Genetic testing in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: in whom and when?

Background: Genetic causes are increasingly recognized in patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), but it remains unclear which patients should undergo genetic study. Our objective was to determine the frequency and distribution of genetic variants in steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome FSGS (SRNS-FSGS) and in FSGS of undetermined cause (FSGS-UC).

Methods: We performed targeted exome sequencing of 84 genes associated with glomerulopathy in patients with adult-onset SRNS-FSGS or FSGS-UC after ruling out secondary causes.

Infusing Expert Knowledge Into a Deep Neural Network Using Attention Mechanism for Personalized Learning Environments.

Machine learning models are biased toward data seen during the training steps. The models will tend to give good results in classes where there are many examples and poor results in those with few examples. This problem generally occurs when the classes to predict are imbalanced and this is frequent in educational data where for example, there are skills that are very difficult or very easy to master.

Assessing and Optimizing Socio-Moral Reasoning Skills: Findings From the MorALERT Serious Video Game.

Background: Social cognition and competence are a key part of daily interactions and essential for satisfying relationships and well-being. Pediatric neurological and psychological conditions can affect social cognition and require assessment and remediation of social skills. To adequately approximate the complex and dynamic nature of real-world social interactions, innovative tools are needed.

Antiangiogenic Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-Blocking Peptides Displayed on the Capsid of an Infectious Oncolytic Parvovirus: Assembly and Immune Interactions.

As many tumor cells synthetize vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) that promote neo-vascularization and metastasis, frontline cancer therapies often administer anti-VEGF (α-VEGF) antibodies. To target the oncolytic parvovirus minute virus of mice (MVM) to the tumor vasculature, we studied the functional tolerance, evasion of neutralization, and induction of α-VEGF antibodies of chimeric viruses in which the footprint of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody within the 3-fold capsid spike was replaced by VEGF-blocking peptides: P6L (PQPRPL) and A7R (ATWLPPR). Both peptides allowed viral genome replication and nuclear translocation of chimeric capsid subunits.

Effect of balance Solution on the Peritoneal Membrane in Automated Peritoneal Dialysis.

Interference of conventional peritoneal dialysis fluids (cPDFs) with peritoneal membrane cell functions may be attributed to the dialysis fluid's low pH, high glucose concentration, and/or the presence of glucose degradation products (GDPs), the last of which leads to higher levels of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). It has been suggested that the peritoneal membrane might be better preserved by using biocompatible solutions, including cancer antigetn 125 (CA125). This prospective, open-label, multicentre, randomized, controlled, cross-over phase IV study compared the in vivo biocompatibility of a neutral-pH, low-GDP peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution (balance) with a cPDF in automated PD (APD) patients.