Modelling changes in the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus during pregnancy after kidney transplantation:A retrospective cohort study

Aims: Pregnancy after kidney transplantation is realistic but immunosuppressants should be continued to prevent rejection. Tacrolimus is safe during pregnancy and is routinely dosed based on whole-blood predose concentrations. However, maintaining these concentrations is complicated as physiological changes during pregnancy affect tacrolimus pharmacokinetics. The aim of this study was to describe tacrolimus pharmacokinetics throughout pregnancy and explain the changes by investigating covariates in a population pharmacokinetic model. Methods: Data of pregnant women using a twice-daily tacrolimus formulation following kidney transplantation were retrospectively collected from 6 months before conception, throughout gestation and up to 6 months postpartum. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using nonlinear mixed effects modelling. Demographic, clinical and genetic parameters were evaluated as covariates. The final model was evaluated using goodness-of-fit plots, visual predictive checks and a bootstrap analysis. Results: A total of 260 whole-blood tacrolimus predose concentrations from 14 pregnant kidney transplant recipients were included. Clearance increased during pregnancy from 34.5 to 41.7 L/h, by 15, 19 and 21% in the first, second and third trimester, respectively, compared to prior to pregnancy. This indicates a required increase in the tacrolimus dose by the same percentage to maintain the prepregnancy concentration. Haematocrit and gestational age were negatively correlated with tacrolimus clearance (P ≤ 0.01), explaining 18% of interindividual and 85% of interoccasion variability in oral clearance.Conclusions: Tacrolimus clearance increases during pregnancy, resulting in decreased exposure to tacrolimus, which is explained by gestational age and haematocrit. To maintain prepregnancy target whole-blood tacrolimus predose concentrations during pregnancy, increasing the dose is required.</p

Helium identification with LHCb

The identification of helium nuclei at LHCb is achieved using a method based on measurements of ionisation losses in the silicon sensors and timing measurements in the Outer Tracker drift tubes. The background from photon conversions is reduced using the RICH detectors and an isolation requirement. The method is developed using pp collision data at √(s) = 13 TeV recorded by the LHCb experiment in the years 2016 to 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.5 fb-1. A total of around 105 helium and antihelium candidates are identified with negligible background contamination. The helium identification efficiency is estimated to be approximately 50% with a corresponding background rejection rate of up to O(10^12). These results demonstrate the feasibility of a rich programme of measurements of QCD and astrophysics interest involving light nuclei

Momentum scale calibration of the LHCb spectrometer

For accurate determination of particle masses accurate knowledge of the momentum scale of the detectors is crucial. The procedure used to calibrate the momentum scale of the LHCb spectrometer is described and illustrated using the performance obtained with an integrated luminosity of 1.6 fb-1 collected during 2016 in pp running. The procedure uses large samples of J/ψ → μ + μ - and B+ → J/ψ K + decays and leads to a relative accuracy of 3 × 10-4 on the momentum scale

Curvature-bias corrections using a pseudomass method

Momentum measurements for very high momentum charged particles, such as muons from electroweak vector boson decays, are particularly susceptible to charge-dependent curvature biases that arise from misalignments of tracking detectors. Low momentum charged particles used in alignment procedures have limited sensitivity to coherent displacements of such detectors, and therefore are unable to fully constrain these misalignments to the precision necessary for studies of electroweak physics. Additional approaches are therefore required to understand and correct for these effects. In this paper the curvature biases present at the LHCb detector are studied using the pseudomass method in proton-proton collision data recorded at centre of mass energy √(s)=13 TeV during 2016, 2017 and 2018. The biases are determined using Z→μ + μ - decays in intervals defined by the data-taking period, magnet polarity and muon direction. Correcting for these biases, which are typically at the 10-4 GeV-1 level, improves the Z→μ + μ - mass resolution by roughly 18% and eliminates several pathological trends in the kinematic-dependence of the mean dimuon invariant mass

Association of edaphic factors with herbal plants abundance and density in a recreational forest, Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia

Terengganu is one of the states in East Coast Peninsula Malaysia that provides the natural habitat for the herbal plants and non-tree plants. The question of the relationship between herbal and non-tree plants, their abundance and relationship with edaphic factor is still unsolved. This study was conducted at Chemerong Recreational Forest, Dungun, Terengganu to determine the abundance and diversity of herbal and non-tree plants species, and its relationship with the physico-chemical soil properties. Two types of forest were chosen which are riparian forest and inland forest. Two plots with the sizes of 5m x 10 m were built in each forest types and which means the total of area sampling in this study was 200m2. Result shows that a total of 885 individuals of herbal and non-tree plants were recorded from 68 species, 40 genera and 22 families. Riparian forest plot recorded 558 individuals from 55 species, 37 genera and 21 families while inland plot recorded 327 individuals from 36 species, 27 genera and 15 families. Significant difference was observed in soil physico-chemical properties, phosporus (P), electric conductivity (EC), nitrate (NO3 -), ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3 +), moisture content and organic matter (OM) between these two forest types. Based on Cannonical Correspondance Analysis (CCA) there was a strong relationship between species abundance and edaphic factors in the study site. Results from this study could contribute to new information on conserving and preserving the herbal and non-tree plants as the natural green asset of Terengganu and Malaysia

A tetraoxacalix[2]arene[2]triazine based fluorogenic probe for the sensing of Fe3+: Computational and living–cell imaging applications

WOS:000720331000012Herein, we have reported a feasibility study of highly selective and sensitive fluorogenic chemosensor (probe TOCT) derived from tetraoxacalix [2] arene [2] triazine for Fe3+ sensing in aqueous media. The probe TOCT has been fabricated and verified by 1H–NMR, HR–LCMS,FT–IRand 13C–NMR. The sensing properties of probe TOCT toward various metal ions were confirmed by fluorescence titration study as well as competitive study. The intensity of probe TOCT reduced with the amount of Fe3+ when it was excited at 300 nm in CH3CN:H2O (95/5, v/v, pH = 7) media. The probe demonstrated a ‘turn–off’ response toward Fe3+, in the presence of possible competing ions. The detection limit value of probe TOCT for Fe3+ sensing was computed to be 12.5 nM. The possible molecular structure of complex between probe TOCT and Fe3+ was also proposed on the basis of HR–LCMS and FT–IR. The stoichiometry of TOCT–Fe3+ complex was identified to be 1:1 to the methodology of Job's plot. The binding ability was studied through the equation of Benesi–Hildebrand which was computed to be 8.90 × 104 M–1 for Fe3+. To support the intensity enhancement and quenching studies, we reported computational experiments based on the density functional theory (DFT). Moreover, a great potential has been detected for probe TOCT as a fluorescent chemosensor in biological applications to monitor Fe3+ in living cells. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.Kansai Medical University, KMU: 13–YL–18, 30–M–16The authors are grateful for the financial support from the KMU (grant number: 13–YL–18 ) and for providing the software packages (Gaussian–09/GaussView–5.0.8) (grant number: 30–M–16)

The association of tree species diversity and abundance with the soil edaphic factor in a largest tropical recreational forest of Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia

A study was conducted to investigate the association between tree species composition with soil edaphic factor in Chemerong Recreational Forest, the largest recreational forest in Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. Two types of forest were chosen which are riparian forest and inland forest. Four plots with the dimension of 50 m × 20 m each were established with two plots at each forest type with total study site of 0.4 ha. A total of 1158 trees (>1 cm diameter) from 263 species, 125 genus and 50 families were recorded. The higher species number was recorded in the inland forest with 175 species, 103 genus and 45 families compared to riparian plot with 154 species, 109 genera and 39 families. Lijndenia laurina was found to be the important species in the riparian forest with Important Value Index (IVi) of 5.22% while Mangifera caesia at the inland forest with 3.21%. The Shannon-Weiner diversity indexes (H’) was considered high in all two types of forest with 5.04 at the riparian forest and 5.14 at the inland forest. Sorenson’s community similarity coefficient (CCs) showed the tree species communities, between the two types of forest had low similarities with 0.38. A total 33 endemic species in Peninsular Malaysia were found at Chemerong Recreational Forest. Fifty-five species in this study were listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN red list of threatened species 2019. Significant differences were found in phosphorus, electric conductivity, ammonium nitrate, moisture content and organic matter between these forests. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed less association between species composition with the physico-chemical characyeristics of soil in this study indicating the soil edaphic factor is not the main factor controlling the species distribution at this site

A comprehensive review of barriers to a functional Zakat system in Nigeria: what needs to be done?

Purpose: Muslims in Nigeria, like in many Muslim-majority countries, are striving to have a functional Zakat system in search of solutions to the perennial problem of poverty and its damning consequences. Nevertheless, there are still unsettled concerns arising from the current and widespread implementation of dissimilar (diverse) approaches to the Zakat system in various parts of the country. The purpose of this paper is to review comprehensively what are the hindrances of a vibrant Zakat system and how far the identified impediments may affect the system in the Nigerian context.Design/methodology/approach:The methodology adopted is the review of extant relevant literature in the field of scholarly publications.Findings: The findings of this study revealed that the fragmented implementation of the Zakat system within the context of the Nigerian democratic system of government lead to the weak governance with respect to law, administration and management; lack of a generally accepted fatwa from the Muslims scholars (Ulamas); absence of Zakat accounting standard; and low compliance behavior are the major barriers that require the attention of government and other stakeholders such as the traditional leaders, the accounting regulatory bodies, the Ulamas, as well as the economic and accounting researchers.Practical implications: It was recommended that the stakeholders should make concerted efforts toward ensuring success of the Zakat system for attaining salvation in the hereafter and for social security, as well as economic prosperity. Originality/value: The paper is the first paper that comprehensively reviews previous literature in the Zakat environment on factors that become barriers to implement a comprehensive Zakat system in Nigeria