Medium‐grade proteinuria is a risk factor for incident markers of chronic kidney disease

Objective Medium‐grade proteinuria (100–500 mg/g creatinine) is common among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) but is often undetected or ignored. This prospective, observational cohort study examined medium‐grade proteinuria as a risk factor for markers of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods Quantitative urine samples were collected from 241 PLWHA without known renal disease at baseline between January 2009 and February 2011 and at follow‐up 240 weeks later. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess medium‐grade proteinuria as a risk factor for incident markers of CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, albuminuria, phosphaturia). Results Incident markers of CKD were identified in 33 patients (14%), of whom 24 (74%) had medium‐grade proteinuria at baseline. Of these, 22 even had proteinuria of < 200 mg/g creatinine. Multivariate analysis showed an adjusted relative risk (aRR) of 2.4 for patients with baseline medium‐grade proteinuria to develop signs of CKD. Age was identified as an additional independent predictor. By testing for interaction, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)‐independent proteinuria was strongly associated with incident CKD markers (aRR = 12.1). Conclusion Medium‐grade proteinuria of 100–500 mg/g creatinine is both frequent in PLWHA and a significant risk factor for developing markers of CKD, especially in the absence of TDF. Relevant risk seems to be associated with proteinuria levels as low as 100–200 mg/g creatinine. Current guidelines recommend specific action for proteinuria exceeding 135–200 mg/g but still will miss a relevant number of PLWHA potentially at risk for CKD. An even lower cut‐off to trigger nephrological work‐up and potentially renoprotective interventions appears to be indicated

Biofisch – Qualitätsvergleich zwischen konventionellen und ökologisch produzierten Forellen

Die Studie umfasste die Untersuchung der Aufzuchtsbedingungen sowie Futterversuche und vergleichende Untersuchungen zur Produktqualität an Portionsforellen. Es wurden 2 ökologisch zertifizierte und 3 konventionelle Forellenzuchtbetriebe verglichen. In dieser Arbeit werden nur die Ergebnisse der Qualitätsuntersuchungen wiedergegeben. Die Untersuchungen der Portionsforellen beinhalteten die Erfassung der biologischen Parameter, die mikrobiologische und sensorische Beurteilung der Ware, Farb- und Texturmessungen, die Bestimmung der chemischen Zusammensetzung einschließlich der Rückstände sowie bildverarbeitende Methoden und die Aufnahme des Aromaprofils. Insgesamt waren die Qualität und der mikrobiologische Status aller untersuchten Forellen sehr gut. In ihrer chemischen Zusammensetzung unterschieden sich die Fische vor allem im Fettgehalt. Alle ermittelten Rückstandsgehalte lagen weit unter den zulässigen Höchstwerten. Unterschiede zwischen den Aufzuchtsformen wurden nicht gefunden

A standardized terminology for describing reproductive development in fishes

19 páginas, 12 figuras, 3 tablas.-- Open access journalAs the number of fish reproduction studies has proliferated, so has the number of gonadal classification schemes and terms. This has made it difficult for both scientists and resource managers to communicate and for comparisons to be made among studies.We propose the adoption of a simple, universal terminology for the phases in the reproductive cycle, which can be applied to all male and female elasmobranch and teleost fishes. These phases were chosen because they define key milestones in the reproductive cycle; the phases include immature, developing, spawning capable, regressing, and regenerating. Although the temporal sequence of events during gamete development in each phase may vary among species, each phase has specific histological and physiological markers and is conceptually universal. The immature phase can occur only once. The developing phase signals entry into the gonadotropin-dependent stage of oogenesis and spermatogenesis and ultimately results in gonadal growth. The spawning capable phase includes (1) those fish with gamete development that is sufficiently advanced to allow for spawning within the current reproductive cycle and (2) batch-spawning females that show signs of previous spawns (i.e., postovulatory follicle complex) and that are also capable of additional spawns during the current cycle. Within the spawning capable phase, an actively spawning subphase is defined that corresponds to hydration and ovulation in females and spermiation in males. The regressing phase indicates completion of the reproductive cycle and, for many fish, completion of the spawning season. Fish in the regenerating phase are sexually mature but reproductively inactive. Species-specific histological criteria or classes can be incorporated within each of the universal phases, allowing for more specific divisions (subphases) while preserving the overall reproductive terminology for comparative purposes. This terminology can easily be modified for fishes with alternate reproductive strategies, such as hermaphrodites (addition of a transition phase) and livebearers (addition of a gestation phase)Fish Reproduction and Fisheries (FRESH; European Cooperation in Science and Technology Action FA0601) and theWest Palm Beach Fishing Club (Florida) provided funding for the gonadal histology workshops where this terminology was developed and refined. Additionally, we thank FRESH for travel and publication fundsPeer reviewe

Matrix methods for solving protein substructures of chlorine and sulfur from anomalous data

The weak signal obtained from the anomalous scattering (at lambda = 1.54 Angstrom) of naturally occurring elements such as sulfur, phosphorus and ordered solvent chloride ions is used to determine the atomic positions of these atoms. Two examples are discussed: the sulfur and chlorine substructure of tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme and an oligonucleotide containing ten P atoms. The substructure of lysozyme was also solved from Cu K alpha radiation data collected on a standard rotating-anode generator. The results presented here are an illustration of the power of the matrix methods, which are to be implemented in next distribution of the direct methods package CRUNCH