The assessment, serial evaluation, and subsequent sequelae of acute kidney injury (ASSESS-AKI) study: design and methods

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) has been increasing over time and is associated with a high risk of short-term death. Previous studies on hospital-acquired AKI have important methodological limitations, especially their retrospective study designs and limited ability to control for potential confounding factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The Assessment, Serial Evaluation, and Subsequent Sequelae of Acute Kidney Injury (ASSESS-AKI) Study was established to examine how a hospitalized episode of AKI independently affects the risk of chronic kidney disease development and progression, cardiovascular events, death, and other important patient-centered outcomes. This prospective study will enroll a cohort of 1100 adult participants with a broad range of AKI and matched hospitalized participants without AKI at three Clinical Research Centers, as well as 100 children undergoing cardiac surgery at three Clinical Research Centers. Participants will be followed for up to four years, and will undergo serial evaluation during the index hospitalization, at three months post-hospitalization, and at annual clinic visits, with telephone interviews occurring during the intervening six-month intervals. Biospecimens will be collected at each visit, along with information on lifestyle behaviors, quality of life and functional status, cognitive function, receipt of therapies, interim renal and cardiovascular events, electrocardiography and urinalysis.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>ASSESS-AKI will characterize the short-term and long-term natural history of AKI, evaluate the incremental utility of novel blood and urine biomarkers to refine the diagnosis and prognosis of AKI, and identify a subset of high-risk patients who could be targeted for future clinical trials to improve outcomes after AKI.</p

Consensus guidelines for the use and interpretation of angiogenesis assays

The formation of new blood vessels, or angiogenesis, is a complex process that plays important roles in growth and development, tissue and organ regeneration, as well as numerous pathological conditions. Angiogenesis undergoes multiple discrete steps that can be individually evaluated and quantified by a large number of bioassays. These independent assessments hold advantages but also have limitations. This article describes in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro bioassays that are available for the evaluation of angiogenesis and highlights critical aspects that are relevant for their execution and proper interpretation. As such, this collaborative work is the first edition of consensus guidelines on angiogenesis bioassays to serve for current and future reference

Active tracked intramyocardial catheter injections for regenerative therapy with real-time MR guidance : feasibility in the porcine heart

The MIGRATE (MrI Guided RegenerAtive ThErapy) consortium is a combined scientific and industrial effort to establish an MRIguided intramyocardial injection platform. By collaborating within the MIGRATE consortium we were able to combine state-of-theart interventional imaging hardware, software, MRI-compatible catheters, and biomaterials. In this pilot study, we demonstrated the feasibility of intramyocardial injections of an MRI-visible biomaterial by interventional MRI using a combination of active tracking and passive visualisation

Active tracked intramyocardial catheter injections for regenerative therapy with real-time MR guidance: Feasibility in the porcine heart

The MIGRATE (MrI Guided RegenerAtive ThErapy) consortium is a combined scientific and industrial effort to establish an MRIguided intramyocardial injection platform. By collaborating within the MIGRATE consortium we were able to combine state-of-theart interventional imaging hardware, software, MRI-compatible catheters, and biomaterials. In this pilot study, we demonstrated the feasibility of intramyocardial injections of an MRI-visible biomaterial by interventional MRI using a combination of active tracking and passive visualisation

Association between tobacco product use and asthma among US adults from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study waves 2–4

Background Research on cigarettes and adult asthma offers mixed findings, perhaps due to overlap with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and inadequate adjustment for other smoke exposures. Associations between other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, and asthma are also understudied.Research question Using Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study waves 2–4 (2014/2015–2016/2017) data, we assessed the relation between tobacco product use and asthma in persons unlikely to have COPD.Study design and methods Prospective study of 10 267 adults aged 18–39 years without COPD diagnoses. Past-month tobacco use at wave 2 was modelled first as combustible versus non-combustible use and second as specific product categories (former, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, hookah, smokeless tobacco). Outcomes included lifetime asthma prevalence at wave 2, incidence (waves 3 and 4) and Asthma Control Test score (lower=worse). Multivariable regressions adjusted for predictors of asthma, including other smoke exposures: cigarette pack-years, secondhand smoke and marijuana use. Sensitivity analyses examined findings when persons &gt;39 years and those with both COPD and asthma were added, and when smoke exposure adjustments were removed.Results No product, including cigarettes and e-cigarettes, was associated with prevalence or incidence of asthma. Among people with asthma at wave 2, combustible tobacco (beta=−0.86, 95% CI (−1.32 to –0.39)) and cigarettes (beta=−1.14, 95% CI (−1.66 to –0.62)) were associated with worse asthma control. No tobacco product was associated with asthma control over time. In sensitivity analyses, tobacco use became associated with incident asthma as adults &gt;39 years and those with asthma+COPD were added, and as adjustments for other smoke exposures were omitted.Interpretation Although cigarette use was associated with worse asthma control, there were no longitudinal associations between combustible tobacco or e-cigarette use and new onset or worsening asthma in these preliminary analyses. Research on tobacco and asthma should exclude COPD and adjust for smoking history and other smoke exposures