End-stage organ failure is estimated to affect more than 4 to 6 million persons worldwide. In 2018, transplant systems across the globe enabled around 150,000 patients to benefit from a kidney, heart, lung, liver, or other solid organ, a number that was far less than the demand. According to data from the World Health Organization, more than 1,500,000 persons live with a transplanted organ worldwide. In the US, approximately 40,000 patients receive an organ transplant every year, but 120,000 still remain waitlisted for transplantation today, with 7,600 dying annually while waiting for an organ transplant. A similar lack of organs and high death rates on the waiting list affect patients in Europe and many other countries. As nations adjust to new realities driven by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, many health care providers, institutions and patients are concerned about the potential impact that COVID-19 will have on organ donation and transplantation. One concern is that transplant recipients may have a greater susceptibility to infection and greater viral burden. A second concern is that hospitals will lack the resources in terms of staff and equipment to care for recipients after transplantation, who often require intensive care and multispecialty management. Because of the overwhelming healthcare system burden, a dramatic negative effect on worldwide organ donation and transplantation is anticipated, but has not been measured. Our objective was to quantify the worldwide impact of COVID-19 pandemic on organ donation and transplantation and consequences for waitlisted patients. https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT04416256

A number of transplant organizations from around the world have partnered to develop this educational webinar for the organ donation and transplantation communities. Our goal is to share experiences to date and respond to your questions about the impact of COVID-19 on organ donation and transplantation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUM8-vDH-kI

STUDY OBJECTIVES:

To test the hypothesis that healthy adults reporting dream-enactment behavior (DEB+) have reduced cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMRgl) in regions preferentially affected in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

DESIGN:

Automated brain-mapping algorithms were used to compare regional fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) measurements from previously evaluated DEB cases and controls.

SETTING:

Tertiary-care academic medical centers.

PARTICIPANTS:

Seventeen cognitively normal patients with DEB+ and 17 control subjects (DEB-) who were individually matched for age (59 +/- 11 years), education level (16 +/- 4 years), sex (67% women), body mass index (26 +/- 4.8 kg/m2), first-degree relative with dementia (85%), and proportion of apolipoprotein E (APOE) e4 carriers (13 e4 carriers, 4 noncarriers).

INTERVENTIONS:

FDG-PET.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS:

DEB was associated with significantly lower CMRgl in several brain regions known to be preferentially affected in both DLB and Alzheimer disease (parietal, temporal, and posterior cingulate cortexes) and in several other regions, including the anterior cingulate cortex (p < .001, uncorrected for multiple comparisons). The DEB-associated CMRgl reductions were significantly greater in the APOE e4 noncarriers than in the carriers.

CONCLUSIONS:

These preliminary findings suggest that cognitively normal persons with DEB have reduced CMRgl in brain regions known to be metabolically affected by DLB, supporting further study of DEB as a possible risk factor for the development of DLB.

• Silverchair Information Systems
• Ovid Technologies, Inc.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an impact on all facets of our health care system, including life-saving procedures like organ transplantation Concerns for potential exposure to the causative severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have profoundly altered the process of organ donation and recovery that is vital to the execution of organ transplantation Issues regarding adequate donor evaluation and consent, organ recovery, organ procurement organization (OPO) and donor hospital resources as well as the transplant center?s acceptance of organ offers for their candidates have all required new practice paradigms Consequently, the ability to treat patients with organ failure, in particular patients with end stage liver disease where no temporizing treatments exist, and to obtain expected excellent outcomes for new liver transplant recipients has been challenged during this time We summarize some of the negative effects of the current pandemic on organ recovery and liver transplantation as well as offer considerations and strategies for their mitigation that could have a lasting impact on the field even after COVID-19 has waned

The Italian Society of Urology 93rd National Congress 2020. 17-18 October 2020, Rome, Italy.

A number of transplant organizations from around the world continue their partnership to create a second educational webinar for the organ donation and transplantation communities. Our goal is to share experiences to date and respond to your questions about the impact of COVID-19 on organ donation and transplantation. The agenda included the following topics: 1. Introduction 2. Testing - making sense of tests 3. Moving into the future: Emerging from quarantine and what have we learned to prepare for the next wave? The webinar was held on May 11, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxr9NEzlDeU&t=4s

The current pandemic coronavirus labelled as Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus -2 (SARS -CoV-2) is a significant public health threat over for past few weeks Overall case fatality rates range between 2-6%;however, the rates are higher in patients with severe disease, advanced age and underlying comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease Recent reports showed about 2-11% of patients with COVID-19 had underlying chronic liver disease Experience from previous SARS epidemic suggest that 60% of patients developed various degrees of liver damage In the current pandemic, hepatic dysfunction was seen in 14-53% of patients with COVID-19, particularly in those with severe disease Cases of acute liver injury have been reported, associated with higher mortality Hepatic involvement in COVID-19 could be multifactorial related to any of direct cytopathic effect of the virus, uncontrolled immune reaction, sepsis or drug induced liver injury The postulated mechanism of viral entry is through the host ACE2 receptors that are abundantly present in type 2 alveolar cells Interestingly, the expression of ACE2 receptors were identified in the gastrointestinal tract, vascular endothelium and cholangiocytes of the liver Liver transplant recipients with COVID-19 have been reported recently Effects of COVID-19 on underlying chronic liver disease requires a detailed evaluation and currently data is lacking and further research is warranted in this area With lack of definitive therapy, patient education, hand hygiene and social distancing appears to be the cornerstone in minimising the disease spread

A 68-year-old man presented to our ED with shortness of breath, weakness, and a 25-lb unintentional weight loss. He had undergone bilateral lung transplantation (cytomegalovirus [CMV]: donor+, recipient+; Epstein-Barr virus: donor+; recipient+) for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) 18 months prior. His posttransplant course was fairly unremarkable until 1 month earlier, when he was admitted for breathlessness and weakness. CT of the chest during that admission revealed mild intralobular and interlobular septal thickening. A bronchoscopy with BAL and transbronchial biopsies did not show acute cellular rejection, but the BAL fluid was positive for coronavirus. His cortisol level was undetectable; he was diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency and fludrocortisone was initiated. He was taking prednisone, tacrolimus, and everolimus for immunosuppression and valganciclovir, itraconazole, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for antimicrobial prophylaxis. His 25-lb weight loss occurred over the span of just one month.

• Europe PubMed Central
• PubMed Central

• ClinicalKey
• Ovid Technologies, Inc.
• Elsevier Science

AIM:

The aim of the study is to analyse haemodialysis patients' prescriptions accordance with legal registrations in 64 chronic haemodialysis patients during a one-month follow-up period.

RESULTS:

Patients are taking 9.6+/-3 different drugs. A mean of 2.4+/-1.3 prescriptions per patient disagree with the recommended drug use. The directions for use in this specific population are defective in 89%. Moreover, at least one drug-drug interaction is found in 78% of our patients.

CONCLUSION:

Only 8% of the studied hemodialysis patients benefit from prescriptions in agreement with the legal recordings, as a consequence of the lack of drug studies in this particular population. Therefore, clinicians have to rely on their own experience to establish their prescriptions, which can involve their responsibility in case of litigation. Furthermore, the frequency of drug-drug interactions in these polymedicated patients implies that a close pharmaceutical follow-up should be implemented.

• Elsevier Science