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Cardiovascular calcification (CVC) contributes to morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing dialysis. We examined the pharmacodynamic effects of SNF472, a calcification inhibitor, on plasma calcium phosphate crystallization using spectrometric measurements, and its correlations with effects on CVC in rats or humans. Rats (N = 38) injected with vitamin D (days 1-3) to induce CVC were infused with saline or SNF472 (days 1-12). Inhibition of CVC was 50-65% with SNF472 3 mg/kg and ~ 80% with SNF472 10 or 30 mg/kg. SNF472 dose-dependently inhibited calcium phosphate crystallization, which correlated with inhibition of CVC (r = 0.628, P = 0.005). In patients with calciphylaxis (N = 14), infusion of SNF472 (~ 7 mg/kg) during hemodialysis for 12 weeks inhibited calcium phosphate crystallization by nearly 70%. In patients with CVC (N = 274), infusion of SNF472 during hemodialysis for 52 weeks inhibited calcium phosphate crystallization (placebo: 15%; 300 mg: 61%; 600 mg: 75%), which correlated with inhibition of CVC (r = 0.401, P = 0.003). These findings show a direct correlation between inhibition of calcium phosphate crystallization in plasma and inhibition of CVC both in a rat model and in humans, supporting the use of the pharmacodynamic assay in clinical trials as a potentially predictive tool to evaluate the activity of calcification inhibitors.

The study explores the expectations and cooperative behaviours of men and women in a lab-in-the-field experiment by means of citizen science practices in the public space. It specifically examines the influence of gender-based pairings on the decisions to cooperate or defect in a framed and discrete Prisoner's Dilemma game after visual contact. Overall, we found that when gender is considered behavioural differences emerge in expectations of cooperation, cooperative behaviours, and their decision time depending on whom the partner is. Men pairs are the ones with the lowest expectations and cooperation rates. After visual contact women infer men's behaviour with the highest accuracy. Also, women take significantly more time to defect than to cooperate, compared to men. Finally, when the interacting partners have the opposite gender they expect significantly more cooperation and they achieve the best collective outcome. Together, the findings suggest that non verbal signals may influence men and women differently, offering novel interpretations to the context-dependence of gender differences in social decision tasks.

Mental disorders have an enormous impact in our society, both in personal terms and in the economic costs associated with their treatment. In order to scale up services and bring down costs, administrations are starting to promote social interactions as key to care provision. We analyze quantitatively the importance of communities for effective mental health care, considering all community members involved. By means of citizen science practices, we have designed a suite of games that allow to probe into different behavioral traits of the role groups of the ecosystem. The evidence reinforces the idea of community social capital, with caregivers and professionals playing a leading role. Yet, the cost of collective action is mainly supported by individuals with a mental condition - which unveils their vulnerability. The results are in general agreement with previous findings but, since we broaden the perspective of previous studies, we are also able to find marked differences in the social behavior of certain groups of mental disorders. We finally point to the conditions under which cooperation among members of the ecosystem is better sustained, suggesting how virtuous cycles of inclusion and participation can be promoted in a 'care in the community' framework.