Oxidative stress has been linked to disease progression, including chronic renal failure (CRF). The aim of the present study was to determine malondialdehyde (MDA) as a sign of lipid peroxidation, and to investigate the association between antioxidant activities and three trace elements, in 49 patients with CRF. The erythrocyte and plasma trace elements [selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu)] and antioxidant defense levels were determined: glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), vitamins E and C. The obtained values were compared with 42 age-and sex-matched healthy controls. There were significantly lower mean values of plasma Se, GPx, vitamins E and C, erythrocyte Se, SOD and CAT levels in the patient group compared to the control group (p50.001). Plasma MDA showed a significant increase in all CRF patients in comparison with controls. No significant difference was found in plasma Cu, Zn, and erythrocyte GPx, Cu and Zn levels between patient and control groups. These findings indicate oxidative stress is present in patients of CRF, and may serve to establish a simple protocol for evaluation of renal function.

Oxidative stress has received a considerable scientific attention as a mediator in the etiology of many human diseases. Oxidative stress is the result of an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. Cells can be damaged by free radicals that are considered to play a main role in the aging process and diseases development. Antioxidants are the first line of defense against the detrimental effects of free radical damage, and it is essential to maintain optimal health via different mechanisms of action. Types of antioxidants range from those generated endogenously by the body cells, to exogenous agents such as dietary supplements. Antioxidant insufficiency can be developed as a result of decreased antioxidant intake, synthesis of endogenous enzymes, or increased antioxidant utilization. To maintain optimal body function, antioxidant supplementation has become an increasingly popular practice through improving free radical protection. In this chapter, we first elucidate the oxidative stress, and then define the antioxidant and its categories. Finally, introduce the antioxidants mode of actions for cell protection from free radicals.

Objective This study investigated the utility of measuring plasma long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) levels in the early detection of endothelial dysfunction compared with Von Willebrand factor (vWF) activity and flow-dependent arterial dilatation (well-known markers of endothelial dysfunction) in early diabetic nephropathy. Materials and methods A total of 50 Egyptian patients with type 2 diabetes and 20 healthy controls were recruited from the Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism center, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. The diabetic patients were divided into two equal groups of comparable age and sex: group I consisted of patients with normal urinary albumin excretion and group II consisted of patients with microalbuminuria. Results In group II, the plasma PTX3 level was significantly higher (median value 2.3 ng/ml) and the mean flow-mediated dilatation (FMD; 0.433 ±0.059) was significantly lower when compared with the control group (PTX3 1.15 ng/ml, FMD 0.901 ± 0.04; P<00001) and with group I (PTX3 1.2 ng/ml, FMD 0.627± 0.05; P<0.0001). The vWF activity (median value) was significantly higher in the two diabetic groups compared with controls (20.2, 16.3 and 4% in group I, group II, and controls, respectively; P<0.0001), with no significant difference between the two diabetic groups. There was a significant positive correlation between PTX3 levels and vWF activity (P<0.001), diabetes duration, and concentration of fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, cholesterol, and triglyceride and a significant negative correlation between PTX3 levels and FMD (P<0.001) in all diabetic patients. In group II, there was a significant positive correlation between PTX3 levels and vWF activity (r= 0.603, P= 0.001). Conclusion PTX3 may represent a useful endothelial dysfunction marker in early diabetes nephropathy.

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Soil is the basic natural resource needed for more than 95 % of the global food and fiber production; thus it represents a basic requisite for life on earth. So, soil pollution attracts the attention of the researchers to reduce soil pollution. As a result of the irrigation by wastewaters and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the amount of heavy metals in the soil exceeds the maximum permissible limits. In the current investigation, the removal of heavy metals from soil layers (0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm) in soil columns, by iron nanoparticles (Fe NPs) and iron nanoparticles deposit on the surface of silica nanoparticles (SiO 2 /Fe NPs), has been studied. Fe NPs were prepared by borohydride reduction method and irradiated with 308 nm excimer laser pulses. The results indicated that the following points: 1) The maximum absorption of Fe NPs irradiated with 308 nm excimer laser pulses (50, 75 and 100 thousand pulses [tp]); found to be increased as the number of pulses increased, due to increasing of the number of particles and size reduction. The TEM photography gives good criteria about the size reduction process; 2) All sizes of Fe NPs and SiO 2 /Fe NPs proved to be a good technique for soil remediation in the case of Pb, Cd and Cu; 3) Removal efficiency of heavy metals was found to vary between soil layers (0