The Biological Significance and Implications of Planar Cell Polarity for Nephrology

The orientation of cells in two-dimensional and three-dimensional space underpins how the kidney develops and responds to disease. The process by which cells orientate themselves within the plane of a tissue is termed planar cell polarity. In this Review, we discuss how planar cell polarity and the proteins that underpin it govern kidney organogenesis and pathology. The importance of planar cell polarity and its constituent proteins in multiple facets of kidney development is emphasised, including ureteric bud branching, tubular morphogenesis and nephron maturation. An overview is given of the relevance of planar cell polarity and its proteins for inherited human renal diseases, including congenital malformations with unknown aetiology and polycystic kidney disease. Finally, recent work is described outlining the influence of planar cell polarity proteins on glomerular diseases and highlight how this fundamental pathway could yield a new treatment paradigm for nephrology

Spin and valley quantum Hall ferromagnetism in graphene

In a graphene Landau level (LL), strong Coulomb interactions and the fourfold spin/valley degeneracy lead to an approximate SU(4) isospin symmetry. At partial filling, exchange interactions can spontaneously break this symmetry, manifesting as additional integer quantum Hall plateaus outside the normal sequence. Here we report the observation of a large number of these quantum Hall isospin ferromagnetic (QHIFM) states, which we classify according to their real spin structure using temperature-dependent tilted field magnetotransport. The large measured activation gaps confirm the Coulomb origin of the broken symmetry states, but the order is strongly dependent on LL index. In the high energy LLs, the Zeeman effect is the dominant aligning field, leading to real spin ferromagnets with Skyrmionic excitations at half filling, whereas in the `relativistic' zero energy LL, lattice scale anisotropies drive the system to a spin unpolarized state, likely a charge- or spin-density wave.Comment: Supplementary information available at http://pico.phys.columbia.ed

Field theoretic description of charge regulation interaction

In order to find the exact form of the electrostatic interaction between two proteins with dissociable charge groups in aqueous solution, we have studied a model system composed of two macroscopic surfaces with charge dissociation sites immersed in a counterion-only ionic solution. Field-theoretic representation of the grand canonical partition function is derived and evaluated within the mean-field approximation, giving the Poisson-Boltzmann theory with the Ninham-Parsegian boundary condition. Gaussian fluctuations around the mean-field are then analyzed in the lowest order correction that we calculate analytically and exactly, using the path integral representation for the partition function of a harmonic oscillator with time-dependent frequency. The first order (one loop) free energy correction gives the interaction free energy that reduces to the zero-frequency van der Waals form in the appropriate limit but in general gives rise to a mono-polar fluctuation term due to charge fluctuation at the dissociation sites. Our formulation opens up the possibility to investigate the Kirkwood-Shumaker interaction in more general contexts where their original derivation fails.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to EPJ

Dwarf elliptical galaxies in Centaurus A group: stellar populations in AM 1339-445 and AM 1343-452

We study the red giant populations of two dE galaxies, AM 1339-445 and AM 1343-452, with the aim of investigating the number and luminosity of any upper asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars present. The galaxies are members of the Centaurus A group (D~3.8 Mpc) and are classified as outlying (R~350 kpc) satellites of Cen A. The analysis is based on near-IR photometry for individual red giant stars, derived from images obtained with ISAAC on the VLT. The photometry, along with optical data derived from WFPC2 images retrieved from the HST science archive, enable us to investigate the stellar populations of the dEs in the vicinity of the red giant branch (RGB) tip. In both systems we find stars above the RGB tip, which we interpret as intermediate-age upper-AGB stars. The presence of such stars is indicative of extended star formation in these dEs similar to that seen in many, but not all, dEs in the Local Group. For AM 1339-445, the brightest of the upper-AGB stars have Mbol~-4.5 while those in AM 1343-452 have Mbol~-4.8 mag. These luminosities suggest ages of approximately 6.5+/-1 and 4+/-1 Gyr as estimates for the epoch of the last episode of significant star formation in these systems. In both cases the number of upper-AGB stars suggests that ~15% of the total stellar population is in the form of intermediate-age stars, considerably less than is the case for outlying dE satellites of the Milky Way such as Fornax and LeoI.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figures, A&A accepted; high resolution version available from: http://www.eso.org/~mrejkuba/CenA_dEs_I.pd

The Tully-Fisher Relation and H_not

The use of the Tully-Fisher (TF) relation for the determination of the Hubble Constant relies on the availability of an adequate template TF relation and of reliable primary distances. Here we use a TF template relation with the best available kinematical zero-point, obtained from a sample of 24 clusters of galaxies extending to cz ~ 9,000 km/s, and the most recent set of Cepheid distances for galaxies fit for TF use. The combination of these two ingredients yields H_not = 69+/-5 km/(s Mpc). The approach is significantly more accurate than the more common application with single cluster (e.g. Virgo, Coma) samples.Comment: 10 pages, including 2 figures and 1 table; uses AAS LaTex. Submitted to ApJ Letter

Asociação entre internação hospitalar por diabetes mellitus e amputação de pé diabético

Objective: To analyze the association between the number of people hospitalized for diabetes and the number of people with limb amputation. Method: This is an ecological study using the Hospital Information System of the Unified Health System (SIH / SUS) from 2010 to 2015 in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The data were analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Pearson's linear correlation coefficient was applied to measure the intensity of the linear association between the variables. Results: There were 27,054 hospital admissions for diabetes. There was an inverse correlation between the number of admissions for treatment of diabetes and proportional correlation of the number of hospitalizations for complicated foot treatment and hospitalization for limb amputations. Conclusion: The data reveal a thin line regarding the health care of the person with diabetic foot.Objetivo: Analizar la asociación entre el número de personas hospitalizadas por la diabetes y el número de personas con amputación de extremidades. Método: Se realizó un estudio ecológico utilizando el sistema de información hospitalaria del Sistema Único de Salud (SIH / SUS) en el periodo 2010-2015 en el estado de Ceará, Brasil. Los datos fueron analizados utilizando el paquete estadístico para Sciences® Sociales (SPSS). Se ha aplicado el coeficiente de correlación lineal de Pearson para medir la intensidad de la asociación lineal existente entre las variables. Resultados: Se registraron 27.054 hospitalizaciones por diabetes. Hubo correlación inversa entre el número de admisiones para el tratamiento de la diabetes y la correlación proporcional del número de ingresos para el tratamiento del pie complicado y hospitalización por amputaciones de miembros. Conclusión: Los datos revelan una línea muy fina cuando se trata del cuidado de la salud de las personas con pie diabético.Objetivo: Analisar a associação entre o número de pessoas internadas por diabetes e número de pessoas com amputação de membro. Método: Trata-se de um estudo ecológico utilizando o Sistema de Informações Hospitalares do Sistema Único de Saúde (SIH/SUS) no período de 2010 a 2015 no estado do Ceará, Brasil. Os dados foram analisados pelo Statistical Package for the Social Sciences® (SPSS). Aplicou-se o coeficiente de correlação linear de Pearson para medir a intensidade da associação linear existente entre as variáveis. Resultados: Foram registradas 27.054 internações hospitalares por diabetes. Observou-se correlação inversa entre o número de internações para tratamento do diabetes e correlação proporcional do número internações para tratamento de pé complicado e hospitalização por amputações de membros. Conclusão: Os dados revelam uma linha ténue no que concerne a atenção à saúde da pessoa com pé diabético

Altered muscle mitochondrial, inflammatory and trophic markers, and reduced exercise training adaptations in type 1 diabetes

none7sìGrowing evidence of impaired skeletal muscle health in peoplewith type 1 diabetes points toward the presence of a mild myopathy in this population. However, this myopathic condition is not yet well characterised and often overlooked, even though it might affect the whole-body glucose homeostasis and the development of comorbidities. This study aimed to compare skeletal muscle adaptations and changes in glycaemic control after 12 weeks of combined resistance and aerobic (COMB) training between people with type 1 diabetes and healthy controls, and to determine whether the impaired muscle health in type 1 diabetes can affect the exercise-induced adaptations. The COMB training intervention increased aerobic capacity and muscle strength in both healthy and type 1 diabetes sedentary participants, although these improvements were higher in the control group. Better glucose control, reduced glycaemic fluctuations and fewer hypoglycaemic events were recorded at post- compared to pre-intervention in type 1 diabetes. Analysis of muscle biopsies showed an alteration of muscle markers of mitochondrial functions, inflammation, ageing and growth/atrophy compared to the control group. These muscular molecular differences were only partially modified by the COMB training and might explain the reduced exercise adaptation observed in type 1 diabetes. In brief, type 1 diabetes impairs many aspects of skeletal muscle health and might affect the exercise-induced adaptations. Defining the magnitude of diabetic myopathy and the effect of exercise, including longer duration of the intervention, will drive the development of strategies to maximise muscle health in the type 1 diabetes population.openMinnock, Dean; Annibalini, Giosuè; Valli, Giacomo; Saltarelli, Roberta; Krause, Mauricio; Barbieri, Elena; De Vito, GiuseppeMinnock, Dean; Annibalini, Giosuè; Valli, Giacomo; Saltarelli, Roberta; Krause, Mauricio; Barbieri, Elena; De Vito, Giusepp