Classifications of haemodialysis vascular access stenosis: a scoping review.

Objectives: Vascular access (VA) stenoses play a significant role in the morbidity of the haemodialysed population. Classifications for diagnosis, assessment and proposal of treatment strategies can be useful clinical and methodological tools. This review aims to present a comprehensive summary and propose further methodological approaches.

Role of TLR4 activation and signaling in bone remodeling, and afferent sprouting in serum transfer arthritis.

Background: In the murine K/BxN serum transfer rheumatoid arthritis (RA) model, tactile allodynia persists after resolution of inflammation in male and partially in female wild type (WT) mice, which is absent in Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 deficient animals. We assessed the role of TLR4 on allodynia, bone remodeling and afferent sprouting in this model of arthritis.

Methods: K/BxN sera were injected into male and female mice with conditional or stable TLR4 deletion and controls.

Non-adherence to immunosuppressive medications in kidney transplant recipients- a systematic scoping review.

Background: Rejection and graft failure remain common in kidney transplant recipients. Non-adherence to immunosuppressive medications is considered a major contributary factor to reduced long-term graft survival, particularly in younger people. Improvements in clinical practice based on adherence studies has been minimal.

Modulation of the K/BxN arthritis mouse model and the effector functions of human fibroblast-like synoviocytes by liver X receptors.

The role of liver X receptors (LXR) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains controversial. We studied the effect of LXR agonists on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from RA patients and the K/BxN arthritis model in LXRα and β double-deficient (Nr1h2/3) mice. Two synthetic LXR agonists, GW3965 and T0901317, were used to activate LXRs and investigate their effects on cell growth, proliferation and matrix metalloproteinases, and chemokine production in cultured FLS from RA patients.

Structure-Activity Relationship Studies in Benzothiadiazoles as Novel Vaccine Adjuvants.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can transfer antigens and immunomodulatory molecules, and such EVs released by antigen-presenting cells equipped with immunostimulatory functions have been utilized for vaccine formulations. A prior high-throughput screening campaign led to the identification of compound (), which enhanced EV release and increased intracellular Ca influx. Here, we performed systematic structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies to investigate the scaffold for its potency as a vaccine adjuvant.

Chemokine CXCL9, a marker of inflammaging, is associated with changes of muscle strength and mortality in older men.

Unlabelled: Our study examined associations of the CXC motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9), a pro-inflammatory protein implicated in age-related inflammation, with musculoskeletal function in elderly men. We found in certain outcomes both cross-sectional and longitudinal significant associations of CXCL9 with poorer musculoskeletal function and increased mortality in older men. This requires further investigation.

TRIF-IFN-I pathway in -induced gastric cancer in an accelerated murine disease model and patient biopsies.

( infection is a known cause of many digestive diseases, including gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms by which infection triggers these disorders are still not clearly understood. Gastric cancer is a slow progressing disease, which makes it difficult to study.

The Minimisation of Cardiovascular Disease Screening for Kidney Transplant Candidates.

: There is increasing evidence that cardiac screening prior to kidney transplantation does not improve its outcomes. However, risk aversion to perioperative events means that, in practice, testing remains common, limiting the availability of 'real-world' data to support any change. Our objective was to assess perioperative and 1-year post-transplant cardiovascular events in a kidney transplant candidate cohort who received minimal cardiovascular screening.

Improved solubility of titanium-doped polyoxovanadate charge carriers for symmetric non-aqueous redox flow batteries.

Non-aqueous redox flow batteries constitute a promising solution for grid-scale energy storage due to the ability to achieve larger cell voltages than can be readily accessed in water. However, their widespread application is limited by low solubility of the electroactive species in organic solvents. In this work, we demonstrate that organic functionalization of titanium-substituted polyoxovanadate-alkoxide clusters increases the solubility of these assemblies over that of their homoleptic congeners by a factor of >10 in acetonitrile.

Management of an aneurysmal arteriovenous fistula in kidney transplant recipients.

Aneurysms remain the most common complication of an arteriovenous fistula created for dialysis access. The management of an aneurysmal arteriovenous fistula (AAVF) in kidney transplant recipients remains contentious with a lack of clear clinical guidelines. Recipients of a functioning graft do not require the fistula for dialysis access, however risk of graft failure and needing the access at a future date must be considered.

Patient education interventions for adolescent and young adult kidney transplant recipients- a scoping review.

Background: Adolescence and young adulthood are high risk periods for kidney transplant recipients. The reasons for this are complex; but are predominantly thought to be due to poor adherence to immunosuppressive medications. Patient education can help support young recipients to reduce their risk of behaviour-related transplant loss.

Activation of the TRIF pathway and downstream targets results in the development of precancerous lesions during infection with .

( infection is an established cause of many digestive diseases, including gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. However, the mechanism by which infection with causes these disorders is still not clearly understood. This is due to insufficient knowledge of pathways that promote -induced disease progression.

A Service Reconfiguration Bundle for Expanding Access to Peritoneal Dialysis Including for Older Frailer Patients.

Introduction: Rates of peritoneal dialysis (PD) have been traditionally low in Northern Ireland. With rising numbers of patients reaching end-stage kidney disease, PD is a more cost-effective treatment than haemodialysis and aligns with international goals to increase home-based dialysis options. The aim of our study was to highlight how a service reconfiguration bundle expanded access to PD in Northern Ireland.

Loss of cAMP Signaling in CD11c Immune Cells Protects Against Diet-Induced Obesity.

Unlabelled: In obesity, CD11c+ innate immune cells are recruited to adipose tissue and create an inflammatory state that causes both insulin and catecholamine resistance. We found that ablation of Gnas, the gene that encodes Gαs, in CD11c expressing cells protects mice from obesity, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. Transplantation studies showed that the lean phenotype was conferred by bone marrow-derived cells and did not require adaptive immunity.

The Educational Needs of Adolescent and Young Adult Renal Transplant Recipients-A Scoping Review.

Renal transplantation is the gold-standard treatment for adolescents and young adults with end-stage renal disease. Despite enjoying excellent short-term outcomes, they suffer the worst rates of premature transplant function loss. Health behaviors: such as lack of adherence to immunosuppressive medications, are felt to be the major contributory factor.

A decade of arteriovenous fistula creations in the ⩾75 years population: Equal opportunity or sub-optimal use of resources.

Background: The optimal vascular access in the elderly remains contentious in the context of increasingly limited resources and anticipated survival on hemodialysis. Research focus has shifted to include the impact of vascular access on quality of life. This study explored clinical outcomes in individuals aged ⩾75 years who had an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) created in a single center over a 10-year period.

Identifying classification systems regarding vascular access for haemodialysis: protocol for a scoping review.

Introduction: Classifications are important clinical tools that enable data arrangement, patient categorisation and comparative research. The care of patients with end-stage renal disease who have vascular access requires collaboration of several specialists. In such a field, where several different specialties overlap, strong evidence and well-grounded recommendations for good practice are essential.

Macrophages and glial cells: Innate immune drivers of inflammatory arthritic pain perception from peripheral joints to the central nervous system.

Millions of people suffer from arthritis worldwide, consistently struggling with daily activities due to debilitating pain evoked by this disease. Perhaps the most intensively investigated type of inflammatory arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis (RA), where, despite considerable advances in research and clinical management, gaps regarding the neuroimmune interactions that guide inflammation and chronic pain in this disease remain to be clarified. The pain and inflammation associated with arthritis are not isolated to the joints, and inflammatory mechanisms induced by different immune and glial cells in other tissues may affect the development of chronic pain that results from the disease.

The psychosocial needs of adolescent and young adult kidney transplant recipients, and associated interventions: a scoping review.

Background: Renal transplantation is considered the gold standard treatment for end-stage kidney disease. Adolescent and young adult kidney transplant recipients have the highest rate of graft loss amongst transplanted patients. It is largely accepted this is due to psychosocial and behavioural difficulties, which impact adherence to prescribed therapies.

A Triple High Throughput Screening for Extracellular Vesicle Inducing Agents With Immunostimulatory Activity.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play an important role in intercellular communication and regulation of cells, especially in the immune system where EVs can participate in antigen presentation and may have adjuvant effects. We aimed to identify small molecule compounds that can increase EV release and thereby enhance the immunogenicity of vaccines. We utilized a THP-1 reporter cell line engineered to release EV-associated tetraspanin (CD63)-Turbo-luciferase to quantitatively measure EVs released in culture supernatants as a readout of a high throughput screen (HTS) of 27,895 compounds.

Diagnostic value of mid-regional pro-Adrenomedullin as a biomarker of invasive bacterial infection in children: a systematic review.

Background: Invasive bacterial infections (IBI) in children present a difficult clinical challenge. They are often life-threatening, however in the early stages they can be hard to differentiate from benign viral infections. This leaves clinicians with the risk of missing a serious IBI diagnosis or inappropriately using antimicrobials in a child with a viral infection- contributing to the ongoing development of increased antimicrobial resistance.

Are all domains created equal? An exploration of stakeholder views on the concept of physical literacy.

Background: Developing physical literacy at population levels provides a transformative appeal for those working in sport, health, education, recreation and physical activity settings. Interdisciplinary approaches to development of policy in this area is recommended. The purpose of this study was to gather empirical data from key stakeholders working with young people in areas related to physical literacy across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, to capture their current understanding and awareness of the physical literacy to help inform the development of the first all-island consensus statement for physical literacy.

DRGquant: A new modular AI-based pipeline for 3D analysis of the DRG.

Background: The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is structurally complex and pivotal to systems processing nociception. Whole mount analysis allows examination of intricate microarchitectural and cellular relationships of the DRG in three-dimensional (3D) space.

New Method: We present DRGquant a set of tools and techniques optimized as a pipeline for automated image analysis and reconstruction of cells/structures within the DRG.