Biobanking for glomerular diseases: a study design and protocol for KOrea Renal biobank NEtwoRk System TOward NExt-generation analysis (KORNERSTONE)

Abstract Backgrounds Glomerular diseases, a set of debilitating and complex disease entities, are related to mortality and morbidity. To gain insight into pathophysiology and novel treatment targets of glomerular disease, various types of biospecimens linked to deep clinical phenotyping including clinical information, digital pathology, and well-defined outcomes are required. We provide the rationale and design of the KOrea Renal biobank NEtwoRk System TOward Next-generation analysis (KORNERSTONE). Methods The KORNERSTONE, which has been initiated by Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, is designed as a multi-centre, prospective cohort study and biobank for glomerular diseases. Clinical data, questionnaires will be collected at the time of kidney biopsy and subsequently every 1 year after kidney biopsy. All of the clinical data will be extracted from the electrical health record and automatically uploaded to the web-based database. High-quality digital pathologies are obtained and connected in the database. Various types of biospecimens are collected at baseline and during follow-up: serum, urine, buffy coat, stool, glomerular complementary DNA (cDNA), tubulointerstitial cDNA. All data and biospecimens are processed and stored in a standardised manner. The primary outcomes are mortality and end-stage renal disease. The secondary outcomes will be deterioration renal function, remission of proteinuria, cardiovascular events and quality of life. Discussion Ethical approval has been obtained from the institutional review board of each participating centre and ethics oversight committee. The KORNERSTONE is designed to deliver pioneer insights into glomerular diseases. The study design allows comprehensive, integrated and high-quality data collection on baseline laboratory findings, clinical outcomes including administrative data and digital pathologic images. This may provide various biospecimens and information to many researchers, establish the rationale for future more individualised treatment strategies for glomerular diseases. Trial registration NCT03929887

Development of cementless ultra-high performance fly ash composite (UHPFC) using nucleated pozzolanic reaction of low Ca fly ash

© 2022 Elsevier LtdThis study developed ultra-high performance fly ash composite (UHPFC) by enhancing the pozzolanic reactivity of low-calcium fly ash (FA). Although it did not include Portland cement, the composite exhibited outstanding performance in workability, mechanical properties, and strength development. At room temperature (20 °C), the hydrated lime-activated FA containing silica fume showed a distinct acceleration period. Moreover, 3 days of steam curing at 60 °C guaranteed its final strength (∼110 MPa) before 7 days because of the synergistic effect between the ultrafine filler and steam curing. At 60 °C, the reactivity of FA was dramatically improved only when nucleation sites were provided by silica fume. Furthermore, increasing the curing temperature reciprocally affected FA and silica fume in the reaction; while FA was a leading participant in the pozzolanic reaction, silica fume mostly played a role as a physical filler, providing the nucleation site for reaction products.N

Development of high strength & lightweight cementitious composites using hollow glass microsphere in a low water-to-cement matrix

It has been a challenge for structural concrete to satisfy both high strength and lightweight, since general lightweight properties have been achieved through the use of lightweight aggregates with inherently weak strength. In this study, a cement composite with high strength and lightweight was developed using very low specific gravity material of hollow particles. A combination of a polycarboxylate-ether superplasticizer, filler materials, and a low water-to-cement ratio was selected to increase the viscosity of the cement matrix for minimizing floating of the hollow particles. As a result, the developed cementitious composites substantially outperformed the material performance of previously reported lightweight concretes. Compressive strength of 69 MPa and 97 MPa at 28 days were achieved with the density less than 1.5 g/cm(3) from ambient and heat treated curing, respectively. From a reaction perspective, the used hollow particles did not actively participate in the cement-based hydration reaction, which indicated that their role is limited to being very light inert fillers in the designed cementitious matrix.N