Haemodialysis vascular access patency is severely compromised by fistula non-maturation and access stenosis. Intimal hyperplasia (IH) is considered the culprit lesion in failed fistulas, resulting in luminal narrowing and stenosis. This review focuses on the biology and pathophysiology of fistula failure and highlights not only the classically associated IH but also some relatively neglected but potentially important contributors such as inadequate outward remodelling. In addition, the complex process and fragile balance of successful fistula maturation might be partially hindered by pre-existent chronic kidney disease-mediated vasculopathy. Further unravelling the (patho)physiology of outward remodelling and IH could contribute to novel therapies and enhance fistula patency.

Introduction: Entry into tertiary education is a critical juncture where adolescents proceed to adulthood. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety, and factors associated with such symptoms, among university undergraduate students in Hong Kong. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was employed. A total of 1200 undergraduate students from eight University Grants Committee-funded universities were invited to complete three sets of questionnaires, including the 9-item patient health questionnaire for screening of depressive symptoms, the 7-item generalised anxiety disorder scale for screening of anxiety symptoms, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Results: Among the valid responses (n=1119) analysed, 767 (68.5%) respondents indicated mild to severe depressive symptoms, which were associated with mild to severe anxiety symptoms. Several lifestyle and psychosocial variables, including regular exercise, self-confidence, satisfaction with academic performance, and optimism towards the future were inversely related with mild to severe depressive symptoms. A total of 599 (54.4%) respondents indicated mild to severe anxiety symptoms, which were associated with level of academic difficulty. Depression and anxiety among university students in Hong Kong New knowledge added by this study • Up to 9% of university students in Hong Kong exhibit moderately severe to severe depressive symptoms. • Up to 5.8% of university students in Hong Kong exhibit severe anxiety symptoms. • Respondents reporting regular exercise, higher self-confidence, and better satisfaction with both friendship and academic performance had fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms. Implications for clinical practice or policy • Health care workers and organisations such as universities should be aware of potential depression and anxiety among university undergraduate students. • Adolescents and young adults in Hong Kong should be educated, to raise social awareness of depression and anxiety among university undergraduate students.

Objective To evaluate the diurnal and nocturnal bladder reservoir function in patients with refractory primary nocturnal enuresis (PNE). Patients and methods Ninety-five children (68 boys, 27 girls, mean age 9.3 years) with significant PNE (o3 wet nights/week) that was refractory to treatment with desmopressin t an enuretic alarm were assessed using detailed recording of voiding frequency and urinary volume both day and night, natural filling cystometry during the day and continuous cystometry with simultaneous electroencephalogram monitoring during sleep at night. Results Patients could be broadly categorized into two groups. Group A comprised those with normal daytime urodynamics and functional bladder capacity (FBC) on detailed frequency-volume recording, but who developed marked detrusor instability associated with a significant reduction in nocturnal FBC and small-volume voiding only after sleep at night (33 patients, 35%); and group B, those with abnormal daytime urodynamics and with reduced FBC and small-volume voiding both day and night, but who somehow managed to mask their bladder symptoms during the day (62 patients, 65%). There was no evidence of nocturnal polyuria in either group and the ratios of day : night urinary output volumes for type A and type B patients were 1.48 and 1.99, respectively. Conclusions A reduction in nocturnal FBC, either occurring only after sleep at night in association with the appearance of detrusor instability in patients with normal daytime urodynamics and FBC, or as a manifestation of occult voiding dysfunction or bladder outlet obstruction that affects the bladder reservoir function both day and night, appears to be a common factor and probably the main cause for a mismatch between nocturnal urine output and bladder storage capacity in patients with severe bed-wetting that was refractory to treatment.

The study documented the community emergence of CTX-M as the predominant ESBL type among urinary isolates from women. The spread of CTX-M enzymes among isolates from young women is concerning and deserves close monitoring.

Our novel murine AVF model, which incorporates a clinically relevant configuration of the anastomosis, displays similar features that are characteristic of failing human AVFs. Moreover, our findings suggest that coagulation and inflammation could both potentially play an important role in the formation of IH and subsequent AVF failure. Near-infrared fluoroscopy was a suitable alternative for conventional imaging techniques. This murine AVF-model is a valuable addition to the AVF animal model arsenal.

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h Although tuberculosis (TB) is a reemerging disease that affects people in developing countries and immunocompromised populations in developed countries, the current diagnostic methods are far from optimal. Metabolomics is increasingly being used for studies on infectious diseases. We performed metabolome profiling of plasma samples to identify potential biomarkers for diagnosing TB. We compared the plasma metabolome profiles of TB patients (n ‫؍‬ 46) with those of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients (n ‫؍‬ 30) and controls without active infection (n ‫؍‬ 30) using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatographyelectrospray ionization-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QTOFMS). Using multivariate and univariate analyses, four metabolites, 12R-hydroxy-5Z,8Z,10E,14Z-eicosatetraenoic acid [12(R)-HETE], ceramide (d18:1/16:0), cholesterol sulfate, and 4␣-formyl-4␤-methyl-5␣-cholesta-8-en-3␤-ol, were identified and found to have significantly higher levels in TB patients than those in CAP patients and controls. In a comparison of TB patients and controls, the four metabolites demonstrated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve ( T uberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although it is a well-known disease that has been around for much of human history, there are still millions of new TB cases occurring per year worldwide, and TB remains a leading cause of deaths worldwide, especially in developing countries. Since the 1980s, TB has reemerged as a result of the AIDS epidemic and increasing use of immunosuppressants. In recent years, a higher incidence of extrapulmonary disease in immunocompromised hosts and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains have further complicated diagnosis and treatment (1-3). Despite the medical importance of TB, diagnosis is still associated with many unresolved problems. The traditional gold standard methods are smear and culture for acid-fast bacilli from clinical specimens. Although culture offers higher sensitivity and specificity than those of smears, it is not useful for culture-negative cases, especially in early, disseminated, or extrapulmonary disease (4, 5). Moreover, it often takes 2 to 6 weeks before culture is positive and even longer for definitive species identification. While newer diagnostic modalities, such as adenosine deaminase levels in pleural fluid, lipoarabinomannan levels in urine, PCR, and Xpert MTB/RIF assays, have been developed (6-12), there are still limitations in terms of their sensitivity and/or specificity.Metabolomics is an emerging platform for studies of infectious diseases or pathogens (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19). For TB, the technique has been applied on cultured isolates for differentiation from other Mycobacterium species and studies on the biology and virulence of tuberculosis (14,15,(20)(21)(22). For example, lipidomics studies have revealed novel metabolites potentially associated with growth and virulence of M. tuberculosis (23,24). We also recently identified ...

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