Urinary Protein Concentration Research Articles

Serum and Urinary Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Concentrations in Dehydrated Horses.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 is increased in renal tissue in human kidney disease, but its role as a biomarker for kidney disease has not been fully evaluated yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum MMP-9 (sMMP-9) and urinary MMP-9 (uMMP-9) concentrations in dehydrated horses. Dehydrated horses were prospectively included. Blood and urinary samples were taken at admission, and after 12, 24, and 48 h (t0, t12, t24, t48), an anti-equine MMP-9 sandwich ELISA was used. Four healthy horses served as the controls. Serum creatinine, urea, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), urine-specific gravity, urinary protein concentration, fractional sodium excretion, and urinary gamma-glutamyl transferase/creatinine ratio (uGGT/Cr) were measured. Statistical analysis included a repeated measures ANOVA and mixed linear regression model. Overall, 40 dehydrated horses were included (mild dehydration 13/40, moderate 16/40, severe 11/40). Acute kidney injury was found in 1/40 horses; 7/40 horses showed elevated serum creatinine, 11/40 horses elevated serum SDMA, and 5/28 elevated uGGT/Cr at presentation. In dehydrated horses, sMMP-9 concentrations were significantly higher on t0 (median: 589 ng/mL, range: 172-3597 ng/mL) compared to t12 (340 ng/mL, 132-1213 ng/mL), t24 (308 ng/mL, 162-1048 ng/mL), and t48 (258 ng/mL, 130-744 ng/mL). In healthy horses, sMMP-9 (239 ng/mL, 142-508 ng/mL) showed no differences over time or compared to patients. uMMP-9 and uMMP-9/creatinine did not differ over time or to the controls. No differences were found between dehydration groups. Urinary casts (p = 0.001; estimate = 135) and uGGT/Cr (p = 0.03; estimate = 6.5) correlated with sMMP-9. Serum urea was associated with uMMP-9/Cr (p = 0.01, estimate 0.9). In conclusion, sMMP-9 was elevated at arrival in dehydrated patients compared to later measurements. Correlations to uGGT/Cr and urinary casts need further evaluation.

A Pilot Study for the Kidney Effects of Voxelotor in Sickle Cell Anemia

The kidneys are among the most commonly affected organ systems in sickle cell anemia (SCA) and an estimated 15% of deaths in patients with SCA are attributed to kidney failure (PMID 7993409). Angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers have been adopted to treat SCA-related chronic kidney disease (CKD) from the non-SCA literature, although demonstrated efficacy in SCA CKD has been marginal in a limited number of small, short-term studies (PMID 28589652). Therapies that directly target the pathophysiology of SCA-related kidney disease may stabilize or improve kidney function. Both the rate of hemolysis and the degree of anemia are associated with the development and progression of CKD in SCA (PMID 24329963, 21523807). Voxelotor inhibits hemoglobin polymerization in SCA red blood cells in the deoxygenated state, leading to a reduction in the rate of hemolysis and an increase in hemoglobin concentration. We conducted a pilot study to determine whether voxelotor can improve kidney function in adults with SCA (NCT 04335721). SCA (HbSS or HbSβ 0-thalassemia) patients ≥ 18 years old and with urine dipstick-defined hemoglobinuria (+ for blood & ≤ 2 red blood cells/high power field), CKD stage 1 or 2 (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio [ACR] ≥ 30 mg/g & estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73m 2), and hemoglobin concentrations of 5.5 - 10.5 g/dL were eligible. The eGFR was calculated using the CKD-EPI 2009 creatinine-based equation without the race coefficient and the 2012 cystatin C-based equation. Patients were randomized to voxelotor 1,500mg/day for 48 weeks or standard of care, as defined by their primary SCA provider. First or second void urines were collected for urine ACR measurements. The primary endpoint was the change in urine ACR from the mean values at baseline and screening versus the mean values at 47 and 48 week visits. One patient randomized to standard of care was started on voxelotor at week 24 by his provider to improve his hemoglobin concentration. This patient is included in the voxelotor treatment group in combined analysis; the change in laboratory measures in this patient is based upon changes from the mean of values at week 12 and 24 to week 47 and 48 visits. Median and range values are provided. Between 3/2021 and 6/2022, 8 SCA patients with hemoglobinuria and urine ACR > 30mg/g crt observed during routine clinic visits were screened and 6 met the inclusion criteria. The median age of the enrolled cohort was 36 (27 - 63) years, 4 were male, 4 were on stable doses of hydroxyurea (median dose 1000mg/day; 500 - 1500mg/day) and 2 were on stable doses of lisinopril (5, 20mg/day) for at least 90 days before screening. Two other patients had been on lisinopril in the past but developed hyperkalemia prior to enrollment. The median values of kidney function measures at screening and baseline study visits were as follows: urine ACR, 251 (32 - 3132) and 392 (80 - 3101) mg/g crt; creatinine-based eGFR, 109 (93 - 136) and 115 (88 - 137) mL/min/1.73m 2; and cystatin C-based eGFR, 82 (61 - 141) and 85 (61 - 128) mL/min/1.73m 2, respectively. SCA patients who received voxelotor (n = 4) had a median increase in hemoglobin concentration of +0.9 g/dL (-0.4 - +2.6 g/dL) and reductions in indirect bilirubin concentration of -2.2 mg/dL (0 - -4 mg/dL) and reticulocyte % of -2.7% (-1.2 - -4.9%). Urine ACR (-59%, -21% - -100%) improved in SCA patients treated with voxelotor but worsened in those who received standard of care without voxelotor (n = 2) (+86.3%, 64 - 108%) (P=0.009) (Figure 1A). 24-hour urine protein concentrations also improved in those that received voxelotor (-45%, -25% - -100%) but increased in those who did not receive voxelotor (+122%, 113 - 131%) (P = 0.002) (Figure 1B). Changes in creatinine- and cystatin-C based eGFR from baseline were not significantly different between patients who received voxelotor and those who did not. This pilot study demonstrates that SCA patients with hemoglobinuria and early stages of CKD treated with voxelotor may have significant improvements in urine ACR and proteinuria after 24 - 48 weeks of therapy. These preliminary results support the concept that improving hemolytic anemia could be a targeted therapeutic approach to reduce biomarkers of kidney dysfunction, and they warrant larger, prospective clinical studies.

Urinary extracellular vesicle dynamics in Parkinson's disease patients with urinary dysfunction.

Parkinson's disease (PD) presents with severe motor manifestations and a plethora of non-motor symptoms. Urinary dysfunctions are one of the most common non-motor symptoms of PD patients responsible for reduced quality of life. Urinary extracellular vesicles (EVs) are mostly considered to originate from the cells in the urogenital tract. In this study, we have performed urinary EV analysis in 29 PD cases with varied severity of urinary dysfunction and correlated it with the EV dynamics in 29 age-matched controls. In the studied cases, apart from urinary dysfunction, symptoms of depression, anxiety, cognitive dysfunction, sleep, and wakefulness were observed in >75% of the cases. No significant difference in urinary EV size, concentration and urinary EV protein concentration was observed between PD cases with urinary dysfunction and controls. However, a significant positive association was observed between urinary EV concentration and motor scores (p = 0.042), while no association was observed between urinary EV concentration and urinary dysfunction scores. Chronic stress induced by motor symptoms could be one of the reasons for excessive EV production in PD patients with urinary dysfunctions. Large-scale studies on the association of urinary EV dynamics with motor and non-motor symptoms may provide additional information on urinary dysfunction in PD.

SEX-SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS IN COMORBIDITY WITH HYPERTENSION

The purose of this investigation is to study individual clinical and diagnostic characteristics in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with comorbid essential hypertension (DM + HD) with consideration for sex difference. Participants and methods. We examined 41 patients with comorbidity of type 2 diabetes and hypertension (21 men and 20 women) and 30 patients without diabetes, but having a history of hypertension (14 men and 16 women) and 20 healthy individuals. Results. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP), (DBP) is significantly higher in patients with comorbidity of DM+HD compared with HD (in men, only DBP), while the heart rate did not change. The protein content in urine was below normal values that indicates an early stage of the pathological condition. Women showed a high level of creatinine compared to normal value in both groups, although this indicator is lower compared to men and is statistically significant in DM + HD. In both groups, there were high numbers of left atrium size, end diastolic size (EDS) compared to normal value, while sex differences were noted: EDS was higher in men. The increased size of left atrium directly correlated with the end-diastolic size (higher in men), the thickness of the interventricular septum (TIVS), and thickness of posterior wall (TPW) (with DM + HD, higher in men). In men with DM + HD, the E / A was lower and the thickness of the intima-media complex (IMC) of the right common carotid artery (CCA) was higher than in the HD group. There were no statistically significant differences in the state of right and left common carotid arteries. The ejection fraction was lower compared to normal values. Conclusion. In patients with diabetes mellitus + hypertension and hypertension, the semi-dimorphic differences of TIVS, TPW, E / A, IMC of right CCA can be used to predict the development of pathological process. A decrease in level of protein in urine indicates absence of proteinuria, glomerular filtration disorders, which is due to early stage of formation of DM + HD pathological state in this category of patients. Absence of changes in urea is associated with a sufficient excretory function of kidneys.

Smoker Detection Using Machine Learning

Smoking remains a persistent global public health challenge, posing severe health risks and socioeconomic burdens. Early detection of smokers is crucial for implementing targeted interventions, public health campaigns, and personalized support to mitigate smoking-related illnesses. The dataset used in this research comprises extensive information on individual health, encompassing age, height, weight, waist circumference, visual acuity in both eyes, hearing capability in both ears, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol levels (HDL, LDL, and triglycerides), haemoglobin levels, urine protein content, liver enzymes (AST, ALT, and GTP), presence of dental caries, and fasting blood sugar. Four For the smoking identification job, cutting-edge machine learning methods including logic regression, Gaussian Naive Bayes, Random Forest Classifier, and XGBoost Classifier are used. Each algorithm is tested using a variety of efficiency indicators after being trained on the data set used for training., including accuracy, ROC-AUC scores, and confusion matrices.The outcomes show the efficiency of the Random Forest Classifier, demonstrating an excellent precision of around 79.4% in correctly identifying smokers. This model outperforms the other algorithms and proves to be a robust approach for smoker detection based on the provided health parameters. Furthermore, the study delves into the interpretability of the models, analyzing the significance of different health parameters in predicting smoking behaviour. Insights gained from the feature importance analysis offer valuable guidance for public health practitioners and policymakers in designing targeted interventions.

Sex differences in FASN protein concentrations in urinary exosomes related to serum triglycerides levels in healthy adults

BackgroundDysregulation of lipid metabolism is the most prominent metabolic alteration observed in obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to explore the sex differences associated with lipid metabolism in urinary exosome proteins, and evaluate the correlation of urinary exosome proteins with serum lipid biomarkers.MethodsThe key enzymes regulating lipid metabolism in healthy adults were screened using urinary exosome data. Urinary exosomes were isolated from 120 healthy subjects and the expression of urinary proteins was assessed by Western blotting and ELISA. The correlation between urinary protein concentrations and the levels of serum lipid biomarkers was analyzed using correlation analysis.ResultsThree urinary exosome proteins, namely fatty acid synthase (FASN), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK1), and ATP-citrate synthase (ACLY) were identified, and only FASN showed sex differences. Sex differences were also observed in the serum triglyceride (TG) levels. Healthy males had higher FASN levels than females, and a moderate positive correlation was found between FASN concentrations and serum TG levels in healthy males (r = 0.479, P < 0.05). FASN concentrations in different age groups were positively correlated with the level of serum TG (18 ~ 30 years, r = 0.502; 31 ~ 44 years, r = 0.587; 45 ~ 59 years, r = 0.654; all P < 0.05). In addition, FASN concentrations was positively related to the increase in serum TG levels (range:1.0 ~ 1.7 mmol/L; r = 0.574, P < 0.05).ConclusionsSex differences were observed in urinary exosome FASN protein levels in healthy adults. FASN protein levels positively correlated with increased serum TG levels. FASN may serve as a novel biomarker to evaluate fatty acid synthesis in the human body.

Effect of Vitamin E Supplemented with Calcium in the Treatment of Hypertension During Pregnancy on Maternal and Infant Outcomes

Objective: To investigate the effect of vitamin E supplemented with calcium in the treatment of hypertension during pregnancy on maternal and infant outcomes. Methods: 60 patients with gestational hypertension admitted from January 2020 to December 2022 were recruited and randomly divided into the control group and the observation group, each group including 30 patients. The control group was given routine treatment, whereas the observation group was given routine treatment combined with vitamin E-supplemented calcium therapy, and both groups received treatment until delivery. The clinical effects of the observation group and the control group after treatment, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, urine protein, blood lipid levels at different time points (before and after treatment), and maternal and child outcomes during treatment were uniformly compared and analyzed. Results: After treatment, the total clinical effective rate (93.33%) of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (70.00%); compared with before treatment, the systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, urine protein, TC, and TG levels of the two groups were all lower after treatment, and the observation group was at a lower level; there was no significant difference in the incidence of hemorrhage (P &gt; 0.05). Conclusion: Vitamin E supplemented with calcium has a significant effect on the treatment of hypertension during pregnancy, which can help reduce blood pressure and blood lipid levels, reduce urinary protein content, improve maternal and child outcomes, and improve safety.

Progression of Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy and Serum Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) Levels

Diabetic nephropathy is an important complication that develops from diabetes mellitus. The chemotactic cytokine Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) exhibits selective binding and activation of the C-C motif Chemokine Receptor 2 (CCR2). MCP-1 has been consistently observed to play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic and diabetic renal disease in clinical settings, regardless of the different stages and phenotypes. The main goal of this study was to assess and contrast the levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) in individuals with diabetic nephropathy and those who show healthy state to examine the possibility of the usefulness of MCP-1/CCL2 as a biomarker of prognosis for early identification in patients developing albuminuria. The study involved the study of a sample of ninety patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetic nephropathy, while a control group of thirty individuals was also included for comparison purposes. The study recruited participants requesting from Baghdad and Maysan in Iraq. Urine specimens were obtained to determine the urinary protein concentration. Samples of blood and serum were collected to measure the levels of serum creatinine (s-Cr), fasting plasma glucose (F.P.G.), glycohemoglobin A1c (Hba1c) and serum MCP-1. The results of the statistical analysis indicate that there were significant differences (P &lt; 0.001) in the levels of MCP-1 between the microalbuminuric (stage 2) and macroalbuminuric (stage 3) when compared with the control group and between the stage 2 and stage 3 groups. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that MCP-1 levels may serve as biochemical indicators for disease progression of D.N.

Study on risk factors of diabetic peripheral neuropathy and establishment of a prediction model by machine learning

BackgroundDiabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common complication of diabetes. Predicting the risk of developing DPN is important for clinical decision-making and designing clinical trials.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the data of 1278 patients with diabetes treated in two central hospitals from 2020 to 2022. The data included medical history, physical examination, and biochemical index test results. After feature selection and data balancing, the cohort was divided into training and internal validation datasets at a 7:3 ratio. Training was made in logistic regression, k-nearest neighbor, decision tree, naive bayes, random forest, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) based on machine learning. The k-fold cross-validation was used for model assessment, and the accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were adopted to validate the models’ discrimination and clinical practicality. The SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) was used to interpret the best-performing model.ResultsThe XGBoost model outperformed other models, which had an accuracy of 0·746, precision of 0·765, recall of 0·711, F1-score of 0·736, and AUC of 0·813. The SHAP results indicated that age, disease duration, glycated hemoglobin, insulin resistance index, 24-h urine protein quantification, and urine protein concentration were risk factors for DPN, while the ratio between 2-h postprandial C-peptide and fasting C-peptide(C2/C0), total cholesterol, activated partial thromboplastin time, and creatinine were protective factors.ConclusionsThe machine learning approach helped established a DPN risk prediction model with good performance. The model identified the factors most closely related to DPN.

The Renoprotective Effect of Shikonin in a Rat Model of Diabetic Kidney Disease

In diabetes mellitus, diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a typical complication and pivotal cause of chronic kidney disease. The DN disease burden is among the highest in the world and is associated with high morbidity, mortality, and disease burden. Safe and effective medications are urgently needed for the treatment of DN. Interest has been increasing in Shikonin, extracted from the naphthoquinone plant, particularly in determining its renal protective effect. In this study, we explored Shikonin's effects and potential mechanisms on a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DN experimental model. An STZ-induced rat diabetic model was established, and the rats were treated with different doses of Shikonin (10/50 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Blood, urine, and renal tissue samples were collected after the last administration. Renal tissues were examined to detect each group's physiologic, biochemical, histopathologic, and molecular changes. The results showed that Shikonin administration could significantly alleviate the STZ-induced elevation of blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, urinary protein content, and renal pathologic injury. Furthermore, Shikonin significantly decreased oxidative stress, inflammation, and Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation primary response 88/nuclear factor-κB expression levels in DN kidney tissues. Shikonin showed a dose-dependent effect, with the best outcome at 50 mg/kg. Shikonin could effectively alleviate DN-related nephropathy damage and reveal the underlying pharmacologic mechanism. Based on the results, a Shikonin combination can be used in clinical treatment.

Intraindividual variations of urinary biomarkers in hospitalized children with glomerular diseases: a prospective observational study

This study aimed to assess the intraindividual variations of urinary biomarkers in hospitalized children with glomerular diseases. Hospitalized children with glomerular diseases participated in the study. For each patient, an overnight (9:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m.) urine was collected, followed by a 24-h urine (classified into four distinct periods: morning 7:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., afternoon 12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m., evening 4:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m., and overnight 9:00 p.m.–7:00 a.m.). The concentrations of protein, albumin, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were measured and normalized by three correction factors (creatinine, osmolality, or specific gravity, respectively). Additionally, the 2nd overnight urine sample was grouped into different aliquots according to centrifugation, additives, storage temperature, or delayed processing. Twenty (14 boys, 6 girls) children were enrolled, with an average age of 11.3 years. Among the three correction factors, creatinine-normalized biomarkers provided the best agreements among different periods over 24 h. There were significant diurnal variations during 24 h in the concentrations of urinary protein, albumin, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, and EGF (p = 0.001, p = 0.003, p = 0.003, and p = 0.003, respectively). Evening urine overestimated 24-h urinary protein and albumin, while overnight urine underestimated 24-h urinary albumin. Urinary EGF showed low variability within a day or between the 2 days (coefficients of variation 10.2% and 10.6%, respectively) and excellent agreements (intraclass correlation coefficients > 0.9) with 24-h urinary concentration. Furthermore, urinary EGF was not affected by centrifugation, additives, storage temperature, or delayed processing of urine samples (all p > 0.05). Conclusion: Given the diurnal variations of urinary biomarkers, urine samples should be collected during the same time period in clinical practice if possible. The results also extend the evidence for urinary EGF as a relatively stable biomarker applied in the future clinical practice.What is Known:• Urinary biomarkers have been widely used or discussed in making diagnoses and therapy regimens and estimating the prognosis of pediatric glomerular diseases. It remains unclear whether their levels would be affected by the time of sample collection, processing methods, and storage conditions in hospitalized children with glomerular diseases.What is New:• The levels of both commonly used biomarkers and novel biomarkers exhibited diurnal variations in hospitalized children with glomerular diseases.• Our results extend the evidence for urinary EGF as a relatively stable biomarker applied in the future clinical practice.

Albumin-to-protein ratio in spot urine samples for analysis of proteinuria selectivity in chronic kidney disease.

The albumin-to-creatinine ratio and total protein-to-creatinine ratio in spot urine samples have already been validated as surrogates for 24-hour albuminuria and proteinuria measurements. Thus, we hypothesized that the type of proteinuria, detected by the electrophoretic pattern of 24-hour urine, could be predicted by the simple proportion of albumin in the total urine protein content, using the albumin-to-protein ratio (APR). Our study sought to validate the use of APR as a cheaper substitute for urinary protein electrophoresis (UPE). Using different mathematical models, we compared, the albumin fraction in 24-hour urine samples by electrophoresis and the APR ratio in spot samples from 42 outpatients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A strong log-order correlation r = 0.84 (0.75-0.92; 95% CI, p = 0.001) was observed between APR and the albumin fraction in the UPE. The APR can substitute electrophoresis in CKD outpatients.

The role of β-2-microglobulin and cystatin C as urinary biomarkers of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in the setting of paediatric HIV infection

Background. Africa has the highest rate of HIV infection, and HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is one of the most frequent kidneydiseases observed in children. HIVAN in children usually presents as a form of nephrotic syndrome, predominantly focal segmentalglomerulosclerosis (FSGS) on histopathology, that often leads to chronic kidney failure.Objective. This study determined the urinary concentrations of β-2-microglobulin (β2M) and cystatin C proteins in children with HIVANand primary FSGS.Methods. The study group comprised 34 children; 14 with HIVAN and 20 with primary FSGS. The control groups were 20 HIV-positiveand 20 HIV-negative children with no kidney disease. Urine samples collected from these 74 children were stored at -80°C. Bio-Plextechnology was used to analyse the urinary protein concentration of cystatin C and β2M.Results. A significant increase in urinary β2M levels was observed in the HIVAN group compared with the HIV-negative group(p=0.0240). No other statistically significant differences in urinary β2M concentrations were noted across the study groups. Urinarycystatin C levels were significantly increased in primary FSGS children compared with both HIV-negative (p=0.0041) and HIV-positivecontrols (p=0.0256). Urinary cystatin C displayed a significant increase in the primary FSGS compared with the HIVAN group (p=0.0150).No significant differences in urinary cystatin C levels were noted in the HIVAN group compared with the HIV-negative and HIV-positivecontrol groups.Conclusion. Urinary cystatin C has promising prognostic value to predict primary FSGS from HIVAN.

Evidence for Solution-Mediated Phase Transitions in Kidney Stones: Phase Transition Exacerbates Kidney Stone Disease

In this study, we investigated calcium oxalate (CaOx) kidney stones and showed direct evidence of the solution-mediated phase transition of calcium oxalate dihydrate (COD; the metastable phase) to calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM; the stable phase). We examined the crystal phases, crystal textures, and protein distributions within thin sections of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Observation with a polarized-light microscope showed that the outline of the mosaic texture, in which COM crystals are assembled in a mosaic pattern, roughly coincides with COD’s crystallographically stable face angles. Microfocus X-ray CT measurement captured the intermediate process of the phase transition, starting inside the COD single crystal and gradually transforming to COM crystals. In addition, the distribution of osteopontin and prothrombin fragment-1, common proteins contained in urine and visualized by multicolor fluorescence immunostaining, showed no apparent striations inside the COM single crystals with the mosaic texture, although the striation is apparent inside the COD single crystals. This is probably because the phase transition of mosaic-like COM occurred in a semiclosed system inside the COD single crystal, so the effect of periodic (day–night, seasonal, etc.) urinary protein concentration changes was small. On the other hand, striations were visible in concentrically laminated COM. This indicated that concentrically laminated COM formed in response to the changes in urinary protein concentrations. From the above, we conclude that the COD single crystals and the concentrically laminated COM seen in CaOx stones are primary structures, and the mosaic COM is a secondary structure that is a pseudomorph formed by the solution-mediated phase transition from COD single crystals.

Therapeutic Effect of Triptolide Polymer Mesoscale Nanoparticles on Diabetic Nephropathy Mice

Triptolide (TP) has potential adoption value in the treatment of nephropathy, but its poor water solubility causes toxicity and side effects to various degrees in the kidney, liver, and other organs. In this research, TP-mesoscale nanoparticles (TP-MNPs) were synthesized by the amide reaction of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and methoxy polyethylene glycol amine (mPEG-NH2) as drug carrier materials. The structure of TP-MNPs was characterized by 1H NMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and zeta potential using a nanoparticle potential analyzer. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS) was utilized to determine the content of TP in TP-MNPs and calculate the entrapment rate (ER) and drug loading (DL) of TP-MNPs. The cytotoxicity of TP-MNPs was detected by CCK8. Eight mice were enrolled in Blank group (no treatment), and the other 24 model group animals were rolled into model group (DM), TP group (TP intervention), and TP-MNP group (TP-MNPs intervention) randomly, with eight mice in each group. The urine protein content, serum albumin (Alb), blood glucose (Glu), creatinine (Cre), total cholesterol (TCHO), and triglyceride (TG) contents of mice in various groups after intervention were compared. The results revealed that average diameter of MNPs was (379.6±26.44) nm, that of TP-MNPs was (424.3±56.29) nm, and average zeta potentials of TP, MNPs, and TP-MNPs were (−28.29±3.85) mV, (−15.51±1.79) mV, and (−13.45±1.81) mV, respectively. The curve changed with TP concentration. With increasing TP concentration, the ER of TP-MNPs decreased drastically, and the DL demonstrated a drastic upward trend. Furthermore, the cell activities of HK-2, NRK-52E, LO2, and AML-12 treated with TP-MNPs were higher versus TP group (P &lt;0.05). Urine protein content, body weight, renal index, serum Glu, TCHO, and TG content in the DM group were markedly superior to Blank group (P &lt;0.001), while urine protein content in TP-MNP group was considerably inferior to the DM group (P &lt;0.01). Alb and Cre in the serum of mice in DM group were substantially lower versus Blank group (P &lt;0.01), while those in TP group were lower than Blank group (P &lt;0.05). Alb and Cre in TP-MNP group were superior to DM group (P &lt;0.05). In summary, TP-MNPs prepared in this research had ideal biocompatibility, could effectively improve urinary protein, body weight, renal index, and serum biochemical indexes caused by DM, and had a certain therapeutic effect on diabetic nephropathy (DN) mice.

Comparison of proteinuria diagnostic methods in pregnant patients

Objective: This study aimed to compare spot urine protein-to-creatinine ratio and 24-hour urine methods in pregnant patients and to evaluate the accuracy of spot urine protein-to-creatinine ratio against the reference standard 24-hour urine method. Methods: This retrospective study included 399 pregnant patients diagnosed with proteinuria, gestational hypertension, or preeclampsia. Urinary protein concentrations were measured by spot dipstick urine analysis, spot urinary protein-to-creatinine, and 24-hour total proteinuria via 24-hour urine collection. The 24-hour total proteinuria measurement was accepted as the reference standard for diagnosis of proteinuria, and significant proteinuria was defined ≥300 mg of protein in the 24-hour urine collection. Results: According to the receiver operating characteristics analysis of the spot urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio measurements, the cut-off value of the protein-to-creatinine ratio method was ≥0.443 mg protein/mg creatinine, the area under the curve was 0.887, the sensitivity was 77.14%, the specificity was 87.76%, and the accuracy was 84.96%. According to the receiver operating characteristics analysis of the 24-hour total proteinuria measurements, these values were &gt;0.405 mg/day, 0.874, 82.86%, 84.64%, and 84.17%, respectively. No difference was observed between these two proteinuria methods regarding the receiver operating characteristics analysis (p=0.475). There was a strong and significant correlation between the spot urine protein-to-creatinine ratio and the 24-hour total proteinuria (r=0.842, p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Our findings revealed that there was a strong and significant correlation between the spot urine protein-to-creatinine ratio and the 24-hour total proteinuria, and it may be used as an alternative to the 24-hour total proteinuria. In addition, the spot urine protein-to-creatinine ratio is noteworthy, especially in an emergency situation in pregnant women for whom the time is limited to make a rapid clinical decision.

Iron Status Alters Murine Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

The effect of Fe status on murine systemic lupus erythematosus was investigated. Weanling female MRL/MPJ-lpr/lpr mice (systemic lupus erythematosus strain) were fed diets with the following levels (mg Fe/kg diet): 3 (severely deficient), 10 (moderately deficient), 35 (control) and 250 (supplemented). A fifth group was pair fed the control diet in the amounts consumed by the severely deficient group. C3H/Hej mice fed the same diets were used as nonlupus controls. Anemia was more severe in severely deficient mice than in all other MRL groups and C3H severely deficient mice. Incidence of skin lesions was highest in MRL severely and moderately deficient mice compared with pair-fed, control and supplemented mice. By 22 wk of age, mortality was higher in supplemented and severely deficient mice than in moderately deficient, pair-fed and control MRL mice. Anti-dsDNA activity in serum was not altered by Fe. In a second experiment, kidney function was examined in mice fed severely deficient, control, supplemented and pair-fed diets. Urine protein concentration was highest in supplemented mice at 14 wk of age. Serum urea nitrogen was significantly higher in MRL severely deficient mice than in pair-fed and control mice at 18 wk of age. Glomerular filtration rate, measured by creatinine clearance, was significantly lower in MRL severely deficient mice than in pair-fed and Fe supplemented mice at 16 wk of age and pair-fed and control mice at 18 wk of age. Renal histopathology was more severe in Fe supplemented mice than in pair-fed and control mice, and more severe in severely deficient and pair-fed mice than in control mice. Fluorescent staining of kidneys with anti-Ig G and anti-C3 fluorescein-conjugated antibodies was most intense in severely deficient mice, and the concentration of circulating immune complexes in serum was significantly higher in severely deficient mice than in all other groups. These data demonstrate that systemic lupus erythematosus in MRL/MPJ-lpr/lpr mice is altered by dietary iron.

Akte-Liquid: Acoustic-based Liquid Identification with Smartphones

Liquid identification plays an essential role in our daily lives. However, existing RF sensing approaches still require dedicated hardware such as RFID readers and UWB transceivers, which are not readily available to most users. In this article, we propose Akte-Liquid, which leverages the speaker on smartphones to transmit acoustic signals, and the microphone on smartphones to receive reflected signals to identify liquid types and analyze the liquid concentration. Our work arises from the acoustic intrinsic impedance property of liquids, in that different liquids have different intrinsic impedance, causing reflected acoustic signals of liquids to differ. Then, we discover that the amplitude-frequency feature of reflected signals may be utilized to represent the liquid feature. With this insight, we propose new mechanisms to eliminate the interference caused by hardware and multi-path propagation effects to extract the liquid features. In addition, we design a new Siamese network-based structure with a specific training sample selection mechanism to reconstruct the extracted feature to container-irrelevant features. Our experimental evaluations demonstrate that Akte-Liquid is able to distinguish 20 types of liquids at a higher accuracy, and to identify food additives and measure protein concentration in the artificial urine with a 92.3% accuracy under 1 mg/100 mL as well.

Terahertz spectra of proteinuria and non-proteinuria.

In clinical practice, proteinuria detection is of great significance in the diagnosis of kidney diseases. Dipstick analysis is used in most outpatient settings to semi-quantitatively measure the urine protein concentration. However, this method has limitations for protein detection, and alkaline urine or hematuria will cause false positive results. Recently, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) with strong hydrogen bonding sensitivity has been proven to be able to distinguish different types of biological solutions, which means that protein molecules in urine may have different THz spectral characteristics. In this study, we performed a preliminary clinical study investigating the terahertz spectra of 20 fresh urine samples (non-proteinuria and proteinuria). The results showed that the concentration of urine protein was positively correlated with the absorption of THz spectra at 0.5-1.2THz. At 1.0 THz, the pH values (6, 7, 8, and 9) had no significant effect on the THz absorption spectra of urine proteins. The terahertz absorption of proteins with a high molecular weight (albumin) was greater than that of proteins with a low molecular weight (β2-microglobulin) at the same concentration. Overall, THz-TDS spectroscopy for the qualitative detection of proteinuria is not affected by pH and has the potential to discriminate between albumin and β2-microglobulin in urine.

Pristane cadmium chloride nanoemulsion accelerates the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus in a C57BL/6 mouse model.

To accelerate the onset of systemic lupus erythematosus in C57BL/6 mice by injecting cadmium chloride nanoemulsion and shorten the traditional modeling time. Pristane cadmium chloride nanoemulsion was prepared, and 66 C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups. The pristane group was intraperitoneally injected with 0.6mL of pristane blank nanoemulsion, the model group was injected with 0.6mL of pristane cadmium chloride nanoemulsion, the Cadmium chloride control group was injected with 0.6mL of cadmium chloride nanoemulsion, and the control group was injected with the same amount of 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Urine protein content, anti-dsDNA antibody content, Th1 cell/Th2 cell ratio, and kidney staining were detected in each group. The model group began to develop disease in the 4th week, the anti-dsDNA antibody level reached 566.71 ± 1.44ng/L, and the proteinuria reached 245.38 ± 30.54ng/mL. The model group showed an onset at least 5 weeks earlier than that in the pristane group. There was no significant difference in anti-dsDNA antibody content between Cadmium chloride control group and blank group. At the 12th week, the Th1/Th2 cell ratio in the model group significantly decreased, and the pathological changes in the kidneys were consistent with the typical manifestations of lupus in mouse models. These results suggest that cadmium chloride promotes earlier onset of pristane-induced systemic lupus erythematosus in a C57BL/6 mouse model.