Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in palliative care: A prospective study of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prevalence in a hospital-based palliative care unit.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a common organism in hospitals worldwide and is associated with morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the prevalence in palliative care patients. Furthermore, there is no standardized screening protocol or treatment for patients for whom therapy concentrates on symptom control.

Altitude and arteriolar hyalinosis after kidney transplantation.

The kidney is very susceptible to hypoxic injury. Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) induce vasoconstriction and might reduce renal tissue oxygenation. We aimed to investigate if the synergistic deleterious effects of CNI-treatment and hypoxia of high altitude living might accelerate the development of arteriolar hyalinosis in kidney allografts.

Prediction of kidney graft failure using clinical scoring tools.

Background: Donor organ quality is a key determinant of graft function, and considerable efforts have been made to identify donor and transplant factors predicting inferior outcomes. This has resulted in the development of various scoring tools to aid in allocation of kidneys.

Methods: The performance of four donor quality scoring systems in predicting delayed graft function, and death-censored graft failure was examined in a single-center cohort of 730 consecutive deceased donor kidneys transplanted between 1990 and 2004.

Post-transplant nuclear renal scans correlate with renal injury biomarkers and early allograft outcomes.

Background: Clinical- and histopathology-based scores are limited predictors of allograft outcome. In addition, more objective markers of early transplant function are needed to identify and validate biomarkers and predictive scores. We evaluated existing scores and transcriptome biomarkers of kidney injury as predictors of early transplant function measured by renal scan.

Macrophage activation is associated with poorer long-term outcomes in renal transplant patients.

Long-term graft and patient survival after renal transplantation are largely determined by progression of chronic allograft dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. Inflammation plays a crucial role in both disease processes. We prospectively analyzed the association of early peri-transplant inflammatory burden on long-term outcomes in 144 consecutive deceased donor renal allograft recipients.

Chronic inflammation and accelerated atherosclerosis as important cofactors in nephrogenic systemic fibrosis following intravenous gadolinium exposure.

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a rare disorder in patients with chronic kidney disease characterized by an increased tissue deposition of collagen. Its pathogenesis remains unclear. Prior studies indirectly suggested a possible impact of chronic inflammation and accelerated atherosclerosis--a common feature in kidney diseased patients--whereas recent data focused almost exclusively on gadolinium (Gd)-based MR contrast agents.