A theory-driven organ donation campaign: a field intervention among university students in Iran.

Background: This study conducted an empirical evaluation of an intervention derived from the theory of planned behavior (TPB) aimed at implementing a health campaign among medical students at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: In this interventional study, a valid and reliable TPB-based questionnaire was administered before launching a health campaign titled "Organ Donation=Life Donation" among 260 medical students. The campaign was structured around nine steps: situation analysis, goal identification, target audience identification, strategy development, tactics establishment, media selection, timetable creation, budget planning, and program evaluation.

A placebo-controlled, crossover trial to investigate the efficacy of tiotropium bromide or placebo added to usual care in stable symptomatic post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS).

Background: Despite the fundamental progress in hematopoietic stem cell transplant, this treatment is also associated with complications. Graft-versus-host disease is a possible complication of HSCT. Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is the pulmonary form of this syndrome.

Comparison of the Effects of Plasmapheresis, Hemoperfusion, and Convalescent Plasma Therapy on Inflammatory Factors in COVID-19 Patients.

Since the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the treatment protocols are continuously updated, based on the evidence gathered all around the world and reported to the World Health Organization. Like many other emerging infectious diseases, using convalescent plasma from those recovered from the disease was a preliminary treatment approach that showed partial effectiveness for severe COVID-19 patients. Besides, blood filtration strategies, such as hemoperfusion and plasmapheresis, are employed to lessen the load of inflammatory molecules.

The Reality of Inadequate Patient Care and the Need for a Global Action Framework in Organ Donation and Transplantation.

Background: Transplant therapy is considered the best and often the only available treatment for thousands of patients with organ failure that results from communicable and noncommunicable diseases. The number of annual organ transplants is insufficient for the worldwide need.

Methods: We elaborate the proceedings of the workshop entitled "The Role of Science in the Development of International Standards of Organ Donation and Transplantation," organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and cosponsored by the World Health Organization in June 2021.

Determinants of medical students for intention to organ donation: Application of theory of planned behavior.

Organ donation and transplantation save thousands of lives in the world. The aim of this study was identifying determinants of organ donation intention based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) among Iranian Medical Students. This cross-sectional study was performed during 2017 in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.

Impact of Recruitment Maneuvers to Cover Adverse Effects of Donor Transfer.

Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the negative effects of transferring brain-dead donors to the intensive care unit on the ratio of PaO₂ to inspired oxygen fraction and the benefits of recruitment maneuvers on its reversal.

Materials And Methods: In this randomized trial, we assigned 30 brain-dead donors to an intervention group and a control group. After transfer to the intensive care unit, donors in the intervention group received a lung recruitment maneuver according to protocol for 1 hour, whereas the control group did not receive this intervention.

Diagnostic values of bronchodilator response versus 9-question questionnaire for asthma.

Introduction: Several studies have investigated different tools for asthma diagnosis in order to reduce the cost and improve its early recognition. The goal of this study is to establish ashort questionnaire to be used in practice for asthma screening and compare diagnostic values between this method and spirometric response to bronchodilators.

Material And Method: 208 patients presenting with chronic stable dyspnea (> 6 months) and definite clinical diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis or asthma, were enrolled.

Effects of Sirolimus on Lung function in patients with Lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Background: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a progressive lungs disease that affects women at reproductive years. Sirolimus inhibits mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and its administration in past studies was hopeful in treatment of patients with LAM. The aim of this study was to evaluate sirolimus therapy on lung function in LAM patients.

Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome and Death in Iranian Lung Transplant Recipients: A Bayesian Competing Risks Analysis.

Background: Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is delayed allograft deterioration after lung transplant (LTX) that is clinically characterized by ≥ 20% decline from the baseline value of forced expiratory volume during the first second (FEV1). BOS is still a major obstacle limiting long-term survival post-LTX. The main aim of this study was to determine the predictors of BOS and death in Iranian LTX recipients.

The First Experience of Lung Perfusion (EVLP) in Iran: An Effective Method to Increase Suitable Lung for Transplantation.

Background: Although lung transplantation is a well-accepted treatment for end-stage lung diseases patients, only 15%-20% of the brain-dead donors' lungs are usable for transplantation. This results in high mortality of candidates on waiting lists. lung perfusion (EVLP) is a novel method for better evaluation of a potential lung for transplantation.

Normothermic Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion in Brain-dead Donors Reduces Inflammatory Cytokines and Toll-like Receptor Expression.

Inflammatory responses and innate immunologic reactions play an important role in the respiratory system. Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is considered a novel method in the evaluation and reconditioning of donor lungs prior to transplantation. However, EVLP's effect on inflammatory and metabolic markers of human lung tissue is unknown.

Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion: Establishment and Operationalization in Iran.

Objectives: Although the number of lung transplants is limited because of general shortage of organ donors, ex vivo lung perfusion is a novel method with 2 main benefits, including better evaluation of lung potential and recovery of injured lungs. The main aim of this study was to establish and operationalize ex vivo lung perfusion as the first experience in Iran.

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective operational research study on 5 cases, including 1 pig from Vienna Medical University and 4 patients from Masih Daneshvari Hospital.

Role of Transcranial Doppler Sonography in Diagnosis of Brain Death: A Single Center Study.

Background: Diagnosis of brain death relies on clinical and electroencephalographic (EEG) criteria. Waiting for 24 hours is mandatory to make definitive diagnosis of the condition in the Iranian protocol. Although it has been previously shown that oscillatory or spiked systolic or reversed diastolic flow patterns in transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) are associated with faster brain death confirmation, it has not yet been approved in our protocol.

Factors Affecting the Occurrence of Spinal Reflexes in Brain Dead Cases.

Objectives: Brain death is defined as the permanent absence of all cortical and brain stem reflexes. A wide range of spontaneous or reflex movements that are considered medullary reflexes are observed in heart beating cases that appear brain dead, which may create uncertainty about the diagnosis of brain death and cause delays in deceased-donor organ donation process. We determined the frequency and type of medullary reflexes and factors affecting their occurrence in brain dead cases.

Home spirometry: Assessment of patient compliance and satisfaction and its impact on early diagnosis of pulmonary symptoms in post-lung transplantation patients.

Telemedicine is useful in monitoring patients, and in particular those, such as lung transplant recipients, suffering from chronic illnesses. This prospective cohort study was conducted on 15 lung transplant recipients. The patients provided physicians with data from spirometry as well as their clinical respiratory symptoms via SMS messages.

Evaluation of the Effect of Ascorbic Acid Administration on Gene Expression Level of IL-6 and TNF-α Cytokines in Deceased Donors.

Brain death is associated with increased inflammatory cytokines levels and poor graft quality to transplant. We aimed to evaluate the impact of Ascorbic Acid (AA) on the inflammatory status of Brain-Dead Donors (BDDs). Forty BDDs were randomly divided into two groups.

Mycobacterial infection and the impact of rifabutin treatment in organ transplant recipients: a single-center study.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a frequently encountered infection among organ transplant recipients in developing countries, and the incidence of infection after the first year of transplantation is considerably high. In this study, the impact of rifabutin treatment on organ transplant recipients with TB infection was evaluated with respect to the trend of infection, management and outcome. The medical records of 26 post-transplant patients who received an organ transplant between 2004 and 2012 and later diagnosed with TB of different organs were reviewed retrospectively.

Performance of QuantiFERON TB Gold test in detecting latent tuberculosis infection in brain-dead organ donors in Iran: a brief report.

With regard to the significant morbidity and mortality due to tuberculosis in lung transplant recipients, the identification of brain-dead organ donors with latent tuberculosis by use of the QuantiFERON TB Gold (QFT-G) test may be of help to reduce the risk of TB reactivation and mortality in lung recipients. This study was conducted in the National Research Institute of Tuber-culosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD) in Iran, from January to March 2013. A total of 38 conse-cutive brain-dead donors, not currently infected with active tuberculosis, were recruited.

Imaging Findings of Isolated Bronchial Anthracofibrosis: A Computed Tomography Analysis of Patients With Bronchoscopic and Histologic Confirmation.

Background: To evaluate the chest computed tomography (CT) findings of patients with isolated bronchial anthracofibrosis confirmed by bronchoscopy and histopathology.

Methodology: Fifty-eight patients with isolated bronchial anthracofibrosis (29 females; mean age, 70 years) were enrolled in this study. The diagnosis of bronchial anthracofibrosis was made based on both bronchoscopy and pathology findings in all patients.

Risk factors associated with survival after lung transplant in iran.

Objectives: Limited information is available about risk factors associated with survival after lung transplant in Iranian recipients. This study evaluated the effect of recipient and donor characteristics on survival after lung transplant.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included 69 lung transplants (single, 31 patients [45%]; bilateral, 38 patients [55%]), from 2000 to 2013, at the National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Performance of QuantiFERON TB gold test compared with the tuberculin skin test for detecting latent tuberculosis infection in lung and heart transplant candidates.

Objectives: Evaluation for latent tuberculosis infection is advised before organ transplant. The interferon-gamma release assay has been shown to be more specific than the tuberculin skin test for screening for latent tuberculosis infection. We compared the tuberculin skin test and QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube test for screening for latent tuberculosis infection and agreement between the tests in heart and lung transplant recipients before transplant.

Efficacy of recruitment maneuver for improving the brain dead marginal lungs to ideal.

Background: Because of the shortage of lungs for transplantation, finding the suitable lungs in brain-dead donors is an important issue. Recruitment maneuver is a strategy aimed at re-expanding collapsed and edematous lung tissue. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of this maneuver on improving marginal lungs for transplantation.

Heart-lung transplantation in Iran: a case report.

We report our initial experience with a heart-lung transplant operation performed on a 12- year- old girl with Eisenmenger syndrome at Masih Daneshvari Teaching Hospital in Tehran, in 2009. We also outline the operative indications, anesthetic management, and postoperative complications of heart-lung transplantation. We hope that this issue on transplantation may provide an encouraging prospect for patients with end-stage cardiopulmonary disorders in Iran.

Efficacy of Halotherapy for Improvement of Pulmonary function Tests and Quality of Life of Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectatic Patients.

Background: Halotherapy is a treatment modality suggested for patients with chronic pulmonary diseases. In this technique, inhalation of crystal salt stones extracted from mines improves patients' pulmonary function tests and symptoms by facilitating the secretion or expulsion of phlegm and mucus and reducing the risk of bacterial infections. Bronchiectasis is chronic disease of the airways characterized by irreversible dilation of airways.