An investigation into possible sex differences in Association of Haemoglobin with survival among Haemodialysis patients in the J-DOPPS cohort.

Aims: Lower haemoglobin levels are common among females without kidney diseases. However, little is known about the sex-specific management of anaemia in haemodialysis patients.

Methods: This prospective cohort study investigated the role of sex differences in the association between categorical baseline or time-varying haemoglobin levels and all-cause mortality via cox regression using data from 6890 patients in the Japan Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (J-DOPPS, 2005-2015).

Conversion of concept-specific decision confidence into integrative introspection in primates.

Introspection based on the integration of uncertain evidence is critical for acting upon abstract thinking and imagining future scenarios. However, it is unknown how confidence read-outs from multiple sources of different concepts are integrated, especially considering the relationships among the concepts. In this study, monkeys performed wagering based on an estimation of their performance in a preceding mnemonic decision.

Reduced rate of postpartum readmissions among homeless compared with non-homeless women in New York: a population-based study using serial, cross-sectional data.

Objective: To assess differences in rates of postpartum hospitalisations among homeless women compared with non-homeless women.

Design: Cross-sectional secondary analysis of readmissions and emergency department (ED) utilisation among postpartum women using hierarchical regression models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, insurance type during delivery, delivery length of stay, maternal comorbidity index score, other pregnancy complications, neonatal complications, caesarean delivery, year fixed effect and a birth hospital random effect.

Setting: New York statewide inpatient and emergency department databases (2009-2014).

Operating principles of the cerebral cortex as a six-layered network in primates: beyond the classic canonical circuit model.

The cerebral cortex performs its computations with many six-layered fundamental units, collectively spreading along the cortical sheet. What is the local network structure and the operating dynamics of such a fundamental unit? Previous investigations of primary sensory areas revealed a classic "canonical" circuit model, leading to an expectation of similar circuit organization and dynamics throughout the cortex. This review clarifies the different circuit dynamics at play in the higher association cortex of primates that implements computation for high-level cognition such as memory and attention.

Parallel cognitive processing streams in human prefrontal cortex: Parsing areal-level brain network for response inhibition.

Multiple cognitive processes are recruited to achieve adaptive behavior. However, it is poorly understood how such cognitive processes are implemented in temporal cascades of human cerebral cortical areas as processing streams to achieve behavior. In the present study, we identify cortical processing streams for response inhibition and examine relationships among the processing streams.

[Renal anemia and hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor].

Anemia is a significant complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), caused by erythropoietin deficiency and reduced iron availability. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents have been used with iron supplementation to treat anemia; however, they are associated with some problems. Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (HIF-PHI) is a promising new class of oral therapy for the treatment of anemia associated with CKD.

Need for evidence on long-term prognosis of PD+HD: a commentary.

Combination therapy with peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis (PD+HD) is an alternative dialysis method for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The complementary use of once-weekly HD expedites to achieve adequate dialysis and enables to prolong PD duration. Although PD+HD has been widely employed among Japanese PD patients, it is much less common outside Japan.

Status of cardiovascular surgery in Japan: A report based on the Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database 2017-2018. 1. Congenital heart surgery.

Objectives: We aimed to analyze the mortality and morbidity associated with congenital heart surgery in Japan.

Methods: Data on congenital heart surgeries performed between January 2017 and December 2018 were obtained from Japan Cardiovascular Surgery Database. The 20 most frequent procedures were selected, and mortalities and major morbidities associated with the procedures were analyzed.

Effect of newborn screening for critical CHD on healthcare utilisation.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of state-mandated policies for pulse oximetry screening on healthcare utilisation, with a focus on use of echocardiograms.

Data Sources/study Setting: Healthcare Cost and Utilisation Project, Statewide Inpatient Databases from 2008 to 2014 from six states.

Methods: We defined pre- and post-mandate cohorts based on dates when pulse oximetry became mandated in each state.

Off-Peak 594-nm Light Surpasses On-Peak 532-nm Light in Silencing Distant ArchT-Expressing Neurons In Vivo.

For large brain volume manipulations using optogenetics, both effective opsin excitation and efficient light delivery with minimal light absorption are required to minimize the illuminating light intensity and concomitant off-target effects. ArchT, a widely used potent inhibitory opsin, is commonly activated by 532-nm light, which lies on its in vitro excitation peak. However, 532-nm light also lies on a peak range of the hemoglobin absorption spectrum.

Hair Regeneration Potential of Human Dermal Sheath Cells Cultured Under Physiological Oxygen.

We investigated the effect of oxygen tension on the proliferation and hair-inductive capacity of human dermal papilla cells (DPCs) and dermal sheath cells (DSCs). DPCs and DSCs were separately obtained from human hair follicles and each cultured under atmospheric/hyperoxic (20% O), physiological/normoxic (6% O), or hypoxic (1% O) conditions. Proliferation of DPCs and DSCs was highest under normoxia.

Ultrafiltration volume by once-weekly hemodialysis is a predictor of technique survival of combination therapy with peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis.

Overhydration is a major cause of technique failure of peritoneal dialysis (PD). Hence, we investigated the impact of ultrafiltration (UF) volume by once-weekly hemodialysis (HD), excess volume beyond their dry weight, on technique survival of PD and HD combination therapy (PD+HD). Forty-six anuric PD+HD patients were divided into three groups according to baseline UF volume by HD: low-UF ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hospitalization for Patients on Combination Therapy With Peritoneal Dialysis and Hemodialysis Compared With Hemodialysis.

Introduction: Combination therapy with peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis (PD+HD) is widely used for PD patients with decreased residual kidney function in Japan; however, hospitalization for this combined dialysis has not been investigated so far. We compared the risk of hospitalization for PD+HD with that for HD.

Methods: A multicenter, prospective observational study was conducted on 42 PD+HD and 42 HD patients matched for age and diabetic nephropathy.

Uterine adenomyosis with extensive glandular proliferation: case series of a rare imaging variant.

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of uterine adenomyosis, in which there is an extensive area of high signal intensity in the myometrium on T2-weighted MRI.

Methods: This retrospective radiographic study reviewed a case series of six patients (mean age, 36 years) with adenomyosis. These patients were selected because, unlike in classical adenomyosis, T2-weighted images showed a larger area of high signal intensity than that of low signal intensity in the myometrium.

Mutational diversity in mutY deficient Helicobacter pylori and its effect on adaptation to the gastric environment.

Helicobacter pylori, a pathogenic bacterium that colonizes in the human stomach, harbors DNA repair genes to counter the gastric environment during chronic infection. In addition, H. pylori adapts to the host environment by undergoing antigenic phase variation caused by genomic mutations.

Global case studies for chronic kidney disease/end-stage kidney disease care.

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease and its risk factors is increasing worldwide, and the rapid rise in global need for end-stage kidney disease care is a major challenge for health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Countries are responding to the challenge of end-stage kidney disease in different ways, with variable provision of the components of a kidney care strategy, including effective prevention, detection, conservative care, kidney transplantation, and an appropriate mix of dialysis modalities. This collection of case studies is from 15 countries from around the world and offers valuable learning examples from a variety of contexts.

Capturing and monitoring global differences in untreated and treated end-stage kidney disease, kidney replacement therapy modality, and outcomes.

A large gap between the number of people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) who received kidney replacement therapy (KRT) and those who needed it has been recently identified, and it is estimated that approximately one-half to three-quarters of all people with ESKD in the world may have died prematurely because they could not receive KRT. This estimate is aligned with a previous report that estimated that >3 million people in the world died each year because they could not access KRT. This review discusses the reasons for the differences in treated and untreated ESKD and KRT modalities and outcomes and presents strategies to close the global KRT gap by establishing robust health information systems to guide resource allocation to areas of need, inform KRT service planning, enable policy development, and monitor KRT health outcomes.

Causal importance of low-level feature selectivity for generalization in image recognition.

Although our brain and deep neural networks (DNNs) can perform high-level sensory-perception tasks, such as image or speech recognition, the inner mechanism of these hierarchical information-processing systems is poorly understood in both neuroscience and machine learning. Recently, Morcos et al. (2018) examined the effect of class-selective units in DNNs, i.

Group A Streptococcus establishes pharynx infection by degrading the deoxyribonucleic acid of neutrophil extracellular traps.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) secretes deoxyribonucleases and evades neutrophil extracellular killing by degrading neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). However, limited information is currently available on the interaction between GAS and NETs in the pathogenicity of GAS pharyngitis. In this study, we modified a mouse model of GAS pharyngitis and revealed an essential role for DNase in this model.

Natural images are reliably represented by sparse and variable populations of neurons in visual cortex.

Natural scenes sparsely activate neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1). However, how sparsely active neurons reliably represent complex natural images and how the information is optimally decoded from these representations have not been revealed. Using two-photon calcium imaging, we recorded visual responses to natural images from several hundred V1 neurons and reconstructed the images from neural activity in anesthetized and awake mice.

[Multiple consequences of HIF activation in CKD].

Tubulointerstitial hypoxia negatively influences the balance between injury and repair, and serves as a final common pathway in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Studies on erythropoietin (EPO) transcription led to the identification of hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) and their key regulators, prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs). Based on these, several small molecule PHD inhibitors are developed for the treatment of anemia in CKD, which are currently in phase II/III clinical trials.