[Blog] Refugee rights at further risk as the immigration and asylum ‘advice drought’ grows

A new report from the University of Sussex Migration Law clinic exposes the lack of legal provision for immigration advice and representation in Brighton and Hove

Aortic calcification and femoral bone density are independently associated with left ventricular mass in patients with chronic kidney disease

Background Vascular calcification and reduced bone density are prevalent in chronic kidney disease and linked to increased cardiovascular risk. The mechanism is unknown. We assessed the relationship between vascular calcification, femoral bone density and left ventricular mass in patients with stage 3 non-diabetic chronic kidney disease in a cross-sectional observational study. Methodology and Principal Findings A total of 120 patients were recruited (54% male, mean age 55±14 years, mean glomerular filtration rate 50±13 ml/min/1.73 m2). Abdominal aortic calcification was assessed using lateral lumbar spine radiography and was present in 48%. Mean femoral Z-score measured using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry was 0.60±1.06. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine left ventricular mass. One patient had left ventricular hypertrophy. Subjects with aortic calcification had higher left ventricular mass compared to those without (56±16 vs. 48±12 g/m2, P = 0.002), as did patients with femoral Z-scores below zero (56±15 vs. 49±13 g/m2, P = 0.01). In univariate analysis presence of aortic calcification correlated with left ventricular mass (r = 0.32, P = 0.001); mean femoral Z-score inversely correlated with left ventricular mass (r = −0.28, P = 0.004). In a multivariate regression model that included presence of aortic calcification, mean femoral Z-score, gender and 24-hour systolic blood pressure, 46% of the variability in left ventricular mass was explained (P<0.001). Conclusions In patients with stage 3 non-diabetic chronic kidney disease, lower mean femoral Z-score and presence of aortic calcification are independently associated with increased left ventricular mass. Further research exploring the pathophysiology that underlies these relationships is warranted

The 6G Computing Continuum (6GCC): Meeting the 6G computing challenges

6G systems, such as Large Intelligent Surfaces, will require distributed, complex, and coordinated decisions throughout a very heterogeneous and cell free infrastructure. This will require a fundamentally redesigned software infrastructure accompanied by massively distributed and heterogeneous computing resources, vastly different from current wireless networks.To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose and motivate the concept of a 6G Computing Continuum (6GCC) and two research testbeds, to advance the rate and quality of research. 6G Computing Continuum is an end-to-end computeand software platform for realizing large intelligent surfaces and its tenant users and applications. One for addressing the challenges or orchestrating shared computational resources in the wireless domain, implemented on a Large Intelligent Surfaces testbed. Another simulation-based testbed is intended to address scalability and global-scale orchestration challenges

Developing a cost-free legal advice service for asylum seekers and migrants in Brighton and Hove

In 2018, a team of University of Sussex undergraduate law students working under the supervision of academic staff, conducted the Migration Law Clinic Pilot Study. This was in response to growing and grave concerns about the lack of availability of legal support and services for those seeking asylum and other forms of leave to remain in the UK. These concerns have only heightened in the intervening period: most recently, in response to the government’s publication of a draft Bill of Rights to repeal and replace the Human Rights Act 1998, which would make it much more difficult for potential deportees to rely on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent removal and might have a wider impact on the rights and status of vulnerable groups of migrants in the UK; and, among other initiatives, the government’s intention to involuntarily relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda, which will then be responsible for processing the asylum claim and for providing asylum in successful cases. The purposes of the study were: i) To better understand some of the challenges faced by asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants living in Brighton and Hove when applying for asylum, and other forms of leave to remain and leave to enter. ii) To identify the extent and reasons for any shortfall in cost-free immigration and asylum law advice and representation in Brighton and Hove. iii) To gauge whether there was demand for additional free legal advice in the form of a university law clinic, specialising in immigration and asylum law. The team undertook a review of the legal framework that governs the provision of legal aid for immigration and asylum law matters and of relevant academic commentary on its impact. The team also gathered new empirical data based on interviews with a range of local stakeholders. This report sets out the team’s findings, describes how it informed the development of the clinic, and makes recommendations both for the further development of the Clinic and for changes to the provision of legal aid. Finally, it offers advice to other universities contemplating setting up their own clinic in this area

Aortic Calcification and Femoral Bone Density Are Independently Associated with Left Ventricular Mass in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Background Vascular calcification and reduced bone density are prevalent in chronic kidney disease and linked to increased cardiovascular risk. The mechanism is unknown. We assessed the relationship between vascular calcification, femoral bone density and left ventricular mass in patients with stage 3 non-diabetic chronic kidney disease in a cross-sectional observational study. Methodology and Principal Findings A total of 120 patients were recruited (54% male, mean age 55±14 years, mean glomerular filtration rate 50±13 ml/min/1.73 m2). Abdominal aortic calcification was assessed using lateral lumbar spine radiography and was present in 48%. Mean femoral Z-score measured using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry was 0.60±1.06. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine left ventricular mass. One patient had left ventricular hypertrophy. Subjects with aortic calcification had higher left ventricular mass compared to those without (56±16 vs. 48±12 g/m2, P = 0.002), as did patients with femoral Z-scores below zero (56±15 vs. 49±13 g/m2, P = 0.01). In univariate analysis presence of aortic calcification correlated with left ventricular mass (r = 0.32, P = 0.001); mean femoral Z-score inversely correlated with left ventricular mass (r = −0.28, P = 0.004). In a multivariate regression model that included presence of aortic calcification, mean femoral Z-score, gender and 24-hour systolic blood pressure, 46% of the variability in left ventricular mass was explained (P<0.001). Conclusions In patients with stage 3 non-diabetic chronic kidney disease, lower mean femoral Z-score and presence of aortic calcification are independently associated with increased left ventricular mass. Further research exploring the pathophysiology that underlies these relationships is warranted

Effect of a reduction in glomerular filtration rate after nephrectomy on arterial stiffness and central hemodynamics: rationale and design of the EARNEST study

Background: There is strong evidence of an association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease. To date, however, proof that a reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a causative factor in cardiovascular disease is lacking. Kidney donors comprise a highly screened population without risk factors such as diabetes and inflammation, which invariably confound the association between CKD and cardiovascular disease. There is strong evidence that increased arterial stiffness and left ventricular hypertrophy and fibrosis, rather than atherosclerotic disease, mediate the adverse cardiovascular effects of CKD. The expanding practice of live kidney donation provides a unique opportunity to study the cardiovascular effects of an isolated reduction in GFR in a prospective fashion. At the same time, the proposed study will address ongoing safety concerns that persist because most longitudinal outcome studies have been undertaken at single centers and compared donor cohorts with an inappropriately selected control group.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Hypotheses: The reduction in GFR accompanying uninephrectomy causes (1) a pressure-independent increase in aortic stiffness (aortic pulse wave velocity) and (2) an increase in peripheral and central blood pressure.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Methods: This is a prospective, multicenter, longitudinal, parallel group study of 440 living kidney donors and 440 healthy controls. All controls will be eligible for living kidney donation using current UK transplant criteria. Investigations will be performed at baseline and repeated at 12 months in the first instance. These include measurement of arterial stiffness using applanation tonometry to determine pulse wave velocity and pulse wave analysis, office blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and a series of biomarkers for cardiovascular and bone mineral disease.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt; Conclusions: These data will prove valuable by characterizing the direction of causality between cardiovascular and renal disease. This should help inform whether targeting reduced GFR alongside more traditional cardiovascular risk factors is warranted. In addition, this study will contribute important safety data on living kidney donors by providing a longitudinal assessment of well-validated surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease, namely, blood pressure and arterial stiffness. If any adverse effects are detected, these may be potentially reversed with the early introduction of targeted therapy. This should ensure that kidney donors do not come to long-term harm and thereby preserve the ongoing expansion of the living donor transplant program.&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt