Publications by authors named "Nikolina Basic-Jukic"

: Fabry disease (FD) is a genetic lysosomal storage disease caused by a pathogenic variant in GLA gene coding for a functional alpha-galactosidase A enzyme whose disfunction leads to globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) accumulation in cells, which results in multiple organ disorders. The aim of this study was to identify mutations associated with Fabry disease among 829 kidney transplant recipients and to investigate the correlation between the factors such as age, dialysis vintage, eGFR, proteinuria and corticosteroid dose and the deviations in alpha-galactosidase A and lyso-Gb3 levels. Dry blood spot samples were collected for genetic analysis.

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  • Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the top cause of illness and death globally, including in Croatia, often linked to shared risk factors across multiple health disorders.
  • The emerging concept of cardio-renal-metabolic (CKM) syndrome highlights the interconnectedness of heart, kidney, and metabolic health, emphasizing the need to include brain health in patient care.
  • A group of experts aims to incorporate CKM health into a national strategy for preventing chronic diseases, particularly CVD, by creating mandatory guidelines based on professional recommendations.
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  • The study investigates how competing risks, like allograft failure and death with a functioning graft, affect the performance of prognostic models used for kidney transplant recipients.
  • The research involves 11,046 kidney transplant recipients across 10 countries, developing models using various regression techniques to predict long-term graft failure while carefully evaluating their accuracy and reliability.
  • Results indicate that both standard Cox models and competing risk models provide similar predictions for graft failure, with high concordance indices, confirming their usefulness in clinical settings.
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Cardiovascular diseases, including sudden cardiac death (SCD), are the leading cause of mortality among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). While implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are established for SCD prevention in the general population, data on the benefits in patients with CKD is scarce and controversial, and there is no established general consensus on their use in this group of patients. Furthermore, data for KTRs are lacking.

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Regenerative medicine shows significant potential in treating kidney diseases through the application of various types of stem and progenitor cells, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), renal stem/progenitor cells, embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Stem cells possess the unique ability to repair injured organs and improve impaired functions, making them a key element in the research of therapies for kidney tissue repair and organ regeneration. In kidney transplantation, reperfusion injury can cause tissue destruction, leading to an initially low glomerular filtration rate and long-term impact on function by creating irreversible interstitial fibrosis.

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  • Protein-energy wasting (PEW) and sarcopenia are prevalent in chronic hemodialysis patients, leading to severe health issues and higher mortality rates.
  • This study compared the effectiveness of the SARC-F test and the Malnutrition-Inflammation Score (MIS) in identifying sarcopenia and predicting negative health outcomes in hemodialysis patients.
  • Results showed that while many patients scored low on SARC-F, they still had some form of PEW; however, only the MIS was consistently linked to poor nutritional status and higher risk for negative outcomes, indicating that detailed assessment tools like MIS are crucial for identifying at-risk patients.
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Anal carcinoma is a rare tumor in the general population accounting for 1%-2% of all malignancies. Most anal cancers are squamous cell carcinomas. Human papillomavirus and immunosuppression are the main risk factors for developing anal squamous cell carcinoma.

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Liver transplantation is as a crucial therapeutic option for patients with end-stage liver disease, but the persistent organ shortage emphasizes a need to explore unconventional donor sources, including individuals with a history of malignancies. This review investigates the viability of liver donation from individuals with current or past genitourinary malignancies, focusing on renal, prostate and urinary bladder cancers. The rising incidence of urogenital malignancies among potential donors is thought to result from increasing donor age.

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Sphingolipids (SLs) are bioactive signaling molecules essential for various cellular processes, including cell survival, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Key SLs such as ceramides, sphingosine, and their phosphorylated forms play critical roles in cellular integrity. Dysregulation of SL levels is implicated in numerous diseases, notably chronic kidney disease (CKD).

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Post-transplantation diabetes mellitus, obesity, and metabolic syndrome are common complications after kidney transplantation. Data on using novel agents, including SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists, in kidney transplant recipients are scarce and practice guidelines are lacking. According to available data, GLP-1 receptor agonists are efficient in terms of weight loss and glycemia control.

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: Kidney transplantation is considered the best modality for renal replacement therapy. The use of immunosuppressive therapy and pre-existing and newly developed comorbidities predispose these patients to the use of a large number of medications. (Hyper)polypharmacy is associated with worse adherence and negative outcomes.

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Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice in eligible patients with end-stage kidney disease. Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease worldwide is 13.

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: The aim of this multicentre retrospective study is to determine the incidence, etiology, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of kidney transplant recipients diagnosed and treated for acute pancreatitis. : We analyzed data from kidney transplant recipients who received kidney allografts between October 1973 and December 2023 and were diagnosed and treated for acute pancreatitis. : Of 2482 patients who received kidney allografts, 10 (0.

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The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to significant morbidity and mortality among kidney transplant recipients. SARS-CoV-2 has been hypothesized to cause an unusual immunological dysregulation triggering alloimmunity and leading to graft rejection. This prospective observational cohort study assessed 321 kidney transplant recipients who had COVID-19 infection.

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The John Cunningham virus (JCV) is a polyomavirus that usually infects people at a young age and does not cause any symptoms in immunocompetent individuals. However, in immunocompromised individuals, such as kidney transplant recipients, JCV can cause severe and potentially fatal disease. Unfortunately, JCV has not been researched as extensively as the BK virus and is not mentioned in relevant kidney transplant guidelines.

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Background: Acute pancreatitis is a rare extrapulmonary manifestation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but its full correlation with COVID-19 infection remains unknown.

Aim: To identify acute pancreatitis' occurrence, clinical presentation and outcomes in a cohort of kidney transplant recipients with acute COVID-19.

Methods: A retrospective observational single-centre cohort study from a transplant centre in Croatia for all adult renal transplant recipients with a functioning kidney allograft between March 2020 and August 2022 to record cases of acute pancreatitis during acute COVID-19.

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In kidney transplantation, day-zero biopsies are used to assess organ quality and discriminate between donor-inherited lesions and those acquired post-transplantation. However, many centers do not perform such biopsies since they are invasive, costly and may delay the transplant procedure. We aim to generate a non-invasive virtual biopsy system using routinely collected donor parameters.

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Introduction: Posttransplant anemia (PTA) is a common complication of kidney transplantation, associated with reduced graft survival and higher mortality. We aimed to determine the association of PTA with histopathological characteristics of time-zero allograft biopsy and donor clinical characteristics.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study that included 587 patients who underwent kidney transplantation in our center.

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Objective: To compare the performance of a newly developed race-free kidney recipient specific glomerular filtration rate (GFR) equation with the three current main equations for measuring GFR in kidney transplant recipients.

Design: Development and validation study SETTING: 17 cohorts in Europe, the United States, and Australia (14 transplant centres, three clinical trials).

Participants: 15 489 adults (3622 in development cohort (Necker, Saint Louis, and Toulouse hospitals, France), 11 867 in multiple external validation cohorts) who received kidney transplants between 1 January 2000 and 1 January 2021.

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Objectives: In this study, we investigated whether SARS-CoV-2 stimulates autoantibody production.

Methods: The study included 91 patients hospitalized due to COVID 19, with no previous history of immunological diseases. Immunofluorescence assays were performed to detect antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs), along with tests for specific autoantibodies.

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