Evaluation of cystatin C for the detection of chronic kidney disease in cats

BackgroundSerum cystatin C (sCysC) and urinary cystatin C (uCysC) are potential biomarkers for early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats. An in-depth clinical validation is required. ObjectivesTo evaluate CysC as a marker for CKD in cats and to compare assay performance of the turbidimetric assay (PETIA) with the previously validated nephelometric assay (PENIA). AnimalsNinety cats were included: 49 CKD and 41 healthy cats. MethodsSerum CysC and uCysC concentrations were prospectively evaluated in cats with CKD and healthy cats. Based on plasma exo-iohexol clearance test (PexICT), sCysC was evaluated to distinguish normal, borderline, and low GFR. Sensitivity and specificity to detect PexICT<1.7mL/min/kg were calculated. Serum CysC results of PENIA and PETIA were correlated with GFR. Statistical analysis was performed using general linear modeling. ResultsCats with CKD had significantly higher meanSD sCysC (1.4 +/- 0.5mg/L) (P<.001) and uCysC/urinary creatinine (uCr) (291 +/- 411mg/mol) (P<.001) compared to healthy cats (sCysC 1.0 +/- 0.3 and uCysC/uCr 0.32 +/- 0.97). UCysC was detected in 35/49 CKD cats. R-2 values between GFR and sCysC or sCr were 0.39 and 0.71, respectively (sCysC or sCr=+GFR+epsilon). Sensitivity and specificity were 22 and 100% for sCysC and 83 and 93% for sCr. Serum CysC could not distinguish healthy from CKD cats, nor normal from borderline or low GFR, in contrast with sCr. ConclusionSerum CysC is not a reliable marker of reduced GFR in cats and uCysC could not be detected in all CKD cats

Drug Interaction Study Of Apixaban With Cyclosporine Or Tacrolimus: Results From A Phase 1, Randomized, Open-Label, Crossover Study In Healthy Volunteers

BACKGROUND Solid organ transplant recipients commonly require anticoagulation. Apixaban (APX) is principally metabolized by CYP3A4, undergoes direct intestinal excretion, and is a substrate to P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP) transporters. We examined the potential drug interaction between cyclosporine (CsA) and tacrolimus (Tac) [combined inhibitors of CYP3A4, P-gp and, BCRP] with APX.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/petposters/1005/thumbnail.jp

Teaching Gerontology in Counselor Education

Mental health needs of older persons are projected to grow significantly over the course of the next years. Consequently, the need for training counselors to work with the aging population is presented. Addressed are 4 curriculum models, as well as areas of training related to geriatric counseling, that can be incorporated into counselor training programs. Finally, specific suggestions and procedures for counseling the elderly are included

Model of Double Asteroid Redirection Test Impact Ejecta Plume Observations

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft will impact the moon Dimorphos of the [65803] Didymos binary in order to demonstrate asteroid deflection by a kinetic impactor. DART will measure the deflection by using ground-based telescopic observations of the orbital period change of Didymos and will carry the Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) cubesat, which will perform a flyby of Didymos about 167 s after the DART impact, obtaining images of the DART impact ejecta plume. LICIACube images showing the ejecta plume spatial structure and temporal evolution will help determine the vector momentum transfer from the DART impact. A model is developed for the impact ejecta plume optical depth, using a pointsource scaling model of the DART impact. The model is applied to expected LICIACube plume images and shows how plume images enable characterization of the ejecta mass versus velocity distribution. The ejecta plume structure, as it evolves over time, is determined by the amount of ejecta that has reached a given altitude at a given time. The evolution of the plume optical depth profiles determined from LICIACube images can distinguish between strength-controlled and gravity-controlled impacts, by distinguishing the respective mass versus velocity distributions. LICIACube plume images discriminate the differences in plume structure and evolution that result from different target physical properties, mainly the strength and porosity, thereby allowing inference of these properties to improve the determination of DART impact momentum transfer

XIII International Conference on Computational Plasticity. Fundamentals and Applications -COMPLAS XIII

ABSTRACT Landslides can cause major economic damage and a large number of casualties as it is possible to see from past events occurred all over the world. Being able to predict these kind of hazards would then suppose the achievement of great benefits. Here a model that combines a depth integrated description of the soil-pore fluid mixture together with a set of 1D models dealing with pore pressure evolution within the soil mass is presented. In this way, pore pressure changes caused by vertical consolidation, changes of total stresses resulting from height variations and changes of basal surface permeability can be taken into account with more precision. The mathematical model is based on the Biot-Zienkiewicz equations, from where a depth averaged model is derived. Concerning the material behaviour, the approach used is the one suggested by the Perzyna viscoplasticity, which has been extensively used in the past to model solid behaviour prior to failure. Three different yield criterion are considered in the framework of Perzyna&apos;s model: a Von Mises, a Mohr Coulomb and a Cam Clay yield criterion. The obtained results lead to a good agreement with the results achieved using classical rheological models. Then, a simple shear rheological model is derived, providing the basal friction needed in depth integrated models. The Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) has been the numerical technique chosen to spatially discretised the depth integrated equations of the mathematical model. The SPH technique has been enriched by adding a 1D finite differences grid associated at each SPH node in order to improve the description of pore water profiles in the avalanching soil. The purpose of this work is to apply the SPH depth integrated numerical model, together with the sub-model that predicts the evolution of the pore water pressure inside the landslide, to simulate the propagation phase of the Aberfan flowslide occurred in 1966. REFERENCES [1] M. Pastor, M

Dragonfly: Investigating the Surface Composition of Titan

Dragonfly is a rotorcraft lander mission, selected as a finalist in NASA's New Frontiers Program, that is designed to sample materials and determine the surface composition in different geologic settings on Titan. This revolutionary mission concept would explore diverse locations to characterize the habitability of Titan's environment, to investigate how far prebiotic chemistry has progressed, and to search for chemical signatures that could be indicative of water-based and/or hydrocarbon-based life. Here we describe Dragonfly's capabilities to determine the composition of a variety of surface units on Titan, from elemental components to complex organic molecules. The compositional investigation ncludes characterization of local surface environments and finely sampled materials. The Dragonfly flexible sampling approach can robustly accommodate materials from Titan's most intriguing surface environments

A child presenting with acute renal failure secondary to a high dose of indomethacin: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Acute renal failure caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs administered at therapeutic doses is generally mild, non-anuric and transitory. There are no publications on indomethacin toxicity secondary to high doses in children. The aim of this article is to describe acute renal failure secondary to a high dose of indomethacin in a child and to review an error in a supervised drug prescription and administration system.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Due to a medication error, a 20-day-old infant in the postoperative period of surgery for Fallot's tetralogy received a dose of 10 mg/kg of indomethacin, 50 to 100 times higher than the therapeutic dose. The child presented with acute, oligo-anuric renal failure requiring treatment with continuous venovenous renal replacement therapy, achieving complete recovery of renal function with no sequelae.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In order to reduce medication errors in critically ill children, it is necessary to develop a supervised drug prescription and administration system, with controls at various levels.</p

Superior Cathode of Sodium-Ion Batteries: Orthorhombic V₂O₅ Nanoparticles Generated in Nanoporous Carbon by Ambient Hydrolysis Deposition

We, for the first time, demonstrate that orthorhombic V₂O₅ can exhibit superior electrochemical performance in sodium ion batteries when uniformly coated inside nanoporous carbon. The encapsulated V₂O₅ shows a specific capacity as high as 276 mAh/g, while the whole nanocomposite exhibits a capacity of 170 mAh/g. The V₂O₅/C composite was fabricated by a novel ambient hydrolysis deposition that features sequential water vapor adsorption in nanoporous carbon, followed by a hydrolysis reaction, exclusively inside the nanopores. The unique structure of the nanocomposite significantly enhances the capacity as well as the rate performance of orthorhombic V₂O₅ where the composite retains a capacity of over 90 mAh/g at a current rate of 640 mA/g. Furthermore, by calculating, we also revealed that a large portion of the sodium-ion storage, particularly at high current rates, is due to the V₂O₅ pseudocapacitance.Keywords: Pseudocapacitance, Sodium-Ion Batteries, Orthorhombic V₂O₅, Ambient Hydrolysis Depositio

Atomic Force Mechanobiology of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes

We describe a method using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to quantify the mechanobiological properties of pluripotent, stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, including contraction force, rate, duration, and cellular elasticity. We measured beats from cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells of healthy subjects and those with dilated cardiomyopathy, and from embryonic stem cell lines. We found that our AFM method could quantitate beat forces of single cells and clusters of cardiomyocytes. We demonstrate the dose-responsive, inotropic effect of norepinephrine and beta-adrenergic blockade of metoprolol. Cardiomyocytes derived from subjects with dilated cardiomyopathy showed decreased force and decreased cellular elasticity compared to controls. This AFM-based method can serve as a screening tool for the development of cardiac-active pharmacological agents, or as a platform for studying cardiomyocyte biology

After DART: Using the First Full-scale Test of a Kinetic Impactor to Inform a Future Planetary Defense Mission

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is the first full-scale test of an asteroid deflection technology. Results from the hypervelocity kinetic impact and Earth-based observations, coupled with LICIACube and the later Hera mission, will result in measurement of the momentum transfer efficiency accurate to ∼10% and characterization of the Didymos binary system. But DART is a single experiment; how could these results be used in a future planetary defense necessity involving a different asteroid? We examine what aspects of Dimorphos’s response to kinetic impact will be constrained by DART results; how these constraints will help refine knowledge of the physical properties of asteroidal materials and predictive power of impact simulations; what information about a potential Earth impactor could be acquired before a deflection effort; and how design of a deflection mission should be informed by this understanding. We generalize the momentum enhancement factor β, showing that a particular direction-specific β will be directly determined by the DART results, and that a related direction-specific β is a figure of merit for a kinetic impact mission. The DART β determination constrains the ejecta momentum vector, which, with hydrodynamic simulations, constrains the physical properties of Dimorphos’s near-surface. In a hypothetical planetary defense exigency, extrapolating these constraints to a newly discovered asteroid will require Earth-based observations and benefit from in situ reconnaissance. We show representative predictions for momentum transfer based on different levels of reconnaissance and discuss strategic targeting to optimize the deflection and reduce the risk of a counterproductive deflection in the wrong direction