1,024 research outputs found

    Renal fibrosis in feline chronic kidney disease: known mediators and mechanisms of injury

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    Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common medical condition of ageing cats. In most cases the underlying aetiology is unknown, but the most frequently reported pathological diagnosis is renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Renal fibrosis, characterised by extensive accumulation of extra-cellular matrix within the interstitium, is thought to be the final common pathway for all kidney diseases and is the pathological lesion best correlated with function in both humans and cats. As a convergent pathway, renal fibrosis provides an ideal target for the treatment of CKD and knowledge of the underlying fibrotic process is essential for the future development of novel therapies. There are many mediators and mechanisms of renal fibrosis reported in the literature, of which only a few have been investigated in the cat. This article reviews the process of renal fibrosis and discusses the most commonly cited mediators and mechanisms of progressive renal injury, with particular focus on the potential significance to feline CKD

    Bats and the city : urban bat biodiversity in a tropical biome transition zone

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    Urbanisation is an important factor in global land-use change which dramatically alters habitats at great detriment to wildlife. Our understanding of urban biodiversity patterns and their driving factors in tropical cities which interact with high levels of biodiversity is limited, yet it is pivotal to developing efficient and effective conservation guidelines for urban planning. This study uses a long-term data set (>10 years) of species occurrence records, collected as part of a public health monitoring scheme within the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil to quantify the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of bats in the city for each year and season of the study period. Linear regressions were then carried out to test whether the different facets of diversity show any significant trends over the study period. Moreover, a habitat suitability analysis for the five most common species was conducted using the MaxEnt algorithm, following the framework of Bellamy et al. (2013), and the most important factors affecting the presence of these species were identified. It was found that there was a significant increase in bat taxonomic diversity over time, however, functional and phylogenetic diversity remained unchanged over the period of 2004-2014. Maps of habitat suitability were produced for each focal species. Human population density and distance to natural resources, such as water and forest bodies, were important variables for all species modelled. The information gained from this study can be used to aid the development of effective bat conservation strategies and guidelines within the urban environments of southern Brazil

    Phonon drag thermopower and weak localization

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    Previous experimental work on a two-dimensional (2D) electron gas in a Si-on-sapphire device led to the conclusion that both conductivity and phonon drag thermopower SgS^g are affected to the same relative extent by weak localization. The present paper presents further experimental and theoretical results on these transport coefficients for two very low mobility 2D electron gases in ή−\delta-doped GaAs/Gax_xAl1−x_{1-x}As quantum wells. The experiments were carried out in the temperature range 3-7K where phonon drag dominates the thermopower and, contrary to the previous work, the changes observed in the thermopower due to weak localization were found to be an order of magnitude less than those in the conductivity. A theoretical framework for phonon drag thermopower in 2D and 3D semiconductors is presented which accounts for this insensitivity of SgS^g to weak localization. It also provides transparent physical explanations of many previous experimental and theoretical results.Comment: 19 page Revtex file, 3 Postscript figur

    Effect of Cyclooxygenase(COX)-1 and COX-2 inhibition on furosemide-induced renal responses and isoform immunolocalization in the healthy cat kidney

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    BACKGROUND: The role of cyclooxygenase(COX)-1 and COX-2 in the saluretic and renin-angiotensin responses to loop diuretics in the cat is unknown. We propose in vivo characterisation of isoform roles in a furosemide model by administering non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with differing selectivity profiles: robenacoxib (COX-2 selective) and ketoprofen (COX-1 selective). RESULTS: In this four period crossover study, we compared the effect of four treatments: placebo, robenacoxib once or twice daily and ketoprofen once daily concomitantly with furosemide in seven healthy cats. For each period, urine and blood samples were collected at baseline and within 48 h of treatment starting. Plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma and urinary aldosterone concentrations, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and 24 h urinary volumes, electrolytes and eicosanoids (PGE(2), 6-keto-PGF1(α,) TxB(2)), renal injury biomarker excretions [N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and Gamma-Glutamyltransferase] were measured. Urine volume (24 h) and urinary sodium, chloride and calcium excretions increased from baseline with all treatments. Plasma creatinine increased with all treatments except placebo, whereas GFR was significantly decreased from baseline only with ketoprofen. PRA increased significantly with placebo and once daily robenacoxib and the increase was significantly higher with placebo compared to ketoprofen (10.5 ± 4.4 vs 4.9 ± 5.0 ng ml(−1) h(−1)). Urinary aldosterone excretion increased with all treatments but this increase was inhibited by 75 % with ketoprofen and 65 % with once daily robenacoxib compared to placebo. Urinary PGE(2) excretion decreased with all treatments and excretion was significantly lower with ketoprofen compared to placebo. Urinary TxB(2) excretion was significantly increased from baseline only with placebo. NAG increased from baseline with all treatments. Immunohistochemistry on post-mortem renal specimens, obtained from a different group of cats that died naturally of non-renal causes, suggested constitutive COX-1 and COX-2 co-localization in many renal structures including the macula densa (MD). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that both COX-1 and COX-2 could generate the signal from the MD to the renin secreting cells in cats exposed to furosemide. Co-localization of COX isoenzymes in MD cells supports the functional data reported here. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0598-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

    Urinary peptidome analyses for the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease in dogs

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    Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is clinically important in canine medicine. Current diagnostic tools lack sensitivity for detection of subclinical CKD. The aim of the present study was to evaluate urinary peptidome analysis for diagnosis of CKD in dogs. Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated presence of approximately 5400 peptides in dog urine. Comparison of urinary peptide abundance of dogs with and without CKD led to the identification of 133 differentially excreted peptides (adjusted P for each peptide <0.05). Sequence information was obtained for 35 of these peptides. This 35 peptide subset and the total group of 133 peptides were used to construct two predictive models of CKD which were subsequently validated by researchers masked to results in an independent cohort of 20 dogs. Both models diagnosed CKD with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.88 (95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.72–1.0). Most differentially excreted peptides represented fragments of collagen I, indicating possible association with fibrotic processes in CKD (similar to the equivalent human urinary peptide CKD model, CKD273). This first study of the urinary peptidome in dogs identified peptides that were associated with presence of CKD. Future studies are needed to validate the utility of this model for diagnosis and prediction of progression of canine CKD in a clinical setting

    Ranking ligand affinity for the DNA minor groove by experiment and simulation

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    The structural and thermodynamic basis for the strength and selectivity of the interactions of minor-groove binders (MGBs) with DNA is not fully understood. In 2003 we reported the first example of a thiazole containing MGB that bound in a phase shifted pattern that spanned 6 base-pairs rather than the usual 4 (for tricyclic distamycin-like compounds). Since then, using DNA footprinting, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry and molecular dynamics, we have established that the flanking bases around the central 4 being read by the ligand have subtle effects on recognition. We have investigated the effect of these flanking sequences on binding and the reasons for the differences and established a computational method to rank ligand affinity against varying DNA sequences

    Control over phase separation and nucleation using a laser-tweezing potential

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    Control over the nucleation of new phases is highly desirable but elusive. Even though there is a long history of crystallization engineering by varying physicochemical parameters, controlling which polymorph crystallizes or whether a molecule crystallizes or forms an amorphous precipitate is still a poorly understood practice. Although there are now numerous examples of control using laser-induced nucleation, the absence of physical understanding is preventing progress. Here we show that the proximity of a liquid–liquid critical point or the corresponding binodal line can be used by a laser-tweezing potential to induce concentration gradients. A simple theoretical model shows that the stored electromagnetic energy of the laser beam produces a free-energy potential that forces phase separation or triggers the nucleation of a new phase. Experiments in a liquid mixture using a low-power laser diode confirm the effect. Phase separation and nucleation using a laser-tweezing potential explains the physics behind non-photochemical laser-induced nucleation and suggests new ways of manipulating matter

    Flattening of Single-Particle Spectra in Strongly Correlated Electron Systems and the Violation of the Wiedemann-Franz Law

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    The renormalization of the Wiedemann-Franz (WF) ratio in strongly correlated electron systems is analyzed within the Landau quasiparticle picture. We demonstrate that the WF law is violated: (i) at the quantum critical point, where the effective mass diverges, and (ii) beyond a point of fermion condensation, where the single-particle spectrum Ï”(p)\epsilon(p) becomes flat. Results of the analysis are compared with available experimental data.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, added reference
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