Linking adults and cystacanths of a new species of Rhadinorhynchus Lühe, 1911 (Acanthocephala: Rhadinorhynchidae) from the Pacific coast of Mexico by using morphological and molecular data.

During parasitological surveys of marine fishes and zooplankton in localities of the Northwestern Pacific coast of Mexico, 28 Gafftopsail pompano (Trachinotus rhodopus Gill) and 50 mysid crustaceans (Metamysidopsis frankfiersi Hendrickx & Hernández-Payán) we identified to be infected with adults and cystacanths, respectively of an acanthocephalan morphologically corresponding to the genus Rhadinorhynchus Lühe, 1911. DNA sequences of the small (SSU) and large (LSU) subunits of ribosomal DNA, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox 1) from mitochondrial DNA were obtained. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the newly sequenced individuals in a clade with Rhadinorhynchus sp.

Field assessment of BinaxNOW antigen tests as COVID-19 treatment entry point at a community testing site in San Francisco during evolving omicron surges.

COVID-19 oral treatments require initiation within 5 days of symptom onset. Although antigen tests are less sensitive than RT-PCR, rapid results could facilitate entry to treatment. We collected anterior nasal swabs for BinaxNOW and RT-PCR testing and clinical data at a walk-up, community site in San Francisco, California between January and June 2022.

Hypovitaminosis D and its relationship with nutritional status and quality of life in patients undergoing haemodialysis.

Objective: to assess the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD) and to determine its relationship with nutritional status and quality of life (QoL). Material and methods: 120 patients were included in the study. The Malnutrition-Inflammation Score (MIS) was used to detect nutritional risk.

Risk-based versus GFR threshold criteria for nephrology referral in chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney failure are global health problems associated with morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs, with unequal access to kidney replacement therapy between countries. The diversity of guidelines concerning referral from primary care to a specialist nephrologist determines different outcomes around the world among patients with CKD where several guidelines recommend referral when the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is <30 mL/min/1.73 m regardless of age.

COVID-19 Symptoms and Duration of Rapid Antigen Test Positivity at a Community Testing and Surveillance Site During Pre-Delta, Delta, and Omicron BA.1 Periods.

Importance: Characterizing the clinical symptoms and evolution of community-based SARS-CoV-2 infections may inform health practitioners and public health officials in a rapidly changing landscape of population immunity and viral variants.

Objectives: To compare COVID-19 symptoms among people testing positive with a rapid antigen test (RAT) during the Omicron BA.1 variant period (December 1, 2021, to January 30, 2022) with the pre-Delta (January 10 to May 31, 2021) and Delta (June 1 to November 30, 2021) variant periods and to assess the duration of RAT positivity during the Omicron BA.

Integrating Rapid Diabetes Screening Into a Latinx Focused Community-Based Low-Barrier COVID-19 Testing Program.

Importance: Community-based COVID-19 testing and vaccination programs play a crucial role in mitigating racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 service delivery. They also represent a platform that can be leveraged to expand access to testing for chronic diseases, including diabetes, that disproportionately affect the Latinx community and other marginalized communities.

Objective: To evaluate outcomes associated with a diabetes testing strategy designed to reach low-income Latinx persons by leveraging COVID-19 testing infrastructure and community trust developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction and BinaxNOW Rapid Antigen Tests at a Community Site During an Omicron Surge : A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests are an important public health tool.

Objective: To evaluate field performance of the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test (Abbott) compared with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detecting infection with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.

Design: Cross-sectional surveillance study.

Improved nephrology referral of chronic kidney disease patients: potential role of smartphone apps.

In chronic kidney disease (CKD), referral to nephrology is based on Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes 2012 guidelines and is generally indicated when the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is <30 mL/min/1.73 m or when there is a rapid decline of eGFR, elevated urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (>300 mg/g) or other 'alert' signs such as the presence of urinary red blood cell casts. Since eGFR declines with ageing in otherwise healthy individuals, we propose that the eGFR threshold for nephrology referral should be adjusted according to age.

Lupus Podocytopathy: An Overview.

In systemic lupus erythematosus, nephrotic-range proteinuria typically signals the presence of a proliferative lupus nephritis (class III/IV) and/or membranous lupus nephritis (class V, with or without concomitant class III or IV lesions). However, in rare instances, systemic lupus erythematosus patients with nephrotic syndrome have kidney biopsy findings of normal glomeruli or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis lesions, with or without mesangial proliferation, on light microscopy; the absence of subepithelial or subendothelial deposits on immunofluorescence and electron microscopy; and diffuse foot process effacement on electron microscopy. This pattern, termed lupus podocytopathy, is a unique form of lupus nephritis that mimics minimal change disease or primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and represents approximately 1% of lupus nephritis biopsies.

Asymmetric (ADMA) and Symmetric (SDMA) Dimethylarginines in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Clinical Approach.

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and its enantiomer, Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), are naturally occurring amino acids that were first isolated and characterized in human urine in 1970. ADMA is the most potent endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), with higher levels in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). ADMA has shown to be a significant predictor of cardiovascular outcome and mortality among dialysis patients.

Impact of a phone app on nephrology referral.

Background: Various factors can lead to inadequate nephrology referral decisions being taken by clinicians, but a major cause is unawareness of guidelines, recommendations and indications, or of appropriate timing. Today, tools such as smartphone applications (Apps) can make this knowledge more accessible to non-nephrologist clinicians. Our study aim is to determine the effectiveness of a purpose-built app in this respect.

Acute and Chronic Tubulointerstitial Nephritis of Rheumatic Causes.

Tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) is the second most common cause of acute intrinsic kidney injury after acute tubular necrosis. Although drug-induced forms of TIN represent the vast majority, rheumatic disease is another common cause and often underdiagnosed. Early diagnosis of acute interstitial nephritis and prompt withdrawal of the culprit medication or a correct treatment can avoid chronic damage and progressive chronic kidney disease.

Fluctuation of pre-hemodialysis serum sodium .

Introduction: Low pre-hemodialysis (pre-HD) serum sodium or hyponatremia is associated with higher mortality. Pre-HD serum sodium can be more stable over time with low fluctuation compared to other serum parameters.

Materials And Methods: We examined variation of pre-HD serum sodium in 24 months and after this point examined all-cause mortality in a cohort of 261 patients followed-up for 48.

Asymmetric Dimethylarginine (ADMA) Levels Are Lower in Hemodialysis Patients Treated With Paricalcitol.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease is a major public health problem. In the last decade, it has been shown that the early stages of chronic kidney disease are associated with an inflammatory condition involving an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and long-term mortality. In patients with chronic kidney disease and more specifically those on hemodialysis, cardiovascular events are the most common cause of death.

The Alternative Sigma Factors SigE and SigB Are Involved in Tolerance and Persistence to Antitubercular Drugs.

The emergence and spread of drug-resistant strains possibly threaten our ability to treat this disease in the future. Even though two new antitubercular drugs have recently been introduced, there is still the need to design new molecules whose mechanisms of action could reduce the length of treatment. We show that two alternative sigma factors of (SigE and SigB) have a major role in determining the level of basal resistance to several drugs and the amount of persisters surviving long-duration drug treatment.

Mycobacterium smegmatis proteoliposome induce protection in a murine progressive pulmonary tuberculosis model.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important cause of mortality and morbidity. The TB vaccine, BCG, is not fully protective against the adult form of the disease and is unable to prevent its transmission although it is still useful against severe childhood TB. Hence, the search for new vaccines is of great interest.

A case of uveitis due to Rickettsia conorii infection in Southeastern France.

We describe a case of skin rash and bilateral uveitis secondary to Rickettsia conorii infection. A 60-year-old female patient, living in the rural hinterland of Cannes, was referred to our hospital in mid-August 2012 for skin rash, fever, and arthromyalgia. Blood tests showed increased inflammatory markers, hepatic cytolysis and anicteric cholestasis.

DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY AND CALCULATED FRAX RISK SCORES MAY UNDERESTIMATE OSTEOPOROTIC FRACTURE RISK IN VITAMIN D-DEFICIENT VETERANS WITH HIV INFECTION.

Objective: We evaluated the utility of the World Health Organization (WHO) Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) in assessing fracture risk in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and vitamin D deficiency.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of HIV-infected patients with co-existing vitamin D deficiency at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and the 10-year fracture risk was calculated by the WHO FRAX algorithm.

Protective capacity of proteoliposomes from Mycobacterium bovis BCG in a mouse model of tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most important causes of mortality and morbidity due to infectious diseases. BCG, the vaccine in use, is not fully protective against TB. In a previous study, we have shown that proteoliposomes (outer membrane extracts), obtained from BCG (PLBCG) were able to induce humoral immune responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) antigens.

Histopathological Study of the Lungs of Mice Receiving Human Secretory IgA and Challenged with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: Humoral and cellular immune responses are associated with protection against extracellular and intracellular pathogens, respectively. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of receiving human secretory immunoglobulin A (hsIgA) on the histopathology of the lungs of mice challenged with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Methods: The hsIgA was purified from human colostrum and administered to Balb/c mice by the intranasal route prior to infection with M.