Outcomes of COVID­19 in hospitalized kidney and liver transplant recipients: a single­center experience.

Introduction: Solid organ transplant recipients seem to be more susceptible to severe COVID-19. Objectives: Our study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in kidney (KTRs) and liver transplant recipients (LTRs). Patients and methods: In this single-center study, the medical records of KTRs and LTRs with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 admitted between November 9, 2020 and February 26, 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Overall, 41 patients, including 32 KTRs (78%), one kidney-pancreas transplant recipient (2.4%), and 8 LTRs (19.5%) were included. Seven patients (17%) experienced COVID-19 in the first month after transplantation. Among the KTRs, 72% were male and the median (interquartile range) age was 54 (47­62) years. During a median (interquartile range) of 12 (8­18) days of hospital stay, 72.7% of the KTRs experienced acute kidney injury, 45.5% developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and 30.3% died. Baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate, respiratory rate on admission, and diabetes mellitus constituted independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality in the KTRs. The LTRs experienced relatively mild COVID-19: only 2 patients (25%) required oxygen supplementation and a single patient (12.5%) died of severe ARDS. Conclusion: In summary, hospitalized KTRs with COVID-19 are at a high risk of acute kidney injury, ARDS, and death.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling in renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) incidence is highest in highly developed countries and it is the seventh most common neoplasm diagnosed. RCC management include nephrectomy and targeted therapies. Type 1 insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) pathway plays an important role in cell proliferation and apoptosis resistance. IGF-1 and insulin share overlapping downstream signaling pathways in normal and cancer cells. IGF-1 receptor (IGF1R) stimulation may promote malignant transformation promoting cell proliferation, dedifferentiation and inhibiting apoptosis. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients with IGF1R overexpression have 70 % increased risk of death compared to patients who had tumors without IGF1R expression. IGF1R signaling deregulation may results in p53, WT, BRCA1, VHL loss of function. RCC cells with high expression of IGF1R are more resistant to chemotherapy than cells with low expression. Silencing of IGF1R increase the chemosensitivity of ccRCC cells and the effect is greater in VHL mutated cells. Understanding the role of IGF-1 signaling pathway in RCC may result in development of new targeted therapeutic interventions. First preclinical attempts with anti-IGF-1R monoclonal antibodies or fragment antigen-binding (Fab) fragments alone or in combination with an mTOR inhibitor were shown to inhibit in vitro growth and reduced the number of colonies formed by of RCC cells.

Differential regulation of serum microRNA expression by HNF1ß and HNF1α transcription factors.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) under transcriptional control of the HNF1ß transcription factor, and investigate whether its effect manifests in serum. METHODS: The Polish cohort (N = 60) consisted of 11 patients with HNF1B-MODY, 17 with HNF1A-MODY, 13 with GCK-MODY, an HbA1c-matched type 1 diabetic group (n = 9) and ten healthy controls. Replication was performed in 61 clinically-matched British patients mirroring the groups in the Polish cohort. The Polish cohort underwent miRNA serum level profiling with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) arrays to identify differentially expressed miRNAs. Validation was performed using qPCR. To determine whether serum content reflects alterations at a cellular level, we quantified miRNA levels in a human hepatocyte cell line (HepG2) with small interfering RNA knockdowns of HNF1α or HNF1ß. RESULTS: Significant differences (adjusted p < 0.05) were noted for 11 miRNAs. Five of them differed between HNF1A-MODY and HNF1B-MODY, and, amongst those, four (miR-24, miR-27b, miR-223 and miR-199a) showed HNF1B-MODY-specific expression levels in the replication group. In all four cases the miRNA expression level was lower in HNF1B-MODY than in all other tested groups. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves ranged from 0.79 to 0.86, with sensitivity and specificity reaching 91.7% (miR-24) and 82.1% (miR-199a), respectively. The cellular expression pattern of miRNA was consistent with serum levels, as all were significantly higher in HNF1α- than in HNF1ß-deficient HepG2 cells. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: We have shown that expression of specific miRNAs depends on HNF1ß function. The impact of HNF1ß deficiency was evidenced at serum level, making HNF1ß-dependent miRNAs potentially applicable in the diagnosis of HNF1B-MODY.

Supramolecular self-assembly of linear oligosilsesquioxanes on mica--AFM surface imaging and hydrophilicity studies.

Linear oligomeric [2-(carboxymethylthio)ethylsilsesquioxanes] (LPSQ-COOH) adsorb spontaneously on muscovite mica and form smooth, well-ordered lamellar structures at the liquid-solid interface. Side carboxylic groups, having donor-acceptor character with regard to hydrogen bonds, are engaged both in multipoint molecule-to-substrate interactions and intermolecular cross-linking. The unique arrangement of silsesquioxane macromolecules, with COOH groups situated at the interface with air, produces highly hydrophilic surfaces of good thermal and solvolytic stability. Supramolecular assemblies of LPSQ-COOH were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FTIR spectroscopy. Comparative height profile analysis combined with ATR-FTIR studies of the spectral regions characteristic of carboxylic groups and C1s core level envelope by XPS confirmed specific interactions between LPSQ-COOH and mica.

Quaternized and sulfated xylan derivative films.

Xylan quaternized sulfate films were prepared from beech xylan (X) and compared with fully sulfated xylan films (XS). When quaternized xylan (QX) was prepared in the first step (DS(Q)=0.55), than by sulfation of QX in the second step the fully substituted ampholytic derivative (QXS; DS(Q)=0.33; DS(S)=1.67) could be obtained. By sulfation in first step, xylan sulphate (SX, DS(S)=0.70) was obtained and by subsequent quaternization, SXQ film with DSQ=0.55 and DSS=0.33 which contained partially unsubstituted hydroxyls. The molar masses (M(n)) of the film's soluble parts were increasing in order X

[Effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on the expression level of SATB1 and c-Myc genes in gastric mucosa of patients with family history of gastric cancer]. / Wplyw eradykacji Helicobacter pylori na poziom ekspresji genów SATB1 i c-Myc w blonie sluzowej zoladka u pacjentów z dyspepsja w zaleznosci od rodzinnego obciazenia wystepowaniem raka zoladka.

UNLABELLED: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a class 1 gastric carcinogen with the proved influence on gastric cancer development. The products of SATB1 and c-Myc genes play important role in cancer development and their levels are elevated in gastric cancer tissues. The aim of the study was to analyze an effect of H. pylori eradication on the expression of the SATB1 and c-Myc genes in the gastric mucosa of dyspeptic patients with family history of gastric cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty patients enrolled to the studies were divided into two groups: nine patients (group I) without the family history of gastric cancer, and eleven patients with the family history of gastric cancer (group II). Endoscopic biopsies of gastric mucosa were taken from the antrum and corpus of H. pylori-infected subjects before and after bacteria eradication. The corresponding levels of expression were determined by analysis of the respective mRNA levels with the use of the real-time RT-PCR method. The level of each mRNA was normalized to the levels of mRNA of two reference genes, RPL29 and GAPDH. RESULTS: Independently of stomach topography, the antrum versus corpus, in the group I patients the levels of mRNA of SATB1 and c-Myc after eradication were higher in the following cases: SATB1/ GAPDH p = 0.017914 (antrum); SATB1/RPL29 p = 0.046400 (corpus); SATB1/GAPDH p = 0.027709 (corpus). For group II patients no statistically significant increase of the level of the c-Myc and SATB1 genes was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with the family history of gastric cancer and H. pylori infection, with reversible histopathological changes of the gastric mucosa, have significantly higher levels of SATB1 and c-Myc genes expression as compared to the patients without family history of gastric cancer, regardless of the topography of the stomach. After successful eradication, the SATB1 mRNA level in samples of patients with the family history of gastric cancer did not increase, in contrast to the control group of patients. Presumably, the observed effect is associated with hypermethylation of the promoter of that gene. However, the level of c-Myc gene expression was not significantly different before and after removal of the bacteria, for both groups of patients.

Synthesis of a paraffin phase change material microencapsulated in a siloxane polymer.

The coemulsification method suitable for the formulation of microcapsules of n-eicosane coated with a polysiloxane is developed. This method allows to synthesize core-shell microcapsules of paraffin which have the shape of spheres or distorted spheres and are designed for the use as phase change materials. The microcapsules are formed in aqueous phase by the precipitation of n-eicosane together with modified polyhydromethylsiloxane from a common solvent which is miscible with aqueous media. The polysiloxane is modified by the attachment of silylvinyl and alkoxy functions before coemulsification with the paraffin. It also contains the Pt(0) Karstedt catalyst. The microcapsules formed by coemulsification are stabilized by the in situ cross-linking of the polysiloxane shell. The shell is additionally modified by the in situ generation of silanol groups which provide colloidal stabilization of microspheres in aqueous phase. Microcapsules were studied by DSC, SEM, optical polarized microscope, and by thermooptical analysis (TOA).

Structure of zone-cast HBC-C12H25 films.

The structure of a thin zone-cast film of the hexa-n-dodecyl-substituted hexa-peri-benzocoronene (HBC) has been investigated using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction. A model with an orthorhombic unit cell containing two molecules accounts well for the observations. The molecules are arranged in a "herringbone" structure resembling the packing observed for unsubstituted HBC. The molecular disk planes are oriented perpendicularly to the substrate, rotated by approximately 39 degrees about the film normal. The relatively long side chains of dodecyl were found to be in an ordered interdigitated state. The aliphatic side chains and the aromatic HBC-cores segregate to form regular vertical domains spanning the film thickness. For in-plane rocking scans a discrete orientation distribution is observed with peaks at regular angle intervals. We interpret this as a grain boundary effect induced by alkyl chain stacking faults.

Long-range ordered thin films of block copolymers prepared by zone-casting and their thermal conversion into ordered nanostructured carbon.

Large-scale alignment of lamellae in thin films of diblock copolymers containing polyacrylonitrile and poly(n-butyl acrylate) was achieved by casting copolymer solution on a silicon substrate moved away at a constant speed from the casting nozzle (zone-casting). Grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering revealed that the lamellae, which were perpendicular to the substrate, were also aligned over macroscopic scale in the direction perpendicular to the casting direction. Such long-range ordered block copolymer films were then converted by pyrolysis into nanostructured carbons, with excellent preservation of lamellar morphology and orientation.

Uniaxial alignment of the columnar super-structure of a hexa (alkyl) hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene on untreated glass by simple solution processing.

Uniaxially aligned, thin films of a discotic columnar thermotropic liquid crystalline material can be prepared by a simple solution zone-casting method, without the need for modified surfaces or traditional alignment techniques. Atomic force microscopy together with X-ray diffraction reveals single-crystalline-like order over several square centimeters, far exceeding the requirements for application of such films in organic molecular electronic devices such as field-effect transistors.