Measurement of Spiritual Wellbeing in an Australian Hospital Population Using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy: Spiritual Wellbeing Scale (FACIT-Sp-12).

Spiritual wellbeing is known to be a predictor of increased patient coping in hospital settings. Therefore, access to a valid and reliable measure of spiritual wellbeing amongst general hospital patients is highly recommended. The aim of this study was to investigate the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Spiritual Wellbeing scale (FACIT-Sp-12) in a heterogeneous cohort of hospital patients.

COVID-19 and renal allograft rejection: insight from controlled and non-controlled studies.

Aim: Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), due to their immunosuppressed status, are potentially more susceptible to both the severe effects of COVID-19 and complications in their transplanted organ. The aim of this study is to investigate whether COVID-19 infection increases the risk of rejection in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs).

Methods: This study involved a detailed literature review, conducted using PubMed, with the search being completed by September 7th, 2023.

Medical and Surgical Management of the Failed Pancreas Transplant.

Despite the continued improvements in pancreas transplant outcomes in recent decades, a subset of recipients experience graft failure and can experience substantial morbidity and mortality. Here, we summarize what is known about the failed pancreas allograft and what factors are important for consideration of retransplantation. The current definition of pancreas allograft failure and its challenges for the transplant community are explored.

Inter-pass motion correction for whole-body dynamic PET and parametric imaging.

Whole-body dynamic FDG-PET imaging through continuous-bed-motion (CBM) mode multi-pass acquisition protocol is a promising metabolism measurement. However, inter-pass misalignment originating from body movement could degrade parametric quantification. We aim to apply a non-rigid registration method for inter-pass motion correction in whole-body dynamic PET.

Impact of obesity on the conversion of immediate-release tacrolimus to extended-release tacrolimus in kidney transplant recipients.

Outcomes analyzing conversion from IR-tacrolimus (IR) to LCP-tacrolimus (LCP) in obesity are limited. This was a retrospective longitudinal cohort study of patients converted from IR to LCP from June 2019 to October 2020. Primary outcomes were conversion ratios for weight-based dose at a steady-state therapeutic level and identification of appropriate dosing weight.

An information-theoretic approach to single cell sequencing analysis.

Background: Single-cell sequencing (sc-Seq) experiments are producing increasingly large data sets. However, large data sets do not necessarily contain large amounts of information.

Results: Here, we formally quantify the information obtained from a sc-Seq experiment and show that it corresponds to an intuitive notion of gene expression heterogeneity.

The Perspectives of General Nephrologists Toward Transitions of Care and Management of Failing Kidney Transplants.

The management of failing kidney allograft and transition of care to general nephrologists (GN) remain a complex process. The Kidney Pancreas Community of Practice (KPCOP) Failing Allograft Workgroup designed and distributed a survey to GN between May and September 2021. Participants were invited via mail and email invitations.

Diagnostic Performance of Dynamic Whole-Body Patlak [F]FDG-PET/CT in Patients with Indeterminate Lung Lesions and Lymph Nodes.

Background: Static [F]FDG-PET/CT is the imaging method of choice for the evaluation of indeterminate lung lesions and NSCLC staging; however, histological confirmation of PET-positive lesions is needed in most cases due to its limited specificity. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of additional dynamic whole-body PET.

Methods: A total of 34 consecutive patients with indeterminate pulmonary lesions were enrolled in this prospective trial.

Impact of CYP3A5 genotype on de-novo LCP tacrolimus dosing and monitoring in kidney transplantation.

Objectives: LCP tac has a recommended starting dose of 0.14 mg/kg/day in kidney transplant. The goal of this study was to assess the influence of CYP3A5 on perioperative LCP tac dosing and monitoring.

Impact of converting adult kidney transplant recipients with high tacrolimus variability from twice daily immediate release tacrolimus to once daily LCP-Tacrolimus.

Background: The influence of converting to once daily, extended-release LCP-Tacrolimus (Tac) for those with high tacrolimus variability in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) is not well-studied.

Methods: Single-center, retrospective cohort study of adult KTRs converted from Tac immediate release to LCP-Tac 1-2 years post-transplant. Primary measures were Tac variability, using the coefficient of variation (CV) and time in therapeutic range (TTR), as well as clinical outcomes (rejection, infections, graft loss, death).

Australian Patient Preferences for Discussing Spiritual Issues in the Hospital Setting: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study.

While there is high patient acceptance for clinical staff discussing issues regarding spirituality with hospital inpatients, it is not clear which staff member patients prefer for these discussions. This unique exploratory study investigated inpatient preferences regarding which staff member should raise the topic of spirituality. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with inpatients at six hospitals in Sydney, Australia (n = 897), with a subset invited to participate in qualitative interviews (n = 41).

Diabetes is a significant and independent predictor for tacrolimus immediate release and LCP-tacrolimus conversion ratios.

Diabetes (DM) is a common comorbidity in transplant patients with known effects on gastrointestinal (GI) motility and absorption; however, DM's impact on immediate release (IR) tacrolimus to LCP-tacrolimus (LCP) conversion ratios has not been studied. This multivariable analysis of a retrospective longitudinal cohort study included kidney transplant recipients converted from IR to LCP between 2019 and 2020. The primary outcome was IR to LCP conversion ratio based on DM status.

Multilevel Intervention to Improve Racial Equity in Access to Kidney Transplant.

Background: African Americans (AAs) have reduced access to kidney transplant (KTX). Our center undertook a multilevel quality improvement endeavor to address KTX access barriers, focused on vulnerable populations. This program included dialysis center patient/staff education, embedding telehealth services across South Carolina, partnering with community providers to facilitate testing/procedures, and increased use of high-risk donors.

Feasibility of using abbreviated scan protocols with population-based input functions for accurate kinetic modeling of [F]-FDG datasets from a long axial FOV PET scanner.

Background: Accurate kinetic modeling of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([F]-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) data requires accurate knowledge of the available tracer concentration in the plasma during the scan time, known as the arterial input function (AIF). The gold standard method to derive the AIF requires collection of serial arterial blood samples, but the introduction of long axial field of view (LAFOV) PET systems enables the use of non-invasive image-derived input functions (IDIFs) from large blood pools such as the aorta without any need for bed movement. However, such protocols require a prolonged dynamic PET acquisition, which is impractical in a busy clinical setting.

Modelling wave-ice interactions in three dimensions in the marginal ice zone.

This study concerns wave-ice interactions in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). We compare idealized simulations using two recent three-dimensional formulations for wave-ice interactions for flexible ice floes, with selected parametrizations for the scattering of ocean surface waves due to individual ice floes. These parametrizations are implemented in a modern version of the wave model WAVEWATCH III® (hereafter, WW3) as source terms in the action balance equation.

Australian Patient Preferences for the Introduction of Spirituality into their Healthcare Journey: A Mixed Methods Study.

While patients value engagement concerning their spirituality as a part of holistic healthcare, there is little evidence regarding the preferred way to engage in discussions about spirituality. This study investigated inpatient preferences regarding how they would like spirituality to be raised in the hospital setting. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with inpatients at six hospitals in Sydney, Australia (n = 897), with a subset invited to participate in qualitative interviews (n = 41).

Unsupervised inter-frame motion correction for whole-body dynamic PET using convolutional long short-term memory in a convolutional neural network.

Subject motion in whole-body dynamic PET introduces inter-frame mismatch and seriously impacts parametric imaging. Traditional non-rigid registration methods are generally computationally intense and time-consuming. Deep learning approaches are promising in achieving high accuracy with fast speed, but have yet been investigated with consideration for tracer distribution changes or in the whole-body scope.

Evoked responses to note onsets and phrase boundaries in Mozart's K448.

Understanding the neural correlates of perception of hierarchical structure in music presents a direct window into auditory organization. To examine the hypothesis that high-level and low-level structures-i.e.

Imagined Musical Scale Relationships Decoded from Auditory Cortex.

Notes in a musical scale convey different levels of stability or incompleteness, forming what is known as a tonal hierarchy. Levels of stability conveyed by these scale degrees are partly responsible for generating expectations as a melody proceeds, for emotions deriving from fulfillment (or not) of those expectations, and for judgments of overall melodic well-formedness. These functions can be extracted even during imagined music.

A Dialysis Center Educational Video Intervention Increases Patient Self-Efficacy and Kidney Transplant Evaluations.

The optimal treatment for end-stage kidney disease is renal transplant. However, only 1 in 5 (21.5%) patients nationwide receiving dialysis are on a transplant waitlist.

Estimating cellular redundancy in networks of genetic expression.

Networks of genetic expression can be modeled by hypergraphs with the additional structure that real coefficients are given to each vertex-edge incidence. The spectra, i.e.

Musical components important for the Mozart K448 effect in epilepsy.

There is growing evidence for the efficacy of music, specifically Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K448), at reducing ictal and interictal epileptiform activity. Nonetheless, little is known about the mechanism underlying this beneficial "Mozart K448 effect" for persons with epilepsy. Here, we measured the influence that K448 had on intracranial interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) in sixteen subjects undergoing intracranial monitoring for refractory focal epilepsy.

Endovascular Management of Distal Anterior Cerebral Artery Aneurysms: A Multicenter Retrospective Review.

Introduction: Distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysms (DACAA) are a rare and difficult entity to manage. Endovascular treatment has evolved for safe and durable treatment of these lesions. The objective of this study is to report the safety, efficacy, and outcomes of endovascular treatment of DACAA.