Incident and Emergency Centre of the IAEA.

The Incident and Emergency Centre of the International Atomic Emergency Agency is the global focal point for preparedness, event reporting, and response to nuclear and radiological incidents and emergencies irrespective of their cause. The Centre continuously works to develop standards and guidance for strengthening Member States' preparedness; develops practical tools and training programs to assist Member States in promptly applying the standards and guidance; and organizes a variety of training events and exercises. The Centre evaluates national plans and assists in their development; facilitates effective communication between countries; develops response procedures; and supports national exercises.

Donor total lung capacity predicts recipient total lung capacity after size-reduced lung transplantation.

Background: Size-reduced lung transplantation has only recently undergone widespread use, especially in highly urgent cases. However, it is still not considered standard procedure at most centers. It has the potential to alleviate the donor organ shortage by allowing the use of oversized grafts for small and pediatric recipients.

Initial experience with oral valganciclovir for pre-emptive cytomegalovirus therapy after lung transplantation.

Background: The most common opportunistic viral pathogen after lung transplantation is cytomegalovirus (CMV). Oral valganciclovir, a prodrug of ganciclovir, has been introduced as a potential drug for prophylaxis and treatment of CMV infection and disease in lung transplantation. The goal of this study was to describe our initial experience with oral valganciclovir for pre-emptive treatment of CMV infections after lung transplantation.

Extended donor criteria for lung transplantation--a clinical reality.

Objective: Standard lung donor criteria have been established on opinions and individual experiences rather than on existing evidence. Since the scarcity of donor organs is one of the major limitations to lung transplantation, extension of donor lung criteria might considerably increase the donor pool. This study therefore evaluates the outcome, achieved with the use of extended donors versus standard donors and aims to redefine lung donor criteria.