Publications by authors named "Maria L Ortiz"
GEMA-Na and MELD 3.0 severity scores to address sex disparities for accessing liver transplantation: a nationwide retrospective cohort study.
EClinicalMedicine
August 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates gender disparities in access to liver transplantation in Spain, focusing on the performance of the Gender-Equity Model adjusted by serum sodium (GEMA-Na) compared to the traditional Model for End-stage Liver Disease 3.0 (MELD 3.0).
- It includes a nationwide cohort of 6,071 patients and finds that women have lower access to transplantation and a higher risk of mortality or delisting within the first 90 days.
- GEMA-Na shows better predictive accuracy for waiting list outcomes than MELD 3.0, suggesting it could be the preferred method for prioritizing patients on the liver transplant waiting list.
Article Synopsis
- - The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted liver transplant patients, particularly those who are immunosuppressed, leading to higher severity and mortality rates from SARS-CoV-2 infections.
- - A report analyzed three liver transplant patients (two women, one man) who all needed intensive care; two died while one recovered after treatment with tocilizumab.
- - The study highlights a COVID-19 outbreak within a liver transplant ward, aiming to improve understanding and treatment strategies for similar cases in the future.
Bacteria capable of producing different extracellular enzymes of potential relevance in digestive processes were isolated from the stomach, hepatopancreas and intestine of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. A total of 64 strains with proteolytic activity were isolated and grouped into 16 clusters based on morphological characteristics: 4 groups were isolated from the intestine; 5 from the hepatopancreas; and 7 from the stomach. Molecular methods (16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing) and phenotypic criteria (Gram stain, catalase and oxidase tests, cell and colony morphology) were used to identify strains, which corresponded to Pseudoalteromonas and Vibrio genera.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnd-stage liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major indication for liver transplantation. HCV re-infection after LT is constant, and it significantly impairs patient and graft survival. Factors that may influence histological recurrence in the graft remain unclear.
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