Real-Time On-Site Monitoring of Viruses in Wastewater Using Nanotrap Particles and RICCA Technologies.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an effective and efficient tool for the early detection of infectious disease outbreaks in a community. However, currently available methods are laborious, costly, and time-consuming due to the low concentration of viruses and the presence of matrix chemicals in wastewater that may interfere with molecular analyses. In the present study, we designed a highly sensitive "Quick Poop (wastewater with fecal waste) Sensor" (termed, QPsor) using a joint approach of Nanotrap microbiome particles and RICCA (RNA Isothermal Co-Assisted and Coupled Amplification).

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein D614G mutation using μTGGE.

Background: The accurate and expeditious detection of SARS-CoV-2 mutations is critical for monitoring viral evolution, assessing its impact on transmission, virulence, and vaccine efficacy, and formulating public health interventions. In this study, a detection system utilizing micro temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (μTGGE) was developed for the identification of the D614 and G614 variants of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

Methods: The in vitro synthesized D614 and G614 gene fragments of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were amplified via polymerase chain reaction and subjected to μTGGE analysis.

The Association Between Serum Vancomycin Level and Clinical Outcome in Patients With Peritoneal Dialysis Associated Peritonitis.

Introduction: Intraperitoneal (IP) vancomycin is often first-line empiric therapy and then maintenance therapy for peritoneal dialysis (PD) peritonitis. However, how vancomycin serum levels correlate with clinical outcomes remains unclear.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective single-center adult cohort study of 98 patients with PD peritonitis treated with IP vancomycin between January 2016 and May 2022.

Surveillance of Gun-Related Conversations on Twitter.

Gun violence in the USA is a documented public health crisis. Publicly accessible data from Twitter posts can be used to rapidly capture and describe the public's recent conversations about guns. Because these gun-related conversations change rapidly, it is important to provide regularly updated information on them.

Rapid and Highly Sensitive Detection of by Combining Recombinase Polymerase Amplification and Solution-Processed Oxide Thin-Film Transistor Technology.

Nucleic acid detection is widely used to identify infectious diseases and ensure food safety. However, conventional PCR-based techniques are time consuming. Thus, this study aims to combine recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), which enables the rapid amplification of even trace amounts of nucleic acid fragments within 10-40 min at 37-42 °C, and solution-processed oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) technology, which exhibits high detection sensitivity, to detect .

Biophysical Properties of the Fibril Structure of the Toxic Conformer of Amyloid-β42: Characterization by Atomic Force Microscopy in Liquid and Molecular Docking.

Alzheimer's disease is associated with the aggregation of the misfolded neuronal peptide, amyloid-β42 (Aβ42). Evidence has suggested that several reasons are responsible for the toxicity caused by the aggregation of Aβ42, including the conformational restriction of Aβ42. In this study, one of the toxic conformers of Aβ42, which contains a Glu-to-Pro substitution (E22P-Aβ42), was explored using atomic force microscopy and molecular docking to study the aggregation dynamics.

Highlights from the 24th workshop on vitamin D in Austin, September 2022.

The 24th Workshop on Vitamin D was held September 7-9, 2022 in Austin, Texas and covered a wide diversity of research in the vitamin D field from across the globe. Here, we summarize the meeting, individual sessions, awards and presentations given.

Predictors of serum vancomycin levels in peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis.

Background: Intraperitoneal (IP) vancomycin is often first-line empiric therapy for peritoneal dialysis (PD) peritonitis; however, whether dosing should be adjusted for patient-specific characteristics remains unclear. We sought to identify factors associated with the day 3 vancomycin serum level in patients receiving vancomycin for PD peritonitis.

Methods: Retrospective single-centre adult cohort of 58 patients with PD peritonitis treated with IP vancomycin between January 2016 and May 2022.

Novel DNA Aptamer for CYP24A1 Inhibition with Enhanced Antiproliferative Activity in Cancer Cells.

Overexpression of the vitamin D3-inactivating enzyme CYP24A1 (cytochrome P450 family 24 subfamily and hereafter referred to as CYP24) can cause chronic kidney diseases, osteoporosis, and several types of cancers. Therefore, CYP24 inhibition has been considered a potential therapeutic approach. Vitamin D3 mimetics and small molecule inhibitors have been shown to be effective, but nonspecific binding, drug resistance, and potential toxicity limit their effectiveness.

Development of robust isothermal RNA amplification assay for lab-free testing of RNA viruses.

Simple tests of infectiousness that return results in minutes and directly from samples even with low viral loads could be a potential game-changer in the fight against COVID-19. Here, we describe an improved isothermal nucleic acid amplification assay, termed the RICCA (RNA Isothermal Co-assisted and Coupled Amplification) reaction, that consists of a simple one-pot format of 'sample-in and result-out' with a primary focus on the detection of low copy numbers of RNA virus directly from saliva without the need for laboratory processing. We demonstrate our assay by detecting 16S rRNA directly from E.

Optimization of reaction condition of recombinase polymerase amplification to detect SARS-CoV-2 DNA and RNA using a statistical method.

Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is an isothermal reaction that amplifies a target DNA sequence with a recombinase, a single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB), and a strand-displacing DNA polymerase. In this study, we optimized the reaction conditions of RPA to detect SARS-CoV-2 DNA and RNA using a statistical method to enhance the sensitivity. In vitro synthesized SARS-CoV-2 DNA and RNA were used as targets.

Masked Hypertension: Lessons for the Future.

Masked hypertension (MH) is a commonly overlooked phenotype of hypertension in practice. Lifestyle factors and conditioned stress response specific to out of clinic blood pressure readings may be the mechanisms leading to this phenomenon. 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring or home blood pressure monitoring in an out of office setting are required for its reliable diagnosis.

Performance of the Kidney Failure Risk Equation by Disease Etiology in Advanced CKD.

Background And Objectives: The kidney failure risk equation is a clinical tool commonly used for prediction of progression from CKD to kidney failure. The kidney failure risk equation's accuracy in advanced CKD and whether this varies by CKD etiology remains unknown. This study examined the kidney failure risk equation's discrimination and calibration at 2 and 5 years among a large tertiary care population with advanced CKD from heterogeneous etiologies.

Prediction of Progression in Polycystic Kidney Disease Using the Kidney Failure Risk Equation and Ultrasound Parameters.

Background: The kidney failure risk equation (KFRE) is a validated risk algorithm for predicting the risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients regardless of etiology. Patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (AD-PCKD) experience long disease trajectories and as such identifying individuals at risk of kidney failure would aid in intervention.

Objective: To examine the utility of the KFRE in predicting adverse kidney outcomes compared with existing risk factors in a cohort of patients with AD-PCKD.

Retrospective study of patients on hybrid dialysis: Single-center data from North America.

Hybrid dialysis involves combining peritoneal and hemodialysis (HD) in patients with end-stage renal disease. Its reported use is quite limited outside of Japan. We present a retrospective review of 18 patients at our center that received this therapy and describe their ultimate disposition.

Competitive non-SELEX for the selective and rapid enrichment of DNA aptamers and its use in electrochemical aptasensor.

The SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) method has been used successfully since 1990, but work is still required to obtain highly specific aptamers. Here, we present a novel approach called 'Competitive non-SELEX' (and termed as 'SELCOS' (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by COmpetitive Selection)) for readily obtaining aptamers that can discriminate between highly similar targets. This approach is based on the theoretical background presented here, in which under the co-presence of two similar targets, a specific binding type can be enriched more than a nonspecifically binding one during repetitive steps of partitioning with no PCR amplification between them.

Successful Initiation of Dialysis with a 20-Year-Old Buried Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter: Case Report and Literature Review.

Buried peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters are typically inserted several weeks or months before the anticipated need for dialysis. Occasionally, renal function unexpectedly stabilizes after the surgery, and a patient may go years before the catheter is needed. We report a case of successful initiation of PD with a twenty-year-old buried catheter.

The Risk of Adverse Events in Patients With Polycystic Kidney Disease With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) leads to progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) with a subsequent risk of adverse events such as cardiac disease, infections, end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and mortality.

Objectives: To determine the risks of CKD-related adverse outcomes in patients with PKD compared with patients without PKD.

Setting: Canadian study of prediction of death, dialysis and interim cardiovascular events (CanPREDDICT) was a prospective pan-Canadian cohort study from 2008-2013 involving 28 facilities with adjudicated outcomes.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Exit Sites of Buried Peritoneal Dialysis Catheters: A Cohort Study.

Buried peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters are placed months before dialysis is needed and the exit site is created when the catheter is dissected out at the initiation of dialysis. In contrast, the exit site of an unburied catheter is created by the surgeon at the time of insertion. We reviewed all patients who initiated PD at our center over a 2-year period.

'Head-to-Head' mRNA display for the translation of multi-copied proteins with a free C-terminus.

With the development of various methods for affinity-based selection of proteins such as phage display, ribosomal display, and mRNA display, the progress in this field has been gradually shifting to function-based selection, such as through single-molecule observation, genetic selection, and compartmentalization technologies. In this vein, we present an opposite link mode of mRNA display termed as a 'Head-to-Head' (H2H) link. The key technique in H2H, formation of a covalent bond between O-benzylguanine (BG) and O-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase (AGT), was demonstrated to be workable in H2H ligation, where mRNA is linked to a nascent AGT via a BG-DNA linker, resulting in a "(C-terminus) protein-BG-DNA linker-mRNA (5'-terminus)" conjugate.