fibrotic mechanisms driving diabetic nephropathy progression.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) remains a leading cause of end-stage renal disease, with inflammation and fibrosis serving as pivotal drivers of disease progression. Chronic hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress, activates immune pathways, and promotes extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation, leading to irreversible kidney damage. Inflammatory cytokines contribute to DN progression, such as tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and IL-17.

Comprehensive insights into leishmaniasis: From etiopathogenesis to a novel therapeutic approach.

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania and is transmitted through the bites of infected sandflies. The disease is characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations, from small skin blemishes to large deformable ulcers, classified as cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) and disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL), as well as severe systemic infections (Kala-Azar or visceral leishmaniasis [VL]), affecting the spleen and liver, along with atypical forms such as lupoid leishmaniasis. As one of the world's most neglected tropical diseases, leishmaniasis threatens more than 1 billion people globally, with 12 million currently affected and <1.

Screening immediate family members for carrier identification and counseling: a cost-effective and practical approach.

Objective: To screen immediate family members of thalassaemia patients for carrier identification and counselling.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at an urban thalassaemia treatment and prevention centre in Karachi, Pakistan, from January to December 2008, and involved 188 siblings of 100 thalassaemia patients. Complete blood count, including haemogram, was performed in the siblings.