Safety and efficacy of one and two booster doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in kidney transplant recipients: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Kidney transplant recipients are at risk for a severe course of COVID-19 with a high mortality rate. A considerable number of patients remains without a satisfactory serological response after the baseline and adjuvant SARS-CoV-2 vaccination schedule.

Methods: In this prospective, randomized study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of one and two booster doses of mRNA vaccines (either mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2) in 125 COVID-19 naive, adult kidney transplant recipients who showed an insufficient humoral response (SARS-CoV-2 IgG <10 AU/ml) to the previous 2-dose vaccination schedule.

A Randomized Trial of Valganciclovir Prophylaxis Versus Preemptive Therapy in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Significance Statement: Although cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is an important factor in the pathogenesis of kidney allograft rejection, previous studies have not determined the optimal CMV prevention strategy to avoid indirect effects of the virus. In this randomized trial involving 140 kidney transplant recipients, incidence of acute rejection at 12 months was not lower with valganciclovir prophylaxis (for at least 3 months) compared with preemptive therapy initiated after detection of CMV DNA in whole blood. However, prophylaxis was associated with a lower risk of subclinical rejection at 3 months.

Insufficient response to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and high incidence of severe COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients during pandemic.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccination may fail to sufficiently protect transplant recipients against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We retrospectively evaluated COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients (n = 226) after BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine administration. The control group consisted of unvaccinated patients (n = 194) during the previous pandemic wave.

Substitution of citrate with tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for catheter lock does not improve patency of tunnelled haemodialysis catheters in a randomised trial.

Backround: The study aim was to establish if substitution of citrate with rt-PA for catheter lock once weekly can reduce the incidence of catheter-related blood stream infections (CR-BSI) or improve patency of tunneled haemodialysis catheters.

Methods: All incident patients undergoing insertion of a tunneled haemodialysis catheter were screened and included except those suffering infection or using oral anticoagulation. Study participants were randomized into two arms according to the solution applied as catheter lock: receiving either trisodium citrate (Citra-LockTM 4%) only or rt-PA (Actilyse® 1 mg/ml) on the middle session each week with citrate used on the first and third sessions.

Long-term survey of sea turtles (Caretta caretta) reveals correlations between parasite infection, feeding ecology, reproductive success and population dynamics.

Long-term monitoring of host-parasite interactions is important for understanding the consequences of infection on host fitness and population dynamics. In an eight-year survey of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) population nesting in Cabo Verde, we determined the spatiotemporal variation of Ozobranchus margoi, a sanguivorous leech best known as a vector for sea turtle fibropapilloma virus. We quantified O.