Galectin-8 counteracts folic acid-induced acute kidney injury and prevents its transition to fibrosis.

Acute kidney injury (AKI), characterized by a sudden decline in kidney function involving tubular damage and epithelial cell death, can lead to progressive tissue fibrosis and chronic kidney disease due to interstitial fibroblast activation and tissue repair failures that lack direct treatments. After an AKI episode, surviving renal tubular cells undergo cycles of dedifferentiation, proliferation and redifferentiation while fibroblast activity increases and then declines to avoid an exaggerated extracellular matrix deposition. Appropriate tissue recovery versus pathogenic fibrotic progression depends on fine-tuning all these processes. Identifying endogenous factors able to affect any of them may offer new therapeutic opportunities to improve AKI outcomes. Galectin-8 (Gal-8) is an endogenous carbohydrate-binding protein that is secreted through an unconventional mechanism, binds to glycosylated proteins at the cell surface and modifies various cellular activities, including cell proliferation and survival against stress conditions. Here, using a mouse model of AKI induced by folic acid, we show that pre-treatment with Gal-8 protects against cell death, promotes epithelial cell redifferentiation and improves renal function. In addition, Gal-8 decreases fibroblast activation, resulting in less expression of fibrotic genes. Gal-8 added after AKI induction is also effective in maintaining renal function against damage, improving epithelial cell survival. The ability to protect kidneys from injury during both pre- and post-treatments, coupled with its anti-fibrotic effect, highlights Gal-8 as an endogenous factor to be considered in therapeutic strategies aimed at improving renal function and mitigating chronic pathogenic progression.

Mucilage extracted from Chilean papaya seeds is enriched with homogalacturonan domains.

Chilean papaya, also known as mountain papaya (Vasconcellea pubescens), is a fruit valued for its nutritional value and pleasant fragrance. The oblong fruit, featuring five ridges and a seed-filled mucilage cavity, is typically consumed cooked due to its high protease content. The mucilage and the seeds are usually discarded as byproducts. This study analyzed the biochemical composition of mountain papaya seed mucilage using methods such as HPAEC and immunolabeling. Results revealed that papaya seeds yield nearly 20% of their weight in mucilage polysaccharides, which can be separated into soluble and adherent layers. The mucilage exhibited a high proportion of acidic sugars, indicating that homogalacturonan (HG) is the predominant domain. It also contained other domains like rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) and hemicelluloses, predominantly xyloglucan. The HG-rich mucilage, currently considered waste, emerges as a promising source of polysaccharides, indicating its multifaceted utility in various industrial applications.

Concordance between two models of stratification for patients living with HIV infection to providing pharmaceutical care. / [Artículo traducido] Concordancia entre 2 modelos de estratificación de pacientes que viven con el VIH para la prestación de atención farmacéutica.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the degree of agreement of two differents stratification models for pharmaceutical care to people living with HIV. METHODS: This was a single-centre observational prospective cohort study of patients with regular follow-up in pharmaceutical care consultations according to the Capacity-Motivation-Opportunity methodology, conducted between January 1st and March 31th, 2023. Patients received the pharmacotherapeutic interventions applied routinely to ambulatory care patients according to this model. As part of the usual clinical practice, the presence or absence of the variables that apply to both stratification models were collected. The scores obtained and the corresponding stratification level were collected for each patient according to both stratification models published (ST-2017 and ST-2022). To analyze the reliability between the measurements of two numerical score models of the stratification level with both tools, their degree of concordance was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Likewise, reliability was also evaluated from a qualitative perspective by means of Cohen's Kappa coefficient. Additionally, the existence of correlation between the scores of the two models was assessed by calculating Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Of the total of 758 patients being followed in the cohort, finally, 233 patients were enrolled. The distribution of patients for each stratification model was: ST-2017: 59.7% level-3, 25.3% level-2 and 15.0% level-1, while for ST-2022: 60.9% level-3, 26.6% level-2 and 12.4% level-1. It was observed that the reclassification was symmetrical (p=0.317). The qualitative analysis of the agreement between the models showed a good Cohen's kappa value, (K=0.66). A value of 0.563 was found as the intraclass correlation coefficient. Finally, the correlation analysis between the quantitative scores of the two models yielded a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.86. CONCLUSIONS: The concordance between the two models was good, which confirms that the multidimensional adaptation and simplification of the model were correct and that its use can be extended in routine clinical practice.

Concordance between two models of stratification for patients living with HIV infection to providing pharmaceutical care.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the degree of agreement of 2 differents stratification models for pharmaceutical care to people living with HIV. METHODS: This was a single-center observational prospective cohort study of patients with regular follow-up in pharmaceutical care consultations according to the Capacity-Motivation-Opportunity methodology, conducted between January 1 and March 31, 2023. Patients received the pharmacotherapeutic interventions applied routinely to ambulatory care patients according to this model. As part of the usual clinical practice, the presence or absence of the variables that apply to both stratification models were collected. The scores obtained and the corresponding stratification level were collected for each patient according to both stratification models published (ST-2017 and ST-2022). To analyze the reliability between the measurements of 2 numerical score models of the stratification level with both tools, their degree of concordance was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Likewise, reliability was also evaluated from a qualitative perspective by means of Cohen's Kappa coefficient. Additionally, the existence of correlation between the scores of the 2 models was assessed by calculating Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Of the total of 758 patients being followed in the cohort, finally, 233 patients were enrolled. The distribution of patients for each stratification model was: ST-2017: 59.7% level-3, 25.3% level-2, and 15.0% level-1, while for ST-2022: 60.9% level-3, 26.6% level-2, and 12.4% level-1. It was observed that the reclassification was symmetrical (P=.317). The qualitative analysis of the agreement between the models showed a good Cohen's kappa value, (K=0.66). A value of 0.563 was found as the intraclass correlation coefficient. Finally, the correlation analysis between the quantitative scores of the 2 models yielded a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.86. CONCLUSIONS: The concordance between the 2 models was good, which confirms that the multidimensional adaptation and simplification of the model were correct and that its use can be extended in routine clinical practice.

Ultrasound Criteria and Baker Scale for Breast Implant Capsular Contracture Diagnosis.

Due to the subjectivity of the Baker scale in grading capsular contracture (CC), an objective and reproducible measurement tool is necessary to estimate the presence and grade of CC in patients with breast implants. This study aimed to assess the capacity of breast ultrasonography to identify CCs using the Baker grading system. Methods: This study included patients who underwent breast augmentation with implants or implant-based breast reconstruction. Patient demographics, surgical type, and ultrasonographic variables were analyzed. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine differences between means, and the Fisher exact test was used for binary variables. Results: A total of 21 patients (28 breasts) with smooth surface implants were included. In total, 39.2% of breasts had a score of Baker I, 25% had Baker II, 17.9% had Baker III, and 17.9% had Baker IV. When comparing breasts graded Baker I to IV, a mean capsule thickness of 0.6 ± 0.2, 1.0 ± 0.53, 1.68 ± 0.99, and 1.52 ± 0.46 mm, respectively, was shown (P = 0.0044). The breast implant deformity variable was significantly different between Baker grades I to IV (0.0218). Finally, Baker III and IV categories were five times more likely to have abnormal wrinkles than Baker I and II (odds ratio, 5.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.82-33.45; P = 0.0496). Conclusion: Ultrasound is a useful tool for evaluating the presence of augmented thickness, implant shape deformity, and abnormal wrinkles of the implant shell in correlation with the severity of CC.

Beam shaping for laser-based adaptive optics in astronomy.

The availability and performance of laser-based adaptive optics (AO) systems are strongly dependent on the power and quality of the laser beam before being projected to the sky. Frequent and time-consuming alignment procedures are usually required in the laser systems with free-space optics to optimize the beam. Despite these procedures, significant distortions of the laser beam have been observed during the first two years of operation of the Gemini South multi-conjugate adaptive optics system (GeMS). A beam shaping concept with two deformable mirrors is investigated in order to provide automated optimization of the laser quality for astronomical AO. This study aims at demonstrating the correction of quasi-static aberrations of the laser, in both amplitude and phase, testing a prototype of this two-deformable mirror concept on GeMS. The paper presents the results of the preparatory study before the experimental phase. An algorithm to control amplitude and phase correction, based on phase retrieval techniques, is presented with a novel unwrapping method. Its performance is assessed via numerical simulations, using aberrations measured at GeMS as reference. The results predict effective amplitude and phase correction of the laser distortions with about 120 actuators per mirror and a separation of 1.4 m between the mirrors. The spot size is estimated to be reduced by up to 15% thanks to the correction. In terms of AO noise level, this has the same benefit as increasing the photon flux by 40%.