Chronic Kidney Disease-Associated Inflammation Increases the Risks of Acute Kidney Injury and Mortality after Cardiac Surgery

Cardiovascular mortality increases with decreasing renal function although the cause is yet unknown. Here, we have investigated whether low chronic inflammation in chronic kidney diseases (CKD) could contribute to increased risk for coronary artery diseases (CAD). Thus, a prospective case–control study was conducted in patients with CAD and CKD undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery with the aim of detecting differences in cardiovascular outcomes, epicardial adipose tissue volume, and inflammatory marker activity associated with renal dysfunction. Expression of membrane CD14 and CD16, inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and hsa-miR-30a-5p were analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Epicardial fat volume and tissue inflammation in perivascular adipose tissue and in the aorta were also studied. In the present study, 151 patients were included, 110 with CAD (51 with CKD) and 41 nonCAD controls (15 with CKD). CKD increased the risk of cardiac surgery–associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI) as well as the 30-day mortality after cardiac surgery. Higher counts of CD14⁺⁺CD16⁺ monocytes were associated with vascular inflammation, with an increased expression of IL1β, and with CKD in CAD patients. Expression of hsa-miR-30a-5p was correlated with hypertension. We conclude that CKD patients show an increased risk of CSA-AKI and mortality after cardiovascular surgery, associated with the expansion of the CD14⁺⁺CD16⁺ subset of proinflammatory monocytes and with IL1β expression. We propose that inflammation associated with CKD may contribute to atherosclerosis (ATH) pathogenesis.     

Detection of potentially pathogenic Aeromonas isolates from ready‐to‐eat seafood products by PCR analysis

This study provides data on the prevalence of potentially pathogenic Aeromonas spp. in ready‐to‐eat (RTE) seafood products by evaluating the occurrence of Aeromonas spp. and the presence of virulence‐associated genes. Aeromonas spp. was detected in 57/81 (70.3%) RTE seafood samples. Specifically, Aeromonas spp. was highlighted in 19/21 (90.5%) sushi, in 18/21 (85.7%) sea salad, 11/12 (91.7%) surimi and 9/12 (75%) peeled shrimp samples. Aeromonas spp. was not observed in marinated anchovies and octopus salad samples. Then, PCRs aimed at the hlyA, aerA, alt and ast genes, encoding, respectively, haemolysin A, aerolysin, aeromonas labile temperature cytotonic enterotoxin and aeromonas stable temperature cytotonic enterotoxin, demonstrated a widespread distribution of these genes among Aeromonas isolates. The results underline the need to implement an adequate control plan performing an intensive and continuous monitoring to guarantee the human health.     

Zeus: A system description of the two‐time winner of the collegiate SAE autodrive competition

The SAE AutoDrive Challenge is a 3‐year collegiate competition to develop a self‐driving car by 2020. The second year of the competition was held in June 2019 at MCity, a mock town built for self‐driving car testing at the University of Michigan. Teams were required to autonomously navigate a series of intersections while handling pedestrians, traffic lights, and traffic signs. Zeus is aUToronto's winning entry in the AutoDrive Challenge. This article describes the system design and development of Zeus as well as many of the lessons learned along the way. This includes details on the team's organizational structure, sensor suite, software components, and performance at the Year 2 competition. With a team of mostly undergraduates and minimal resources, aUToronto has made progress toward a functioning self‐driving vehicle, in just 2 years. This article may prove valuable to researchers looking to develop their own self‐driving platform.     

Ionenstrahlen zur Analyse von Wasserstoff in Festkörpern

Ion beams for analysis of hydrogen in solids Hydrogen is an important carrier of energy and, in the context of the growing request for renewable energy sources, a candidate for energy storage. Scientific questions relating to the study of the hydrogen of materials arise, on the one hand, from the interaction of hydrogen with the surrounding solid state material and, on the other hand, from the use of solids as a direct storage medium. Ion beam methods have proved suitable for this purpose. The methods secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), elastic recoil detection analysis (ERD) and nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) are portrayed. Examples illustrate the techniques, applications for depth analysis are described and the sensitivity of the methods is given.     

River research and applications across borders

Rivers flow across national borders, unfettered by political distinctions, and the ecological health of rivers is closely linked to their degree of connectivity. River research today is more global than it has ever been, but we show that river research, engineering, and management still operate within homegrown local paradigms. As a basis for this discussion, we studied the citation networks surrounding the most widely cited papers in our field, assessing the degree to which researchers have collaborated across geographical boundaries and fully drawn from the international literature. Despite gains over time, our field remains surprisingly and pervasively provincial. The likely explanation for provincial bias is that researchers are generally more familiar and comfortable with their own research methods, sites, and agendas. However, local focus has tangible consequences. For example, contrasting paradigms and differing approaches to river restoration and to flood‐risk management show that opportunities are lost when we fail to learn from the successes and failures of other regions. As we look to the future, increased engagement across political and intellectual and physical borders should propel the field of river science into new and exciting directions.     

Dietary Micronutrient Management to Treat Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Diet-Induced Obese Mice

Obesity and associated metabolic disturbances, which have been increasing worldwide in recent years, are the consequences of unhealthy diets and physical inactivity and are the main factors underlying non-communicable diseases (NCD). These diseases are now responsible for about three out of five deaths worldwide, and it has been shown that they depend on mitochondrial dysfunction, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. It was also demonstrated that several nutritional components modulating these processes are able to influence metabolic homeostasis and, consequently, to prevent or delay the onset of NCD. An interesting combination of nutraceutical substances, named DMG-gold, has been shown to promote metabolic and physical wellness. The aim of this research was to investigate the metabolic, inflammatory and oxidative pathways modulated by DMG-gold in an animal model with diet-induced obesity. Our data indicate that DMG-gold decreases the metabolic efficiency and inflammatory state and acts as an antioxidant and detoxifying agent, modulating mitochondrial functions. Therefore, DMG-gold is a promising candidate in the prevention/treatment of NCD.     

Ontological security,social connectedness and the well-being of Australia’s ageing baby boomers

This study investigates the extent to which social connectedness may mediate the link between ontological security and subjectively measured well-being of Australia’s baby boomers. The results indicate that, on average, for Australia’s baby boomers, a relative lack of ontological security is associated with lower levels of well-being and social connectedness. Further, social connectedness is linked to higher levels of well-being. These findings hold, whether or not other things are held constant. In addition, there is some evidence to suggest that social connectedness partially mediates the link between ontological security and well-being. Further investigation reveals that the nature of the link between ontological security and well-being may depend on a resident’s age. Most strikingly, social connectedness is found to consistently attenuate and completely mediate this age-specific negative link between a relative absence of ontological security and well-being.