Urinary Albumin and Interleukin-8 Levels are not Good Indicators of Ongoing Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children who have no Active Urinary Tract Infection

Introduction: Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a risk factor for kidney scarring, hypertension and declining renal function. Standard diagnostic methods are invasive and can cause exposure to radiation and urinary tract infections (UTIs). We aimed to investigate urine albumin and interleukin-8 levels as markers of ongoing VUR and renal damage in children without UTIs. Methods: Random urine samples were collected from 51 children, including 16 children with VUR (group A), 17 children with resolved VUR (group B) and 18 normal children (group C). The diagnosis of VUR or resolved VUR was confirmed by voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) or direct radionuclide cystography (DRNC). All children had normal kidney function and had no evidence of UTI in the preceding three months. Random urine specimens were assayed for albumin (Alb), creatinine (Cr) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) and mean values were compared by one way ANOVA. Results: In groups A and B, the mean age at first UTI was 31.7 ± 2.4 and 27 ± 2.0 months respectively. In group A, the mean duration between VUR diagnosis and study entrance was 30 ± 9.1 months. In group B, the mean duration between VUR diagnosis and recovery was 19.9 ± 1.3 months. Overall, 76.4% of affected children had bilateral VUR and 41.2% had severe VUR. There were no significant differences in urinary Alb, IL-8, Alb/Cr and IL-8/Cr between the three groups. Conclusion: The current study does not support the hypothesis that microalbuminuria or urinary IL-8 are good indicators of ongoing VUR and renal injury in children. Keywords: Children; Interleukin-8; Microalbuminuria; Vesicoureteral Reflux

New records of the genus and species Regenpolipus madrasensis (Acari: Heterostigmata: Podapolipidae), the ectoparasite of carabid beetles from Iran

پس از جمع‏آوری تعدادی سوسک با نام علمی Anthia sexguttata (Fab.) (Col.; Carabidae) در اطراف شهرستان تایباد واقع در استان خراسان رضوی، کلنی کنه‏های پارازیت خانواده‌ی Podapolipidae (Acari; Heterostigmata) که زیر بالپوش‏های یکی از سوسک‏های میزبان بود، به نام Regenpolipus madrasensis Husband & Ramaraju, 2006 شناسایی شد. این جنس و گونه برای اولین‌بار از ایران گزارش می‏شود

From Architectured Materials to Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing

The classical material-by-design approach has been extensively perfected by materials scientists, while engineers have been optimising structures geometrically for centuries. The purpose of architectured materials is to build bridges across themicroscale ofmaterials and themacroscale of engineering structures, to put some geometry in the microstructure. This is a paradigm shift. Materials cannot be considered monolithic anymore. Any set of materials functions, even antagonistic ones, can be envisaged in the future. In this paper, we intend to demonstrate the pertinence of computation for developing architectured materials, and the not-so-incidental outcome which led us to developing large-scale additive manufacturing for architectural applications