Unravelling the role of Sildenafil and SB204741 in suppressing fibrotic potential of peritoneal fibroblasts obtained from PD patients.

Peritoneal fibrosis (PF) results in technique failure in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Peritoneal fibroblasts are characterized by increase in the ACTA2 gene, responsible for alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SΜΑ), extracellular matrix (ECM) production, and inflammatory cytokines production, which are the are key mediators in the pathogenesis of PF. 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) induces ECM synthesis in fibroblasts in a transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) dependent manner.

Community-acquired acute kidney injury in India: data from ISN-acute kidney injury registry.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI), particularly community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI), is a major health concern globally. The International Society of Nephrology's "0 by 25" initiative to reduce preventable deaths from AKI to zero by 2025 is not achievable in low and middle income countries, such as India, possibly due to a lack of data and measures to tackle this urgent public health issue. In India, CA-AKI predisposes younger patients to hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality.

Protocol and Methods: Role of Levothyroxine on the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease in Subclinical Hypothyroid Populations (LP-CKD) - A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is highly prevalent and associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, it is still unanswered whether the restoration of euthyroid status in these patients will be beneficial in retarding a decline in glomerular filtration rate in early CKD patients. We aim to evaluate the efficacy of levothyroxine therapy versus placebo in slowing estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline among CKD patients (stage 2-4) with SCH.

IRIS: Integrated Retinal Functionality in Image Sensors.

Neuromorphic image sensors draw inspiration from the biological retina to implement visual computations in electronic hardware. Gain control in phototransduction and temporal differentiation at the first retinal synapse inspired the first generation of neuromorphic sensors, but processing in downstream retinal circuits, much of which has been discovered in the past decade, has not been implemented in image sensor technology. We present a technology-circuit co-design solution that implements two motion computations-object motion sensitivity and looming detection-at the retina's output that could have wide applications for vision-based decision-making in dynamic environments.

Neuromorphic-PM: processing-in-pixel-in-memory paradigm for neuromorphic image sensors.

Edge devices equipped with computer vision must deal with vast amounts of sensory data with limited computing resources. Hence, researchers have been exploring different energy-efficient solutions such as near-sensor, in-sensor, and in-pixel processing, bringing the computation closer to the sensor. In particular, in-pixel processing embeds the computation capabilities inside the pixel array and achieves high energy efficiency by generating low-level features instead of the raw data stream from CMOS image sensors.

Headache Associated with PPE During COVID-19 Pandemic in Health Care Workers.

Purpose: In the pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), health care workers (HCWs) are at very high risk. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and masks are not only difficult to wear while working but also causes various complications. The present self-administered questionnaire- based study aimed to explore the headache and complications in HCWs on wearing PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A processing-in-pixel-in-memory paradigm for resource-constrained TinyML applications.

The demand to process vast amounts of data generated from state-of-the-art high resolution cameras has motivated novel energy-efficient on-device AI solutions. Visual data in such cameras are usually captured in analog voltages by a sensor pixel array, and then converted to the digital domain for subsequent AI processing using analog-to-digital converters (ADC). Recent research has tried to take advantage of massively parallel low-power analog/digital computing in the form of near- and in-sensor processing, in which the AI computation is performed partly in the periphery of the pixel array and partly in a separate on-board CPU/accelerator.

ACE-SNN: Algorithm-Hardware Co-design of Energy-Efficient & Low-Latency Deep Spiking Neural Networks for 3D Image Recognition.

High-quality 3D image recognition is an important component of many vision and robotics systems. However, the accurate processing of these images requires the use of compute-expensive 3D Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). To address this challenge, we propose the use of Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) that are generated from iso-architecture CNNs and trained with quantization-aware gradient descent to optimize their weights, membrane leak, and firing thresholds.

Overexpression of P-glycoprotein and MRP-1 are pharmacogenomic biomarkers to determine steroid resistant phenotype in childhood idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

Steroid remains the keystone therapy for Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome (NS). Besides genetic factors and histological changes, pharmacogenomic factors also affect the steroid response. The upregulation of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and Multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP-1) modulate the pharmacokinetics of steroids and may contribute to steroid resistance.

Melding Pharmacogenomic Effect of and CYP3A5 Gene Polymorphism on Tacrolimus Dosing in Renal Transplant Recipients in Northern India.

Introduction: Tacrolimus (TAC) is the mainstay immunosuppressant for renal transplantation. A narrow therapeutic index, multiple drug interactions, and interindividual variability in pharmacokinetics make it obligatory to monitor therapeutic drug levels. The () and CYP3A5 gene polymorphism may blend to achieve the optimal level.

unsupervised learning using stochastic switching in magneto-electric magnetic tunnel junctions.

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) offer a bio-plausible and potentially power-efficient alternative to conventional deep learning. Although there has been progress towards implementing SNN functionalities in custom CMOS-based hardware using beyond Von Neumann architectures, the power-efficiency of the human brain has remained elusive. This has necessitated investigations of novel material systems which can efficiently mimic the functional units of SNNs, such as neurons and synapses.

Towards spike-based machine intelligence with neuromorphic computing.

Guided by brain-like 'spiking' computational frameworks, neuromorphic computing-brain-inspired computing for machine intelligence-promises to realize artificial intelligence while reducing the energy requirements of computing platforms. This interdisciplinary field began with the implementation of silicon circuits for biological neural routines, but has evolved to encompass the hardware implementation of algorithms with spike-based encoding and event-driven representations. Here we provide an overview of the developments in neuromorphic computing for both algorithms and hardware and highlight the fundamentals of learning and hardware frameworks.

Reciprocal Relationship Between HDAC2 and P-Glycoprotein/MRP-1 and Their Role in Steroid Resistance in Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome.

Reduced HDACs levels have been reported in steroid resistant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma patients. P-glycoprotein (P-gp) over expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) has been reported in patients with steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (NS). Whether and how HDACs and P-gp are linked with each other is not clear, especially in NS patients.

In-situ, In-Memory Stateful Vector Logic Operations based on Voltage Controlled Magnetic Anisotropy.

Recently, the exponential increase in compute requirements demanded by emerging applications like artificial intelligence, Internet of things, etc. have rendered the state-of-art von-Neumann machines inefficient in terms of energy and throughput owing to the well-known von-Neumann bottleneck. A promising approach to mitigate the bottleneck is to do computations as close to the memory units as possible.

MESL: Proposal for a Non-volatile Cascadable Magneto-Electric Spin Logic.

In the quest for novel, scalable and energy-efficient computing technologies, many non-charge based logic devices are being explored. Recent advances in multi-ferroic materials have paved the way for electric field induced low energy and fast switching of nano-magnets using the magneto-electric (ME) effect. In this paper, we propose a voltage driven logic-device based on the ME induced switching of nano-magnets.

FGF23 is associated with early post-transplant hypophosphataemia and normalizes faster than iPTH in living donor renal transplant recipients: a longitudinal follow-up study.

Background: We aimed to longitudinally analyse changes in the levels of serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and associated minerals in patients undergoing renal transplantation.

Methods: Sixty-three patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who underwent living donor transplantation were recruited. Serum FGF23, iPTH, uric acid, inorganic phosphorous (iP), blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine were measured pre-transplant and at 1 (M1), 3 (M3) and 12 months (M12) post-transplantation.

Urinary Kidney injury molecule-1 can predict delayed graft function in living donor renal allograft recipients.

Aim: Delayed graft function is an early complication leading to impaired creatinine clearance, urine formation and determinant of long term graft outcome. The aim of the present study was to determine the earliest predictive cut-off value of uKIM-1 level in patients with delayed graft function and acute tubular necrosis.

Methods: We have determined the serial urinary KIM-1 normalized to urinary creatinine (uKIM-1, pg/mg) level at 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 48 h of post-transplant by ELISA methods.

T-bet-positive mononuclear cell infiltration is associated with transplant glomerulopathy and interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy in renal allograft recipients.

Objectives: We aimed to study the role of T-bet-positive mononuclear cell infiltration in different compartments of kidney graft tissues in patients with chronic transplant glomerulopathy, interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, and stable graft function.

Materials And Methods: There were 80 living-related renal transplant recipients included (chronic transplant glomerulopathy, n = 28; interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, n = 28; stable graft function, n = 24). Histologic characteristics and scoring for peritubular capillaritis, glomerulitis, interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, and intimal arteritis were performed according to Banff 2007 classification and compared between the groups.

Differential alteration in peripheral T-regulatory and T-effector cells with change in P-glycoprotein expression in Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome: A longitudinal study.

Introduction: Childhood Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome (INS) responds to glucocorticoid therapy, however, 60-80% of patients relapse and some of them become steroid non responsive. INS may occur because of T cell dysfunction, abnormal cytokines and podocytopathies which reverse on steroid treatment. The reason of relapses could be imbalances in T cells phenotypes and respective cytokines.

Is basiliximab induction, a novel risk factor for new onset diabetes after transplantation for living donor renal allograft recipients?

Aim: It was found that, by affecting populations of T lymphocytes and regulatory T cells, basiliximab also indirectly affects pancreatic β-cell function and glucose homeostasis.

Methods: In this prospective observational study, we included all renal transplant recipients from 1 July 2007 to 31 July 2011. The overall incidence of hyperglycaemia (transient hyperglycaemia, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and new onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT)) was compared between patients with and without basiliximab induction.