Background: The problem of substance use is becoming one of the most serious and rapidly growing phenomena all over the world. Efficient and well-designed prevalence studies for mental illnesses including substance use problems need to be regularly updated, in order to rearrange the prevention and management plans on a scientific basis. The aim of the study is to detect the prevalence of substance use and dependence among secondary school students, as they are one of the high-risk populations for drug use, targeting a representative sample of 10,648 of students. Results: The most commonly used substance was nicotine during lifetime (9%), last 12 months (4.9%), and last month (2.4%). After the exclusion of nicotine, benzodiazepines was the commonest substance abused (5.1%) followed by alcohol (3.3%) and organic solvents (3.1%). The most commonly used during the last 12 months was alcohol (2.9%) followed by organic solvents (2.7%) and cannabis (2.6%). The prevalence of the regular use of any substance was 1.5%, while the prevalence of the dependence syndrome was 0.9% (excluding nicotine dependence). The prevalence of intake, regular use, and dependence were all higher among males. Conclusion: The results of this study attract attention towards the substance abuse problem among adolescents in Egypt. Tobacco is the most commonly used substance followed by benzodiazepines which seemed to be used on a regular basis. Alcohol, organic solvents, and cannabis are also commonly used. Preventive services should be directed towards youth to combat these phenomena.

Ang2 can reflect the extent of endothelial activation and may be used as a biomarker of both disease activity and renal involvement in SLE patients. Ang2 level cannot distinguish between proliferative and non proliferative lesions in LN.

Background Steroidogenesis is a complex process of sequential enzymatic reactions affected by climate change. Animals respond to altered day length, the so-called photoperiod, with changes in physiology. The study aimed to an evaluation of sericin effect in alleviating steroidogenesis disorders induced by disturbed photoperiod in mice. Methods The animals were randomly divided into three groups according to the lighting cycle: a control group with a standard 12Light:12Dark cycle, a short-term photoperiod group with a 6Light:18Dark cycle, and a long-term photoperiod group with an 18Light:6Dark cycle. Both short and long-term groups were subdivided into two equal subgroups: The placebo and the sericin-treated subgroups received, for five weeks from prepubertal throughout adulthood, one intraperitoneal injection per week of the solvent and 1 g sericin/kg body weight, respectively. Results Selected oxidative stress parameters and testicular and adrenal steroidogenic capacities of adult mice were measured. After five weeks, the placebo group with impaired photoperiod showed a decrease in the quality and quantity of sperm and a reduction in testosterone, corticosterone, aldosterone, total antioxidant capacity, xanthine oxidase, and melatonin. At the same time, in these groups, there was an increase in the level of aromatase, malondialdehyde, cholesterol, and steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) expression in the adrenal cortex and an enhancement in histological lesions. Mice receiving sericin had parameters similar to the control group. Conclusion Our findings reveal that silk sericin can reduce the stress caused by photoperiod disorders regarding testicular function, sex hormone levels, and sperm quantity and quality. Thus, sericin is a biocompatible protein with a promising potential for its use in the case of organisms living under an abnormal photoperiod.

Background: Diabetes clustered with hypertension and nephropathy is the commonest cause of end stage renal disease. Dopamine, an ancestral catecholamine, is involved in the regulation of sodium homeostasis and blood pressure. Renalase metabolises circulating catecholamines and is thought to regulate blood pressure. This study aimed to assess the relationship between dopamine and renalase in type 2 diabetic patients with and without diabetic nephropathy. Methods: This study was conducted on 80 subjects. Group 1 included 10 healthy subjects as controls, group 2 included 60 type 2 diabetic patients with normal or increased albumin excretion rate (AER) and group 3 included 10 type 2 diabetic patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Thorough clinical assessment and laboratory investigations included estimation of serum levels of fasting glucose (FSG), creatinine, urea, calcium, phosphorus, cholesterol (total and high and low-density lipoprotein) and triglycerides. Urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) was estimated to assess AER and plasma dopamine and serum renalase were estimated. Results: There were no significant differences in the mean dopamine levels between the three studied groups. Renalase level was significantly higher in HD patients than controls and other diabetic patients. Diabetic patients with increased AER had significantly higher systolic blood pressure, serum creatinine and renalase levels than diabetic patients with normal AER. Diabetic patients with increased serum creatinine ≥ 1.5 mg/dl had significantly longer duration of diabetes and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures. They also had significantly higher AER, FSG, dopamine and renalase levels than diabetic patients with serum creatinine < 1.5 mg/dl. ACR was positively correlated with duration of diabetes, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and serum creatinine and negatively correlated with the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. Renalase was positively correlated with diastolic blood pressure, ACR, serum creatinine, phosphorus and dopamine Conclusion: Serum levels of renalase are increased in type 2 diabetic patients with renal dysfunction. Renalase levels may be increased to compensate for the increase in dopamine level. The higher renalase level in HD patients may be due to much lower renalase clearance, higher production or slower degradation in these patients.

Background: Obesity is an independent risk factor for renal disease. Microalbuminuria (MA) is the first sign of renal injury. Tubular dysfunction may present early in obesity but this has not been well studied. This study aimed at assessing glomerular and tubular dysfunctions and their relationship to adiponectin and oxidative stress in obese participants. Methods: This study was conducted on 60 participants. Group 1 included 20 healthy individuals as controls, Group 2 included 20 obese individuals with normal albumin excretion rate (AER), and Group 3 included 20 obese individuals with increased AER. Clinical assessment, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory investigations included: estimation of serum highdensity lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, urinary albumin to creatinine ratio, and calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate. Serum adiponectin, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) as a marker of oxidative stress, and urinary gamma glutamyl transferase (UGGT) as a marker of tubular function were also estimated. Results: The estimated glomerular filtration rate was higher in obese individuals with normal AER and significantly lower in those with abnormal AER compared to controls. Adiponectin was lower and TBARs and UGGT significantly higher in obese individuals with normal and abnormal AER than controls. Adiponectin was negatively correlated with TBARs, AER, and UGGT. There were positive correlations between TBARs and both AER and UGGT. HDL-cholesterol was positively correlated with adiponectin and negatively correlated with TBARs and UGGT. Conclusion: Glomerular and tubular dysfunctions in obese individuals are related to low adiponectin and HDL-cholesterol levels and to oxidative stress. Tubular dysfunction precedes MA, so UGGT may be used as an early marker for obesity related nephropathy.