Re-identification of anonymised MRI head images with publicly available software: investigation of the current risk to patient privacy.

Background: Facial recognition software (FRS) has historically been perceived as lacking the capability to identify individuals from cross-sectional medical images. Utilising such data for identification purposes was considered infeasible due to the substantial computational power and specialised technical expertise it would require. However, recent advancements in accessible artificial intelligence-based (AI-based) software and open-source tools have made these applications widely available and easy to use, raising new privacy concerns.

Cement Viscosity and Application Time Lead to Significant Changes in Cement Penetration and Contact Surface Area.

Background: Application time and viscosity are factors that can significantly affect the properties of bone cement and implant fixation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different application times of 2 different cements on mechanical parameters, cement interdigitation, and cement distribution.

Methods: P.

Serum uromodulin associates with kidney function and outcome in a cohort of hospitalised COVID-19 patients.

This study investigates the prevalence and evaluates the prognostic implications of acute kidney injury (AKI) in COVID-19 patients, with a novel emphasis on the evaluation of serum uromodulin (sUmod) as a potential kidney-specific biomarker. A cohort of hospitalised COVID-19 patients (n = 378) was examined for AKI using standard criteria. In addition to traditional urinary biomarkers, sUmod levels were analysed.

An enteric ultrastructural surface atlas of the model insect .

The tobacco hornworm is a laboratory model that is particularly suitable for analyzing gut inflammation, but a physiological reference standard is currently unavailable. Here, we present a surface atlas of the healthy hornworm gut generated by scanning electron microscopy and nano-computed tomography. This comprehensive overview of the gut surface reveals morphological differences between the anterior, middle, and posterior midgut, allowing the screening of aberrant gut phenotypes while accommodating normal physiological variations.

Multielectrode array use in insect auditory neuroscience to unravel the spatio-temporal response pattern in the prothoracic ganglion of Mecopoda elongata.

Mechanoreceptors in hearing organs transduce sound-induced mechanical responses into neuronal signals, which are further processed and forwarded to the brain along a chain of neurons in the auditory pathway. Bushcrickets (katydids) have their ears in the front leg tibia, and the first synaptic integration of sound-induced neuronal signals takes place in the primary auditory neuropil of the prothoracic ganglion. By combining intracellular recordings of the receptor activity in the ear, extracellular multichannel array recordings on top of the prothoracic ganglion and hook electrode recordings at the neck connective, we mapped the timing of neuronal responses to tonal sound stimuli along the auditory pathway from the ears towards the brain.

Evaluation of Mechanical Versus Manual Root Canal Preparation in Primary Molars-A Comparative In Vitro Study.

The endodontic treatment of primary teeth is to maintain the function of the tooth free of symptoms until its physiological exfoliation. A critical factor for success is how quickly and effectively the root canal preparation can be performed. Therefore, the aim of this comparative in vitro study was to analyze the efficiency of two mechanical root canal preparation systems FM (FlexMaster) and HF (HyFlex EDM) to manual KF (K-file) on extracted primary molars.

Micromotion measurement at the interfaces of cemented tibial endoprosthetic replacements: A new standardized in vitro model using open-cell rigid foam.

Early aseptic loosening following primary total knee arthroplasty related to several factors might appear at the interface implant-cement or cement-bone. A standardized in vitro model might provide information on the relevance of single variable parameter of cementation including technique and cement respectively bone structure on fixation strength. Micromotion measurement using different directions of load should detect the primary stability of the interfaces.

A quantitative micro-tomographic gut atlas of the lepidopteran model insect .

The tobacco hornworm is used extensively as a model system for ecotoxicology, immunology and gut physiology. Here, we established a micro-computed tomography approach based on the oral application of the clinical contrast agent iodixanol, allowing for a high-resolution quantitative analysis of the gut. This technique permitted the identification of previously unknown and understudied structures, such as the crop or gastric ceca, and revealed the underlying complexity of the hindgut folding pattern, which is involved in fecal pellet formation.

Analysis of fixation materials in micro-CT: It doesn't always have to be styrofoam.

Good fixation of filigree specimens for micro-CT examinations is often a challenge. Movement artefacts, over-radiation or even crushing of the specimen can easily occur. Since different specimens have different requirements, we scanned, analysed and compared 19 possible fixation materials under the same conditions in the micro-CT.

Serum Uromodulin in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Controls: Its Potential Role in Kidney Health.

Introduction: Uromodulin is a kidney-specific tubular protein, and its assessment in serum (sUMOD) reveals the potential as a novel marker for function and the integrity of renal parenchymal cells and does not directly depend on the glomerular filtration rate. Early diabetic nephropathy parallels glomerular hyperfiltration, often leading to diagnostic misinterpretation. Moreover, traditional kidney function markers are not able to diagnose structural lesions.

Independent Effects of Kidney Function and Cholesterol Efflux on Cardiovascular Mortality.

Background: Impaired renal function is associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. In the general population, HDL-cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular events, which is not true in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This has been attributed to abnormal HDL function in CKD.

Uromodulin and its association with urinary metabolites: the German Chronic Kidney Disease Study.

Background: The progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), a global public health burden, is accompanied by a declining number of functional nephrons. Estimation of remaining nephron mass may improve assessment of CKD progression. Uromodulin has been suggested as a marker of tubular mass.

Urinary tract infections in patients with renal insufficiency and dialysis - epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

Epidemiological studies show an increasing number of patients worldwide suffering from chronic kidney diseases (CKD), which are associated with a risk for progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). CKD patients stage 2-5, patients with regular chronic dialysis treatment (hemo- or peritoneal dialysis), and patients suffering from kidney allograft dysfunction are at high risk to develop infections, e.g.

Association of serum uromodulin with adipokines in dependence of type 2 diabetes.

Background: The renal tubular glycoprotein uromodulin is associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes, but the underlying mechanisms are elusive. We investigated the association of serum uromodulin with adipokines and tested the effect modification by diabetes status.

Methods: The associations of serum uromodulin with eight adipokines were assessed in 795-1080 participants of the KORA F4 study aged 62-81 years using linear regression models adjusted for sex, age, BMI, estimated glomerular filtration rate and diabetes.

Combined Use of Serum Uromodulin and eGFR to Estimate Mortality Risk.

Serum uromodulin (sUmod) shows a strong direct correlation with eGFR in patients with impaired kidney function and an inverse association with mortality. However, there are patients in whom only one of both markers is decreased. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of marker discordance on mortality risk.

Tuned vibration modes in a miniature hearing organ: Insights from the bushcricket.

Bushcrickets (katydids) rely on only 20 to 120 sensory units located in their forelegs to sense sound. Situated in tiny hearing organs less than 1 mm long (40× shorter than the human cochlea), they cover a wide frequency range from 1 kHz up to ultrasounds, in tonotopic order. The underlying mechanisms of this miniaturized frequency-place map are unknown.

Serum uromodulin is inversely associated with biomarkers of subclinical inflammation in the population-based KORA F4 study.

Background: Uromodulin is a kidney-specific glycoprotein synthesized in tubular cells of Henle's loop exerting nephroprotective and immunomodulatory functions in the urinary tract. A small amount of uromodulin is also released into the systemic circulation, where its physiological role is unknown. Serum uromodulin (sUmod) has been associated with metabolic risk factors and with cardiovascular events and mortality, where these associations were partly stronger in men than in women.

Pretransplant Serum Uromodulin and Its Association with Delayed Graft Function Following Kidney Transplantation-A Prospective Cohort Study.

Delayed graft function (DGF) following kidney transplantation is associated with increased risk of graft failure, but biomarkers to predict DGF are scarce. We evaluated serum uromodulin (sUMOD), a potential marker for tubular integrity with immunomodulatory capacities, in kidney transplant recipients and its association with DGF. We included 239 kidney transplant recipients and measured sUMOD pretransplant and on postoperative Day 1 (POD1) as independent variables.

Serum uromodulin and decline of kidney function in older participants of the population-based KORA F4/FF4 study.

Background: Uromodulin, a tissue-specific tubular glycoprotein, has recently emerged as a promising biomarker for kidney function and tubular integrity. However, the association of serum uromodulin (sUmod) with renal function decline is still unknown in an older general population.

Methods: We analysed the association of sUmod with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria in 1075 participants of the population-based Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) F4 study, ages 62-81 years, at baseline and prospectively after a mean follow-up time of 6.

Extratubular Polymerized Uromodulin Induces Leukocyte Recruitment and Inflammation .

Uromodulin (UMOD) is produced and secreted by tubular epithelial cells. Secreted UMOD polymerizes (pUMOD) in the tubular lumen, where it regulates salt transport and protects the kidney from bacteria and stone formation. Under various pathological conditions, pUMOD accumulates within the tubular lumen and reaches extratubular sites where it may interact with renal interstitial cells.

Individual uromodulin serum concentration is independent of glomerular filtration rate in healthy kidney donors.

Objectives: The mucoprotein uromodulin is considered to correlate with glomerular filtration rates (GFR) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here we investigated how serum uromodulin is associated with measured GFR using inulin-clearance and GFR estimated by CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration) equation in healthy subjects.

Methods: We assessed possible correlations between uromodulin serum concentrations, inulin-GFR and CKD-EPI-GFR in a well characterized study cohort of 112 healthy living kidney donors with two kidneys before and 64 with one kidney after kidney donation.

Serum uromodulin is inversely associated with arterial hypertension and the vasoconstrictive prohormone CT-proET-1 in the population-based KORA F4 study.

Objectives: Uromodulin has been associated with arterial hypertension in genome-wide association studies, but data from clinical and preclinical studies are inconsistent. We here analyzed the association of serum uromodulin (sUmod) with arterial hypertension and vasoactive hormones in a population-based study.

Methods: In 1108 participants of the KORA F4 study aged 62-81 years, sUmod was measured and the association of sUmod with arterial hypertension was assessed using logistic regression models.

Comparative micromechanics of bushcricket ears with and without a specialized auditory fovea region in the crista acustica.

In some insects and vertebrate species, the specific enlargement of sensory cell epithelium facilitates the perception of particular behaviourally relevant signals. The insect auditory fovea in the ear of the bushcricket (Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) is an example of such an expansion of sensory epithelium. Bushcricket ears developed in convergent evolution anatomical and functional similarities to mammal ears, such as travelling waves and auditory foveae, to process information by sound.

Association of Serum Uromodulin with Death, Cardiovascular Events, and Kidney Failure in CKD.

Background And Objectives: Uromodulin is exclusively produced by tubular epithelial cells and released into urine and serum. Higher serum uromodulin has been associated with lower risk for kidney failure in Chinese patients with CKD and with lower risk for mortality in the elderly and in patients undergoing coronary angiography. We hypothesized that lower serum uromodulin is associated with mortality, cardiovascular events, and kidney failure in white patients with CKD.