Semi-Supervised Segmentation of Interstitial Lung Disease Patterns from CT Images via Self-Training with Selective Re-Training.

Accurate segmentation of interstitial lung disease (ILD) patterns from computed tomography (CT) images is an essential prerequisite to treatment and follow-up. However, it is highly time-consuming for radiologists to pixel-by-pixel segment ILD patterns from CT scans with hundreds of slices. Consequently, it is hard to obtain large amounts of well-annotated data, which poses a huge challenge for data-driven deep learning-based methods.

Single cell landscape of parietal epithelial cells in healthy and diseased states.

The biology and diversity of glomerular parietal epithelial cells (PECs) are important for understanding podocyte regeneration and crescent formation. Although protein markers have revealed the morphological heterogeneity of PECs, the molecular characteristics of PEC subpopulations remain largely unknown. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of PECs using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data.

Ultrahigh Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Properties in BiFeO-BaTiO Epitaxial Films Near Morphotropic Phase Boundary.

Ferroelectric solid solutions with composition near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) have gained extensive attention recently due to their excellent ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties. Here, we have demonstrated a strategy to realize the controllable preparation of BiFeO-BaTiO (BF-BT) epitaxial films near the MPB. A series of high-quality BF-BT films were fabricated by pulsed laser deposition via adjusting oxygen partial pressure (PO) using a BF-BT ceramic target.

Pectin/Activated Carbon-Based Porous Microsphere for Pb Adsorption: Characterization and Adsorption Behaviour.

The development of effective heavy metal adsorbents has always been the goal of environmentalists. Pectin/activated carbon microspheres (P/ACs) were prepared through simple gelation without chemical crosslinking and utilized for adsorption of Pb. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the addition of activated carbon increased the porosity of the microsphere.

Preparation of pectin/poly(m-phenylenediamine) microsphere and its application for Pb removal.

Novel pectin/poly(m-phenylenediamine) (P/PmPDA) microspheres with different content of PmPDA were prepared by assembling PmPDA on the surface of pectin microsphere. The successful preparation was confirmed by the results of Fourier Transform Infrared spectra (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental analysis. Compared with pectin microsphere, the Pb adsorption performance of P/PmPDA microspheres was significantly improved.

SMRT sequencing revealed to be an effective method for ADTKD-MUC1 diagnosis through follow-up analysis of a Chinese family.

We reported a large Chinese family diagnosed with autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease caused by MUC1 mutation (ADTKD-MUC1). Cytosine duplication within a string of 7 cytosines in the variable-number tandem repeats (VNTR) region of the MUC1 gene was detected by long-read single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing. MUC1 frameshift protein (MUC1fs) was found to be expressed in renal tubules and urinary exfoliated cells by pathological examination.

Pb adsorption by ethylenediamine-modified pectins and their adsorption mechanisms.

Ethylenediamine-modified pectins (EPs) with different degrees of amidation (DA) were prepared and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectra (FTIR), elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The prepared EPs were then used to remove Pb from the aqueous solution. It was found that EPs with the highest DA (EP) exhibited great removal efficiency of Pb (≥94 %) at low concentrations of 40-80 mg/L.

Corrigendum to "CD36-Mediated Lipid Accumulation and Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome Lead to Podocyte Injury in Obesity-Related Glomerulopathy".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2019/3172647.].

IgG4-related sialadenitis complicated with type III mixed cryoglobulinemia: A case report.

Rationale: IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic autoimmune disease and mixed cryoglobulinemia may be caused by autoimmune diseases. However, so far only 1 case of IgG4-RD complicated with mixed cryoglobulinemia is reported. Our case further confirms the close relationship between these 2 diseases.

Cryoglobulinemic vasculitis and glomerulonephritis: concerns in clinical practice.

Objective: Cryoglobulinemia often causes systemic vasculitis, thereby damaging to skin and internal organs including kidneys, even life-threatening. This review aimed to introduce the advances in understanding, detection, and treatment of this disease in recent years, with a particular concern to clinical practice.

Data Sources: All the data in this review were from the English or Chinese literature in the PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases as of March 2019.

CD36-Mediated Lipid Accumulation and Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome Lead to Podocyte Injury in Obesity-Related Glomerulopathy.

Podocyte injury critically contributes to the pathogenesis of obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG). Recently, lipid accumulation and inflammatory responses have been found to be involved in podocyte injury. This study is to explore their role and relationship in podocyte injury of ORG.

Dynamic High-Pressure Microfluidization-Treated Pectin under Different Ethanol Concentrations.

We previously reported that dynamic high-pressure microfluidization (DHPM) can degrade pectin in aqueous solution. In this study, we further investigated the effect of DHPM on pectin in water-ethanol systems. In the absence of DHPM treatment, it was found that pectin exhibited increased average particle size and unchanged average molecular weight, but a decline in reducing-sugar-ends content with the increase of ethanol concentrations (0⁻10% /).

Solubility Difference between Pectic Fractions from Creeping Fig Seeds.

Crude water-extracted pectin (WEP) isolated from creeping fig seeds were mainly fractionated into WEP-0.3 and WEP-0.4 fractions.

Artificially Cultivated Alleviates Diabetic Nephropathy and Its Podocyte Injury via Inhibiting P2X7R Expression and NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation.

Background/aims: It is known that chronic low-grade inflammation contributes to the initiation and development of both diabetes and diabetic nephropathy (DN), so we designed this study to investigate the role of P2X7R and NLRP3 inflammasome in DN pathogenesis and the antagonistic effects of artificially cultivated (ACOS).

Methods: A rat model of DN caused by high-fat-diet feeding and low-dose streptozotocin injection and a mouse podocyte injury model induced by high-glucose (HG) stimulation were established, and the intervention effects of ACOS on them were observed. The biological parameters of serum and urine and the pathological manifestations of kidney tissue were examined.

Aldosterone is involved in the pathogenesis of obesity-related glomerulopathy through activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in podocytes.

Obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG) is morphologically characterized by glomerulomegaly with or without observable focal segmental glomerulosclerosis under light microscope, with decreased podocyte density and number, and with increased foot‑process width observed under electron microscope. The severity of podocyte injury is correlated with the degree of proteinuria and renal dysfunction. However, the pathogenesis of ORG is not well understood.

Aristolochic Acid-Induced Autophagy Promotes Epithelial-to-Myofibroblast Transition in Human Renal Proximal Tubule Epithelial Cells.

Autophagy plays an essential role in cellular homeostasis in kidney. Previous studies have found that aristolochic acid (AA) can induce autophagy of renal tubular epithelial cells and epithelial-to-myofibroblast transition (EMT). However, the relationship between AA-induced autophagy and EMT is unclear.

Relating physicochemical properties of alginate-HMP complexes to their performance as drug delivery systems.

This study aims to analyze the effect of physicochemical properties of alginate-high methoxyl pectin (HMP) complexes on their performance as drug delivery systems. Rheology, textural properties and swelling behavior of alginate-HMP complexes were determined. HMP alone showed weak gelling ability.

Hirsutella sinensis Attenuates Aristolochic Acid-Induced Renal Tubular Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Inhibiting TGF-β1 and Snail Expression.

Objective: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Hirsutella sinensis (HS) on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular epithelial cells induced by aristolochic acid (AA) and its possible mechanism.

Methods: 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equally divided into the following 3 groups: AA group, AA+HS group and control group. Urinary protein excretion and creatinine clearance (CCr) were measured.

The Protective Effects of Curcumin on Obesity-Related Glomerulopathy Are Associated with Inhibition of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Activation in Podocytes.

The present study investigated the effects of curcumin, one of the most important active ingredients of turmeric, on podocyte injury in vitro and obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG) in vivo. Cellular experiments in vitro showed that curcumin significantly antagonized leptin-induced downregulation of the mRNA and protein expression of podocyte-associated molecules including nephrin, podocin, podoplanin, and podocalyxin. Animal experiments in vivo showed that curcumin significantly reduced the body weight, Lee's index, abdominal fat index, urinary protein excretion, and average glomerular diameter and significantly upregulated the mRNA and protein expressions of the above podocyte-associated molecules in ORG mice.

Inhibition of local aldosterone by eplerenone reduces renal structural damage in a novel model of chronic cyclosporine A nephrotoxicity.

Background And Objective: The fact that mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists reduce structural and functional alterations induced by cyclosporine A (CsA) indicates that aldosterone plays a key role in chronic CsA nephrotoxicity. We and other researchers have reported local renal aldosterone synthesis. To investigate local renal aldosterone's role in chronic CsA nephrotoxicity, we evaluated the effect of eplerenone (Epl) on renal structural damage and renal dysfunction in adrenalectomized (ADX) rats, and assessed whether the therapeutic benefit was associated with reduction of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and collagen I (COL-I) expression.

Improved in vitro digestion stability of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate through nanoliposome encapsulation.

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is unstable and degraded in near-neutral or alkaline fluids. To overcome its limitation, EGCG nanoliposome (EN) was prepared by an ethanol injection method combined with dynamic high-pressure microfluidization. EN possessed good physicochemical characterizations (high entrapment efficiency=92.

The effect of high speed shearing on disaggregation and degradation of pectin from creeping fig seeds.

The effect of high speed shearing (HSS) on disaggregation and degradation of pectin from creeping fig seeds was investigated. It was found that disaggregation and degradation occurred during the whole shearing process. When pectin solution was sheared at 24,000 rpm for less than 8h, degradation happened but disaggregation was dominant during this period.

Pectin modifications: a review.

In recent years, the interest in studying modification of pectin has increased. A number of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups distributed along the backbone as well as a certain amount of neutral sugars presented as side chains make pectin capable of preparing a broad spectrum of derivatives. By forming pectin derivatives, their properties may be modified and some other new functional properties may be created.

Extraction of pectin from Premna microphylla turcz leaves and its physicochemical properties.

Premna microphylla turcz leaves (PMTL) have been used for preparing a "green tofu" by Chinese for a long history. Chemical composition analysis indicated alcohol insoluble solids (AIS) of PMTL contained high amount of pectin. Water, ammonium oxalate, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide were used to extract different pectic fractions sequentially.