Immunophenotyping in BK Virus Allograft Nephropathy Distinct from Acute Rejection

Differentiating BK virus nephropathy (BKVN) from acute rejection (AR) is crucial in clinical practice, as both of them have interstitial inflammation in the grafts. The purpose of the study is to describe the inflammatory cellular constituents of BKVN and to determine the clinical utility of immunophenotyping findings in distinguishing BKVN from AR. In addition, the expression of the HLA-DR was investigated. Sixty-five renal allograft recipients were included in this study, including 22 cases of BKVN, 31 cases of AR, and 12 cases of stable allograft. Immunostaining for infiltrating lymphocytes showed that the number of CD20 cells (P<0.001) and the percentages of CD3 (P<0.001), CD4 (P=0.004), CD8 (P=0.005), and CD20 (P=0.002) cells were all significantly different between BKVN and AR. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences in tubule cell HLA-DR expression (P=0.156). This observation suggests that the number of CD20 cells and the percentages of CD3, CD4, CD8, and CD20 cells in renal biopsies would aid the distinction between BKVN and AR. On the other hand, the presence of HLA-DR upregulation may not only be specific for acute rejection but also be a response to BKVN

Rare Gas Adsorption to Silver-Exchanged Zeolites

The adsorption of rare gas atoms to silver aluminosilicate has been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) with the local density approximation, generalized gradient approximation, and dispersion correction. The adsorption energies of rare gas atoms to the honeycomb lattice of silver aluminosilicate were calculated, and the results are discussed. The relationship between the electric charge density distribution and the adsorption energy is discussed. It indicates that the xenon atom has the most electrons to affect the van der Waals dispersion, so it has the highest minimum charge density, strongest polarization, most spacious spherical scope, and most favorable adsorption on silver zeolites

Differential expression of the catalytic subunits for PP-1 and PP-2A and the regulatory subunits for PP–2A in mouse eye

Purpose: Reversible protein phosphorylation is a fundamental regulatory mechanism in all biologic processes. Protein serine/threonine phosphatases-1 (PP-1) and 2A (PP-2A) account for 90% of serine/threonine phosphatase activity in eukaryote cells and play distinct roles in regulating multiple cellular processes and activities. Our previous studies have established the expression patterns of the catalytic subunits for PP-1 (PP-1cs) and PP-2A (PP-2Acs) in bovine and rat lenses. In the present study, we have determined the expression patterns of PP-1cs (PP-1α and PP-1β) and PP-2Acs (PP-2Aα and PP-2Aβ) in the retina and cornea along with the ocular lens of the mouse eye. Moreover, since the function of PP-2A is largely relied on its regulatory subunits, we have also analyzed the expression patterns of the genes encoding the scaffold A subunits of PP-2A, PP2A-Aα and PP2A-Aβ, and the regulatory B family subunits of PP-2A, PP2A-Bα, PP2A-Bβ, and PP2A-Bγ. In addition, we have also demonstrated the differential protections of PP-1 and PP-2A in mouse lens epithelial cell line, αTN4-1, against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. Methods: Total RNAs and proteins were extracted from the retina, lens epithelium, lens fiber cells, and cornea of the mouse eye. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real time PCR were used to detect the mRNA expression. Western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis were applied to examine the protein expression and distribution. Stable clones of αTN4-1 cells expressing either PP-1α or PP-2Aα were used to analyze the differential protections against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. Results: PP-1 is more abundant than PP-2A in the mouse eye. The catalytic subunits for PP-1 and PP-2A display similar expression patterns in the retina and cornea but much reduced in the lens. The mRNAs for all five isoforms of PP2A-A and PP2A-B subunits are highly expressed in the retina, but only three out of the five mRNAs are expressed in the cornea. In the ocular lens, only PP2A-Aβ and PP2A-Bγ mRNAs are clearly detectable. The A and B subunit proteins of PP-2A are highly expressed in the retina and cornea but are much reduced in the ocular lens. PP2A-Aα/β are differentially distributed in the mouse retina. When transfected into mouse lens epithelial cells, αTN4-1, PP-1α and PP-2Aα display differential protection against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. Conclusions: Our results lead to the following conclusions regarding PP-1 and PP-2A in mouse eye: 1) PP1 is a more abundant phosphatase than PP-2A; 2) both PP-1 and PP-2A may play important roles, and the functions of PP-2A appear to be highly regulated by various regulatory subunits; and 3) the genes encoding PP-1α/β, PP-2Aα/ β, PP-2A-Aα/β, and PP-2A-B α/β/γ are all differentially expressed

Device-independent verification of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen steering

If the presence of entanglement could be certified in a device-independent (DI) way, it is likely to provide various quantum information processing tasks with unconditional security. Recently, it was shown that a DI protocol, combining measurement-device-independent techniques with self-testing, is able to verify all entangled states, however, it imposes demanding requirements on its practical implementation. Here, we present a less-demanding protocol based on Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering, which is achievable with current technology. Particularly, we first establish a complete framework for DI verification of EPR steering and show that all steerable states can be verified. Then, we analyze the three-measurement setting case, allowing for imperfections of self-testing. Finally, a four-photon experiment is implemented to device-independently verify EPR steering and to further demonstrate that even Bell local states can be faithfully verified. Our findings pave the way for realistic applications of secure quantum information tasksComment: 6+8 pages; Comments are welcom

The Prevalence of Immunologic Injury in Renal Allograft Recipients with De Novo Proteinuria

Post-transplant proteinuria is a common complication after renal transplantation; it is associated with reduced graft and recipient survival. However, the prevalence of histological causes has been reported with considerable variation. A clinico-pathological re-evaluation of post-transplant proteinuria is necessary, especially after dismissal of the term “chronic allograft nephropathy,” which had been considered to be an important cause of proteinuria. Moreover, urinary protein can promote interstitial inflammation in native kidney, whether this occurs in renal allograft remains unknown. Factors that affect the graft outcome in patients with proteinuria also remain unclear. Here we collected 98 cases of renal allograft recipients who developed proteinuria after transplant, histological features were characterized using Banff scoring system. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used for graft survival predictors. We found that transplant glomerulopathy was the leading (40.8%) cause of post-transplant proteinuria. Immunological causes, including transplant glomerulopathy, acute rejection, and chronic rejection accounted for the majority of all pathological causes of proteinuria. Nevertheless, almost all patients that developed proteinuria had immunological lesions in the graft, especially for interstitial inflammation. Intraglomerular C3 deposition was unexpectedly correlated with the severity of proteinuria. Moreover, the severity of interstitial inflammation was an independent risk factor for graft loss, while high level of hemoglobin was a protective factor for graft survival. This study revealed a predominance of immunological parameters in renal allografts with post-transplant proteinuria. These parameters not only correlate with the severity of proteinuria, but also with the outcome of the graft

The Genomes of Oryza sativa: A History of Duplications

We report improved whole-genome shotgun sequences for the genomes of indica and japonica rice, both with multimegabase contiguity, or almost 1,000-fold improvement over the drafts of 2002. Tested against a nonredundant collection of 19,079 full-length cDNAs, 97.7% of the genes are aligned, without fragmentation, to the mapped super-scaffolds of one or the other genome. We introduce a gene identification procedure for plants that does not rely on similarity to known genes to remove erroneous predictions resulting from transposable elements. Using the available EST data to adjust for residual errors in the predictions, the estimated gene count is at least 38,000–40,000. Only 2%–3% of the genes are unique to any one subspecies, comparable to the amount of sequence that might still be missing. Despite this lack of variation in gene content, there is enormous variation in the intergenic regions. At least a quarter of the two sequences could not be aligned, and where they could be aligned, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rates varied from as little as 3.0 SNP/kb in the coding regions to 27.6 SNP/kb in the transposable elements. A more inclusive new approach for analyzing duplication history is introduced here. It reveals an ancient whole-genome duplication, a recent segmental duplication on Chromosomes 11 and 12, and massive ongoing individual gene duplications. We find 18 distinct pairs of duplicated segments that cover 65.7% of the genome; 17 of these pairs date back to a common time before the divergence of the grasses. More important, ongoing individual gene duplications provide a never-ending source of raw material for gene genesis and are major contributors to the differences between members of the grass family

Diverse Applications of Nanomedicine

The design and use of materials in the nanoscale size range for addressing medical and health-related issues continues to receive increasing interest. Research in nanomedicine spans a multitude of areas, including drug delivery, vaccine development, antibacterial, diagnosis and imaging tools, wearable devices, implants, high-throughput screening platforms, etc. using biological, nonbiological, biomimetic, or hybrid materials. Many of these developments are starting to be translated into viable clinical products. Here, we provide an overview of recent developments in nanomedicine and highlight the current challenges and upcoming opportunities for the field and translation to the clinic. \ua9 2017 American Chemical Society