An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection of antibodies to a herpesvirus associated with an upper respiratory tract disease in Mediterranean tortoises [spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) and Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni)]. This serodiagnostic test was validated through a hyperimmunization study. The mean of the A(405) readings of the plasma samples...

OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the effects of extra corporeal shock-wave therapy (ESWT) on the calcaneal spur length and pain severity in overweight and obese patients with symptomatic calcaneal spur. METHODS In eighty patients with symptomatic calcaneal spur, ESWT was administered on days 0 and 7, and visual analog scale (VAS) scores and calcaneal spur lengths (CSLs) before and 3 months late...

background: morphological examinations of urinary erythrocytes can be of diagnostic value in initial evaluation of hematuria. dysmorphic urinary red blood cells are known to indicate a glomerular origin of bleeding. we examined the clinical usefulness of this test in a population complained of hematuria by use of three different methods: light microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, and wright s...

Sir, The occurrence of various types of glomerulonephritis with haematological malignancies is well established w1±3x. Hodgkin's disease has been principally described in association with minimal-change nephropathy and rarely with membranous glomerulonephritis w1,2x. We report here a patient with Hodgkin's disease of the nodular sclerosing type, who initially presented with necrotizing glomerul...

Neuroacanthocytosis (NA) syndromes are a group of genetically defined diseases characterized by the association of red blood cell acanthocytosis and progressive degeneration of the basal ganglia. NA syndromes are exceptionally rare with an estimated prevalence of less than 1 to 5 per 1'000'000 inhabitants for each disorder. The core NA syndromes include autosomal recessive chorea-acanthocytosis...

D iabetic nephropathy and membranous nephropathy can both present with nephrotic syndrome. Here, we report on a 43-year-old female patient suffering from type 1 diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, arterial hypertension, and nephrotic syndrome. Blood glucose levels were poorly controlled by a basal-bolus insulin regimen as shown by an HbA1c of 15.9% (150 mmol/mol). The concomitant antihypertensive m...

Sir: The term neuroacanthocytosis describes a group of phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous disorders associated with choreatic movements, psychiatric abnormalities, and cognitive decline. 1,2 Patients with neuroacanthocytosis may develop dementia, 3 schizophrenia, 4,5 obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 5,6 tourettism, 7 and self-mutilation. 8 We present the case of a patient with neu...

Although the spur-thighed tortoise, Testudo graeca, is one of the most widely distributed species of tortoises, its natural populations are threatened through its whole range. Particularly at south-eastern Spain, the species is mainly threatened by habitat destruction and over-collection, given that this chelonian has been traditionally considered an appreciate pet. As south-eastern Spanish wil...

Text by Mitch Leslie [email protected] Brief encounter A t fi rst glance, some of the cell’s communication proteins seem ill-suited for the job. They are embedded in the outer layer of the plasma membrane and have no direct connection to the cell interior. Yet they manage to relay signals across the membrane. The proteins tend to congregate, and on page 169, Chen et al. show that this gre...

Spur cell anemia is a hemolytic anemia seen in severe alcoholic cirrhosis that is characterized by unusual morphology and a decreased ratio of phospholipids to cholesterol in the erythrocyte membrane. We hypothesized that defective phospholipid repair may contribute to the red blood cell (RBC) phospholipid abnormalities of spur cell anemia. Therefore, we compared RBCs from normal control subjec...