Effect of blood pressure and glycemic control on the plasma cell-free DNA in hemodialysis patients

AbstractBackgroundThe plasma levels of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are known to be elevated under inflammatory or apoptotic conditions. Increased cfDNA levels have been reported in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical significance of cfDNA in HD patients.MethodsA total of 95 patients on HD were enrolled. We measured their predialysis cfDNA levels using real-time EIF2C1 gene sequence amplification and analyzed its association with certain clinical parameters.ResultsThe mean plasma cfDNA level in the HD patients was 3,884 ± 407 GE/mL, and the mean plasma cfDNA level in the control group was 1,420 ± 121 GE/mL (P < 0.05). Diabetic patients showed higher plasma cfDNA levels compared with nondiabetic patients (P < 0.01). Patients with cardiovascular complications also showed higher plasma cfDNA levels compared with those without cardiovascular complication (P < 0.05). In univariable analysis, the cfDNA level was associated with 3-month mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), white blood cell, serum albumin, creatinine (Cr), normalized protein catabolic rate in HD patients. In diabetic patients, it was significantly correlated with SBP, hemoglobin A1c, and serum albumin. In multivariate analysis, SBP was the independent determinant for the cfDNA level. In diabetic patients, cfDNA level was independently associated with hemoglobin A1c and SBP.ConclusionsIn patients with HD, cfDNA is elevated in diabetic patients and patients with cardiovascular diseases. Uncontrolled hypertension and poor glycemic control are independent determinants for the elevated cfDNA. Our data suggest that cfDNA might be a marker of vascular injury rather than proinflammatory condition in HD patients

Chemotactic cytokines secreted from Kupffer cells contribute to the sex-dependent susceptibility to non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases in mice

© 2022 Elsevier Inc.Aims: The global prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has rapidly increased over the last decade due to an elevated occurrence of metabolic syndromes. Importantly, the prevalence and severity of NAFLD is higher in men than in women. Therefore, in the present study we endeavored to identify the mechanistic disparity between male and female mice. Main methods: Global gene transcriptomics analysis was done with the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced NAFLD model of male, female, and ovariectomized (OVX) female mice. The expression of CCL2, CXCL2, and CXCL10 in mRNA level and serum protein level was done by qPCR and ELISA each. Immunohistochemistry staining was used to observe hepatic immune cell infiltration. To analyzing portion of immune cells, flow cytometry was done with isolated liver cells from HFD-fed male and female mice. Primary mouse liver cells were isolated from male and female mice for in vitro studies. Key findings: We identified sex differences in inflammatory chemokines, CCL2, CXCL2, and CXCL10, with the expression of these chemokines enhanced in male and OVX, but not in female, mice after HFD feeding. Resident Kupffer cells (KCs) were identified as the major source of production of CCL2, CXCL2, and CXCL10 in the mouse NAFLD model. Notably, KCs obtained from male mice expressed higher levels of chemokines than those from female mice, indicating that KCs may mediate the sex discrepancy in NAFLD progression. Significance: Our findings offer new insights into the pathology of sex-specific differences in NAFLD, involving chemokines and KCs.N

Polyploidization of Hepatocytes: Insights into the Pathogenesis of Liver Diseases

Polyploidization is a process by which cells are induced to possess more than two sets of chromosomes. Although polyploidization is not frequent in mammals, it is closely associated with development and differentiation of specific tissues and organs. The liver is one of the mammalian organs that displays ploidy dynamics in physiological homeostasis during its development. The ratio of polyploid hepatocytes increases significantly in response to hepatic injury from aging, viral infection, iron overload, surgical resection, or metabolic overload, such as that from non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLDs). One of the unique features of NAFLD is the marked heterogeneity of hepatocyte nuclear size, which is strongly associated with an adverse liver-related outcome, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, liver transplantation, and liver-related death. Thus, hepatic polyploidization has been suggested as a potential driver in the progression of NAFLDs that are involved in the control of the multiple pathogenicity of the diseases. However, the importance of polyploidy in diverse pathophysiological contexts remains elusive. Recently, several studies reported successful improvement of symptoms of NAFLDs by reducing pathological polyploidy or by controlling cell cycle progression in animal models, suggesting that better understanding the mechanisms of pathological hepatic polyploidy may provide insights into the treatment of hepatic disorders.N

Layer control of Sr1.8Bi0.2Nan-3NbnO3n+1 (n = 3–5) perovskite nanosheets: dielectric to ferroelectric transition of film deposited by Langmuir Blodgett method

Abstract Solution-based processable high-k 2-dimensional (2D) ferroelectrics have attracted significant interest for use in next-generation nanoelectronics. Although few studies on potential 2D ferroelectric nanosheets in local areas have been conducted, reports on the thin-film characteristics applicable to the device are insufficient. In this study, we successfully synthesize high-k 2D Sr1.8Bi0.2Nan-3NbnO3n+1 (octahedral units, n = 3–5) nanosheets by the engineering of the n of NbO6 octahedral layers with A-site modification, and realized ferroelectric characteristics in ultrathin films (below 10 nm). The nanosheets are synthesized by a solution-based cation exchange process and deposited using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method. As increasing the NbO6 octahedral layer, the thickness of the nanosheets increased and the band gaps are tuned to 3.80 eV (n = 3), 3.76 eV (n = 4), and 3.70 eV (n = 5). In addition, the dielectric permittivity of the 5-layer stacked nanofilm increase to 26 (n = 3), 33 (n = 4), and 62 (n = 5). In particular, the increased perovskite layer exhibits large distortions due to the size mismatch of Sr/Bi/Na ions at the A-site and promotes local ferroelectric instability due to its spontaneous polarization along the c-axis caused by an odd n number. We investigate the stable ferroelectricity in Pt/ 5-layer Sr1.8Bi0.2Na2Nb5O16 / Nb:STO capacitor by polarization-electric field (P-E) hysteresis; the coercive electric field (Ec) was 338 kV cm−1 and the remnant polarization (Pr) 2.36 μC cm−2. The ferroelectric properties of ultrathin 2D materials could drive interesting innovations in next-generation electronics

Ordered Electronic Reconstruction of the (112¯011ar2011ar{2}0) ZnO Single Crystal

Abstract Three‐dimensional (3D) charge‐written periodic peak and valley nanoarray surfaces are fabricated on a (112¯0$11ar{2}0$) ZnO single crystal grown via chemical vapor transport. Because the grown ZnO crystals exhibit uniform n‐type conduction, 3D periodic nanoarray patterns are formed via oxygen annealing. These periodically decorated structures show that the peak arrays are conducting at the nanoampere level, whereas the valley arrays are less conductive. Energy dispersive spectroscopy indicates that the valley arrays are deficient in zinc by ≈4–6 at%, and that the peak arrays are deficient in oxygen, respectively. Kelvin probe force microscopy reveals the presence of periodic wiggles featuring variations of ≈70–140‐meV between the peak and valley arrays. A significant decrease in the Fermi level of the valley region is observed (≈190 meV), which corresponds to a high zinc vacancy doping density of 2 × 1018 cm−3. This result indicates the periodic generation of an extremely large electric field (≈11 000 V cm−1) in the vicinity of the peak–valley arrays. Computational analysis corroborates the experimentally observed generation of VZn and the preferential formation of surface protrusions on ZnO (112¯0$11ar{2}0$) rather than on (0001), based on surface effects, along with the generation of peak and valley features

Real-time determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by ion molecule reaction – mass spectrometry (IMR-MS)

Comprehensive analytical validation studies of a developed ion molecule reaction – mass spectrometer (IMR-MS) were undertaken for the real-time determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air. The instrument was developed with a focus on promoting chemical ionization (CI) in the reaction chamber by direct sample loading and enhancing maintenance efficiency and reliability of the results. Instrument stability was assessed through a system check and pre-performance check process, and consequently, the instrumental and analytical conditions including the plasma generation, pressure, temperature, and flow rate were successfully optimized. Relevant performance characteristics, such as mass resolution, mass detection range, accuracy, and precision were also investigated by VOC standards composed of benzene, toluene, perfluorotoluene, propylbenzene, and octane. To evaluate whether the performance of the technology is comparable to already accepted techniques, the quantitative results of the IMR-MS were compared with those of a commercial mass spectrometer. This evaluation was successful and suggests the applicability of the technology for spillage accidents of hazardous chemicals and identification of odor-causing substances as well as for real-time gas analysis.</p