Loss of lysosomal acid lipase results in mitochondrial dysfunction and fiber switch in skeletal muscles of mice.

Objective: Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) is the only enzyme known to hydrolyze cholesteryl esters (CE) and triacylglycerols in lysosomes at an acidic pH. Despite the importance of lysosomal hydrolysis in skeletal muscle (SM), research in this area is limited. We hypothesized that LAL may play an important role in SM development, function, and metabolism as a result of lipid and/or carbohydrate metabolism disruptions.

Association between Serum Free Fatty Acids and Clinical and Laboratory Parameters in Acute Heart Failure Patients.

Very little is known about the association between individual serum free fatty acids (FFAs) and clinical and laboratory parameters (indicators of heart failure severity) in acute heart failure (AHF) patients. Here, the baseline serum levels of FFAs, 16:0 (palmitic acid), 16:1 (palmitoleic acid), 18:0 (stearic acid), 18:1 (oleic acid), 18:2 (linoleic acid), 18:3 (alpha-linolenic acid or gamma-linolenic acid), 20:4 (arachidonic acid), 20:5 (eicosapentaenoic acid), and 22:6 (docosahexaenoic acid), were determined in 304 AHF patients (94.7% belonged to New York Heart Association functional class IV) using gas chromatography.

[Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in early childhood].

We report on a two-year-old infant boy in whom a tumorous enlargement of the left kidney which was not imaged in the excretion urogram was discovered by renal sonography after the second urinary tract infection. By synopsis of the clinical data and imaging techniques, but especially by the detection of foam cells in the urinary sediment, we were already able to make the diagnosis of a xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis before the operation. Since diffuse infiltration of the entire organ was present, total nephrectomy was carried out as the therapy of choice.