Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Transcatheter Microwave and Radiofrequency Denervation in a Chronic Ovine Model.

Background: Transcatheter renal denervation (RDN) has had inconsistent efficacy and concerns for durability of denervation. We aimed to investigate long-term safety and efficacy of transcatheter microwave RDN in vivo in normotensive sheep in comparison to conventional radiofrequency ablation.

Methods And Results: Sheep underwent bilateral RDN, receiving 1 to 2 microwave ablations (maximum power of 80-120 W for 240 s-480 s) and 12 to 16 radiofrequency ablations (180 s-240 s) in the main renal artery in a paired fashion, alternating the side of treatment, euthanized at 2 weeks (acute N=15) or 5.

Demographic, health, and prognostic characteristics of Australians with liver cancer: a cohort study of linked data in New South Wales for informing cancer control.

Background: Australian age-standardized incidence and death rates for liver cancer are lower than world averages, but increasing as in other economically advanced western countries. World Health Organization emphasizes the need to address sociodemographic disparities in cancer risk. A more detailed sociodemographic risk profiling was undertaken for liver cancer in New South Wales (NSW) by diagnostic stage, than possible with NSW Cancer Registry (NSWCR) alone, by incorporating linked data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Unequal distribution of genetically-intact HIV-1 proviruses in cells expressing the immune checkpoint markers PD-1 and/or CTLA-4.

Introduction: HIV-1 persists in resting CD4 T-cells despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). Determining the cell surface markers that enrich for genetically-intact HIV-1 genomes is vital in developing targeted curative strategies. Previous studies have found that HIV-1 proviral DNA is enriched in CD4 T-cells expressing the immune checkpoint markers programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) or cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein-4 (CTLA-4).

Markers of Immune Activation and Inflammation Are Associated with Higher Levels of Genetically-Intact HIV in HIV-HBV Co-Infected Individuals.

Co-infection with hepatitis B (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) increases overall and liver-related mortality. In order to identify interactions between these two viruses , full-length HIV proviruses were sequenced from a cohort of HIV-HBV co-infected participants and from a cohort of HIV mono-infected participants recruited from Bangkok, Thailand, both before the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and after at least 2 years of ART. The co-infected individuals were found to have higher levels of genetically-intact HIV proviruses than did mono-infected individuals pre-therapy.

Plasma-Derived HIV-1 Virions Contain Considerable Levels of Defective Genomes.

Genetically-characterizing full-length HIV-1 RNA is critical for identifying genetically-intact genomes and for comparing these RNA genomes to proviral DNA. We have developed a method for sequencing plasma-derived RNA using long-range sequencing (PRLS assay; ∼8.3 kb from to the 3' end or ∼5 kb from to the 3' end).

Azithromycin and tezacaftor/ivacaftor is associated with first-degree heart block in an adult with cystic fibrosis.

The Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene is expressed in the heart, but this is not known to cause myocardial dysfunction or abnormalities in the ECG in people with CF. CFTR modulators such as tezacaftor/ivacaftor improve lung function and overall health in people with CF. Minor adverse events have been reported in the early clinical trials, but no consistent changes in the ECGs have been reported.

For Viral Reservoir Studies, Timing Matters.

New strategies to eliminate persistent HIV-1 during therapy will benefit from animal models, such as non-human primates infected with simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIV) or chimeras (SHIV). Understanding the genetic composition of SIV and SHIV reservoirs during therapy is therefore crucial for the future application of this model.

Positional ischaemia of transplant kidney: A rare cause of early graft dysfunction.

Kinking of the kidney transplant vessels late after the operation is a rare complication that can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. We present a case of positional ischemia of the renal allograft resulting from dynamic and positional kinking of the graft vasculature, which was diagnosed by ultrasonography with the patient standing. The graft was repositioned into the sub-rectus pocket and the ischaemic injury resolved.

Iodine deficiency in women of childbearing age: not bread alone?

Background And Objectives: Iodine deficiency remains a public health concern, particularly in pregnant women and those planning pregnancy because of the risk of impaired fetal neurological development. Following implementation of strategies to improve iodine intake in Australia, there has been minimal investigation into current iodine status. We aimed to characterise iodine status in a population of women of childbearing-age in Australia.

Vitamin D and muscle.

Vitamin D is increasingly recognised to play an important role in normal muscle function. Low vitamin D status is associated with an increased risk of falls and proximal weakness. Since vitamin D deficiency is very common, and the signs are non-specific, it is important to maintain a high index of suspicion of vitamin D deficiency in patients with muscle pain and weakness, and it is simple to measure serum 25(OH) vitamin D.

Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Is the Fastest Growing Cause of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Liver Transplant Candidates.

Background & Aims: Although hepatitis B and C have been the main drivers of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has recently become an important cause of HCC. The aim of this study was to assess the causes of HCC among liver transplant (LT) candidates in the United States.

Methods: The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (2002-2016) was used to estimate the trends in prevalence of HCC in LT candidates with the most common types of chronic liver disease: alcoholic liver disease (ALD), chronic hepatitis B (CHB), chronic hepatitis C, and NASH.

Vitamin D in liver disease: Current evidence and potential directions.

Consistent with its multifaceted nature, growing evidence links vitamin D with hepatic disease. In this review, we summarise the roles of vitamin D in different liver pathologies and explore the clinical utility of vitamin D-based treatments in hepatology. We find that the small number of clinical trials coupled with the profound heterogeneity of study protocols limits the strength of evidence needed to ascribe definite clinical value to the hormone in liver disease.