Background
Studies reporting renal and overall survival after acute kidney injury (AKI) treated exclusively with intermittent modalities of renal replacement therapy (IRRT) are rare. This study ...focused on outcomes of AKI patients treated with IRRT both in intensive care units (ICUs) and non‐ICU dialysis units.
Methods
This prospective observational study was carried on during a 5‐month period in 17 ICUs and 17 non‐ICUs. ICU and non‐ICU patients (total n = 138; 65 ICU, 73 non‐ICU) requiring RRT for AKI and chosen to receive IRRT were included. Patient and RRT characteristics as well as outcomes at 90 days, 1 year, and 3 years were registered.
Results
Characteristics of ICU and non‐ICU patients differed markedly. Pre‐existing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic heart failure were significantly more common among non‐ICU patients. At 1 year, RRT dependence was significantly more common in the non‐ICU group. At 3 years, there was no significant difference between the groups either in RRT dependence or mortality.
Conclusion
Outcome of AKI patients treated with IRRT is dismal with regard to 3‐year kidney function and mortality. Although pre‐existing CKD emerged as a major risk factor for end‐stage renal disease after AKI, the poor kidney survival was also seen in patients without prior CKD.
Individuals heterozygous for germline ATM mutations have been reported to have an increased risk for breast cancer but the role for ATM genetic variants for breast cancer risk has remained unclear. ...Recently, a common ATM variant, ATMivs38 -8T>C in cis with the ATMex39 5557G>A (D1853N) variant, was suggested to associate with bilateral breast cancer among familial breast cancer patients from Northern Finland. We have here evaluated the 5557G>A and ivs38-8T>C variants in an extensive case-control association analysis. We also aimed to investigate whether there are other ATM mutations or variants contributing to breast cancer risk in our population.
Two common ATM variants, 5557G>A and ivs38-8T>C, previously suggested to associate with bilateral breast cancer, were genotyped in an extensive set of 786 familial and 884 unselected breast cancer cases as well as 708 healthy controls. We also screened the entire coding region and exon-intron boundaries of the ATM gene in 47 familial breast cancer patients and constructed haplotypes of the patients. The identified variants were also evaluated for increased breast cancer risk among additional breast cancer cases and controls.
Neither of the two common variants, 5557G>A and ivs38-8T>C, nor any haplotype containing them, was significantly associated with breast cancer risk, bilateral breast cancer or multiple primary cancers in any of the patient groups or subgoups. Three rare missense alterations and one intronic change were each found in only one patient of over 250 familial patients studied and not among controls. The fourth missense alteration studied further was found with closely similar frequencies in over 600 familial cases and controls.
Altogether, our results suggest very minor effect, if any, of ATM genetic variants on familial breast cancer in Southern Finland. Our results do not support association of the 5557G>A or ivs38-8T>C variant with increased breast cancer risk or with bilateral breast cancer.
Summary
The effect of
Trametes hirsuta
laccase on isolated spruce wood lignans was evaluated. Lignans
were isolated from the heartwood of spruce branches and treated with different laccase dosages
...and treatment times. The effect of the treatment was monitored by gas chromatography, size exclusion
chromatography and ionization difference UV spectroscopy. Lignans were efficiently oxidized
by
T. hirsuta
laccase. About half of the phenolic groups present in lignans remained intact
during the treatment. The oxidation of phenolic groups in lignans produced oligomeric structures
containing approximately 4–5 lignan units (
i.e.
, 8–10 phenyl propane units). Precipitation of the
formed oligomeric structures probably prevented further polymerization.
Carboxylic acid bound to xylans in the fibre matrix cause a pH gradient between the fibre and the surrounding solution, known as the Donnan effect. The gradient is dependent on the ionic strength of ...the fibre solution. When meta1-free kraft pulp was used as a substrate for the
Trichoderma reesei xylanase, the apparent pH optimum of the xylanase at low ionic strengths was found to be significantly higher, around 9, when a monovalent hydroxide was used for pH adjustment, as compared to the pH optimum obtained with a divalent metal hydroxide, i.e. pH 5–6. By increasing the ionic strength of the pulp solution by salt addition, the pH optimae of the xylanase became 5–6 with all the hydroxides. This difference was caused by the Donnan effect. Thus, at low ionic strengths the actual pH is lower than that measured in the solution, resulting in an increased apparent pH optimum of the xylanase. In practice, these results are important when applying xylanases on practical, fibre bound substrates, such as kraft pulps.
PDF
