A Randomized Controlled Study of Efficacy and Safety of Accelerated Versus Standard Hepatitis B Vaccination in Patients With Advanced CKD.

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination is crucial for seronegative patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) for protection during dialysis while preparing for transplantation. A standard regimen for HBV vaccination requires 24 weeks to be completed. An accelerated HBV vaccination regimen completed within 8 weeks has shown early effective seroconversion in healthcare workers.

Bacterial DNA Translocation Is Associated With Overt Hepatic Encephalopathy and Mortality in Patients With Cirrhosis.

Introduction: Data on the relationship between bacterial translocation, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and mortality are scarce. This study aimed to assess the association between bacterial DNA (bactDNA) translocation, inflammatory response, ammonia levels, and severity of HE in patients with cirrhosis, as well as the role of bactDNA translocation in predicting mortality.

Methods: Cirrhotic patients without bacterial infection were prospectively enrolled between June 2022 and January 2023.

Serum Galactomannan: A Predictor of Poor Outcomes in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients With Fungal Peritonitis.

Introduction: The potential value of serum galactomannan index (GMI) in monitoring treatment response in patients with fungal peritonitis who are receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) was assessed in the present study.

Methods: The study included all Thailand fungal PD-related infectious complications surveillance (MycoPDICS) DATA study participants who had timely PD catheter removal and availability of both baseline and ≥2 subsequent serum GMI measurements after starting antifungal therapy (if available). Serum GMI was assessed by direct double-sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with reference to positive and negative control samples.

Intractable ascites in a female receiving hemodialysis.

We report a case of a 60-year-old female who presented with intractable ascites 2 months after switching from peritoneal dialysis (PD) to hemodialysis (HD) due to an episode of refractory culture-negative peritonitis (CNP). Abdominal paracentesis yielded inflammatory ascites, which later grew , establishing the diagnosis of fungal peritonitis. She was successfully treated with a 4-week course of oral voriconazole.

Bacterial Urinary Tract Infection and Early Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Kidney Transplantation Still Negatively Affect Kidney Transplant Outcomes in the Era of Modern Immunosuppression and Cotrimoxazole Prophylaxis.

Risk factors and consequences of urinary tract infection (UTI) post-kidney transplant have been variously reported by studies that were heterogenous in immunosuppressants and prophylactic protocols. We aimed to clarify the risks and consequences of UTI in kidney transplant recipients with post-transplantation cotrimoxazole prophylaxis in the context of modern immunosuppression. This retrospective cohort included kidney transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus, mycophenolate, prednisolone, and cotrimoxazole for bacterial UTI prophylaxis.

Comparison of the Immune Response After an Extended Primary Series of COVID-19 Vaccination in Kidney Transplant Recipients Receiving Standard Versus Mycophenolic Acid-sparing Immunosuppressive Regimen.

Unlabelled: Two doses of coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination provide suboptimal immune response in transplant patients. Mycophenolic acid (MPA) is one of the most important factors that blunts the immune response. We studied the immune response to the extended primary series of 2 doses of AZD1222 and a single dose of BNT162b2 in kidney transplant patients who were on the standard immunosuppressive regimen compared to those on the MPA-sparing regimen.

Benefits of Switching Mycophenolic Acid to Sirolimus on Serological Response after a SARS-CoV-2 Booster Dose among Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Pilot Study.

Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) have a suboptimal immune response to COVID-19 vaccination due to the effects of immunosuppression, mostly mycophenolic acid (MPA). This study investigated the benefits of switching from the standard immunosuppressive regimen (tacrolimus (TAC), MPA, and prednisolone) to a regimen of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor (mTORi), TAC and prednisolone two weeks pre- and two weeks post-BNT162b2 booster vaccination. A single-center, opened-label pilot study was conducted in KTRs, who received two doses of ChAdOx-1 and a single dose of BNT162b2.

Methylene Blue-Mediated Antimicrobial ​Photodynamic Therapy Against Clinical Isolates of Extensively Drug Resistant ​Gram-Negative Bacteria Causing Nosocomial Infections in Thailand, An Study.

Background/purpose: Some multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria as a global threat have been recently prioritized for research and development of new treatments. We studied the efficacy of methylene blue-mediated antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (MB-aPDT) for the reduction of extensively drug-resistant (XDR-AB) and (XDR-PS) and multidrug-resistant (MDR-KP) isolated in a university hospital setting in Thailand.

Method: Two isolates of each selected bacterium were collected, XDR-AB1 and AB2, XDR- PS1 and PS2, and MDR-KP1 and KP2.

The first report of kidney transplantation in a human immunodeficiency virus-positive recipient in Thailand and literature review: Encouragement for developing countries in Southeast Asia.

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection are at risk of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. Human immunodeficiency virus infection impedes patients' accessibility to transplantation in Thailand and other developing countries in Southeast Asia, where the burdens of human immunodeficiency virus infection and chronic kidney disease are rapidly increasing. We report the successful kidney transplantation in a human immunodeficiency virus-positive recipient in Thailand and provide brief information about the current knowledge of human immunodeficiency virus medicine and transplantation that are needed for conducting kidney transplantations in such patients.

Risk factors and clinical outcomes of tuberculosis among kidney transplant recipients in high endemic country.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is considered as a challenge issue in solid organ transplant recipients because of high morbidity and mortality. Active TB after transplant mostly occurs from reactivation of latent infection. Understanding risk factors and clinical information of TB may provide an appropriate prevention and treatment strategies in this specific patient population, however data from high endemic area is scarce.

A randomized controlled trial of comparative effectiveness between the 2 dose and 3 dose regimens of hepatitis a vaccine in kidney transplant recipients.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is able to cause a spectrum of illnesses ranging from no symptom to fulminant hepatitis which may lead to acute kidney injury. Although hepatitis A vaccine is recommended in non-immune solid organ transplant recipients who live in or travel to endemic areas, the standard 2-dose vaccination regimen demonstrated less favorable immunogenicity among these population. The 3-dose regimen showed higher response rate and immune durability in patients with human immunodeficiency virus.

Successful challenge of voriconazole in a patient with posaconazole-associated minor drug eruption: A case report.

What Is Known And Objective: Triazole antifungal-associated skin rash is rare. Data on cross-reaction triazole antifungals remain inconclusive and poorly defined. We report successful voriconazole challenge in a patient allergic to posaconazole.

Sporotrichosis: The case series in Thailand and literature review in Southeast Asia.

Human Sporotrichosis is an infection caused by dimorphic fungus, complex, via direct inoculation. We are herein report proven 2 cases of sporotrichosis along with a literature review about human sporotrichosis in the southeast Asian region. The first case was a 76-year-old female with a non-progressive erythematous plaque at the right ankle.

Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder of Naso-orbital Region in Adult Renal Transplant Recipients: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is an uncommon but fatal complication following both solid organ and hematologic stem cell transplantations. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been considered a main etiologic agent causing PTLD, especially in the first year after transplantation. Extranodal manifestations are frequently found in PTLD; however, naso-orbital involvement in adults is rare.

Maximizing anti-HBs seroresponsiveness in kidney transplant waitlist patients: A tertiary-center perspective .

Background: Patients on dialysis are at risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and antibodies against the hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) ≥ 10 IU/L are required. However, a high percentages of HBV vaccine nonresponders have been reported. We aimed to determine the optimal HBV vaccination protocol.

Common viral infections in kidney transplant recipients.

Infectious complications have been considered as a major cause of morbidity and mortality after kidney transplantation, especially in the Asian population. Therefore, prevention, early detection, and prompt treatment of such infections are crucial in kidney transplant recipients. Among all infectious complications, viruses are considered to be the most common agents because of their abundance, infectivity, and latency ability.

The Cytochrome P450 3A5 Non-Expressor Kidney Allograft as a Risk Factor for Calcineurin Inhibitor Nephrotoxicity.

Background: Tacrolimus is mainly metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A5 (CYP3A5), which is expressed in the liver. However, CYP3A5 is also expressed in the kidney tissue and may contribute to local tacrolimus clearance in the kidney allograft. We aimed to evaluate the association between the allograft CYP3A5 genotype and transplant outcomes.

Influenza in patients with hematological malignancies: Experience at two comprehensive cancer centers.

The burden of influenza infections in patients with hematological malignancies (HMs) is not well defined. We describe the clinical presentation and associated outcomes of influenza at two comprehensive cancer centers (center 1 in the United States and center 2 in Mexico). Clinical and laboratory data on patients with HMs and influenza infection diagnosed from April 2009 to May 2014 at the two centers were reviewed retrospectively.

Viral associated diarrhea in immunocompromised and cancer patients at a large comprehensive cancer center: a 10-year retrospective study.

Background: Viral associated diarrhea (VAD) due to Norovirus (NV), Rotavirus (RV) and Adenovirus (AV) is common in immunocompromised and cancer patients. We sought to determine if the clinical characteristics, morbidity and seasonality of infection differed according to the type of enteric virus identified.

Methods: Cases of NV, RV and AV were identified in stool specimens submitted to the clinical microbiology laboratory between November 2005 and February 2015.

Use of Testing for West Nile Virus and Other Arboviruses.

In the United States, the most commonly diagnosed arboviral disease is West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Diagnosis is made by detecting WNV IgG or viral genomic sequences in serum or cerebrospinal fluid. To determine frequency of this testing in WNV-endemic areas, we examined the proportion of tests ordered for patients with meningitis and encephalitis at 9 hospitals in Houston, Texas, USA.

Carbapenem-resistant Lactobacillus intra-abdominal infection in a renal transplant recipient with a history of probiotic consumption.

Background: Lactobacillus sp. is a low virulence bacterium, which rarely causes infection in immunocompetent individuals and usually is considered a contaminant. Normally this organism is susceptible to β-lactam antibiotics, yet resistant strains have been reported.