Compassionate access to virus-specific T cells for adoptive immunotherapy over 15 years.

Adoptive T-cell immunotherapy holds great promise for the treatment of viral complications in immunocompromised patients resistant to standard anti-viral strategies. We present a retrospective analysis of 78 patients from 19 hospitals across Australia and New Zealand, treated over the last 15 years with "off-the-shelf" allogeneic T cells directed to a combination of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), BK polyomavirus (BKV), John Cunningham virus (JCV) and/or adenovirus (AdV) under the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration's Special Access Scheme. Most patients had severe post-transplant viral complications, including drug-resistant end-organ CMV disease, BKV-associated haemorrhagic cystitis and EBV-driven post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

Implications of the 2022 lung function update and GLI global reference equations among patients with interstitial lung disease.

Background: Lung function testing remains a cornerstone in the assessment and management of interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients. The clinical implications of the Global Lung function Initiative (GLI) reference equations and the updated interpretation strategies remain uncertain.

Methods: Adult patients with ILD with baseline forced vital capacity (FVC) were included from the Australasian ILD registry and the National Healthcare Group ILD registry, Singapore.

Cloaking antibodies are prevalent in complex infection and their removal restores serum killing.

Introduction: The complex encompasses a group of gram-negative opportunistic pathogens that cause chronic lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis. Distinct from other respiratory pathogens, causes a unique clinical disease in a subset of patients known as 'cepacia syndrome', fulminant pneumonia accompanied by bacteraemia and sepsis with a mortality rate of up to 75%. Due to the bacteraemia associated with this disease, the mechanisms that allow to resist the bactericidal effects of serum complement-depending killing are vital.

Immunological Landscapes in Lung Transplantation: Insights from T Cell Profiling in BAL and PBMC.

Lung transplant recipients frequently encounter immune-related complications, including chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD). Monitoring immune cells within the lung microenvironment is pivotal for optimizing post-transplant outcomes. This study examined the proportion of T cell subsets in paired bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and peripheral PBMC comparing healthy ( = 4) and lung transplantation patients ( = 6, no CLAD and = 14 CLAD) using 14-color flow cytometry.

Incidence of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancers in Alberta, Canada, From 2007 to 2018.

Background: Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common malignancy affecting Caucasian populations and has been seeing steady increases in incidence globally for decades. Our previous study (from Alberta, Canada) had shown a plateau in the incidence rates for NMSC. This contrasts with data from other regions within Canada and throughout the world that indicated a continued increase in incidence rates of NMSCs.

Management of infectious disease syndromes in thoracic organ transplants and mechanical circulatory device recipients: a Delphi panel.

Purpose: Antimicrobial misuse contributes to antimicrobial resistance in thoracic transplant (TTx) and mechanical circulatory support (MCS) recipients. This study uses a modified Delphi method to define the expected appropriate antimicrobial prescribing for the common clinical scenarios encountered in TTx and MCS recipients.

Methods: An online questionnaire on managing 10 common infectious disease syndromes was submitted to a multidisciplinary Delphi panel of 25 experts from various disciplines.

Treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and progressive pulmonary fibrosis: A position statement from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand 2023 revision.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease leading to significant morbidity and mortality. In 2017 the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) and Lung Foundation Australia (LFA) published a position statement on the treatment of IPF. Since that time, subsidized anti-fibrotic therapy in the form of pirfenidone and nintedanib is now available in both Australia and New Zealand.

Pregnancy in women with cystic fibrosis and diabetes: An audit of outcomes at two tertiary obstetric hospitals in Australia in the pre-cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulator era.

Background: Pregnancy in women with cystic fibrosis (CF) is becoming more common. Long-term metabolic issues such as diabetes are also becoming more common and have potentially important impacts on pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to assess the impact of diabetes on pregnancy outcomes for women with CF.

Multimodal Transplant-clinic-based Skin Cancer Prevention Education for Organ Transplant Recipients: Feasibility Study.

Unlabelled: We studied the feasibility of transplant-clinic staff routinely providing primary prevention advice to lung transplant recipients at high risk of skin cancer.

Methods: Patients enrolled by a transplant-clinic study nurse completed baseline questionnaires and received sun-safety brochures. For the 12-mo intervention, transplant physicians were alerted to provide standard sun-protection advice (use of hat, long sleeves, and sunscreen outdoors) by sun-advice prompt cards attached to participants' medical charts at each clinic visit.

Contribution of skin cancer to overall healthcare costs of lung transplantation in Queensland, Australia.

Background: Skin cancers are a major source of morbidity in lung transplant recipients, but the relative costs associated with their treatment are unknown.

Methods: We prospectively followed 90 lung transplant recipients from enrollment in the Skin Tumors in Allograft Recipients study in 2013-2015, until mid-2016. We undertook a cost analysis to quantify the health system costs relating to the index transplant episode and ongoing costs for 4 years.

Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum infections in the immediate post-lung transplant period: A case series and literature review.

Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma species infections in the post-transplant setting are believed to be donor-derived and can be associated with poor outcomes. Difficulty in culturing and identifying these organisms is a significant barrier to diagnosis and early intervention. Tetracyclines, macrolides and fluoroquinolones are the mainstay treatments to cure these infections; however, there are increasing reports of antibiotic resistance.

Sex- and Race-Based Differences in the Treatment of Interstitial Lung Diseases in North America and Australasia.

Background: Biological sex, gender, and race are important considerations in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs).

Research Question: Does a patient's sex assigned at birth, and race, influence ILD treatment initiation?

Study Design And Methods: Patients with ILD from three longitudinal prospective registries were compared in this observational study. ILD-related medications included antifibrotics and immunomodulating medications.

Laparoscopic fundoplication after lung transplantation does not appear to alter lung function trajectory.

Background: The primary aim of this study was to determine if allograft function in lung transplant (LTx) recipients improves or stabilizes after laparoscopic fundoplication (LF). The secondary aim was to examine the differences in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) before and after LF for various subgroups to identify patients who obtained a superior respiratory outcome after LF, and potential predictive factors for this outcome.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of consecutive LTx recipients undergoing LF at a single centre in Brisbane, Australia between 2004 and 2018.