Clinical parameters, LysoGb3, podocyturia, and kidney biopsy in children with Fabry disease: is a correlation possible?

Background: Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by α-galactosidase enzyme deficiency. We present clinical, biochemical, and histologic findings in children with classical phenotypic presentation of Fabry disease.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using charts from 14 children with confirmed diagnosis.

Solid Organ Transplantation for HIV-Infected Individuals.

Purpose Of Review: The prevalence of end-stage organ disease is increasing among HIV-infected (HIV+) individuals. Individuals with well-controlled HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART), without active opportunistic infections or cancer, and with specified minimum CD4 cell counts are appropriate transplant candidates. Infectious disease clinicians can improve access to transplantation for these patients and optimize management pre- and post-transplant.

Organs from deceased donors with false-positive HIV screening tests: An unexpected benefit of the HOPE act.

Organs from deceased donors with suspected false-positive HIV screening tests were generally discarded due to the chance that the test was truly positive. However, the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act now facilitates use of such organs for transplantation to HIV-infected (HIV+) individuals. In the HOPE in Action trial, donors without a known HIV infection who unexpectedly tested positive for anti-HIV antibody (Ab) or HIV nucleic acid test (NAT) were classified as suspected false-positive donors.

Changes in Utilization and Discard of HCV Antibody-Positive Deceased Donor Kidneys in the Era of Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy.

Background: The availability of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy might have impacted use of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected (HCV+) deceased donor kidneys for transplantation.

Methods: We used 2005 to 2018 Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients data to identify 18 936 candidates willing to accept HCV+ kidneys and 3348 HCV+ recipients of HCV+ kidneys. We compared willingness to accept, utilization, discard, and posttransplant outcomes associated with HCV+ kidneys between 2 treatment eras (interferon [IFN] era, January 1, 2005 to December 5, 2013 vs DAA era, December 6, 2013 to August 2, 2018).

Willingness to Donate Organs Among People Living With HIV.

Background: With passage of the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, people living with HIV (PLWH) can donate organs to PLWH awaiting transplant. Understanding knowledge and attitudes regarding organ donation among PLWH in the United States is critical to implementing the HOPE Act.

Methods: PLWH were surveyed regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about organ donation and transplantation at an urban academic HIV clinic in Baltimore, MD, between August 2016 and October 2016.

Perceptions, motivations, and concerns about living organ donation among people living with HIV.

Recent changes to United States law now permit people living with HIV (PLWH) to donate organs to HIV-infected (HIV+) recipients under research protocols. PLWH may have unique motivations for and concerns about living donation and understanding them is critical to ensuring the integrity of this novel approach to organ transplantation. We conducted in-depth interviews with PLWH from an urban HIV clinic who had previously indicated their willingness to be a living donor.

Role of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for approximately 13% of all lung cancer diagnoses each year. SCLC is characterized by a rapid doubling time, early metastatic spread, and an unfavorable prognosis overall.

Areas Of Uncertainty: Most patients with SCLC will respond to initial treatment; however, the majority will experience a disease recurrence and response to second-line therapies is poor.

The Drug Overdose Epidemic and Deceased-Donor Transplantation in the United States: A National Registry Study.

Background: The epidemic of drug overdose deaths in the United States has led to an increase in organ donors.

Objective: To characterize donors who died of overdose and to analyze outcomes among transplant recipients.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

The crosstalk between hematopoietic stem cells and their niches.

Purpose Of Review: Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in specific microenvironments also called niches that regulate HSC functions. Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the crosstalk between HSCs and niche cells is a major issue in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. The purpose of this review is to discuss recent advances in this field with particular emphasis on the transcriptional landscape of HSC niche cells and the roles of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the dialog between HSCs and their microenvironments.

The impact of direct-acting antiviral agents on liver and kidney transplant costs and outcomes.

Direct-acting antiviral medications (DAAs) have revolutionized care for hepatitis C positive (HCV+) liver (LT) and kidney (KT) transplant recipients. Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients registry data were integrated with national pharmaceutical claims (2007-2016) to identify HCV treatments before January 2014 (pre-DAA) and after (post-DAA), stratified by donor (D) and recipient (R) serostatus and payer. Pre-DAA, 18% of HCV+ LT recipients were treated within 3 years and without differences by donor serostatus or payer.

Proteolysis inhibition by hibernating bear serum leads to increased protein content in human muscle cells.

Muscle atrophy is one of the main characteristics of human ageing and physical inactivity, with resulting adverse health outcomes. To date, there are still no efficient therapeutic strategies for its prevention and/or treatment. However, during hibernation, bears exhibit a unique ability for preserving muscle in conditions where muscle atrophy would be expected in humans.

[Post-traumatic pulmonary aspergilloma].

Introduction: Aspergillomas occur due to colonization of a pre-existing pulmonary, bronchial or pleural cavity by Aspergillus spp. Often asymptomatic, this pathology can reveal itself by recurrent haemoptysis or when bacterial superinfections occur. Aspergillomas occurring in post-traumatic cavities are rare and their management is poorly codified.

Direct-Acting Antiviral Prophylaxis in Kidney Transplantation From Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Donors to Noninfected Recipients: An Open-Label Nonrandomized Trial.

Background: Given the high mortality rate for patients with end-stage kidney disease receiving dialysis and the efficacy and safety of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatments, discarded kidneys from HCV-infected donors may be a neglected public health resource.

Objective: To determine the tolerability and feasibility of using direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) as prophylaxis before and after kidney transplantation from HCV-infected donors to non-HCV-infected recipients (that is, HCV D+/R- transplantation).

Design: Open-label nonrandomized trial.

Urban-Rural Differences in Aerobic Physical Activity, Muscle Strengthening Exercise, and Screen-Time Sedentary Behavior.

Purpose: Compared to their urban counterparts, US residents in rural settings face an increased risk of premature mortality and health problems that have been linked to insufficient physical activity (PA) levels. There is limited literature regarding urban-rural differences in adherence to national guidelines for all 3 PA-related behaviors.

Methods: We investigated urban-rural differences in aerobic PA, leisure-time muscle strengthening PA, and leisure screen-time sedentary behavior in a combined data set of the 2011-2014 waves (N = 14,188) of the nationally representative National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey.

Captive Bottlenose Dolphins Do Discriminate Human-Made Sounds Both Underwater and in the Air.

Bottlenose dolphins () spontaneously emit individual acoustic signals that identify them to group members. We tested whether these cetaceans could learn artificial individual sound cues played underwater and whether they would generalize this learning to airborne sounds. Dolphins are thought to perceive only underwater sounds and their training depends largely on visual signals.

Moving from the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act to HIV Organ Policy Equity in action: changing practice and challenging stigma.

Purpose Of Review: The HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, signed in 2013, reversed the federal ban on HIV-to-HIV transplantation. In this review, we examine the progress in HOPE implementation, the current status of HIV-to-HIV transplantation, and remaining challenges.

Recent Findings: Pursuant to the HOPE Act, the Department of Health and Human Services revised federal regulations to allow HIV-to-HIV transplants under research protocols adherent to criteria published by the National Institutes of Health.

Transit use and physical activity: Findings from the Houston travel-related activity in neighborhoods (TRAIN) study.

Transportation-related physical activity can significantly increase daily total physical activity through active transportation or walking/biking to transit stops. The purpose of this study was to assess the relations between transit-use and self-reported and monitor-based physical activity levels in a predominantly minority population from the Houston Travel-Related Activity in Neighborhoods (TRAIN) Study. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 865 adults living in Houston, Texas between 2013 and 2015.

Disruption of Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane (MAM) Integrity Contributes to Muscle Insulin Resistance in Mice and Humans.

Modifications of the interactions between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria, defined as mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs), were recently shown to be involved in the control of hepatic insulin action and glucose homeostasis, but with conflicting results. Whereas skeletal muscle is the primary site of insulin-mediated glucose uptake and the main target for alterations in insulin-resistant states, the relevance of MAM integrity in muscle insulin resistance is unknown. Deciphering the importance of MAMs on muscle insulin signaling could help to clarify this controversy.

Vancomycin Dosing in Obese Patients: Special Considerations and Novel Dosing Strategies.

Objective: To review the literature regarding vancomycin pharmacokinetics in obese patients and strategies used to improve dosing in this population.

Data Sources: PubMed, EMBASE (1974 to November 2017), and Google Scholar searches were conducted using the search terms vancomycin, obese, obesity, pharmacokinetics, strategy, and dosing. Additional articles were selected from reference lists of selected studies.

HIV+ deceased donor referrals: A national survey of organ procurement organizations.

Background: HIV-infected (HIV+) donor organs can be transplanted into HIV+ recipients under the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act. Quantifying HIV+ donor referrals received by organ procurement organizations (OPOs) is critical for HOPE Act implementation.

Methods: We surveyed the 58 USA OPOs regarding HIV+ referral records and newly discovered HIV+ donors.

[The use of the Debriefing Assessment for Simulation in Healthcare (DASH) in a simulation-based team learning program for newborn resuscitation in the delivery room].

Objective: To evaluate the contribution of the Debriefing Assessment for Simulation in Healthcare (DASH, Centre for Medical Simulation, Harvard) in a high-fidelity simulation in situ program used for newborn resuscitation training.

Methods: The DASH was scored by trainees and instructors at the end of the session. The instructors' feedback and opinions were collected.

Transcriptional Reprogramming during Effector-to-Memory Transition Renders CD4 T Cells Permissive for Latent HIV-1 Infection.

The latent reservoir for HIV-1 in resting memory CD4 T cells is the major barrier to curing HIV-1 infection. Studies of HIV-1 latency have focused on regulation of viral gene expression in cells in which latent infection is established. However, it remains unclear how infection initially becomes latent.