The effect of pulsatile pump perfusion on hepatitis C transmission in kidney transplantation: A prospective pilot study.

With increasing utilization of hepatitis C (HCV) viremic donor organs, there may be a role for kidney pump perfusion to reduce viral load and prevent HCV transmission. We performed a prospective pilot study of HCV viremic donors; one kidney from each donor pair was pumped with perfusate exchanges and viral load testing at least every 4 hours. Donor, recipient, and transplant characteristics were obtained with clinical outcomes.

Relationships among obstructive sleep apnea, anthropometric measures, and neurocognitive functioning in adolescents with severe obesity.

Objective: To explore associations between measures of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sleep quality, anthropometrics, and neurocognitive functioning in severely obese adolescents.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional pilot study performed at an academic medical center in 37 severely obese (body mass index [BMI] >97th percentile) adolescents. Study evaluations included polysomnography, BMI, waist circumference, and standardized neurocognitive tests to assess memory, executive functioning, psychomotor efficiency, academic achievement, and an approximation of full-scale IQ.

Reliability and validity of an instrument to describe burnout among collegiate athletic trainers.

Context: The existing investigations of professional burnout among certified athletic trainers (ATs) were conducted before 2000. Since 2000, several educational and legal changes have redefined the job duties and responsibilities of the AT working in collegiate athletics.

Objective: To develop an instrument to determine factors that contribute to burnout in ATs employed within the collegiate athletics setting.

Covalent modification of porous implants using extracellular matrix proteins to accelerate neovascularization.

Healing associated with many polymeric biomedical implants commonly involves the formation of an avascular fibrous capsule. The lack of either formation or persistence of blood vessels in formed fibrous capsules, as well as a lack of new blood vessels within porous polymeric implants, often results in poor performance of the implant. The current study evaluated the use of extracellular matrix protein modification of a commonly used biomedical implant material, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), as a mechanism to increase the neovascularization both within these porous implants and in tissue that forms in the peri-implant area.

Interactions of fibrinolytic system proteins with lysine-containing surfaces.

Studies on the interactions of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen with polyurethane surfaces containing epsilon-lysine moieties (epsilon-amino group free) are reported. These surfaces are considered to have the potential to dissolve nascent clots that may be formed on them. For adsorption from both single protein solutions and plasma, the surfaces were found to have a high capacity for tPA as well as plasminogen.