Quantum Feature Extraction for THz Multi-Layer Imaging

A learning-based THz multi-layer imaging has been recently used for contactless three-dimensional (3D) positioning and encoding. We show a proof-of-concept demonstration of an emerging quantum machine learning (QML) framework to deal with depth variation, shadow effect, and double-sided content recognition, through an experimental validation.Comment: 2 pages, 5 figures, IRMMW-THz202

Do calcineurin inhibitors influence the serum concentrations of mizoribine?

Background: Mizoribine (MZR) is an antimetabolite that inhibits inosine-monophosphate dehydrogenase and has been used for preventing rejection in renal transplantation. However, the effect of calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) on the pharmacokinetics of MZR has not been shown. This study was performed to show the influence of CNIs (tacrolimus [Tac] or cyclosporine [CyA]) on the serum concentration of MZR.Methods: Thirty-four living-donor renal transplant recipients administered a four-drug immunosuppressive therapy regimen (steroid, CNIs, basiliximab and MZR 6 mg/kg/day) were investigated. 20 recipients were treated with Tac and 14 were with CyA. Serum concentrations of MZR were obtained retrospectively at 464 points and at 243 points for each. Population pharmacokinetic (PPK) analysis was used to make pharmacokinetic models of serum MZR. After statistically evaluating the correlation of the pharmacokinetic models with the actual data, areas under the curves (AUCs) of each CNI were also estimated in these models and statistically evaluated.Results: The mean values of the PPK parameters (absorption lag time, absorption rate constant [Ka], apparent volume of distribution [V/F] and oral clearance of MZR [CLMZR/F]) were 0.600 hr and 0.643 hr, 1.14/hr and 0.911/hr, 0.732×body weight (WT) (L) and 0.784×WT (L), and 1.64×creatinine clearance (CLcr) (L/hr) and 1.81×CLcr (L/hr), respectively. Moreover, the serum concentrations of MZR at all-time points were estimated with these parameters. The correlation coefficients between the individual actual and estimated serum concentrations of MZR in the Tac group and the CyA group were 0.988 and 0.992, respectively. The average value of the AUCs of MZR corrected by the CLcr in the Tac group, and the CyA group were 0.61±0.21 and 0.55±0.19 (average value±standard deviation) for each (p=0.19).Conclusion: These findings suggest the pharmacokinetics of MZR were well-described by 1-compartment model with first-order absorption. Moreover, concomitant use of CNIs, e.g., Tac and CyA, may have no significant influence on the pharmacokinetics of MZR

Cholecalciferol Supplementation Attenuates Bone Loss in Incident Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Prespecified Secondary Endpoint Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Vitamin D deficiency, persistent hyperparathyroidism, and bone loss are common after kidney transplantation (KTx). However, limited evidence exists regarding the effects of cholecalciferol supplementation on parathyroid hormone (PTH) and bone loss after KTx. In this prespecified secondary endpoint analysis of a randomized controlled trial, we evaluated changes in PTH, bone metabolic markers, and bone mineral density (BMD). At 1 month post-transplant, we randomized 193 patients to an 11-month intervention with cholecalciferol (4000 IU/d) or placebo. The median baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) level was 10 ng/mL and 44% of participants had osteopenia or osteoporosis. At the end of the study, the median 25(OH)D level was increased to 40 ng/mL in the cholecalciferol group and substantially unchanged in the placebo group. Compared with placebo, cholecalciferol significantly reduced whole PTH concentrations (between-group difference of −15%; 95% confidence interval [CI] −25 to −3), with greater treatment effects in subgroups with lower 25(OH)D, lower serum calcium, or higher estimated glomerular filtration rate (pint < 0.05). The percent change in lumbar spine (LS) BMD from before KTx to 12 months post-transplant was −0.2% (95% CI −1.4 to 0.9) in the cholecalciferol group and −1.9% (95% CI −3.0 to −0.8) in the placebo group, with a significant between-group difference (1.7%; 95% CI 0.1 to 3.3). The beneficial effect of cholecalciferol on LS BMD was prominent in patients with low bone mass pint < 0.05). Changes in serum calcium, phosphate, bone metabolic markers, and BMD at the distal radius were not different between groups. In mediation analyses, change in whole PTH levels explained 39% of treatment effects on BMD change. In conclusion, 4000 IU/d cholecalciferol significantly reduced PTH levels and attenuated LS BMD loss after KTx. This regimen has the potential to eliminate vitamin D deficiency and provides beneficial effects on bone health even under glucocorticoid treatment. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).Tsujita M., Doi Y., Obi Y., et al. Cholecalciferol Supplementation Attenuates Bone Loss in Incident Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Prespecified Secondary Endpoint Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 37, 303 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.4469

Nitro-fatty acids and cyclopentenone prostaglandins share strategies to activate the Keap1-Nrf2 system: a study using green fluorescent protein transgenic zebrafish

Nitro-fatty acids are electrophilic fatty acids produced in vivo from nitrogen peroxide that have many physiological activities. We recently demonstrated that nitro-fatty acids activate the Keap1-Nrf2 system, which protects cells from damage owing to electrophilic or oxidative stresses via transactivating an array of cytoprotective genes, although the molecular mechanism how they activate Nrf2 is unclear. A number of chemical compounds with different structures have been reported to activate the Keap1-Nrf2 system, which can be categorized into at least six classes based on their sensing pathways. In this study, we showed that nitro-oleic acid (OA-NO2), one of major nitro-fatty acids, activates Nrf2 in the same manner that of a cyclopentenone prostaglandin 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) using transgenic zebrafish that expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP) in response to Nrf2 activators. In transgenic embryos, GFP was induced in the whole body by treatment with OA-NO2, 15d-PGJ2 or diethylmaleate (DEM), but not with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), when exogenous Nrf2 and Keap1 were co-overexpressed. Induction by OA-NO2 or 15d-PGJ2 but not DEM was observed, even when a C151S mutation was introduced in Keap1. Our results support the contention that OA-NO2 and 15d-PGJ2 share an analogous cysteine code as electrophiles and also have similar anti-inflammatory roles

The effect of cholecalciferol supplementation on allograft function in incident kidney transplant recipients: A randomized controlled study

It is unknown whether cholecalciferol supplementation improves allograft outcomes in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). We conducted a single-center randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of daily 4000 IU cholecalciferol supplementation in KTRs at 1-month posttransplant. The primary endpoint was the change in eGFR from baseline to 12-month posttransplant. Secondary endpoints included severity of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) at 12-month posttransplant and changes in urinary biomarkers. Of 193 randomized patients, 180 participants completed the study. Changes in eGFR were 1.2 mL/min/1.73 m2 (95% CI; −0.7 to 3.1) in the cholecalciferol group and 1.8 mL/min/1.73 m2 (95% CI, −0.02 to 3.7) in the placebo group, with no significant between-group difference (−0.7 mL/min/1.73 m2 [95% CI; −3.3 to 2.0], p = 0.63). Subgroup analyses showed detrimental effects of cholecalciferol in patients with eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m2 (Pinteraction <0.05, between-group difference; −4.3 mL/min/1.73 m2 [95% CI; −7.3 to −1.3]). The degree of IFTA, changes in urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, or adverse events including hypercalcemia and infections requiring hospitalization did not differ between groups. In conclusion, cholecalciferol supplementation did not affect eGFR change compared to placebo among incident KTRs. These findings do not support cholecalciferol supplementation for improving allograft function in incident KTRs. Clinical trial registry: This study was registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) as UMIN000020597 (please refer to the links below). UMIN-CTR: https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000023776.Doi Y., Tsujita M., Hamano T., et al. The effect of cholecalciferol supplementation on allograft function in incident kidney transplant recipients: A randomized controlled study. American Journal of Transplantation 21, 3043 (2021); https://doi.org/10.1111/ajt.16530

Outcomes of critically ill solid organ transplant patients with COVID‐19 in the United States

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163464/2/ajt16280.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163464/1/ajt16280_am.pd

Tissue-Restricted Expression of Nrf2 and Its Target Genes in Zebrafish with Gene-Specific Variations in the Induction Profiles

The Keap1-Nrf2 system serves as a defense mechanism against oxidative stress and electrophilic toxicants by inducing more than one hundred cytoprotective proteins, including antioxidants and phase 2 detoxifying enzymes. Since induction profiles of Nrf2 target genes have been studied exclusively in cultured cells, and not in animal models, their tissue-specificity has not been well characterized. In this paper, we examined and compared the tissue-specific expression of several Nrf2 target genes in zebrafish larvae by whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH). Seven zebrafish genes (gstp1, mgst3b, prdx1, frrs1c, fthl, gclc and hmox1a) suitable for WISH analysis were selected from candidates for Nrf2 targets identified by microarray analysis. Tissue-restricted induction was observed in the nose, gill, and/or liver for all seven genes in response to Nrf2-activating compounds, diethylmaleate (DEM) and sulforaphane. The Nrf2 gene itself was dominantly expressed in these three tissues, implying that tissue-restricted induction of Nrf2 target genes is defined by tissue-specific expression of Nrf2. Interestingly, the induction of frrs1c and gclc in liver and nose, respectively, was quite low and that of hmox1a was restricted in the liver. These results indicate the existence of gene-specific variations in the tissue specificity, which can be controlled by factors other than Nrf2

Physical Activity, Nutritional Status, and Autonomic Nervous System Activity in Healthy Young Adults with Higher Levels of Depressive Symptoms and Matched Controls without Depressive Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of the present study was to comprehensively investigate physical activity (PA), nutritional status, and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity in healthy young adults with higher levels of depressive symptoms and in sex- and age-matched controls without depressive symptoms. We recruited 35 healthy young adults with higher levels of depressive symptoms (DEP group) and 35 controls (CON group). Measurement items were daily number of steps, the duration and amount of PA &ge;3 metabolic equivalents (METs), exercise habits, the consumption of tryptophan (TRP) and/or vitamin B6-rich foods, plasma levels of total TRP and vitamin B6 levels, and ANS activity. The DEP group had fewer daily steps, as well as duration and amount of PA &ge;3 METs, than the CON group, while there was no difference in exercise habits. The intake frequency of TRP and/or vitamin B6-rich foods and plasma vitamin B6 levels of the DEP group were rather higher than those in the control group. Plasma TRP levels and ANS activity were comparable in the two groups. Our findings suggest that a decline in overall PA, including daily steps as well as duration and amount of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity PA, could be associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms in healthy young adults. Their dietary intake of TRP and/or vitamin B6-rich foods was adequate, and there was no ANS activity dysfunction