Risk factors associated with post-kidney transplant malignancies: An article from the Cancer-Kidney International Network

© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA.. In kidney transplant recipients, cancer is one of the leading causes of death with a functioning graft beyond the first year of kidney transplantation, and malignancies account for 8-10% of all deaths in the USA (2.6 deaths/1000 patient-years) and exceed 30% of deaths in Australia (5/1000 patient-years) in kidney transplant recipients. Patient-, transplant- and medication-related factors contribute to the increased cancer risk following kidney transplantation. While it is well established that the overall immunosuppressive dose is associated with an increased risk for cancer following transplantation, the contributive effect of different immunosuppressive agents is not well established. In this review we will discuss the different risk factors for malignancies after kidney transplantation

Adsorption and incorporation of the zinc oxide nanoparticles in seeds of corn: germination performance and antimicrobial protection

The treatments of the seeds are important procedures applied by the agronomical area to improve the culture yield. From these procedures the micronutrients are available for the seeds before and during the germination stages. One high challenge is make efficient these treatment processes and to ensure the adsorption and the incorporation of these micronutrients in the seeds and to improve its performance in the germination phase. In this work studies explored the optimization of the incorporation process and the characteristics of the zinc oxide clusters adsorbed on the surface of the seed. The results were associated with the agronomic responses during the germinations stages of the seeds of corn. The seeds were treated in suspensions containing different concentrations of nanoparticles of zinc oxide and during different treatment times. The adsorptions in the corn surface and the absorption of the nanoparticles for the inner of the seeds were studied together with its antibacterial characteristics and correlated with the germinations indicators. The results showed that is possible to incorporate nanoparticles of zinc oxide in inner of the seeds of corn and improve the germinations indicators. Antibacterial protection was aggregated on the seeds of corn. It´s possible to incorporate 0.280 mg of zinc oxide nanoparticle per seed mass in inner of seeds with the optimal treatment conditions with nanoparticle concentration of 50 mg/L in the suspension and with treatment time of 180 minutes. With the optimal treatment concentration the normal plant percentage increase of 2.70% in relationship to the seeds not treated

March1-dependent modulation of donor MHC II on CD103+ dendritic cells mitigates alloimmunity.

In transplantation, donor dendritic cells (do-DCs) initiate the alloimmune response either by direct interaction with host T cells or by transferring intact donor MHC to host DCs. However, how do-DCs can be targeted for improving allograft survival is still unclear. Here we show CD103+ DCs are the major do-DC subset involved in the acute rejection of murine skin transplants. In the absence of CD103+ do-DCs, less donor MHC-II is carried to host lymph nodes, fewer allogenic T cells are primed and allograft survival is prolonged. Incubation of skin grafts with the anti-inflammatory mycobacterial protein DnaK reduces donor MHC-II on CD103+DCs and prolongs graft survival. This effect is mediated through IL-10-induced March1, which ubiquitinates and decreases MHC-II levels. Importantly, in vitro pre-treatment of human DCs with DnaK reduces their ability to prime alloreactive T cells. Our findings demonstrate a novel therapeutic approach to dampen alloimmunity by targeting donor MHC-II on CD103+DCs

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) in disadvantaged populations

Twelve March 2015 will mark the 10th anniversary of World Kidney Day (WKD), an initiative of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations. Since its inception in 2006, WKD has become the most successful effort ever mounted to raise awareness among decision-makers and the general public about the importance of kidney disease. Each year WKD reminds us that kidney disease is common, harmful and treatable. The focus of WKD 2015 is on chronic kidney disease (CKD) in disadvantaged populations. This article reviews the key links between poverty and CKD and the consequent implications for the prevention of kidney disease and the care of kidney patients in these populations

Reduced mortality in COVID-19 patients treated with colchicine: Results from a retrospective, observational study

Objectives Effective treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are urgently needed. We hypothesized that colchicine, by counteracting proinflammatory pathways implicated in the uncontrolled inflammatory response of COVID-19 patients, reduces pulmonary complications, and improves survival. Methods This retrospective study included 71 consecutive COVID-19 patients (hospitalized with pneumonia on CT scan or outpatients) who received colchicine and compared with 70 control patients who did not receive colchicine in two serial time periods at the same institution. We used inverse probability of treatment propensity-score weighting to examine differences in mortality, clinical improvement (using a 7-point ordinary scale), and inflammatory markers between the two groups. Results Amongst the 141 COVID-19 patients (118 [83.7%] hospitalized), 70 (50%) received colchicine. The 21-day crude cumulative mortality was 7.5% in the colchicine group and 28.5% in the control group (P = 0.006; adjusted hazard ratio: 0.24 [95%CI: 0.09 to 0.67]); 21-day clinical improvement occurred in 40.0% of the patients on colchicine and in 26.6% of control patients (adjusted relative improvement rate: 1.80 [95%CI: 1.00 to 3.22]). The strong association between the use of colchicine and reduced mortality was further supported by the diverging linear trends of percent daily change in lymphocyte count (P = 0.018), neutrophilto- lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.003), and in C-reactive protein levels (P = 0.009). Colchicine was stopped because of transient side effects (diarrhea or skin rashes) in 7% of patients. Conclusion In this retrospective cohort study colchicine was associated with reduced mortality and accelerated recovery in COVID-19 patients. This support the rationale for current larger randomized controlled trials testing the safety/efficacy profile of colchicine in COVID-19 patients. Copyright

Produção de biomassa, composição química e atributos químicos do solo do consórcio milho-leguminosas forrageiras na comunidade Boqueirão, Sobral-CE.

Objetivou-se avaliar a produção de biomassa, composição química e os atributos químicos do solo do consórcio milho-leguminosas forrageiras numa comunidade do município de Sobral, CE. Foram avaliados os consórcios milho-cunhã e milho-crotalária num delineamento de blocos completos casualizados, com quatro repetições. As parcelas experimentais foram constituídas de seis fileiras, com 5 m de comprimento, espaçadas entre si de um metro entre milho. O plantio do milho foi realizado no dia 01 de março de 2019, enquanto que o plantio das leguminosas foi realizado no dia 14 de março de 2019. Foram observadas diferenças de teores de matéria seca entre os consórcios cunhã-milho e crotalária-milho. Observou-se que a produção do consórcio crotalária-milho foi superior em relação ao consórcio cunhã-milho, com média de 2806 kg ha-1 MS e produção superior em 45,8% em relação ao consórcio cunhã-milho. Não foram observadas diferenças de tores de proteína bruta (PB) entre os consórcios testados, com média de 12,7% de PB. Não foram observadas diferenças de tores de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e de ligninas (LIG) entre os consórcios testados, com médias de 43,7 e 6,7%, respectivamente. Para a fertilidade do solo, houve diferença para o emprego dos consórcios com as diferentes leguminosas para os atributos K, Cu e B. Observaram-se maiores concentrações de Cu e B no consórcio cunhã-milho, justificadas pela maior concentração desses micronutrientes na matéria seca da cunhã. O consórcio crotalária-milho apresenta maior produção e melhor qualidade do material em caso de uso para produção de volumoso no semiárido, enquanto que, para o uso como cobertura morta superficial no solo, ambos os consórcios podem ser utilizados como estratégias para ciclagem de nutrientes no solo. [Biomass production, chemical composition and soil chemical attributes of maize-legumes intercropping in boqueirão community, Sobral, CE]. Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the biomass production, chemical composition and soil chemical attributes of the forage maize-legume consortium in a community of Sobral, CE. The corn-cunha and corn-crotalaria intercropping were evaluated in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The experimental plots consisted of 6 rows, 5 m long, spaced 1.0 meter apart between maize. The maize was planted on March 1, 2019, while leguminous plants were planted on March 14, 2019, in the rows of maize crop through furrows. Differences in dry matter contents were observed between the maize-cunha and maize-crotalaria intercropping. It was observed that the production of the maize-crotalaria intercropping was higher than the maizecunha, with an average of 2806 kg ha-1 DM and 45.8% higher production compared to the maize-cunha. No differences in crude protein (CP) contents were observed between the treatments, with an average of 12.7% of CP. There were no differences in neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and lignins (LIG) contents between the treatments, with means of 43.7 and 6.7%, respectively. For soil fertility there was difference for the use of intercropping with different legumes for attributes K, Cu and B. Higher concentrations of Cu and B were observed in the maize-cunha intercopping, justified by the higher concentration of these micronutrients in the dry matter of cunha. Maize-crotalaria intercropping presents higher yield and better quality of material in case of use for roughage production in the semiarid, while for use as soil mulch, both intercropping can be used as strategies for nutrient cycling in the soil.bitstream/item/208407/1/CNPC-2019-BPD-12.pd

Adaptação transcultural de escalas de aderência ao tratamento em hemodiálise: Renal Adherence Behaviour Questionnaire (RABQ) e Renal Adherence Attitudes Questionnaire (RAAQ)

Resumo A aderência dos pacientes ao tratamento em hemodiálise é importante para o sucesso do tratamento, mas há carência de instrumentos de avaliação validados para o Brasil. Esta pesquisa visou à adaptação transcultural para o Brasil das escalas Renal Adherence Behaviour Questionnaire (RABQ) e Renal Adherence Attitudes Questionnaire (RAAQ), que avaliam os comportamentos e atitudes de aderência. Esses instrumentos foram submetidos aos procedimentos de adaptação transcultural: tradução, retradução, avaliação por comissão de especialistas e estudo piloto. Foram feitas modificações na redação dos itens e no formato de aplicação, que deve ser em entrevista face a face. Não foi necessário alterar as alternativas de respostas. As versões brasileiras das escalas RABQ e RAAQ apresentam equivalência semântica e cultural com as versões originais e foram redigidas de forma a facilitar sua compreensão pela população-alvo. As duas escalas necessitam ser submetidas a estudos de validade e fidedignidade para serem utilizadas