Frequency of and reasons behind non-listing in adult patients referred for liver transplantation: Results from a retrospective study.

Background: Few studies have evaluated the frequency of and the reasons behind the refusal of listing liver transplantation candidates.

Aim: To assess the ineligibility rate for liver transplantation and its motivations.

Methods: A single-center retrospective study was conducted on adult patients which entailed a formal multidisciplinary assessment for liver transplantation eligibility.

Gut Microbiota Signatures Are Associated With Psychopathological Profiles in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis: Results From an Italian Tertiary IBD Center.

Background: Several patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) suffer from psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, and show specific personality traits. Despite this, there are few data about personality profiles' characterization in UC patients and about correlation of their psychopathological profile with their intestinal microbiota.The aim of our study is to analyze the psychopathological and personality profile of UC patients and correlate it with specific signatures of their gut microbiota.

Externally Oriented Thinking Predicts Phosphorus Levels in Dialyzed Patients.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between alexithymia scores and biological markers of adherence in dialyzed patients. The hypothesis was that higher scores of alexithymia would be associated with lower adherence to treatment.

Methods: Fifty-four adult dialyzed patients were enrolled during a follow-up visit.

Emotional management and quality of life in mother living versus multi-organ donor renal transplant recipients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate psychological differences and quality of life between kidney recipients from living (mother) and multi-organ donor. Overall, 40 patients who had undergone both living (mother) and multi-organ kidney transplantation 3-6 months before were asked to complete four self-report instruments: Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Short Form Health Survey, Regulatory Emotional Self-efficacy, and Attachment Style Questionnaire. A greater difficulty in emotional, social, and mental health functioning was found in recipients receiving kidney from mother living donor.

Expanding the Living Donor Pool "Second Act": Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy and ABO-Incompatible Kidney Transplantation Improve Donor Recruitment.

Background: To safely expand our living donor pool, we recently decided to work on 3 areas: analysis of causes of exclusion of potential donors, the results of which we recently published, introduction of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN), and ABO-incompatible (ABOi) transplantation. We sought to determine the impact of the new strategy on living donor recruitment and transplantation during over a 10-year period at a single institution.

Methods: From January 2005 to September 2014, we evaluated 131 living donors.

Attachment style predict compliance, quality of life and renal function in adult patients after kidney transplant: preliminary results.

Aim: Aim of this study was to evaluate the association between attachment style, compliance, quality of life and renal function in adult patients after kidney transplantation.

Methods: A total of 43 adult patients who received a kidney transplant more than 3 months before were enrolled and were asked to complete two Self-Report questionnaires: Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ-40) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Also compliance was measured using appropriate questions.

Emotional self-efficacy and alexithymia may affect compliance, renal function and quality of life in kidney transplant recipients: results from a preliminary cross-sectional study.

Unlabelled: Recent studies show that alexithymia may influence compliance and quality of life in different clinical situations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between alexithymia or emotional self-efficacy and compliance, quality of life (QoL) and renal function in renal transplant patients.

Methods: Forty-three patients were enrolled during a follow-up visit (>3 months post-transplant) and were asked to complete three self-report questionnaires (TAS-20, SF-36, RESE) to answer the following items: "In the past four weeks, how many times did you fail to take your prescribed dose?" and "How would you rate your adherence levels from 0 to 100?" (visual analogue scale).

Do patients who participate in a clinic experimental protocol have the same probability of success from that who were not selected or refused to participate? Outcome surveillance, safety, and bioethical considerations in kidney transplant clinical research.

Introduction: Safety in conducting a clinical trial is a prerequisite for patients who will be enrolled into that study. The aim of the present study was to evaluate retrospectively if patient and graft survival were similar among patients who participated in clinical trials versus those who did not.

Patients And Methods: We evaluated pretransplant and posttransplant characteristics of 245 kidney transplant (KT) patients who were selected to participate in at least one Phase II/Phase III clinical trial.

Conversion from Prograf to Advagraf in stable kidney transplant recipients: better renal function after 3-year follow-up.

Background: The complexity of treatment after solid organ transplantation has been related to non-adherence to therapy prescriptions and to reduced graft survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the middle-term effects of the conversion from Prograf (TAC), to extended-release tacrolimus (Advagraf) (ADV) in stable kidney transplant recipients.

Methods: Conversion from TAC to ADV (dose, 1:1 mg/mg) was planned in 78 kidney transplant patients with stable renal function 71±48 months after renal transplantation.

Expanding the living donor pool, "Ist Act": analysis of the causes of exclusion of potential kidney donors.

Background: The evaluation of a potential living kidney donor (LKD) leads to exclusion of at least 50% of candidates. The aim of this study was to analyze the reasons for exclusion of potential LKDs referred to our center.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed historic and clinical data of all potential LKDs who were evaluated over 7 years from January 2005 to March 2012.

C-terminal trans,trans-muconic acid ethyl ester partial retro-inverso pseudopeptides as proteasome inhibitors.

The development of specific inhibitors of the proteasome represents an important opportunity for new drug therapies. The central role of the multicatalytic complex in the intracellular proteolysis mediated by ubiquitin-proteasome pathway goes to discovery many molecules able to selectively inhibits enzymatic active subsites. Now, we report synthesis and activity of a new partial retro-inverso oligopseudopeptide derivatives bearing a trans,trans-muconic acid ethyl ester pharmacophoric unit at the C-terminal.

Psychological risk factors for graft rejection among liver transplant recipients.

The purpose of this prospective study was to find psychological risk factors predicting acute, chronic, and psychological rejection in patients undergoing liver transplantation using Cognitive Behavioural Assessment (CBA-2.0). The primary scale included an assessment of fears, personality, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, state and trait anxiety, psychological reactions, and depression.

Effects of switching from twice-daily to once-daily tacrolimus formulation on quality of life, anxiety, and transplant benefit perception after kidney transplantation.

Objective: This study investigated whether switching from the twice-daily (Prograf; TAC) to the once-daily formulation of tacrolimus with extended release (Advagraf; XL) affected quality of life, anxiety, and transplant benefit perception after allogeneic kidney transplantation.

Methods: After local Institutional Review Board approval, 78 adult patients prescribed twice-daily tacrolimus for ≥1 year after kidney transplantation were asked to participate in this study. All patients were evaluated at T0 (before the switch), and the 49 who accepted the change were reassessed after 6 months (T1).

Preoperative psychological factors predicting graft rejection in patients undergoing kidney transplant: a pilot study.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether pretransplant psychological variables included in the CBA 2.0 Primary Scale-fear, personality, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, state and trait anxiety, psychological reactions, and depression-could predict graft rejection among patients undergoing kidney transplantation.

Methods: After ethical committee approval we enrolled 33 consecutive adult patients undergoing kidney transplantation.

Development and validation of the Drug Hypersensitivity Quality of Life Questionnaire.

Background: The impact of drug hypersensitivity has never been considered from the patient's perspective, and no questionnaire is currently available for this purpose.

Objective: To develop and validate a questionnaire specifically designed for the assessment of quality of life in patients with drug hypersensitivity entitled the Drug Hypersensitivity Quality of Life Questionnaire (DrHy-Q).

Methods: During the development procedure, an initial questionnaire of 34 items was generated and administered to 70 patients; the 20 most important items were detected and converted into questions evaluated with a 5-point Likert scale.