Is fetuin-A a biomarker of dialysis access dysfunction?

Background: The arteriovenous (AV) access function of hemodialysis (HD) patients can be impaired by afferent artery stiffness due to preexisting microcalcification and by venous stenosis secondary to neointimal hyperplasia in whose development participates an upregulated local inflammatory process. Fetuin-A is a circulating potent inhibitor of vascular calcification and plays an important anti-inflammatory role. The aims of this prospective study were to investigate the relationship between baseline serum fetuin-A levels and: blood flow (Q) values at baseline, AV access failure (thrombosis or intervention for stenosis) during follow-up and primary unassisted AV access patency.

The impact of pre-existing radial artery pathology by histological assessment on the maturation, function and patency of the radiocephalic fistula for hemodialysis.

Background: We prospectively analyzed the effect of preexisting structural changes of the radial artery (RA) wall by histological examination on the wrist radiocephalic fistula (RCF) outcomes.

Methods: During RCF creation, one segment of the RA wall was collected and its histomorphometric analysis was performed. The RCF function was evaluated by measuring blood flow rate.

Evaluation of the clinical usefulness of a health-related quality of life questionnaire in patients with prostate cancer.

Objectives: The PROSQoLI questionnaire evaluates health related quality of life in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Although its utility in different clinical settings has never been assessed, its brevity and good measurement properties make its use recommendable in clinical practice. The objective is to evaluate the clinical usefulness of PROSQoLI in clinical treatment decision-making in patients with prostate cancer.

The effect of loop residues in four-stranded dimeric structures stabilized by minor groove tetrads.

Some DNA oligonucleotides can fold back and self-associate forming dimeric structures stabilized by intermolecular base pairs. The resulting antiparallel dimer is a tightly packed four-stranded structure formed by a core of minor groove tetrads connected by short loops of unpaired nucleotides. We have explored the sequential requirements for the loop residues and have found that this family of structures is only stable with one- and two-residue loops, with the stability of the former ones being only marginal.

The glmS ribozyme cofactor is a general acid-base catalyst.

The glmS ribozyme is the first natural self-cleaving ribozyme known to require a cofactor. The d-glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P) cofactor has been proposed to serve as a general acid, but its role in the catalytic mechanism has not been established conclusively. We surveyed GlcN6P-like molecules for their ability to support self-cleavage of the glmS ribozyme and found a strong correlation between the pH dependence of the cleavage reaction and the intrinsic acidity of the cofactors.