Publications by authors named "Hewitt W"

Objective: Lobar torsion is a rare occurrence in which a portion of the lung is twisted on its bronchovascular pedicle. The vast majority are observed in the acute postoperative period often following right upper lobectomy. Spontaneous middle lobe torsion independent of pulmonary resection is exceptionally rarer; fewer than 15 cases have been recorded.

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Background: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is a major payer for abdominal transplant services. Reimbursement reductions could have a major impact on the transplant surgical workforce and hospitals. Yet government reimbursement trends in abdominal transplantation have not been fully characterized.

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Background: The hernia defects that develop in liver transplant recipients tend to be complex. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of data to guide post-transplant hernia management. Our goal was to evaluate the outcomes following laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR) in liver transplant recipients.

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Backgrounds/aims: Data regarding outcomes of endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) in liver transplant (LT) recipients with biliary-enteric (BE) anastomosis are limited. We report outcomes of ERC and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) as first-line therapies in LT recipients with BE anastomosis.

Methods: All LT recipients with Roux-BE anastomosis from 2001 to 2020 were divided into ERC and PTBD subgroups.

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Background: American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines recommend 400 IU of vitamin D supplementation daily for certain infants <1 year of age. We aimed to increase the proportion of reported appropriate vitamin D supplementation for infants born at our institution and those who followed up in our resident clinic through 6 months from 49% to 80% over 24 months.

Methods: Our interdisciplinary quality improvement effort included vitamin D medication delivery before nursery discharge and family and staff education.

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Cellulitis is rarely caused by the organism (). In this case report, we detail the clinical course of a 43-year-old female with persistent cellulitis in her right lower extremity despite intensive empiric therapy. The patient was formally diagnosed with -causative cellulitis after an extensive workup including a prolonged hospital stay involving surgical biopsy and a delayed result of an acid-fast bacilli stain.

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Donation after circulatory death (DCD) liver transplantation (LT) outcomes have been attributed to multiple variables, including procurement surgeon recovery techniques. Outcomes of 196 DCD LTs at Mayo Clinic Arizona were analyzed based on graft recovery by a surgeon from our center (transplant procurement team [TPT]) versus a local procurement surgeon (non-TPT [NTPT]). A standard recovery technique was used for all TPT livers.

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Background: The risk of donor-derived severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in solid organ (heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, and intestine) transplant recipients is poorly understood. Since hematogenous transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has not been documented to date, nonlung solid organs might be suitable for transplantation since they likely portend a low risk of viral transmission.

Methods: Abdominal solid organs from SARS-CoV-2-infected donors were transplanted into uninfected recipients.

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Simultaneous liver-kidney transplant (SLKT) in the presence of antihuman leukocyte antigen (HLA) donor-specific antibodies (DSA) is a well-accepted practice. Herein, we describe the evolution of alloantibodies in a patient who received an SLKT. The pre-SLKT serum sample showed multiple strong DSA.

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Multiomics delivers more biological insight than targeted investigations. We applied multiomics to patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), with machine learning applied to advanced ECG (AECG) and echocardiography artificial intelligence (Echo AI). In total, 46 patients with HFrEF and 20 controls underwent metabolomic profiling, including liquid/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and solid-phase microextraction volatilomics in plasma and urine.

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Introduction And Objectives: Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF), leads to high mortality. These patients are at risk of being delisted for liver transplantation (LT). Emerging data shows 1y post-transplant survival of 80-92%.

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Objective: To evaluate the outcomes and perioperative complication rates following robot- assisted transplant nephrectomy ((RATN).

Methods: All patients who underwent RATN at our institution were included. No exclusion criteria were applied.

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In this report, we present a case of successful long-term salvage of a patient with transfusion-related acute lung injury associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome immediately after a liver transplant. The patient was a 29-year-old man with end-stage liver disease due to sclerosing cholangitis who underwent liver transplant. After organ reperfusion, there was evidence of liver congestion, acidosis, coagulopathy, and acute kidney injury.

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Outcomes of both donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver and kidney transplants are improving. Experience in simultaneous liver-kidney transplant (SLK) using DCD donors, however, remains limited. In an updated cohort (2010-2018), outcomes of 30 DCD SLK and 131 donation after brain death (DBD) SLK from Mayo Clinic Arizona and Mayo Clinic Minnesota were reviewed.

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Article Synopsis
  • Many patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) experience significant disability and need better therapies that are well-tolerated to improve their quality of life.
  • A phase 2 clinical trial was conducted to assess the effects of zilucoplan, a self-administered injectable treatment, on patients with moderate to severe gMG.
  • The study included 44 participants and compared the effectiveness of zilucoplan against a placebo over 12 weeks, focusing on changes in their disease symptoms and daily functioning.
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Spontaneous portosystemic shunts (SPSSs) have been associated with worse clinical outcomes in the pre-liver transplantation (LT) setting, but little is known about their post-LT impacts. Our aim was to compare LT candidates with and without SPSSs and assess the impact of SPSSs on patient mortality and graft survival in the post-LT setting. Patients 18 years or older with abdominal imaging done prior to LT were included.

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Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) during orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) is used to gather real-time information on cardiovascular function and intravascular volume status. We report a case where nonstandard TEE views were used to inspect the hepatic vasculature after allograft implantation. A 29-year-old male with secondary biliary cirrhosis with a MELD score of 20 underwent OLT using a liver from a 21-year-old brain-dead donor.

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RNA has attracted considerable attention as a target for small molecules. However, methods to identify, study, and characterize suitable RNA targets have lagged behind strategies for protein targets. One approach that has received considerable attention for protein targets has been to utilize computational analysis to investigate ligandable "pockets" on proteins that are amenable to small molecule binding.

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Non-B DNA structures represent intriguing and challenging targets for small molecules. For example, the promoter of the oncogene contains multiple G-quadruplex and i-motif structures, atypical globular folds that serve as molecular switches for gene expression. Of the two, i-motif structures are far less studied.

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Article Synopsis
  • Drug discovery is focusing on challenging targets like protein-protein interactions, leading to larger and more lipophilic compounds which have both benefits and risks.
  • Increased lipophilicity enhances membrane permeability but can also result in poor water solubility, higher toxicity, and quicker breakdown in the body.
  • The new metric called lipophilic permeability efficiency (LPE) quantifies these effects using a simple formula, helping to evaluate how effectively a compound can permeate membranes based on its lipophilicity.
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G-quadruplexes (G4s) are noncanonical DNA structures that frequently occur in the promoter regions of oncogenes, such as MYC, and regulate gene expression. Although G4s are attractive therapeutic targets, ligands capable of discriminating between different G4 structures are rare. Here, we describe DC-34, a small molecule that potently downregulates MYC transcription in cancer cells by a G4-dependent mechanism.

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Background: Significant heterogeneity exists in practice patterns and algorithms used for cardiac screening before kidney transplant. Cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by peak oxygen uptake (VO), is an established validated predictor of future cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in both healthy and diseased populations. The literature supports its use among asymptomatic patients in abrogating the need for further cardiac testing.

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