The concept of noise margin is crucial in the design and operation of digital logic circuits. Analytical expressions for the transfer curves of an inverter based on two depletion-mode p-type organic ...thin-film transistors (OTFTs) were calculated. Based on these expressions, the values for the noise margin of organic-based inverters were calculated. In this paper, the influence of the OTFT parameters on the noise margin is presented. Knowing that statistical variations of the transistor parameters are inherent to OTFT technology, these statistical variations are also taken into account. Finally, a circuit yield analysis is presented.
Ambient black carbon reaches the kidneys Rasking, Leen; Koshy, Priyanka; Bongaerts, Eva ...
Environment international,
July 2023, 2023-Jul, 2023-07-00, 20230701, 2023-07-01, Volume:
177
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
•We detected BC particles in and near all structural renal components.•BC particles were observed predominantly in and near the blood vessels and tubules.•A higher BC load was associated with higher ...urinary kidney injury molecule-1.
Ultrafine particles, including black carbon (BC), can reach the systemic circulation and therefore may distribute to distant organs upon inhalation. The kidneys may be particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of BC exposure due to their filtration function.
We hypothesized that BC particles reach the kidneys via the systemic circulation, where the particles may reside in structural components of kidney tissue and impair kidney function.
In kidney biopsies from 25 transplant patients, we visualized BC particles using white light generation under femtosecond-pulsed illumination. The presence of urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and cystatin c (CysC) were evaluated with ELISA. We assessed the association between internal and external exposure matrices and urinary biomarkers using Pearson correlation and linear regression models.
BC particles could be identified in all biopsy samples with a geometric mean (5th, 95th percentile) of 1.80 × 103 (3.65 × 102, 7.50 × 103) particles/mm3 kidney tissue, predominantly observed in the interstitium (100 %) and tubules (80 %), followed by the blood vessels and capillaries (40 %), and the glomerulus (24 %). Independent from covariates and potential confounders, we found that each 10 % higher tissue BC load resulted in 8.24 % (p = 0.03) higher urinary KIM-1. In addition, residential proximity to a major road was inversely associated with urinary CysC (+10 % distance: −4.68 %; p = 0.01) and KIM-1 (+10 % distance: −3.99 %; p < 0.01). Other urinary biomarkers, e.g., the estimated glomerular filtration rate or creatinine clearance showed no significant associations.
Our findings that BC particles accumulate near different structural components of the kidney represent a potential mechanism explaining the detrimental effects of particle air pollution exposure on kidney function. Furthermore, urinary KIM-1 and CysC show potential as air pollution-induced kidney injury biomarkers for taking a first step in addressing the adverse effects BC might exert on kidney function.
Intrarenal resistive index after renal transplantation Naesens, Maarten; Heylen, Line; Lerut, Evelyne ...
New England journal of medicine/The New England journal of medicine,
11/2013, Volume:
369, Issue:
19
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The intrarenal resistive index is routinely measured in many renal-transplantation centers for assessment of renal-allograft status, although the value of the resistive index remains unclear.
In a ...single-center, prospective study involving 321 renal-allograft recipients, we measured the resistive index at baseline, at the time of protocol-specified renal-allograft biopsies (3, 12, and 24 months after transplantation), and at the time of biopsies performed because of graft dysfunction. A total of 1124 renal-allograft resistive-index measurements were included in the analysis. All patients were followed for at least 4.5 years after transplantation.
Allograft recipients with a resistive index of at least 0.80 had higher mortality than those with a resistive index of less than 0.80 at 3, 12, and 24 months after transplantation (hazard ratio, 5.20 95% confidence interval {CI}, 2.14 to 12.64; P<0.001; 3.46 95% CI, 1.39 to 8.56; P=0.007; and 4.12 95% CI, 1.26 to 13.45; P=0.02, respectively). The need for dialysis did not differ significantly between patients with a resistive index of at least 0.80 and those with a resistive index of less than 0.80 at 3, 12, and 24 months after transplantation (hazard ratio, 1.95 95% CI, 0.39 to 9.82; P=0.42; 0.44 95% CI, 0.05 to 3.72; P=0.45; and 1.34 95% CI, 0.20 to 8.82; P=0.76, respectively). At protocol-specified biopsy time points, the resistive index was not associated with renal-allograft histologic features. Older recipient age was the strongest determinant of a higher resistive index (P<0.001). At the time of biopsies performed because of graft dysfunction, antibody-mediated rejection or acute tubular necrosis, as compared with normal biopsy results, was associated with a higher resistive index (0.87 ± 0.12 vs. 0.78 ± 0.14 P=0.05, and 0.86 ± 0.09 vs. 0.78 ± 0.14 P=0.007, respectively).
The resistive index, routinely measured at predefined time points after transplantation, reflects characteristics of the recipient but not those of the graft. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01879124 .).
Using meta-analysis of eight independent transplant datasets (236 graft biopsy samples) from four organs, we identified a common rejection module (CRM) consisting of 11 genes that were significantly ...overexpressed in acute rejection (AR) across all transplanted organs. The CRM genes could diagnose AR with high specificity and sensitivity in three additional independent cohorts (794 samples). In another two independent cohorts (151 renal transplant biopsies), the CRM genes correlated with the extent of graft injury and predicted future injury to a graft using protocol biopsies. Inferred drug mechanisms from the literature suggested that two FDA-approved drugs (atorvastatin and dasatinib), approved for nontransplant indications, could regulate specific CRM genes and reduce the number of graft-infiltrating cells during AR. We treated mice with HLA-mismatched mouse cardiac transplant with atorvastatin and dasatinib and showed reduction of the CRM genes, significant reduction of graft-infiltrating cells, and extended graft survival. We further validated the beneficial effect of atorvastatin on graft survival by retrospective analysis of electronic medical records of a single-center cohort of 2,515 renal transplant patients followed for up to 22 yr. In conclusion, we identified a CRM in transplantation that provides new opportunities for diagnosis, drug repositioning, and rational drug design.
PDF
