RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true

Effects of acrolein, a natural occurring aldehyde, on the anticoagulant serpin antithrombin

AbstractWe studied the effect of acrolein, an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde that causes adduct-modification of lysine, cysteine, and histidine residues, on antithrombin, a key anticoagulant serpin. Intrinsic fluorescence, functionality (anti-FXa and anti-IIa activity), heparin affinity and conformational features of plasma and purified antithrombin were evaluated. In vivo experiments were carried out in mice. Intrinsic fluorescence showed a two-step conformational change. Acrolein, even at low dose, impaired the anticoagulant function of purified antithrombin by affecting its heparin affinity. However, higher concentrations of acrolein and long incubations are required to cause mild functional effects on plasma antithrombin and mice

Estimativa do índice de área foliar e da produtividade de pepino em meio protegido - cultivos de inverno e de verão

Avaliou-se, semanalmente, ao longo do ciclo da cultura de pepino (variedade Hokuho), a área foliar (AF), o índice de área foliar (IAF) e a produtividade (P) em ciclos de outono-inverno e primavera-verão, dentro e fora de casa de vegetação. Os modelos foram gerados através de equações polinomiais de 3a e 4a ordem, tendo como variável dependente o número de semanas após o transplante (SAT) e o IAF; já o ciclo de outono-inverno iniciou-se em 13/05/98, com duração de 18 semanas, para o qual foram obtidos os seguintes modelos: IAFint= 0,869 - 0,73x + 0,18x² - 0,008x³ (R² = 0,964, SD = 0,403) e, IAFext= 0,974 - 1,015x + 0,288x² - 0,024x³ + 0,000584x4 (R² = 0,940, SD = 0,211) em que "x" representa o número de semanas após o transplante. O ciclo de verão, teve início em 10/11/98, com duração de 14 semanas, para o qual foram obtidos os seguintes modelos: IAFint= 2,619 - 3,913x + 1,515x² - 0,161x³ + 0,005x4 (R² = 0,959, SD = 0,642); IAFext= 3,807 - 4,893x + 1,635x² - 0,161x³ + 0,005x4 (R² = 0,968, SD = 0,597). Relacionando-se IAF com produtividade, obtiveram-se os seguintes modelos: ciclo de inverno - Pint = 0,426 . e0,364.IAF e Pext = 0,133 . e0,887.IAF; ciclo de verão - Pint = 0,4297 . e0,360.IAF e Pext = 0,4597 . e0,322.IAF, podendo-se estimar, com boa precisão, o valor do IAF e da produtividade da cultura de pepino (variedade Hokuho) a partir do número de semanas após o transplante.In this work, the growth parameters (leaf area - LA, leaf area index - LAI and productivity - P) of cucumber variety Hokuho during winter and summer periods were studied under greenhouse (120 mm polyethylene cover) and field conditions. The winter cycle began on May 13, 1998 and the crop growth period was eighteen weeks. In this case, the models obtained were: LAIint= 0.869 - 0.73x + 0.18x² - 0.008x³ (R² = 0.964, SD = 0.403) and LAIext= 0.974 -1.015x + 0.288x² - 0.024x³ + 0.000584x4 (R² = 0.940, SD = 0.211), where x represent weeks after transplant. In the summer period, the transplant date was November 10, 1998 and the crop growth period was fourteen weeks. The models obtained were: LAIint = 2.619 - 3.13x + 1.515x² - 0.161x³ + 0.005x4 (R² = 0.959, SD = 0.642) and LAIext= 3.807 - 4.893x + 1.635x² - 0.161x³ + 0.005x4 (R² = 0.968, SD = 0.597). The relationships between leaf area index and productivity was explained by the following models: Pint = 0.426 . e0.364.LAI and Pext = 0.133 . e0.887.LAI (winter); Pint = 0.4297 . e0.360.LAI e Pext = 0.4597 . e0.322.LAI (summer). These models may be used to estimate leaf area index and yield of cucumber crop, variety Hokuho, from the data on weeks after transplant and LAI