BackgroundThere is wide variation in clinical presentation and outcome of lupus nephritis (LN) among different ethnic groups. Few data for LN exist on North Africans, especially those from Morocco. The aim of our study was to review retrospectively the features and outcome of LN in Moroccan patients.Patients and methodsWe performed a single-center retrospective study. A total of 114 patients with LN were included. All patients met American Rheumatism Association criteria. LN was classified according to the International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society classification. We adopted previously defined outcome criteria for LN.ResultsThere were 101 females and 13 males, with a mean age of 29.9 years. At first presentation, we noted hypertension in 33%, hematuria in 76%, nephrotic syndrome in 53%, and renal failure in 60% of cases. Renal biopsy revealed predominant proliferative classes in more than 80% of patients. Patients received different regimens mainly based on intravenous cyclophosphamide. After a mean follow-up of 22 months, remission occurred in 45.5%, relapses in 82%, end-stage renal failure in 21%, and death in 16% of cases. Infection and neurological and cardiovascular diseases were the most frequent causes of death.ConclusionLN seems to be severe in our study, with a predominance of proliferative forms, severe renal manifestations, and poor renal and overall survival.

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The medical staff could play a major role in promoting for organ donation. The aim of our study was to assess the attitudes of the medical staff toward organ donation. It is a prospective study conducted over a period of six months. A questionnaire was distributed and explained to the medical staff in our institute. Fifteen questions were designed to include four main themes: sociodemographic information, attitude toward organ donation, perceived knowledge about organ donation, and reasons for refusal or acceptance of organ donation. Among the 245 respondents, 36.3% had prior knowledge about organ transplantation, 31.8% knew about the law of organ donation, 43.2% had already donated blood sometimes, 65.7% expressed their consent to organ donation during their lifetime, and 82.8% expressed their agreement to donation after their death. The grounds for refusal were generally: a misunderstanding of risks, desire for respect of corpse. The religious and the ethical motive were present too as a ground for decision making. The medical staff is the key for organ donation. To promote organ transplantation, personnel should be well informed about ethical, moral, and religious dimensions of organ donation and transplantation.

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The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients at the Rabat University Hospital and to identify the major risk factors for transmission. A retrospective study was performed in 67 chronic HD and 36 peritoneal dialysis patients. For the screening of viral infections, we tested for anti-HCV antibodies and HBs antigen (Hbs Ag). We compared infected and non-infected patients in order to determine the risk factors for contamination. In the HD unit, the prevalence of anti-HCV was 60% and the prevalence of HBs Ag was 6%. Duration of dialysis (P = 0.001) was the only risk factor in our HD patients. In peritoneal dialysis (PD), the prevalence of anti-HCV was 8%. Hbs Ag was detected in 2.6% of our PD patients. Viral hepatitis C is the main viral infection in our HD unit. The duration of dialysis is the main risk factor for infection in our study. The transmission is essentially nosocomial, requiring a strict adherence to infection control procedures.