Optimal surgical workup to ensure safe recovery of the donor after living liver donation - A systematic review of the literature and expert panel recommendations.

Background: The essential premise of living donor liver transplantation is the assurance that the donors will have a complication-free perioperative course and a prompt recovery. Selection of appropriate donors is the first step to support this premise and is based on tests that constitute the donor workup. The exclusion of liver pathologies and assessment of liver anatomy and volume in the donor candidate are the most important elements in the selection of the appropriate candidate.

Sickle Cell Trait and Kidney Disease in People of African Ancestry With HIV.

Introduction: Sickle cell trait (SCT) has been associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in African Americans, although evidence for its impact in Africans and people with HIV is currently lacking. We conducted a cross-sectional study investigating the association between SCT and kidney disease in people of African ancestry with HIV in the UK.

Methods: The primary outcome was estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min per 1.

How Do We Predict a Patient's Disease Course and Whether They Will Respond to Specific Treatments?

Gastroenterologists will be all too familiar with the difficult decisions that managing inflammatory bowel disease often presents. How aggressively should I treat this patient? Do I expect them to have a mild or aggressive form of disease? Do they need a biologic? If so, which one? And when should I start it? The reality is that the answers that would be right for one patient might be disastrous for another. The growing therapeutic armamentarium will only make these decisions more difficult, and yet, we have seen how other specialties have begun to use the molecular heterogeneity in their diseases to provide some answers.

Pharmacokinetic Characterisation and Comparison of Bioavailability of Intranasal Fentanyl, Transmucosal, and Intravenous Administration through a Three-Way Crossover Study in 24 Healthy Volunteers.

Background: For more than 60 years, the synthetic opioid fentanyl has been widely used in anaesthesia and analgesia. While the intravenous formulation is primarily used for general anaesthesia and intensive care settings, the drug's high lipophilic properties also allow various noninvasive routes of administration. Published data suggest that intranasal administration is also attractive for use as intranasal patient-controlled analgesia (PCA).

Confidence of UK Ophthalmology Registrars in Managing Posterior Capsular Rupture: Results from a National Trainee Survey.

Introduction: To establish the level of confidence amongst UK ophthalmology specialist registrars (residents) in managing posterior capsule rupture (PCR) during cataract surgery.

Methods: An online nine-item questionnaire was distributed to all registrars, recruited nationwide via regional representatives. Data collected included stage of training, number of completed cataract operations, cumulative PCR rate, number of PCRs independently managed, understanding of vitrectomy settings and fluidic parameters and access to simulation.

The Effect of Local Cooling at the Elbow on Nerve Conduction Velocity and Motor Unit Behaviour: An Exploration of a Novel Neurological Assessment.

Background: This study aimed to determine the effects of a standard therapeutic cooling protocol using crushed ice on the elbow to explore if changes in the motor unit (MU) firing rates in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle are comparable to known changes in sensory and motor nerve conduction velocity (NCV) due to a regional temperature drop around a peripheral nerve.

Methods: Twelve healthy individuals were assessed before cooling, immediately after cooling, and 15 min of rewarming. Assessments included two standard non-invasive nerve conduction velocity tests and a non-invasive investigation of the MU firing rates using surface electromyography decomposition (dEMG).

Enhanced recovery after surgery programs improve short-term outcomes after liver transplantation-A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review aimed to investigate the available quality of evidence (QOE) of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) for liver transplantation (LT) on short-term outcomes, grade recommendations, and identify relevant components for ERAS protocols. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on short-term outcomes after LT when applying comprehensive ERAS protocols (> 1 ERAS component) versus control groups (CRD42021210374), following the GRADE approach for grading QOE and strength of recommendations. Endpoints were morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and readmission rates after ERAS for LT.

FDG PET/CT in Sacroiliac IgG4 Disease.

A 68-year-old woman with abdominal pain and a raised C-reactive protein was investigated with a CT of the abdomen. CT showed an irregular soft tissue mass anterior to the aorta, which was thought to be neoplastic. The patient underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT, which demonstrated hypermetabolic activity in this mass, as well as further foci of hypermetabolic activity in head and neck, sacroiliac joints, and pelvic floor muscles.

The epidemiology of kidney disease in people of African ancestry with HIV in the UK.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The risk of CKD is increased in people of African ancestry and with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study investigating the relationship between region of ancestry (East, Central, South or West Africa) and kidney disease in people of sub-Saharan African ancestry with HIV in the UK between May 2018 and February 2020.

Bone Infarction Mimicking a Bone Metastasis on 18F-Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen PET/CT.

18F-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT imaging is increasingly used in staging, assessment of biochemical recurrence, and treatment response in men with prostate cancer. We present a case report of a 70-year-old man who underwent 18F-PSMA PET/CT imaging to investigate biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy for prostate adenocarcinoma. New focal moderate PSMA uptake was identified in the left femur.

Changes in mental health symptoms from pre-COVID-19 to COVID-19 among participants with systemic sclerosis from four countries: A Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort study.

Introduction: No studies have reported mental health symptom comparisons prior to and during COVID-19 in vulnerable medical populations.

Objective: To compare anxiety and depression symptoms among people with a pre-existing medical condition and factors associated with changes.

Methods: Pre-COVID-19 Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Cohort data were linked to COVID-19 data from April 2020.

Protocol for a partially nested randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the scleroderma patient-centered intervention network COVID-19 home-isolation activities together (SPIN-CHAT) program to reduce anxiety among at-risk scleroderma patients.

Objective: Contagious disease outbreaks and related restrictions can lead to negative psychological outcomes, particularly in vulnerable populations at risk due to pre-existing medical conditions. No randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have tested interventions to reduce mental health consequences of contagious disease outbreaks. The primary objective of the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network COVID-19 Home-isolation Activities Together (SPIN-CHAT) Trial is to evaluate the effect of a videoconference-based program on symptoms of anxiety.

Defining Benchmark Outcomes for ALPPS.

Objective: The aim of this study was to use the concept of benchmarking to establish robust and standardized outcome references after the procedure ALPPS (Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation for Staged hepatectomy).

Background And Aims: The recently developed ALPPS procedure, aiming at removing primarily unresectable liver tumors, has been criticized for safety issues with high variations in the reported morbidity/mortality rates depending on patient, disease, technical characteristics, and center experience. No reference values for relevant outcome parameters are available.

Endoscopic Management of Chronic Achilles Tendon Rupture.

Chronic ruptures of the Achilles tendon are often missed injuries, which is challenging for the surgeon. The complications from reconstruction are a considerable concern. Primary repair may be attempted, but the missed injury often presents later than 4 weeks with gaps greater than 4 cm, necessitating more complex reconstructions using local tissues such as turn-down flaps and VY plasty, requiring large incisions in an unfavorable area of the body.

Epidemiological characteristics and access to end-stage liver disease care for HIV-positive patients with HCV and/or HBV coinfections in Central/Eastern European and neighboring countries – data from the ECEE network.

Objectives: There is currently an urgent need to harmonize hepatitis standards of care for HIV-positive patients across Europe. The HIV epidemic in Central and Eastern Europe has often been driven by injecting drug use, therefore a higher rate of co-infection with HCV and HBV is expected in this region. We have investigated the epidemiological prevalence and treatment availability for end-stage liver disease in HIV/HCV/HBV coinfections in countries represented in the ECEE Network Group.

Fluid Containing Structures in the tips of the fingers and toes delineated by Ultrasound Imaging before and after Induced Skin Wrinkling.

This Ultrasound study identified spaces within the pulp of distal phalanx of the fingers and toes that halve in area after Water Induced Skin Wrinkling. These spaces appeared as fluid filled sacculi between connective tissue compartments accountable for distending digital pulp under normal circumstances and skin wrinkling after water immersion. Whilst studying conditions related to sympathetic nerve function with WISW ultrasound imaging is a valuable adjunct to the visual assessment.

The association of sociodemographic and disease variables with hand function: a Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network cohort study.

Objectives: Impaired hand function in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a primary cause of disability and contributes diminished health-related quality of life. The objective of the present study was to evaluate sociodemographic, lifestyle, and disease-related factors independently associated with hand function in SSc.

Methods: Patients enrolled in the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Cohort who completed baseline study questionnaires between March 2014 and September 2017 were included.

The Scleroderma Patient-Centered Intervention Network Cohort: baseline clinical features and comparison with other large scleroderma cohorts.

Objectives: The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort is a web-based cohort designed to collect patient-reported outcomes at regular intervals as a framework for conducting trials of psychosocial, educational, self-management and rehabilitation interventions for patients with SSc. The aim of this study was to present baseline demographic, medical and patient-reported outcome data of the SPIN Cohort and to compare it with other large SSc cohorts.

Methods: Descriptive statistics were used to summarize SPIN Cohort characteristics; these were compared with published data of the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) and Canadian Scleroderma Research Group (CSRG) cohorts.

Oral propranolol in the treatment of proliferating infantile haemangiomas: British Society for Paediatric Dermatology consensus guidelines.

Background: Infantile haemangiomas (IH) are the most common vascular tumours of infancy. Despite their frequency and potential complications, there are currently no unified U.K.