Systemic Profile of Cytokines in Arteriovenous Fistula Patients and Their Associations with Maturation Failure

Background: Systemic cytokines are elevated in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hemodialysis patients compared to the general population. However, whether cytokine levels interfere with vascular remodeling increasing the risk of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) failure remains unknown. Methods: This is a case-control study of 64 patients who underwent surgery for AVF creation (32 with AVF maturation failure and 32 matching controls with successful maturation). A total of 74 cytokines, including chemokines, interferons, interleukins, and growth factors, were measured in preoperative plasma samples using multiplex assays. Sixty-two patients were included in the statistical analyses. Associations with AVF failure were assessed using paired comparisons and conditional logistic regressions accounting for paired strata. Results: Seven cytokines were significantly higher in patients with AVF maturation failure than in matching controls (G-CSF, IL-6, MDC, RANTES, SDF-1α/β, TGFα, and TPO). Of these, G-CSF (odds ratio 1.71 [1.05-2.79] per 10 pg/mL), MDC (1.60 [1.08-2.38] per 100 pg/mL), RANTES (1.55 [1.10-2.17] per 100 pg/mL), SDF-1α/β (1.18 [1.04-1.33] per 1000 pg/mL), and TGFα (OR 1.39 [1.003-1.92] per 1 pg/mL) showed an incremental association by logistic regression. Conclusions: This study identified a profile of plasma cytokines associated with adverse maturation outcomes in AVFs. These findings may open the doors for future therapeutics and markers for risk stratification.

Transforming CRM Through Artificial Intelligence

The present times are disrupting times for every kind of business and every aspect of a business. It is not about contactlessness; it is about seamlessness. The auto manufacturers have already started “Amazoning” dealerships. Brands are developing customer-specific platforms like jaguar.rockar.com, where one can explore the range, check the price, select dealer, search inventory, and schedule test drives. The brand Cadillac creates virtual reality experiences in Google Search, wherein a car appears in a living room through a phone call. One can see how it looks, walk around it, open the doors, and get a sense of the interior. This chapter explores the transformation of CRM through artificial intelligence.

Genome Editing and CRISPR/Cas System of Extremophiles and Its Applications

Extremophiles will be the choice of next generation industrial biotechnology (NGIB) as they are known to be contaminant resistant, but engineering their genomes has always been difficult and time consuming task. CRIPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat and CRISPR associated proteins) system can be employed for this reason. The genome of an industrially important halophile (i.e., Halomonas) was edited to study a combined effect of four different genes on glucose breakdown and production of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate). This editing has resulted in 16-fold increase of 3HV, and the mutants generated by CRIPR/Cas system were significantly effective in synthesizing PHBV. Unfortunately, this system does not always work, specifically in extremophilic microorganisms because Cas9 or Cpf1 are from mesophilic bacteria. Therefore, alternatively, the endogenous CRISPR/Cas system is used for editing the genomes of such organisms. This genome editing of extremophiles will open the doors for developing next generation industrial biotechnology (NGIB).

Reinforcement of Humanitarian Policies to AID Displaced Population in Nigeria and Africa through Coordination, Collaboration and Integration Mechanism

Humanitarian programmes within Africa should be collaborative and integrative in nature, this would easily address the issue of displacement and abandonment, as it shall aid the promotion of the instrumentality of integration within Member states in Africa. Nigeria has over the years played a leading role in Africa affairs based on its foreign policy objectives. The servitude of brotherhood being demonstrated by Nigeria in Africa is a way of uplifting and promoting humanitarian aids in Africa. The problems of displacement of persons, who then becomes refugees in other climes within Africa cannot be overemphasized. People still bear the brunt of the conflict in the north-eastern part of Nigeria, which has resulted in widespread displacement, lack of protection, destruction of infrastructure and collapsed of basic services. The neglect for a concerted effort towards promoting humanitarian services within Africa, has open the doors for the United Nations or International communities to averred that aids and humanitarian services can only be sourced within their domain, thus making African states to be dependent. This study explores the possibilities of enhancing and promoting humanitarian policies in Africa through collaboration and integration. The study further identified areas of neglect in humanitarian services, as policies geared towards humanitarian services has to be sustained, to meet desired objectives. The study employed the secondary data analysis, and adopted the humanitarianism approach. The study recommended that existing humanitarian policies should be strengthened, sustained and adequately implemented to address the issues of humanitarian problems in Africa, while adequate measures are also put in place to monitor its’ implementation.

Ways of Contemporary Theopoetics: Mystery, Process, Event

The article examines the development of post-metaphysical discourses, united by the term “theopoetics”, that can be divided into two separate stages: the beginning of theopoetics out of the death-of-God movement in the 1970s, and its rebirth in the 1990s. The first one arises as a “non-metaphysical” alternative to conceptual systematics of theology in the use of religious metaphorical language. And the last one results in two main streams: as the process theology in the search of “different” metaphysics, as opposed to classical substantive one, in order to open the doors for interreligious diversity based on continuous universal values, and as hermeneutics and deconstruction, more intolerant of any metaphysics, where theopoetics acquires the meaning of narratives with Jesus as the central element, which determines its radical kenotic methodology. These are the ways of theopoetics that are wanted to be explored in this article.

Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacotranscriptomics of Glucocorticoids in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Pharmacogenomics and pharmacotranscriptomics contribute to more efficient and safer treatment of many diseases, especially malignancies. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common hematological malignancy during childhood. Glucocorticoids, prednisone and dexamethasone, represent the basis of chemotherapy in pediatric ALL. Therapy causes side effects in 75% of patients and 1–3% of pediatric ALL patients die because of therapy side effects rather than the disease itself. Due to this fact, pharmacogenomics and pharmacotranscriptomics have gained key positions in this field. There is a growing knowledge of pharmacogenomics and pharmacotranscriptomics markers relevant for the success of the glucocorticoid treatment of children with ALL. New technologies, such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) have created a possibility for designing panels of pharmacogenomics and pharmacotranscriptomics markers related to the response to glucocorticoid drugs. Optimization of these panels through population pharmacogenomic studies leads to new knowledge that could open the doors widely to pre-emptive pharmacogenomic testing.