Early steroid withdrawal in HIV-infected kidney transplant recipients: Utilization and outcomes

Kidney transplant (KT) outcomes for HIV-infected (HIV+) persons are excellent, yet acute rejection (AR) is common and optimal immunosuppressive regimens remain unclear. Early steroid withdrawal (ESW) is associated with AR in other populations, but its utilization and impact are unknown in HIV+ KT. Using SRTR, we identified 1225 HIV+ KT recipients between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2017, without AR, graft failure, or mortality during KT admission, and compared those with ESW with those with steroid continuation (SC). We quantified associations between ESW and AR using multivariable logistic regression and interval-censored survival analysis, as well as with graft failure and mortality using Cox regression, adjusting for donor, recipient, and immunologic factors. ESW utilization was 20.4%, with more zero HLA mismatch (8% vs 4%), living donors (26% vs 20%), and lymphodepleting induction (64% vs 46%) compared to the SC group. ESW utilization varied widely across 129 centers, with less use at high- versus moderate-volume centers (6% vs 21%, P < .001). AR was more common with ESW by 1 year (18.4% vs 12.3%; aOR: _1.081.61_2.41, P = .04) and over the study period (aHR: _1.021.39_1.90, P = .03), without difference in death-censored graft failure (aHR _0.600.91_1.36, P = .33) or mortality (aHR: _0.751.15_1.77, P = .45). To reduce AR after HIV+ KT, tailoring of ESW utilization is reasonable.     

Kidney transplant program waitlisting rate as a metric to assess transplant access

Kidney transplant program performance in the United States is commonly measured by posttransplant outcomes. Inclusion of pretransplant measures could provide a more comprehensive assessment of transplant program performance and necessary information for patient decision-making. In this study, we propose a new metric, the waitlisting rate, defined as the ratio of patients who are waitlisted in a center relative to the person-years referred for evaluation to a program. Furthermore, we standardize the waitlisting rate relative to the state average in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The new metric was used as a proof-of-concept to assess transplant-program access compared to the existing transplant rate metric. The study cohorts were defined by linking 2017 United States Renal Data System (USRDS) data with transplant-program referral data from the Southeastern United States between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016. Waitlisting rate varied across the 9 Southeastern transplant programs, ranging from 10 to 22 events per 100 patient-years, whereas the program-specific waitlisting rate ratio ranged between 0.76 and 1.33. Program-specific waitlisting rate ratio was uncorrelated with the transplant rate ratio (r = −.15, 95% CI, −0.83 to 0.57). Findings warrant collection of national data on early transplant steps, such as referral, for a more comprehensive assessment of transplant program performance and pretransplant access.     

Outcomes of status 1 liver transplantation for Budd-Chiari Syndrome with fulminant hepatic failure

There is a paucity of data on the outcome of liver transplantation (LT) in Budd-Chiari Syndrome (BCS) patients who are listed as status 1. The objective of our study was to determine patient or graft survival following LT in status 1 BCS patients. We utilized United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database to identify all adult patients (> 18 years of age) listed as status 1 with a primary diagnosis of BCS in the United States from 1998 to 2018, and analyzed their outcomes and compared it to non-status 1 BCS patients. Four hundred and forty-six patients with BCS underwent LT between 1998 and 2018, and of these 55 (12.3%) were listed as status 1. There was no difference in long-term post-liver transplant or “intention-to-treat” survival from the time of listing to death or the last day of follow-up between status 1 and non-status 1 groups. Graft and patient survival at 5 years for status 1 patients were 75% and 82%, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that patients listed as status 1 (aHR: 0.45, p < .02) were associated with a better survival. BCS patients listed as status 1 have excellent survival following emergency LT.     

Life underneath the VCA umbrella: Perspectives from the US Uterus Transplant Consortium

The parallel emergence of uterus transplantation (UTx) and other transplantation innovations including face and hand transplantation led to the categorization of the uterus as a vascular composite allograft (VCA). With >60 transplants and >20 births worldwide, UTx is transitioning rapidly from a research endeavor to an effective treatment option for women with uterine factor infertility. While it originally made sense to group the innovations under one umbrella, it is time to revisit the designation of UTx as a VCA. We describe how UTx needs unique policy, procedural codes, insurance contracts, and educational initiatives. We contend that separating UTx from VCAs may become necessary in the future to avoid hindering the growth and regulation of this field.     

原发性高血压患者防治依从性及血压控制达标调查

目的探讨原发性高血压患者防治依从性及血压控制达标情况,为控制原发性高血压的发展提供参考。方法选取2019年5月至2021年12月在庐江县中医院就诊的原发性高血压患者696例为研究对象,对患者进行问卷调查及体格调查,进一步分析不同人群特征、不同防治依从行为对血压控制达标的影响。结果696例原发性高血压患者中血压控制达标率为16.24%(113/696)。禁烟、限制饮酒、减少钠盐摄入、控制体重、适量运动、遵医嘱服药的依从性分别为24.86%、28.45%、64.51%、58.05%、66.38%、83.05%。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,年龄55~69岁(OR=1.567)、文化程度为高中/中专及以上(OR=2.849)、病程≤10年(OR=1.431)、禁烟依从性好(OR=1.852)、限制饮酒依从性好(OR=2.083)、减少钠盐摄入依从性好(OR=3.511)、控制体重依从性好(OR=1.145)、适量运动依从性好(OR=1.670)、遵医嘱服药依从性好(OR=1.399)的高血压患者血压控制达标的可能性较高。结论原发性高血压患者血压控制达标情况有待进一步提高,且与人群特征、防治依从项目密切相关,应针对重点人群、危险因素开展高血压综合防治,提高患者的防治依从性,促进血压控制达标。     

中国农村地区现在吸烟者戒烟意愿及其影响因素研究

目的 了解中国农村地区现在吸烟者戒烟意愿,探索其影响因素,为控烟工作提供参考。方法 本研究数据来源于2018年中国慢性病及危险因素监测,采用多阶段分层整群抽样的方法抽取184 509名≥18岁居民,其中10 241名农村现在吸烟者纳入研究。采用χ²/F检验对戒烟意愿与人口学信息、烟草使用情况、烟草相关危害知识的认知、慢性病患病情况等因素进行单因素分析,多因素分析采用非条件多因素logistic回归分析。结果 3 453名（37.46%）考虑在未来12个月内戒烟。logistic回归分析显示,偶尔吸烟者的戒烟意愿高于每天吸烟者（OR=0.693,95%CI：0.494~0.971）,每天吸烟量<1包者的戒烟意愿高于≥1包者（OR=0.628,95%CI：0.511~0.771）,12个月内有戒烟经历者的戒烟意愿高于12个月内未戒过烟的现在吸烟者（OR=0.438,95%CI：0.357~0.537）,烟草危害认知程度高者戒烟意愿更高（OR=1.056,95%CI：1.028~1.086）,差异均有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论 中国农村地区现在吸烟者戒烟意愿与吸烟状况、吸烟量、戒烟情况、烟草危害认知有关。建议加强对农村地区的健康教育宣传,提供简短的戒烟干预,提高农村现在吸烟者的戒烟意愿。     

A simple scoring system to estimate perioperative mortality following liver resection for primary liver malignancy—the Hepatectomy Risk Score (HeRS)

BackgroundSelection of the optimal treatment modality for primary liver cancers remains complex, balancing patient condition, liver function, and extent of disease. In individuals with preserved liver function, liver resection remains the primary approach for treatment with curative intent but may be associated with significant mortality. The purpose of this study was to establish a simple scoring system based on Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) and extent of resection to guide risk assessment for liver resections.MethodsThe 2005–2015 NSQIP database was queried for patients undergoing liver resection for primary liver malignancy. We first developed a model that incorporated the extent of resection (1 point for major hepatectomy) and a MELD-Na score category of low (MELD-Na =6, 1 point), medium (MELD-Na =7–10, 2 points) or high (MELD-Na >10, 3 points) with a score range of 1–4, called the Hepatic Resection Risk Score (HeRS). We tested the predictive value of this model on the dataset using logistic regression. We next developed an optimal multivariable model using backwards sequential selection of variables under logistic regression. We performed K-fold cross validation on both models. Receiver operating characteristics were plotted and the optimal sensitivity and specificity for each model were calculated to obtain positive and negative predictive values.ResultsA total of 4,510 patients were included. HeRS was associated with increased odds of 30-day mortality [HeRS =2: OR =3.23 (1.16–8.99), P=0.025; HeRS =3: OR =6.54 (2.39–17.90), P<0.001; HeRS =4: OR =13.69 (4.90–38.22), P<0.001]. The AUC for this model was 0.66. The AUC for the optimal multivariable model was higher at 0.76. Under K-fold cross validation, the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of these two models were similar at PPV =6.4% and NPV =97.7% for the HeRS only model and PPV =8.4% and NPV =98.1% for the optimal multivariable model.ConclusionsThe HeRS offers a simple heuristic for estimating 30-day mortality after resection of primary liver malignancy. More complicated models offer better performance but at the expense of being more difficult to integrate into clinical practice.