Rate of decline in kidney function with age: a systematic review.

Objective: To determine the distribution of kidney function values as measured by glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and the rate of decline with age in male and female healthy subjects without pre-existing medical conditions.

Design: Systematic review and structured synthesis.

Search Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science, from database inception to 25 October 2023.

RCPedia: a global resource for studying and exploring retrocopies in diverse species.

Motivation: Gene retrocopies arise from the reverse transcription and genomic insertion of processed mRNA transcripts. These elements have significantly contributed to genetic diversity and novelties throughout the evolution of many species. However, the study of retrocopies has been challenging, owing to the absence of comprehensive, complete, and user-friendly databases for diverse species.

A Multinational, Multicenter Study Mapping Models of Kidney Supportive Care Practice.

Introduction: Kidney supportive care (KSC) integrates kidney and palliative care to improve quality of life for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Despite increasing interest and global advocacy to integrate KSC into kidney care, evidence to guide optimal care delivery is limited.

Methods: This observational cross-sectional study used an online survey to describe current KSC models in Australia, Aotearoa-New Zealand, and the UK.

Adherence and persistence to novel glucose-lowering medications in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus undergoing routine care.

Aims: To assess adherence and persistence to sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA), and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i) in routine care.

Methods: Using retrospective healthcare data from the Stockholm region, Sweden, we evaluated new-users of these agents during 2015-2020. We investigated adherence (≥80 % of days covered by an active supply), persistence (no treatment gap ≥ 60 days), and predictors for non-adherence and non-persistence.

Applications of SGLT2 inhibitors beyond glycaemic control.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors were initially developed for their glucose-lowering effects and have shown a modest glycaemic benefit in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In the past decade, a series of large, robust clinical trials of these therapies have demonstrated striking beneficial effects for various care goals, transforming the chronic disease therapeutic landscape. Cardiovascular safety studies in people with T2DM demonstrated that SGLT2 inhibitors reduce cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure.

Identifying Barriers and Facilitators for Increasing Uptake of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors in British Columbia, Canada, using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Background: Care gaps remain in modern health care despite the availability of robust, evidence-based medications. Although sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have demonstrated profound benefits in improving both cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in patients, the uptake of these medications remain suboptimal, and the causes have not been systematically explored.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to use the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to describe the barriers and facilitators faced by clinicians in British Columbia, Canada, when prescribing an SGLT2 inhibitor.

Feasibility and safety of a non-operative clinical strategy for radiologically diagnosed low grade anterior mesial temporal tumours in the absence of a histological diagnosis.

Background: Although resection of mesial temporal lobe lesions can be achieved with relatively low morbidity, resective surgery is not without risk. Whilst many lesions found in the anterior mesiotemporal lobe are low-grade entities, transforming and high-grade lesions have also been demonstrated. We investigate the feasibility of utilising serial quantitative volumetric imaging, to determine if a strategy of imaging surveillance can be safely employed for the management of radiologically diagnosed anterior mesial temporal low-grade tumours without a confirmed histological diagnosis.

Digital health technologies to support medication adherence in chronic kidney disease.

Non-adherence to medications is a critical challenge in the management of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This review explores the complexities of adherence in this population, the unique barriers and enablers of good adherence behaviours, and the role of emerging digital health technologies in bridging the gap between evidence-based treatment plans and the real-world standard of care. We present the current evidence supporting the use of digital health interventions among CKD populations, identifying the key research questions that remain unanswered, and providing practical strategies for clinicians to support medication adherence in a digital age.

Controlling and visualizing Dirac physics in topological semimetal heterostructures.

A bulk crystal of cadmium arsenide is a three-dimensional Dirac semimetal, but, in a thin film, it can behave like a three-dimensional topological insulator. This tunability provides unique opportunities to manipulate and explore a topological insulator phase. However, an obstacle to engineering such tunability is the subtlety of transport-based discriminants for topological phases.

Caring in a crisis: Understanding the stressors and uplifts for National Health Service frontline staff through the lens of clinical psychologists.

The unprecedented public health crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a significant challenge to the delivery of healthcare that has rarely been experienced before. The stress already faced by healthcare staff working in the National Health Service (NHS) has been further exacerbated during Covid-19, putting them at risk of adverse mental health outcomes. Through the lens of clinical psychologists who had provided support to frontline healthcare staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, this study aimed to better understand the stressors and uplifts healthcare staff experienced during Covid-19, the impact of these on the wellbeing of staff and patient care, and to examine the support needed to deal with the impact of a crisis.

Cannabinoids for Symptom Management in Patients with Kidney Failure: A Narrative Review.

People with kidney failure can experience a range of symptoms that lead to suffering and poor quality of life. Available therapies are limited, and evidence for new treatment options is sparse, often resulting in incomplete relief of symptoms. There is growing interest in the potential for cannabinoids, including cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol, to treat symptoms across a wide range of chronic diseases.

Reboot: a straightforward approach to identify genes and splicing isoforms associated with cancer patient prognosis.

Nowadays, the massive amount of data generated by modern sequencing technologies provides an unprecedented opportunity to find genes associated with cancer patient prognosis, connecting basic and translational research. However, treating high dimensionality of gene expression data and integrating it with clinical variables are major challenges to perform these analyses. Here, we present Reboot, an integrative approach to find and validate genes and transcripts (splicing isoforms) associated with cancer patient prognosis from high dimensional expression datasets.

Effects of brain radiotherapy on cognitive performance in adult low-grade glioma patients: A systematic review.

Grade II gliomas are slow growing tumours that usually affect younger patients. The mainstream treatment modality at present is surgical. The role of radiation therapy in the management of grade II gliomas has been the subject of considerable debate.

The effects of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors on kidney outcomes.

Aims: To summarize evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning the effects of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors on kidney outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: The Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were searched for RCTs comparing DPP-4 inhibitors with a placebo, active comparator or standard care, with at least 500 person-years follow-up in patients with T2DM and with reporting of kidney outcomes. Treatment effects were summarized using random-effects meta-analysis.

A life-threatening case of pregnancy-related atypical Haemolytic uremic syndrome and successful treatment with Eculizumab.

Background: Pregnancy-related Atypical Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome (P-aHUS) is a rare condition affecting genetically predisposed women during pregnancy. It is often difficult to diagnose and has a significant impact on maternal and foetal outcomes. It is characterised by microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia and kidney injury from thrombotic microangiopathy.

Recovery of major cognitive deficits following awake surgery for insular glioma: a case report.

Resection of insular tumours utilising modern neurosurgical techniques has become commonplace since its safety and reduced morbidity was first established. Interest has grown in the cognitive consequences of insula neurosurgery and studies have largely shown postoperative stability or minor decline. Major or widespread improvements in cognitive functioning following resection of insular tumours have not previously been reported.

A case series of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for reducing symptom interference in functional neurological disorders.

There is limited high-quality evidence supporting psychological treatments for functional neurological disorders (FNDs), and what evidence exists suggests that the impact of such treatments could be improved. One way to increase effectiveness is to utilize approaches that can have impact across heterogeneous FND presentations. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) targets a transdiagnostic process called psychological flexibility and is used effectively to integrate multidisciplinary treatments in other clinical contexts.

MiRIAD update: using alternative polyadenylation, protein interaction network analysis and additional species to enhance exploration of the role of intragenic miRNAs and their host genes.

http://www.miriad-database.org.

Low-Grade Glioma with Foci of Early Transformation Does Not Necessarily Require Adjuvant Therapy After Radical Surgical Resection.

Background: Low-grade glioma (LGG) is a slow-growing tumor often found in young adults with minimal or no symptoms. As opposed to true low-grade lesions such as dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumors, they are associated with continuous growth and inevitable malignant transformation.

Methods: Case series of patients who have had en bloc resection of LGG with foci of anaplasia found embedded within the tumor specimen and not at margins.

miRIAD-integrating microRNA inter- and intragenic data.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small (∼22 nucleotides) non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression by interacting with target mRNAs. A majority of miRNAs is located within intronic or exonic regions of protein-coding genes (host genes), and increasing evidence suggests a functional relationship between these miRNAs and their host genes. Here, we introduce miRIAD, a web-service to facilitate the analysis of genomic and structural features of intragenic miRNAs and their host genes for five species (human, rhesus monkey, mouse, chicken and opossum).

SurfaceomeDB: a cancer-orientated database for genes encoding cell surface proteins.

Cell surface proteins (CSPs) are excellent targets for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic reagents, and it is estimated that 10-20% of all genes in the human genome encode CSPs. In an effort to integrate all data publicly available for genes encoding cell surface proteins, a database (SurfaceomeDB) was developed. SurfaceomeDB is a gene-centered portal containing different types of information, including annotation for gene expression, protein domains, somatic mutations in cancer, and protein-protein interactions for all human genes encoding CSPs.

SPLOOCE: a new portal for the analysis of human splicing variants.

Understanding alternative splicing is crucial to elucidate the mechanisms behind several biological phenomena, including diseases. The huge amount of expressed sequences available nowadays represents an opportunity and a challenge to catalog and display alternative splicing events (ASEs). Although several groups have faced this challenge with relative success, we still lack a computational tool that uses a simple and straightforward method to retrieve, name and present ASEs.