This study aimed to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) over time in patients initiating hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD). A total of 989 incident patients starting HD or PD were included from a prospective nationwide cohort study. HRQOL was assessed 3, 12, and 24 months after the start of dialysis. The scores of questionnaires were adjusted for clinical and socioeconomic parameters. The adjusted three months scores of patients on PD showed better HRQOL in eight end-stage renal disease (ESRD), three physical component summary and one mental component summary domains compared with patients on HD. Both patients on HD and PD experienced significant decreases in different HRQOL domains over two years and the degree of changes in HRQOL over time was not different between dialysis modality. However, the scores of three (effects of kidney disease, burden of kidney disease, and dialysis staff encouragement, all P < 0.05) and two (sexual function and dialysis staff encouragement, all P < 0.05) ESRD domains were still higher in patients on PD compared with patients on HD at one and two years after initiation of dialysis, respectively. PD shows better HRQOL during the initial period after dialysis even after adjusting for clinical and socioeconomic characteristics, and the effect lasts up to two years. It was similar in terms of changes in HRQOL over time between HD and PD.

CORONATINE INSENSITIVE 1 (COI1) encodes an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex component that interacts with JAZ proteins and targets them for degradation in response to JA signaling. The Arabidopsis genome has a single copy of COI1, but the Oryza sativa genome has three closely related COI homologs. To examine the functions of the three OsCOIs, we used yeast two-hybrid assays to examine their interactions with JAZ proteins and found that OsCOIs interacted with OsJAZs and with JAZs, in a coronatine dependent manner. We also tested whether OsCOI1a and OsCOI1b could complement Arabidopsis coi1-1 mutants and found that overexpression of either gene in the coi1-1 mutant resulted in restoration of JA signal transduction and production of seeds, indicating successful complementation. Although OsCOI2 interacted with a few OsJAZs, we were not able to successfully complement the coi1-1 mutant with OsCOI2. Molecular modeling revealed that the three OsCOIs adopt 3D structures similar to COI1. Structural differences resulting from amino acid variations, especially among amino acid residues involved in the interaction with coronatine and JAZ proteins, were tested by mutation analysis. When His-391 in OsCOI2 was substituted with Tyr-391, OsCOI2 interacted with a wider range of JAZ proteins, including OsJAZ1, 2, 5∼9 and 11, and complemented coi1-1 mutants at a higher frequency than the other OsCOIs and COI1. These results indicate that the three OsCOIs are orthologues of COI1 and play key roles in JA signaling.

Background Health care–associated infections during previous coronavirus epidemics involving severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome resulted from human-to-human transmission in hemodialysis (HD) facilities. The effect of a strategy of HD with cohort isolation—separate dialysis sessions for close contacts of patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)—on the prevention of secondary transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in HD units is unknown.MethodsOur multicenter cohort study of an HD with cohort isolation strategy enrolled close contacts of patients with confirmed COVID-19, including patients on HD and health care workers in HD units. Close contacts had been identified by epidemiologic investigation and tested negative on an immediate screening test for SARS-CoV-2.ResultsAs of March 14, 11 patients on HD and 7 health care workers from 11 HD centers were diagnosed as having COVID-19. The immediate screening test was performed in 306 people, and among them, 302 close contacts with negative test results were enrolled. HD with cohort isolation was performed among all close contacts for a median of 14 days in seven centers. During cohort isolation, nine patients showed symptoms but tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Two health care workers in the HD units (0.66% of the total group) were diagnosed at the termination test for SARS-CoV-2.ConclusionsThe transmission of COVID-19 can be controlled without closure of HD centers by implementing preemptive activities, including early detection with rapid testing, cohort isolation, collaboration between institutions, and continuous monitoring of infection. Our strategy and experience may provide helpful guidance for circumstances involving the rapid spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

Objective. To delineate the expression of transforming growth factor ␤-inducible gene h3 (␤IG-H3) in rheumatoid synovitis and to determine the regulatory role of ␤IG-H3 in the adhesion and migration of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS).Methods. Synovial tissue was obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during joint replacement surgery, and FLS were isolated using enzymatic treatment. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to show the expression of ␤IG-H3 within rheumatoid synovium. Synthesis of ␤IG-H3 from FLS was determined by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell adhesion and migration assays were performed using the YH18 peptide in the fourth fas-1 domain of ␤IG-H3 and function-blocking antibodies to integrins.Results. Expression of ␤IG-H3 was up-regulated in RA synovial tissue compared with synovial tissue from patients with osteoarthritis. FLS isolated from RA synovial tissue constitutively produced ␤IG-H3, which was up-regulated by transforming growth factor ␤1, interleukin-1␤, and tumor necrosis factor ␣. Although FLS expressed a variety of integrins, ␤IG-H3 mediated adhesion and migration of FLS through interaction with ␣v␤3 integrin. Cytokines failed to affect the ␤IG-H3-mediated adhesion. However, migration of FLS guided by ␤IG-H3 was enhanced by interferon-␥ and plateletderived growth factor type BB. The YH18 peptide in the fourth fas-1 domain of ␤IG-H3 inhibited adhesion and migration in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion.The results suggest that ␤IG-H3, which is abundantly expressed in RA synovial tissue, plays a regulatory role in chronic destructive inflammation through the modulation of the adhesion and migration of FLS. This finding indicates the relevance of ␤IG-H3 and ␣v␤3 integrin-interacting motifs as potential therapeutic targets in this disease.