Unlocking Rural Live-Kidney Donation Through Insights From a Decade-Long Analysis at a Single Center in the Northern Great Plains.

Background: Data on barriers to live-kidney donation in the rural United States is limited despite its widespread adoption across the country.

Methods: A retrospective review of 1776 self-referrals for live-kidney donation between June 1, 2012, and May 31, 2022, was conducted. Multivariate analyses evaluated independent factors which may have potentially influenced donation at different stages in its process.

Perturbation of Fermi Resonance on Hydrogen-Bonded > C═O: 2D IR Studies of Small Ester Probes.

We utilized linear and 2D infrared spectroscopy to analyze the carbonyl stretching modes of small esters in different solvents. Particularly noteworthy were the distinct carbonyl spectral line shapes in aqueous solutions, prompting our investigation of the underlying factors responsible for these differences. Through our experimental and theoretical calculations, we identified the presence of the hydrogen-bond-induced Fermi resonance as the primary contributor to the varied line shapes of small esters in aqueous solutions.

Telemedicine in alcohol liver disease and transplantation care: Addiction therapy through video-conferencing-A case report.

Alcohol use disorder is a major public health concern, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Alcohol-associated liver disease is a major consequence of alcohol use disorder, with liver transplantation becoming the leading indication for this condition. This abstract describes a case study of a 39-year-old Native American man with severe alcohol-associated liver disease, illustrating the challenges and solutions in providing comprehensive care in a remote location.

Combined antegrade-retrograde cystourethroscopic rendezvous procedure for the management of a severe urethral stricture during kidney transplantation: A case report.

Introduction: External bladder drainage with an indwelling transurethral catheter is standard during kidney transplant. Difficult Foley catheter placement is a frequent problem and one of the most common reasons for intraoperative urology consults. Suprapubic catheters are usually placed if retrograde urologic instrumentation options fail to cross the urethral obstruction.

"Triple V-Plasty": Creation of a Single Orifice for Three Renal Arteries in Live-Donor Transplantation.

Background: Donor renovascular anatomic variations can hinder renal transplantation (RT), especially from live donors. Back-table vascular reconstruction can be effective in the use of renal allografts with multiple renal arteries (RAs), helping to expand the pool of live donors.

Surgical Technique: Sequential V-plasty of 3 donor RAs using fine, non-absorbable, monofilament (7-0 or 8-0 polypropylene) suture in an uninterrupted fashion successfully enabled the creation of a single, wide ostium for anastomosis with the target inflow recipient artery.

Triple V-plasty: Novel Renovascular Reconstruction Technique in Live-Donor Transplantation.

Introduction: Donor renovascular anomalies, including multiplicity, length and caliber of blood vessels, could hinder renal transplantation, especially from live-donors. However, meticulous back-bench vascular reconstruction ascertaining orientation and patency of individual vessels can be effective in utilization of renal grafts with multiple renal arteries, helping to expand the pool of live-donors.

Surgical Technique: Sequential v-plasty of individual donor renal arteries using fine, non-absorbable, monofilament (7-0 or 8-0 Prolene) suture in an uninterrupted fashion enables creation of a single, wide ostium for anastomosis with the target, inflow recipient (usually external or common iliac) artery.

Elucidation of pH-Induced Protein Structural Changes: A Combined 2D IR and Computational Approach.

The acid-base behavior of amino acids plays critical roles in several biochemical processes. Depending on the interactions with the protein environment, the p values of these amino acids shift from their respective solution values. As the side chains interact with the polypeptide backbone, a pH-induced change in the protonation state of aspartic and glutamic acids might significantly influence the structure and stability of a protein.

Modified Mercedes Single Incision for Combined Liver Kidney Transplant: A Case Series Report.

Background: The traditional approach in combined liver-kidney transplantation involves 2 separate and sequential incisions. We describe a modification of the standard Mercedes incision that allows a single-incision operation while providing and maintaining adequate exposure to enable safe dual-allograft transplantation.

Methods: Modification of the standard Mercedes incision includes bilateral, subcostal, muscle splitting incision 4 fingerbreadths below the rib edge with a midline, cephalad incision and inferior ± medial ipsilateral extension on the side of intended iliac fossa laterality for renovascular and ureteroneocystostomy anastomosis.

Pledgeted plication: A novel technique to treat dialysis access-related steal syndrome.

Steal syndrome is a potential complication of surgically created arteriovenous fistulas that can result in sensory and/or motor deficits, or tissue loss in the affected limb. Several surgical techniques have been developed to treat steal syndrome, but all have potential drawbacks. We detail a novel, modified plication technique which involves sequential, longitudinal application of pledgets along the venous outflow to gradually narrow it, and consequently decrease flow.

Characterization of Human-malarial Parasite Species based on DHFR and GST Targets Resulting in Changes in Anti-malarial Drug Binding Conformations.

Background: In this study, we focused primarily on three anti-malarial drugs, namely chloroquine, mefloquine, and proguanil, and these were tested against two malarial targets DHFR and GST. The species Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium vivax were used for the study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the sequence and structural similarity of the proteins DHFR and GST among four Plasmodium species as well as to discover the in silico interactions with the aforementioned drug candidates.

Association-Dissociation Dynamics of Ionic Electrolytes in Low Dielectric Medium.

Ionic electrolytes are known to form various complexes which exist in dynamic equilibrium in a low dielectric medium. However, structural characterization of these complexes has always posed a great challenge to the scientific community. An additional challenge is the estimation of the dynamic association-dissociation time scales (lifetime of the complexes), which are key to the fundamental understanding of ion transport.

Transition of a Deep Eutectic Solution to Aqueous Solution: A Dynamical Perspective of the Dissolved Solute.

Disruption of the deep eutectic solvent (DES) nanostructure around the dissolved solute upon addition of water is investigated by polarization-selective two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. The heterogeneous DES nanostructure around the solute is partially retained up to 41 wt % of added water, although water molecules are gradually incorporated in the solute's solvation shell even at lower hydration levels. Beyond 41 wt %, the solute is observed to be preferentially solvated by water.

Stabilization of Azapeptides by N···H-N Hydrogen Bonds.

An unusual N···H-N hydrogen bond (HB) was previously proposed to stabilize the azapeptide β-turns. Herein we provide experimental evidence for the N···H-N HB and show that this HB endows a stabilization of 1-3 kcal·mol and enforces the trans-cis-trans (t-c-t) and cis-cis-trans (c-c-t) amide bond conformations in azapeptides and -methyl-azapeptides, respectively. Our results indicate that these N···H-N HBs can have stabilizing contributions even in short azapeptides that cannot fold to form β-turns.

Evidence of an n(amide) → π* Interaction in -Alkyl-,'-diacylhydrazines.

1,2-Dibenzoyl-1--butylhydrazine (RH-5849) and related -alkyl-,'-diacylhydrazines are environmentally benign insect growth regulators. Herein, we show that an unusual n(amide) → π* interaction mediated by a hydrazide amide nitrogen atom plays a crucial role in stabilizing their biologically active trans-cis (t-c) rotameric conformations. We provide NMR and IR spectroscopic evidence for the presence of these interactions, which is also supported by X-ray crystallographic and computational studies.

The Curious Case of Aqueous Warfarin: Structural Isomers or Distinct Excited States?

Warfarin is a potent anti-coagulant drug and is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. Additionally, it displays fluorescence enhancement upon binding to human serum albumin, making warfarin a prototype fluorescent probe in biology. Despite its biological significance, the current structural assignment of warfarin in aqueous solution is based on indirect evidence in organic solvents.

Kidney Transplantation in United States Native Americans: Breaking Barriers.

Advances in the field of solid-organ transplantation (SOT), namely evolution of surgical techniques, developments in immunosuppressive therapies and efforts to maximize utilization of donor allografts (deceased and living), have resulted in growing numbers of SOT performed annually in the United States (U.S.) (36,529 total organs and 21,167 kidneys transplanted in 2018).

Kidney Transplantation in Native Americans: Time to Explore, Expel Disparity.

Native Americans/American Indians (NA/AI) are perhaps the most disadvantaged population in the United States due to poverty, geographic isolation, and poor health care. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and end-stage renal disease in NA/AI is higher compared with other racial/ethnic groups. Thus, a higher rate of kidney transplantation (KT) candidacy evaluation, wait-listing, and actual transplantation would be expected among NA/AI.

Early Cardiopulmonary Cryptococcus neoformans Infection After Liver Transplant: A Case Report.

Cryptococcal infection (CI) is an uncommon fungal disease that poses a particular fatal risk to liver transplant (LT) recipients because of the potential rapid development and dissemination of the disease. Depending on the pathophysiology, CI may manifest with a wide range of clinical presentations that may delay early diagnosis and timely treatment. Additionally, most anticryptococcal therapies may threaten LT recipients owing to the associated hepatotoxicity of these medications.

Spontaneous Chylous Ascites After Liver Transplantation Secondary to Everolimus: A Case Report.

Chylous ascites (CA) is an uncommon entity with several etiologies. Only a few cases of CA have been reported as a complication after liver transplantation (LT). Most of these cases occurred within 1 month after surgery and typically resulted from traumatic intraoperative injury leading to disruption of lymphatics.

presenting as generalized lymphadenopathy after renal transplantation.

is typically an indolent disease among immunocompetent patients. However, immunocompromised patients, such as solid organ transplant recipients, are at risk of developing severe histoplasmosis. Yet post-transplant histoplasmosis is a rare pathology, representing less than five percent of invasive fungal infections among transplant recipients.

Hydrocarbon Chain-Length Dependence of Solvation Dynamics in Alcohol-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents: A Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopic Investigation.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have gained popularity in recent years as an environmentally benign, inexpensive alternative to organic solvents for diverse applications in chemistry and biology. Among them, alcohol-based DESs serve as useful media in various applications due to their significantly low viscosity as compared to other DESs. Despite their importance as media, little is known how their solvation dynamics change as a function of the hydrocarbon chain length of the alcohol constituent.

Utility of fiber-optic bronchoscopy in pulmonary infections among abdominal solid-organ transplant patients: A comprehensive review.

Pulmonary infections are frequent complications in abdominal solid-organ transplantation (aSOT) which may threaten patient and allograft survival. Accurate diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary infections in this population can be challenging. Immunosuppressive therapy not only increases the risk of acquiring opportunistic and non-opportunistic infections, but it also impairs the inflammatory responses associated with microbial invasion which in an otherwise normal host produce clinical and radiologic responses that allow for early identification of the offending pathogen.