Survey of sodium gluconate content in retail Cheddar cheese.

The presence of sodium gluconate in Cheddar cheese, which can be added as a processing aid during manufacture, has been shown as a contributing factor to gas production and gas defects in aged cheese. A survey of gluconate content in retail Cheddar cheese was performed. Fifty-three retail packs of Cheddar cheese were purchased from stores in Utah as blocks, shreds, sliced cheeses, or individual-sized cuts and sticks.

Dose-Response Relationship of Phloretin Therapy on Water and Glucose Transport during Experimental Peritoneal Dialysis.

Background: Water retention, ultrafiltration insufficiency, and metabolic complications due to abnormally high glucose concentrations are still common problems in patients treated with peritoneal dialysis. Phloretin, a nonselective inhibitor of facilitative glucose transporter channels (GLUT), has shown to improve water transport and lower glucose absorption in experimental peritoneal dialysis. However, the dose-response relationship remains unknown, and we therefore performed a dose-response study to elucidate the pharmacodynamic properties of intra-peritoneal phloretin therapy.

Transcellular transport of F-deoxyglucose via facilitative glucose channels in experimental peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Local and systemic side effects of glucose remain major limitations of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Glucose transport during PD is thought to occur via inter-endothelial pathways, but recent results show that phloretin, a general blocker of facilitative glucose channels (glucose transporters [GLUTs]), markedly reduced glucose diffusion capacity indicating that some glucose may be transferred via facilitative glucose channels (GLUTs). Whether such transport mainly occurs into (absorption), or across (trans-cellular) peritoneal cells is as yet unresolved.

Pulsed peritoneal dialysis in an experimental rat model: A first experience.

Background: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is commonly performed using either intermittent or tidal exchanges, whereas other exchange techniques such as continuous flow PD are little used. Previous research indicated that stirring the intra-peritoneal dialysate markedly increases small solute clearances. Here, we tested the hypothesis that stirring of the dialysate increases small solute clearances by using a novel exchange technique where the dialysate is pulsed back and forth during the treatment without addition of fresh fluid.

Relationship between fill volume and transport in peritoneal dialysis-from bench to bedside.

Introduction: Larger fill volumes in peritoneal dialysis (PD) typically improve small solute clearance and water removal, and -but the relationship between intraperitoneal volume and the capacities for solute and water transport in PD has been little studied. Here, it is proposed that this relative relationship is described by a simple ratio (Volume/Volume) up to a critical break-point volume, beyond which further volume increase is less beneficial in terms of solute and water removal.

Method: To scrutinize this hypothesis, experiments were conducted in a rat model of PD alongside a retrospective analysis of data from a prior clinical study.

Discovery of Multiple Light-Harvesting States of the Photosynthetic Protein PE545.

Cryptophytes are photosynthetic microalga that flourish in a remarkable diversity of natural environments by using pigment-containing proteins with absorption maxima tuned to each ecological niche. While this diversity in the absorption has been well established, the subsequent photophysics is highly sensitive to the local protein environment and so may exhibit similar variation. Thermal fluctuations of the protein conformation are expected to introduce photophysical heterogeneity of the pigments that may have evolved important functional properties in a manner similar to that of the absorption.

Endoparasitism and risk factors in horses from ethnic communities in Andean areas of southern Chile.

Parasitic infections are among the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in horses worldwide. In the Andean mountainous regions of Chile, horses are a highly valued specie, playing a key role as working animals also providing support in cattle transhumance grazing into high mountainous areas during dry season. The breeding and maintenance of horses in the mountainous region of La Araucanía in Chile is a key issue allowing to the subsistence economy of communities with a strong ethnic component represented by Mapuche-Pehuenche origin families.

Effects on tissue oxygenation in the gluteal region with a smart pressure redistribution wheelchair cushion compared to a pressure relief manoeuvre.

Objective: The study examines the effects of the air-bladder offloading mode of a smart pressure redistribution wheelchair cushion on tissue oxygenation in the gluteal tissue of non-disabled participants. The hypothesis is that the cushion's offloading mode, which involves sequentially deflating its five air-bladders one at a time for a specific duration, would improve tissue oxygenation during sitting.

Methods: Two procedures were conducted.

Determining the residual volume in peritoneal dialysis using low molecular weight markers.

Background: Variation in residual volume between peritoneal dialysis dwells creates uncertainty in ultrafiltration determination, dialysis efficiency, and poses a risk of overfill if the residual volume is large. Measuring the dilution of a marker molecule during fluid fill offers a convenient approach, however, estimation accuracy depends on the choice of dilution marker. We here evaluate the feasibility of creatinine and urea as dilution markers compared to albumin-based residual volumes and three-pore model estimations.

Chirped Laser Pulse Control of Vibronic Wavepackets and Energy Transfer in Phycocyanin 645.

Photosynthetic organisms use light-harvesting complexes to increase the spectrum of light that they absorb from solar photons. Recent ultrafast spectroscopic studies have revealed that efficient (sub-ps) energy transfer is mediated by vibronic coherence in the phycobiliprotein phycocyanin 645 (PC645). Here, we report studies that employ broadband pump-probe spectroscopy with linearly chirped excitation pulses to further investigate the relationship between vibronic state preparation and energy transfer dynamics in PC645.

Molecular and Supramolecular Materials: From Light-Harvesting to Quantum Information Science and Technology.

The past two decades have witnessed immense advances in quantum information technology (QIT), benefited by advances in physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science and engineering. It is intriguing to consider whether these diverse molecular and supramolecular structures and materials, partially inspired by quantum effects as observed in sophisticated biological systems such as light-harvesting complexes in photosynthesis and the magnetic compass of migratory birds, might play a role in future QIT. If so, how? Herein, we review materials and specify the relationship between structures and quantum properties, and we identify the challenges and limitations that have restricted the intersection of QIT and chemical materials.

The Child Friendly Cities Initiative-Minneapolis Model.

Purpose: The Child Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) is a UNICEF framework based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). CFCI was launched globally in 1996 to protect children's rights throughout the world. There are child friendly cities in over 44 countries around the globe, but none presently in the United States.

Using high-resolution imaging to study the impact of the Kalogon wheelchair cushion on blood flow in the gluteal area.

Aim Of The Study: This study investigated how the air-bladder offloading mode of the Orbiter by Kalogon wheelchair cushion (Orbiter) affected blood flow in the gluteal region of non-disabled subjects. The hypothesis was that the cushion's offloading mode would improve blood flow, resulting in reduced reactive hyperemia when compared to the static setting, or Loaded Control (LC). Furthermore, the study proposed a technique using a high-resolution image laser speckle contrast system to measure blood flow in the gluteal area.

Quantifying Ultrafiltration in Peritoneal Dialysis Using the Sodium Dip.

Key Points: Ultrafiltration (UF) is a key component of clinical peritoneal dialysis prescription, but the traditional method to assess UF is hampered by large inaccuracies. Here we propose a novel method, based on a computational model and on a single dialysate sodium measurement, to accurately estimate UF and osmotic conductance to glucose in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

Background: Volume overload is highly prevalent among patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD), contributes to hypertension, and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and death in this population.

Prompt Thrombo-Inflammatory Response to Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury and Kidney Transplant Outcomes.

Introduction: In kidney transplantation (KT), the role of the intravascular innate immune system (IIIS) in response to ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is not well-understood. Here, we studied parallel changes in the generation of key activation products of the proteolytic cascade systems of the IIIS following living donor (LD) and deceased donor (DD) transplantation and evaluated potential associations with clinical outcomes.

Methods: In a cohort study, 63 patients undergoing LD ( = 26) and DD ( = 37) transplantation were prospectively included.

Experimental hemodialysis in diet-induced ketosis and the potential use of dialysis as an adjuvant cancer treatment.

Numerous in vivo studies on the ketogenic diet, a diet that can induce metabolic conditions resembling those following extended starvation, demonstrate strong outcomes on cancer survival, particularly when combined with chemo-, radio- or immunological treatments. However, the therapeutic application of ketogenic diets requires strict dietary adherence from well-informed and motivated patients, and it has recently been proposed that hemodialysis might be utilized to boost ketosis and further destabilize the environment for cancer cells. Yet, plasma ketones may be lost in the dialysate-lowering blood ketone levels.

Healthcare-Associated Infections and the Hospital Bed.

Objective: Bedframes are a potential source of bacterial contamination, fomites, and healthcare-associated infections for patients with active skin wounds and other underlying conditions. Bedframes also differ in their design, materials, texture, and ease of disassembly for cleaning. In this study, the authors evaluated five hospital bedframes in terms of retained soil and ease of cleaning as rated by volunteers.

The Peritoneal Membrane and Its Role in Peritoneal Dialysis.

A healthy and functional peritoneal membrane is key to achieving sufficient ultrafiltration and restoring fluid balance, a major component of high-quality prescription in patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD). Variability in membrane function at the start of PD or changes over time on treatment influence dialysis prescription and outcomes, and dysfunction of the peritoneal membrane contributes to fluid overload and associated complications. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about the structure, function, and pathophysiology of the peritoneal membrane with a focus on clinical implications for patient-centered care.

TREM2 is down-regulated by HSV1 in microglia and involved in antiviral defense in the brain.

Immunological control of viral infections in the brain exerts immediate protection and also long-term maintenance of brain integrity. Microglia are important for antiviral defense in the brain. Here, we report that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) infection of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived microglia down-regulates expression of genes in the TREM2 pathway.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: Prevalence, Contributing and Protective Factors, and Effective Interventions: A Scoping Review.

In 2021, there were close to 37 million children displaced worldwide. There were 13.7 million refugees and an additional 22.

Infrared Signatures of Phycobilins within the Phycocyanin 645 Complex.

Aquatic photosynthetic organisms evolved to use a variety of light frequencies to perform photosynthesis. Phycobiliprotein phycocyanin 645 (PC645) is a light-harvesting complex in cryptophyte algae able to transfer the absorbed green solar light to other antennas with over 99% efficiency. The infrared signatures of the phycobilin pigments embedded in PC645 are difficult to access and could provide useful information to understand the mechanism behind the high efficiency of energy transfer in PC645.