Publications by authors named "Susan A Kuldanek"

Background: People with cystic fibrosis (CF) have an increased risk of thrombosis due to acquired thrombophilia secondary to chronic systemic inflammation and central venous catheter use for treatment of pulmonary infections. The objective of this study is to determine the safety and effectiveness of a risk-stratified, venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis intervention.

Methods: This single-center, IRB-approved, retrospective study assessed patients with CF admitted to our institution for treatment of a pulmonary exacerbation from 2017 to 2019.

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Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common renal malignancy of children and can be seen in WAGR syndrome (WT, aniridia, genitourinary anomalies, and intellectual disability). WAGR results from a contiguous gene deletion within the 11p13 region, encompassing the WT1 gene, often responsible for WT development, and the PAX6 gene, responsible for aniridia. Aniridia, a pan-ocular disease resulting from iris hypoplasia, is thought to increase the risk for WT development if their genetic alteration spans both the WT1 and the PAX6 genes on 11p13.

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: Despite mitigation strategies that include the exclusion of females from plasma donation or the exclusion of females with a history of pregnancy or known anti-leukocyte antibody, transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) remains a leading cause of transfusion-related morbidity and mortality. : The definition of TRALI is discussed and re-aligned with the new Berlin Diagnostic Criteria for the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The risk factors associated with TRALI are summarized as are the mitigation strategies to further reduce TRALI.

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Background: Although transfusion is a lifesaving intervention, it may be associated with significant morbidity in injured patients. We hypothesize that stored red blood cells (RBCs) induce proinflammatory activation of human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HMVECs) resulting in neutrophil (PMN) adhesion and predisposition to acute lung injury (ALI).

Study Design And Methods: Ten units of RBCs were collected; 50% (by weight) were leukoreduced (LR-RBCs) and the remainder was unmodified and stored in additive solution-5 (AS-5).

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