Serum Creatinine: Not So Simple!

peer reviewedMeasuring serum creatinine is cheap and commonly done in daily practice. However, interpretation of serum creatinine results is not always easy. In this review, we will briefly remind the physiological limitations of serum creatinine due notably to its tubular secretion and the influence of muscular mass or protein intake on its concentration. We mainly focus on the analytical limitations of serum creatinine, insisting on important concept such as reference intervals, standardization (and IDMS traceability), analytical interferences, analytical coefficient of variation (CV), biological CV and critical difference. Because the relationship between serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate is hyperbolic, all these CVs will impact not only the precision of serum creatinine but still more the precision of different creatinine-based equations, especially in low or normal-low creatinine levels (or high or normal-high glomerular filtration rate range)

Candida albicans biofilm formation on peptide functionalized polydimethylsiloxane

In order to prevent biofilm formation by Candida albicans, several cationic peptides were covalently bound to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The salivary peptide histatin 5 and two synthetic variants (Dhvar 4 and Dhvar 5) were used to prepare peptide functionalized PDMS using 4-azido-2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-benzoic acid (AFB) as an interlinkage molecule. In addition, polylysine-, polyarginine-, and polyhistidine-PDMS surfaces were prepared. Dhvar 4 functionalized PDMS yielded the highest reduction of the number of C. albicans biofilm cells in the Modified Robbins Device. Amino acid analysis demonstrated that the amount of peptide immobilized on the modified disks was in the nanomole range. Poly-d-lysine PDMS, in particular the homopeptides with low molecular weight (2500 and 9600) showed the highest activity against C. albicans biofilms, with reductions of 93% and 91%, respectively. The results indicate that the reductions are peptide dependent

Data and knowledge manangement in field studies A case for semantic technologies

Ship design is a knowledge-intensive industry. To design safe ship systems for demanding operations, there is an increasing need for comprehensive knowledge of the operational context. Field studies is an important source of relevant knowledge, but current methods and information systems do not realise their full potential. In this paper, we discuss how the field data can be modelled semantically, integrated with relevant domain models, and be more effectively made available to the organisation. We propose a data model and a software architecture to facilitate the collaborative data analysis and modelling process favoured by designers

Factors Affecting Performance on an Army Urban Operation Casualty Evacuation for Male and Female Soldiers

Introduction: This study was conducted to determine what physical and physiological characteristics contribute to the performance of an urban operation casualty evacuation (UO) and its predictive test, FORCE combat (FC) and describe the metabolic demand of the UO in female soldiers. Methods: Seventeen military members (9 M and 8 F) completed a loaded walking maximal aerobic test, the UO and FC. Heart rate reserve (HRR) and completion time were used as efficiency/performance measures. Oxygen consumption (VO2) was directly measured for UO on five female participants with a portable indirect calorimetry system, and analysed using descriptive statistics. Stepwise multiple regression analysis were used to determine the contribution of the non-modifiable (age, sex, height) and modifiable characteristics (lean body mass to dead mass ratio (LBM:DM), VO2max corrected for load (L.VO2max), peak force (PF) measured on an isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) and medicine ball chest throw distance (Dist) on to the performance of each exercise. Results: LBM:DM and PF were the only factors included in the stepwise regression model for UO, predicting 70% of UO performance (p<0.01). For FC, L.VO2max only was included in the stepwise regression model predicting 54% of FC performance (p<0.01). Sex, age and height were not included in the regression model. The average metabolic cost of UO was 21.4 mL of O2*kg-1*min-1 in female soldiers while wearing PPE Conclusion: This study showed that modifiable factors such as body composition, PF on IMTP and L.VO2max are key contributors to performance on UO and FC performance

Three cities – Lyon, Munich, Vienna – will be SMARTER TOGETHER

In September 2015, the cities of Lyon, Munich and Vienna and 28 partners from research and industry were awarded funding for a joint project proposal within the European „Smart City and Communities“ intiative. Under the headline „SMARTER TOGETHER“, the consortium applied for a volume of 25 Mio. EUR for the implementation of „smart“ and innovative actions in the three partner cities and for cooperation with three so called follower cities – Santiago de Compostela, Sofia und Venice. The requested funding is available as part of the EU-framework programme for research and innovation „Horizon 2020“. The funding is provided to support the implementation and testing of innovative Smart City solutions for low energy districts on a large scale and in an integrated way: Extensive energetic renewal of existing housing stock with (in Lyon and Munich) multi-faceted ownership structures, user-centered sustainable mobility solutions, innovative business models, generation of renewable energy and multiple use of infrastructure through the use of information- and communication technology (ICT). The overall aim is to improve the quality of life in neighbourhoods and to create more sustainable and user-friendly living environments. A particular focus will be on „smart“ and active forms of participation of citizens. The timeframe for the project roll-out is three years (2016-2018) followed by two years of monitoring and evaluation (2019-2020). Thereafter, successful solutions and findings are to be replicated in other districts and cities for further added value. Here, the follower cities Santiago de Compostela, Sofia and Venice as well as the European city network Energy Cities will play an important role. The projects will be implemented in close cooperation between industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, municipal companies, citizens and other interested stakeholders. The EU commission lauded the right balance between innovative technologies and the social dimension of the project: smart and integrated solutions shall improve the quality of life of citizens. The main challenge of Smarter Together is related to the so-called co-creation approach. All involved cities, research institutes and industrial partners as well as external stakeholders seek to jointly create solutions and methodologies for innovative and replicable city development, based on lessons learned and strong knowledge exchange. Therefore the project defrined a complex iterative peer-to-peer process, allowing for a constant knowledge exchange among all affected stakeholders

Mitochondria in parasitic plants

Plant mitochondrial genomes are renowned for their structural complexity, extreme variation in size and mutation rates, and ability to incorporate foreign DNA. Parasitic flowering plants are no exception, and the close association between parasite and host may even enhance the likelihood of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between them. Recent studies on mistletoes (Viscum) have revealed that these parasites have lost an exceptional number of mitochondrial genes, including all complex I genes of the respiratory chain. At the same time, an altered respiratory pathway has been demonstrated. Here we review the current understanding of mitochondrial evolution in parasitic plants with a special emphasis on HGT to and from parasite mitochondrial genomes, as well as the uniquely altered mitochondria in Viscum and related plants. © 2020 The Author

The rise and fall of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity during ecosystem retrogression

(P) limitation of primary productivity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) enhance P acquisition for most terrestrial plants, but it has been suggested that this strategy becomes less effective in strongly weathered soils with extremely low P availability. Using next generation sequencing of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene in roots and soil, we compared the composition and diversity of AMF communities in three contrasting stages of a retrogressive >2-million-year dune chronosequence in a global biodiversity hotspot. This chronosequence shows a ~60-fold decline in total soil P concentration,with the oldest stage representing some of the most severely P-impoverishedsoils found in any terrestrial ecosystem. The richness of AMF operationaltaxonomic units was low on young (1000?s of years), moderately P-rich soils, greatest on relatively old (~120 000 years) low-P soils, and low again on the oldest (>2 000 000 years) soils that were lowest in P availability. A similar decline in AMF phylogenetic diversity on the oldest soils occurred, despite invariant host plant diversity and only small declines in host cover along the chronosequence. Differences in AMF community composition were greatest between the youngest and the two oldest soils, and this was best explained by differences in soil P concentrations. Our results point to a threshold in soil P availability during ecosystem regression below which AMF diversity declines, suggesting environmental filtering of AMF insufficiently adapted to extremely low P availability.Fil: Kruger, Manuela. Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic; República ChecaFil: Teste, Francois. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico San Luis; Argentina. University of Western Australia; Australia. Universidad Nacional de San Luis; ArgentinaFil: Laliberté, Etienne. University of Western Australia; Australia. Universit e de Montr eal; CanadáFil: Lambers, Hans. University of Western Australia; AustraliaFil: Coghlan, Megan. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; PanamáFil: Zemunik, Graham. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; PanamáFil: Bunce, Michael. Curtin University; Australi