RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true

Reliability of hip muscle strength measured in principal and intermediate planes of movement

Background Muscle strength testing is widely used in clinical and athletic populations. Commercially available dynamometers are designed to assess strength in three principal planes (sagittal, transverse, frontal). However, the anatomy of the hip suggests muscles may only be recruited submaximally during tasks performed in these principal planes. Objective To evaluate the inter-session reliability of maximal isometric hip strength in the principal planes and three intermediate planes. Methods Twenty participants (26.1 ± 2.7 years, 50% female) attended two testing sessions 6.2 ± 1.8 days apart. Participants completed 3-5 maximal voluntary isometric contractions for hip abduction, adduction, flexion, extension, and internal and external rotation measured using a fixed uniaxial load cell (custom rig) and commercial dynamometer (Biodex). Three intermediate hip actions were also tested using the custom rig: extension with abduction, extension with external rotation, and extension with both abduction and external rotation. Results Moderate-to-excellent intraclass correlation coefficients were observed for all principal and intermediate muscle actions using the custom rig (0.72–0.95) and the Biodex (0.85–0.95). The minimum detectable change was also similar between devices (custom rig = 11–31%; Biodex = 9–20%). Bland-Altman analysis revealed poor agreement between devices (range between upper and lower limits of agreement = 77–131%). Conclusions Although the custom rig and Biodex showed similar reliability, both devices may lack the sensitivity to detect small changes in hip strength commonly observed following intervention. </jats:sec

Phase Evolution in Methylammonium Tin Halide Perovskites with Variable Temperature Solid-State 119Sn NMR Spectroscopy

Hybrid organic–inorganic metal-halide perovskite materials are an emerging class of materials that could profoundly change the optoelectronic and solar absorber research fields and have far-reaching applications. Unfortunately, the leading solar-absorbing candidates are lead-containing materials and suffer from chemical instability, eventually decomposing, resulting in detrimental long-term environmental concerns. A series of nontoxic group 14 Sn(II)-based hybrid organic–inorganic metal-halide perovskites is investigated using variable-temperature solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to examine their unique phases that appear between 150 and 540 K. Each phase of the MASnX3 (MA+ = CH3NH3+ and X– = Cl–, Br–, or I–) series is identified and compared to results from quantum chemical calculations of anionic polyhedron clusters. The analysis of the polyhedra about the Sn center is further related to the measured chemical shift anisotropy present when Sn deviates from octahedral symmetry. We also discuss the rapid degradation of pristine MASnI3 over 2 days studied using in situ119Sn NMR spectroscopy. Finally, we report on the 1H, 13C, 119Sn, and 207Pb NMR structural properties of a Sn/Pb mixed B-site (MASn0.5Pb0.5I3) perovskite, demonstrating the sensitivity of the chemical shift to B-site substitution

The supergalactic plane revisited with the optical redshift survey

We re-examine the existence and extent of the planar structure in the local galaxy density field, the so-called supergalactic plane (SGP). This structure is studied here in three dimensions using both the new Optical Redshift Survey (ORS) and the IRAS 1.2-Jy redshift survey. The density contrast in a slab of thickness 20 h-ˡ Mpc and diameter 80 Mpc aligned with the standard de Vaucouleurs supergalactic coordinates is δsgp ~ 0.5 for both ORS and IRAS. The structure of the SGP is not well described by a homogeneous ellipsoid, although it does appear to be a flattened structure, which we quantify by calculating the moment of inertia tensor of the density field. The directions of the principal axes vary with radius, but the minor axis remains within ѳuz , 30º of the standard SGP Z-axis, out to a radius of 80 h-ˡ Mpc, for both ORS and IRAS. However, the structure changes shape with radius, varying between a flattened pancake and a dumbbell, the latter at a radius of ~50 h-ˡ Mpc, where the Great Attractor and Perseus-Pisces superclusters dominate the distribution. This calls to question the connectivity of the `plane' beyond ~ 40 h-ˡ Mpc. The configuration found here can be viewed as part of a web of filaments and sheets, rather than as an isolated pancake-like structure. An optimal minimum variance reconstruction of the density field using Wiener filtering, which corrects for both redshift distortion and shot noise, yields a similar misalignment angle and behaviour of axes. The background-independent statistic of axes proposed here can be best used for testing cosmological models by comparison with N-body simulations

Epidemiología de los tumores genitourinarios en una década

ResumenAntecedentesMéxico carece de registros fidedignos de epidemiología de cáncer. El cáncer genitourinario representa el 20% de todos los cánceres. En 2012, el cáncer de próstata representó 21.4% de todos los cánceres; el renal, 2.13%; el de vejiga, 2.2%; y el de testículo, 2.7%. En 2011, se realizó un registro epidemiológico, que reportó una incidencia infraestimada a lo descrito en la literatura mundial.ObjetivoConocer el número de casos nuevos de los diferentes tumores que afectan al tracto genitourinario.Material y métodosEstudio retrospectivo-analítico. Revisión de registros con diagnóstico de cáncer genitourinario de enero 2004 a junio 2014, obtenidos del departamento de Histopatología de esta institución.ResultadosEncontramos un total de 861 casos. El cáncer de próstata representó un 43.4% del total (12-56.4%/año), el de pene un 5.6% (2.2-11.4%/año), el de riñón un 15.3% (11-24%/año), el de tracto superior un 1.27% (0.1-0.34%/año), el de vejiga un 13% (2-22.7%/año) y el de testículo un 21.2% (13.2-56.2%/año).DiscusiónLos resultados obtenidos en nuestra revisión concuerdan con lo reportado en la literatura a nivel internacional. La epidemiología del cáncer en México se encuentra subestimada, ya que no contamos con registros fidedignos.ConclusionesEn nuestra serie observamos un incremento en la detección de casos nuevos de tumores genitourinarios. México requiere aumentar su conocimiento en la epidemiología del cáncer genitourinario, con objetivo de optimizar los recursos para la atención de estas neoplasias.AbstractBackgroundThere are no reliable epidemiologic registers of cancer in Mexico. Genitourinary cancer represents 20% of all cancers. In 2012, prostate cancer represented 21.4% of all cancers, kidney cancer 2.13%, bladder cancer 2.2%, and testicular cancer 2.7%. An epidemiologic register carried out in 2011 reported a lower incidence than that described in the international literature.AimTo know the number of new cases of the different tumors affecting the genitourinary tract.Material and methodsAn analytic, retrospective study was conducted, carrying out a review of the medical records with genitourinary cancer diagnoses within the time frame of January 2004 and June 2014 obtained from the Department of Histology of this institution.ResultsWe found a total of 861 cases. Prostate cancer represented 43.4% of the total (12-56.4%/year), cancer of the penis 5.6% (2.2-11.4%/year), kidney cancer 15.3% (11-24%/year), cancer of the upper urinary tract 1.27% (0.1-0.34%/year), bladder cancer 13% (2-22.7%/year), and testicular cancer 21.2% (13.2-56.2%/year).DiscussionThe results of our review are consistent with those reported in the international literature. The epidemiology of cancer in Mexico is underestimated due to the lack of reliable registers.ConclusionsIn our case series we observed an increase in the detection of new cases of genitourinary tumors. Increased knowledge in relation to the epidemiology of genitourinary cancer in Mexico is necessary so that the resources for treating these neoplasias can be optimized