Treatment of latent tuberculosis infection with short-course regimens in potential living kidney donors.

Background: Treatment data for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among potential living kidney donors are scarce.

Methods: This retrospective study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of positive QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) among potential living kidney donors that were screened from 2009 to 2017. We investigated if there was any difference in the time to donation between QFT-GIT-positive and QFT-GIT-negative donors.

Is it safe to remove an infected cardiac implantable electronic device at the time of heart transplantation? Report of two cases.

Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections are treated with antibiotics and device explantation. Lack of CIED removal is associated with infection recurrence. However, CIED removal can be associated with major complications including death.

Immunization of Solid Organ Transplant Candidates and Recipients: A 2018 Update.

This article discusses the recommended vaccines used before and after solid organ transplant period, including data regarding vaccine safety and efficacy and travel-related vaccines. Vaccination is an important part of the preparation for solid organ transplantation, because vaccine-preventable diseases contribute to the morbidity and mortality of these patients. A pretransplantation protocol should be encouraged in every transplant center.

Preventive Care Screening in the Puerto Rican Geriatric Population: A Formative Evaluation of Patient Knowledge.

Objective: This study was meant to be the first step in bridging a gap in the literature concerning Puerto Rican geriatric patients' levels of knowledge concerning 4 preventive care screening tests: mammography, bone densitometry, colonoscopy, and lipid panels.

Methods: Patients 65 years old and older were interviewed at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Medical Sciences Campus, primary care clinics. Fisher's exact test was used to assess knowledge status for each screening test.

Impact of the timing of hepatitis B virus identification and anti-hepatitis B virus therapy initiation on the risk of adverse liver outcomes for patients receiving cancer therapy.

Background: Data on the incidence of adverse liver outcomes are limited for cancer patients with chronic (hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]-positive/hepatitis B core antibody [anti-HBc]-positive) or past (HBsAg-negative/anti-HBc-positive) hepatitis B virus (HBV) after chemotherapy. This study was aimed at determining the impact of test timing and anti-HBV therapy on adverse liver outcomes in these patients.

Methods: Patients with solid or hematologic malignancies who received chemotherapy between 2004 and 2011 were retrospectively studied.