Prospects for improved glomerular filtration rate estimation based on creatinine-results from a transnational multicentre study.

Background: The Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) creatinine equation is routinely used to assess renal function but exhibits varying accuracy depending on patient characteristics and clinical presentation. The overall aim of the present study was to assess if and to what extent glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation based on creatinine can be improved.

Methods: In a cross-sectional analysis covering the years 2003-17, CKD-EPI was validated against measured GFR (mGFR; using various tracer methods) in patients with high likelihood of chronic kidney disease (CKD; five CKD cohorts,  = 8365) and in patients with low likelihood of CKD (six community cohorts,  = 6759).

Development of a surgical technique for long-term catheterisation of bovine fetuses.

The aim of this study was to further develop and extensively describe a surgical technique in order to realise long-term fetal blood sampling in the bovine species. Eleven Holstein-Friesian 6- to 8-month pregnant cows (4-10 years old) were used for this study. Gestational age on the day of surgery varied from approximately 180 days (n = 1) to 240 days (minimum: 232 days, maximum 252 days; n = 10).

A novel method for creatinine adjustment makes the revised Lund-Malmö GFR estimating equation applicable in children.

The aim of this study was to establish creatinine growth curves separately for males and females that can be used to adjust childhood levels of serum creatinine to corresponding adult levels. Linear regression with fractional polynomials of age as independent variable was used to construct creatinine growth curves for a reference cohort (n = 83,157 samples from Belgium and Sweden, age 2-40 years). Adjusted creatinine obtained from the growth curves was used to improve accuracy of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) based on the Lund-Malmö revised (LMR) equation in children.

Potential Diagnostic Value of the Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Transcriptome From Cattle With Bovine Tuberculosis.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic disease of cattle caused by . During early-stage infection, -infected cattle shed mycobacteria through nasal secretions, which can be detected via nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments. Little research has focused on immune responses in nested PCR-positive (bTB PCR-P) or nested PCR-negative (bTB PCR-N) -infected cattle.

Early effects of androgen deprivation on bone and mineral homeostasis in adult men: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: Long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) negatively influences bone. The short-term effects on bone and mineral homeostasis are less known. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the early effects of ADT on calcium/phosphate homeostasis and bone turnover.

A simple modification of dialysate potassium: its impact on plasma potassium concentrations and the electrocardiogram.

Background: Sudden death is frequent in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Both hyperkalaemia and change of plasma potassium (K) concentrations induced by HD could explain this. The impact of increasing dialysate K by 1 mEq/L on plasma K concentrations and electrocardiogram (ECG) results before and after HD sessions was studied.

Association between mixture of persistent organic pollutants and thyroid pathologies in a Belgian population.

Previous years, the incidence of autoimmune thyroid diseases has increased worldwide. The presence of many pollutants in the environment suspected to be thyroid disruptors may have contributed to the observed increase. Unfortunately, the results from epidemiological studies assessing the association between pollution and thyroid disorders remain inconsistent, maybe due to a nearly complete neglect of the mixture effect.

Clinical Evaluation of In-Office Dental Bleaching Using a Violet Light-Emitted Diode.

To clinically evaluate the effect of the violet light-emitted diode (LED) light (405-410 nm) associated to in-office dental bleaching with 35% carbamide peroxide, on tooth color change and sensitivity. Participant's satisfaction after treatment was also evaluated. A total of 50 participants were selected and randomized into a treatment group ( = 25): G1-two bleaching sessions of 30 min each, with 7-day interval (D0 and D7); G2-two bleaching sessions (same protocol as G1) associated with violet LED light, 30 min each session.

[Estimation of glomerular filtration rate using cystatin C].

Blood concentration of cystatin C is independent of muscle mass and tubular secretion. It can be used, in the absence of a reference method, as an alternative marker to creatinine for the evaluation of renal function and the estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Both particle-enhanced immunonephelemetry (PENIA) or immunoturbidimetry (PETIA) methods are available to determine cystatin C.

Interleukin 8 and Pentaxin (C-Reactive Protein) as Potential New Biomarkers of Bovine Tuberculosis.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is caused by During the early stage of infection, greater than 15% of -infected cattle shed mycobacteria through nasal secretions, which can be detected by nested PCR. To compare the differences in the protein profiles of -infected cattle that were nested PCR positive (bTB) and -infected cattle that were nested PCR negative (bTB) and to screen for biomarkers that will facilitate the early and accurate detection of bTB, we investigated the protein expression profiles of serum and bovine purified protein derivative (PPD-B)-stimulated plasma among bTB ( = 20), bTB ( = 20), and uninfected cattle (NC;  = 20) by iTRAQ labeling coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (iTRAQ-2D LC-MS/MS). After comprehensive analysis, we selected 15 putative differentially expressed serum proteins and 15 plasma proteins for validation by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) with the same cohort used in the iTRAQ analysis.

Dephosphorylation of HDAC4 by PP2A-Bδ unravels a new role for the HDAC4/MEF2 axis in myoblast fusion.

Muscle formation is controlled by a number of key myogenic transcriptional regulators that govern stage-specific gene expression programs and act as terminal effectors of intracellular signaling pathways. To date, the role of phosphatases in the signaling cascades instructing muscle development remains poorly understood. Here, we show that a specific PP2A-B55δ holoenzyme is necessary for skeletal myogenesis.

High-Throughput Sequencing Assists Studies in Genomic Variability and Epidemiology of Little Cherry Virus 1 and 2 infecting spp. in Belgium.

Little cherry disease, caused by little cherry virus 1 (LChV-1) and little cherry virus 2 (LChV-2), which are both members of the family , severely affects sweet ( L.) and sour cherry ( L.) orchards lifelong production worldwide.

Evaluation of inactive Matrix-Gla-Protein (MGP) as a biomarker for incident and recurrent kidney stones.

Background: Matrix-Gla-protein (MGP) is an inhibitor of vascular calcification. Its dephosphorylated and uncarboxylated inactive form, dpucMGP, is a marker of vitamin K status and of cardio-vascular outcomes in chronic kidney disease. We hypothesized that higher serum dpucMGP would be a biomarker of kidney stone disease.

Increased sea ice cover alters food web structure in East Antarctica.

In recent years, sea ice cover along coasts of East Antarctica has tended to increase. To understand ecological implications of these environmental changes, we studied benthic food web structure on the coasts of Adélie Land during an event of unusually high sea ice cover (i.e.

Parameter estimation in a minimal model of cardio-pulmonary interactions.

Mechanical ventilation is a widely used breathing support for patients in intensive care. Its effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are complex and difficult to predict. This work first presents a minimal mathematical model representing the mechanics of both systems and their interaction, in terms of flows, pressures and volumes.

Myostatin and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Are Biomarkers of Muscle Strength, Muscle Mass, and Mortality in Patients on Hemodialysis.

Objective: Muscle strength is frequently altered in hemodialysis patients. In the present work, five potential muscle biomarkers have been studied in their ability to assess muscular strength, muscular mass and to predict mortality of hemodialysis patients: activin-A, procollagen III N-terminal peptide, follistatin, myostatin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).

Design And Methods: Three independent cohorts of prevalent hemodialysis patients (2 from Liège, Belgium and 1 from Marseille, France) were considered in this observational prospective study.

New sensitive and fast detection of Little cherry virus 1 using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP).

Little cherry virus 1 (LChV-1) belongs to the genus Velarivirus, family Closteroviridae, is an economically important pathogen affecting mainly cherry around the world emphasizing the impetus for its efficient and accurate on-site detection. This study describes the development of a reliable diagnostic protocol of LChV-1 based on a one-step reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP). The protocol detects LChV-1 isolates in less than 10 min by fluorescence monitoring using a mobile detection device and is most optimal when performed at 67 °C.

Echinometra mathaei and its ectocommensal shrimps: the role of sea urchin spinochrome pigments in the symbiotic association.

Tuleariocaris holthuisi and Arete indicus are two ectocommensal shrimps closely associated with the tropical sea urchin Echinometra mathaei. This study provides a comparison of these two E. mathaei symbiotic crustaceans and particularly focuses on the relationship between T.

Too much nephrology? The CKD epidemic is real and concerning. A CON view.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) clearly depends on its definition, and the definition used most often is the one proposed by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes guidelines in 2012: 'CKD is defined as abnormalities of kidney structure or function, present for >3 months, with implications for health.' Abnormality of kidney function is a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2, and the most frequently used marker of kidney damage is the presence of albuminuria [albumin excretion rate >30 mg/24 h or albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) >30 mg/g (or 3 mg/mmol)].

Simple and fast method for the measurement of legacy and novel brominated flame retardants in human serum.

Recent and reliable human biomonitoring data on brominated flame retardants (BFRs), either legacy or new BFRs, are still needed to assess human exposure. The aim of this work was therefore to develop and validate an accurate, fast and user-friendly analytical strategy for the determination of 15 legacy and novel BFRs in human serum namely 8 polybrominated diphenylethers (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, -154, -183, and -209), 1 hexabromobiphenyl (PBB-153), and 6 novel BFRs (pentabromotoluene, hexabromobenzene, pentabromoethylbenzene, 2-ethylhexy-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate, 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane, and decabromodiphenylethane). This analytical procedure consisted in a simple liquid-liquid extraction followed by elution on a PHREE cartridge avoiding further laborious purification steps.