Introduction and aim Changes in renal nitric oxide (NO) production have been associated with glomerular hyperfiltration, vascular permeability, albuminuria, glomerulosclerosis, and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. This study aimed at detection of the role of both inducible nitric oxide synthases (iNOS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthases (eNOS) expression in diabetic and nondiabetic nephropathy patients. Methodology Renal biopsies and clinical data of 30 diabetic patients, 10 nondiabetic patients with renal impairment, and 10 control individuals were assessed for eNOS and iNOS expression. Results Both glomerular eNOS and iNOS expression levels were increased in diabetic nephropathy patients and this was associated with peripheral arterial occlusive disease. In nondiabetic patients, increased serum creatinine was found to be associated with increased iNOS and eNOS expression, and, together with the control group, they showed increased iNOS expression in tubular and interstitial cells. An association between cigarette smoking and increased expression of both iNOS and eNOS was detected in diabetic patients. Conclusion The presence of iNOS is associated with tubular damage resulting in renal failure. The upregulation of NO in diabetes mellitus type 2 may explain the endothelial dysfunction that is associated with almost all diabetic complications.

Background Evaluation of the static elastography as a noninvasive method for predicting liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C virus as an alternative modality for liver biopsy. Materials and methods A group of 35 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus were subjected to biological tests, abdominal ultrasonographic examination, liver biopsy with a histopathological estimation of score of activity and fibrosis, and liver stiffness measurement by means of elastography of the left lobe of the liver. Results Our study showed that there is a significant association between the elastography score and the grade of fibrosis (P = 0.001). A significant positive relationship was found between the activity stage and the elastography score (r =0.625 and P =0.01). Elastography has been shown to have a reasonably high sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy 100, 48.27, and 57.14% and 87.5, 96.3, and 94.29% for fibrosis grades 0, 1, 2 and 5, 6, respectively. No statistically significant relationship was found between the diameter of the anterior abdominal wall and the accuracy of elastography. However, 63.6% of those with bright liver texture had an incorrect elastography score, whereas 42.9% of those with a normal liver texture had the correct elastography score, and this association was statistically significant (P = 0.039). Conclusion Transient elastography indicates whether the liver is normal or cirrhotic; however, it has a low accuracy in the assessment of moderate stages of fibrosis (stages II, III, and IV). Bright liver affects the accuracy of elastography in assessing the degree of fibrosis, whereas anterior abdominal wall diameter does not.