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Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) are serious public health burden. Patients with advanced stage CKD and severe AKI require hemodialysis (HD). However, their clinico-etiological profile has not been compared yet. Thus, we compared the clinico-etiological and hematological profile of patients with CKD and AKI undergoing HD. Materials and Methods: This prospective, observational, cross-sectional study involved 425 adult patients with CKD (n=328) and AKI (n=97) that underwent HD, between January 2020 and June 2021, in a tertiary care hospital. Data related to clinico-demographic characteristics, and laboratory investigations were recorded. Results: Hypertension (75.9%) and sepsis (49.48%) were predominant etiological factors of CKD and AKI, respectively. The patients with CKD had significantly greater mean age (p=0.005) and BMI (p<0.0001). Significantly greater proportion of the patients with AKI had anorexia (p=0.003), breathlessness (p=0.018), nausea and vomiting (p=0.019), and icterus (p=0.002). Significantly greater proportion of the patients with CKD had impaired cognition (p=0.043), swollen feet (p=0.008), and edema feet (p=0.012). Significantly greater proportion of the patients with AKI and CKD had hyperkalemia (p=0.034) as well as 3+ proteinuria (p<0.0001); and 2+ proteinuria (p<0.0001) as well as moderate anemia (p=0.045), respectively. Conclusion: Hypertension and sepsis are predominantly implicated in CKD and AKI, respectively. CKD is significantly associated with advancing age and higher BMI. Though AKI is significantly associated with hyperkalemia and high-grade proteinuria, CKD is significantly associated with moderate-grade proteinuria and moderate anemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate patient demographic characteristics and risk factors for mortality during the first and the second wave among COVID-19 patients in a tertiary care hospital of India. Methods: Data were taken from the hospital's electronic system for COVID-19 patients from August 2020 to December 2020, and the second from January 2021 to May 2021. The mortality rate, demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory profile, and reasons for the death of the two waves were retrieved and compared, and the risk factors of the two waves were determined. Results: In the first wave, 1 177 COVID-19 cases visited the hospital and 96 (8.2%) died. In comparison, the death rate in the second wave was significantly higher (244/2 038, 12.0%) (P<0.001). No significant difference in age [60 (50-69) vs. 60.5 (53-70), P=0.11] or gender (P=0.34) was observed between the two waves. Compared to the first wave. there were significantly more cases with fever, cough, weakness, loss of taste and smell, and sore throat during the second wave (P<0.05), but significantly fewer cases with kidney disease (6.6% vs. 13.5%, P=0.038) and diabetes mellitus (35.7% vs. 50.0%, P=0.015). Besides, during the second wave, more patients had abnormal X-ray findings, higher levels of lymphocytes and serum ferritin (P<0.05). In addition, there were significant differences in the rate of death cases with acidosis, septic shock, acute kidney injury, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular events, hypothyroidism (P<0.05). Multivariate regression showed that during the first wave, age (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.02-1.21), diabetes mellitus (OR: 3.16; 95% CI: 2.08-3.53), and abnormal X-ray (2.67; 95% CI: 2.32-2.87) were significant independent risk factors of mortality; while in the second wave, age (OR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.12-1.28), diabetes mellitus (OR: 8.98; 95% CI: 1.79-45.67), abnormal X-ray (OR: 12.83; 95% CI: 2.32-54.76), high D-dimer (OR: 10.89; 95% CI: 1.56-134.53), and high IL-6 (OR: 7.89; 95% CI: 1.18-47.82) were significant independent risk factors of mortality . Conclusion: Overall mortality and incidence of severe diseases are higher in the second wave than the first wave. Demographic characteristics, co-morbidities, and laboratory inflammatory parameters, especially D-dimer and IL-6, are significant risk facors of mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica is one of the most commonly reported causes of foodborne illness in humans. Contaminated food products of animal origin, particularly egg and egg products are frequently implicated in outbreaks of human salmonellosis. Salmonella enteritidis is frequently involved in egg and egg products-associated foodborne outbreaks in the USA and UK. However, in Australia and New Zealand, human infections caused by this serovar occur as a result of infection acquired while overseas travel, with Salmonella typhimurium being a predominant cause of local foodborne outbreaks. In this paper, an overview of Salmonella epidemiology on laying farms, egg-related Salmonella outbreaks in humans, and regulatory practises to control Salmonella across USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand is provided. Considering the estimated production of eggs in the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand in 2015, the risk of foodborne illness in general is quite low for humans consuming eggs. Salmonella diagnostics, reporting and surveillance systems have improved over the years and will continue to improve in the years to come. However, given the number of different emerging Salmonella serovars a regular review of Salmonella control strategies from farm to fork is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healthcare costs of elderly inmates are a major concern for state governments. This paper (i) discusses the recent surge in the elderly inmate population; (ii) analyzes the eligibility of prisoners for Medicare coverage, including an exception that allows coverage under certain circumstances; (iii) describes how states can circumvent restrictions on Medicare coverage of the incarcerated by using the aforementioned exception; (iv) explains why, for policy reasons, it may be wiser to allow Medicare coverage for all elderly inmates; and (v) makes policy recommendations for the treatment of the healthcare needs of elderly inmates in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biologically active form of vitamin D3, calcitriol (1,25-(OH)2D3), plays a key role in mineral homeostasis and bone formation and dietary vitamin D3 deficiency is a major cause of bone disorders in poultry. Supplementary dietary cholecalciferol (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25-OH), the precursor of calcitriol, is commonly employed to combat this problem; however, dosage must be carefully determined as excess dietary vitamin D can cause toxicity resulting in a decrease in bone calcification, hypercalcinemia and renal failure. Despite much research on the therapeutic administration of dietary vitamin D in humans, the relative sensitivity of avian species to exogenous vitamin D has not been well defined. In order to determine the effects of exogenous 1,25-(OH)2D3 during avian osteogenesis, chicken bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) were exposed to varying doses of 1,25-(OH)2D3 during in vitro osteogenic differentiation and examined for markers of early proliferation and osteogenic induction. Similar to humans and other mammals, poultry BM-MSCs were found to be highly sensitive to exogenous 1,25-(OH)2D3 with super pharmacological levels exerting significant inhibition of mineralization and loss of cell proliferation in vitro. Strain related differences were apparent, with BM-MCSs derived from layers strains showing a higher level of sensitivity to 1,25-(OH)2D3 than those from broilers. These data suggest that understanding species and strain specific sensitivities to 1,25-(OH)2D3 is important for optimizing bone health in the poultry industry and that use of avian BM-MSCs are a useful tool for examining underlying effects of genetic variation in poultry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biologically active form of vitamin D₃, calcitriol (1,25-(OH)₂D₃), plays a key role in mineral homeostasis and bone formation and dietary vitamin D₃deficiency is a major cause of bone disorders in poultry. Supplementary dietary cholecalciferol (25-hydroxyvitamin D, 25-OH), the precursor of calcitriol, is commonly employed to combat this problem; however, dosage must be carefully determined as excess dietary vitamin D can cause toxicity resulting in a decrease in bone calcification, hypercalcinemia and renal failure. Despite much research on the therapeutic administration of dietary vitamin D in humans, the relative sensitivity of avian species to exogenous vitamin D has not been well defined. In order to determine the effects of exogenous 1,25-(OH)₂D₃during avian osteogenesis, chicken bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) were exposed to varying doses of 1,25-(OH)₂D₃during in vitro osteogenic differentiation and examined for markers of early proliferation and osteogenic induction. Similar to humans and other mammals, poultry BM-MSCs were found to be highly sensitive to exogenous 1,25-(OH)₂D₃with super pharmacological levels exerting significant inhibition of mineralization and loss of cell proliferation in vitro. Strain related differences were apparent, with BM-MCSs derived from layers strains showing a higher level of sensitivity to 1,25-(OH)₂D₃than those from broilers. These data suggest that understanding species and strain specific sensitivities to 1,25-(OH)₂D₃is important for optimizing bone health in the poultry industry and that use of avian BM-MSCs are a useful tool for examining underlying effects of genetic variation in poultry., (© The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Poultry Science Association.)