Summary
Background
There are few data on the epidemiology and outcomes of influenza infection in recipients of solid-organ transplants. We aimed to establish the outcomes of pandemic influenza A H1N1 and factors leading to severe disease in a cohort of patients who had received transplants.
Methods
We did a multicentre cohort study of adults and children who had received organ transplants with microbiological confirmation of influenza A infection from April to December, 2009. Centres were identified through the American Society of Transplantation Influenza Collaborative Study Group. Demographics, clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes were assessed. Severity of disease was measured by admission to hospital and intensive care units (ICUs). The data were analysed with descriptive statistics. Proportions were compared by use of χ2 tests. We used univariate analysis to identify factors leading to pneumonia, admission to hospital, and admission to an ICU. Multivariate analysis was done by use of a stepwise logistic regression model. We analysed deaths with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.
Findings
We assessed 237 cases of medically attended influenza A H1N1 reported from 26 transplant centres during the study period. Transplant types included kidney, liver, heart, lung, and others. Both adults (154 patients; median age 47 years) and children (83; 9 years) were assessed. Median time from transplant was 3.6 years. 167 (71%) of 237 patients were admitted to hospital. Data on complications were available for 230 patients; 73 (32%) had pneumonia, 37 (16%) were admitted to ICUs, and ten (4%) died. Antiviral treatment was used in 223 (94%) patients (primarily oseltamivir monotherapy). Seven (8%) patients given antiviral drugs within 48 h of symptom onset were admitted to an ICU compared with 28 (22.4%) given antivirals later (p=0.007). Children who received transplants were less likely to present with pneumonia than adults, but rates of admission to hospital and ICU were similar.
Interpretation
Influenza A H1N1 caused substantial morbidity in recipients of solid-organ transplants during the 2009–10 pandemic. Starting antiviral therapy early is associated with clinical benefit as measured by need for ICU admission and mechanical ventilation.
This study examines the clinical utility of cognitive behavioural therapy delivered via videoconferencing for bulimic disorders, and factors associated with adjustment to this mode of treatment delivery. A single-case-series design was used with six participants with bulimic disorders. Most were living in remote areas in north-east Scotland or Shetland. Therapy sessions were conducted weekly at a bandwidth of ISDN 6 (384 kbytes/sec) via videoconferencing links between local community hospital sites and the eating disorders service in Aberdeen, Scotland. Almost all participants rated high levels of therapeutic alliance and satisfaction with video therapy. Some participants preferred video therapy due to feeling less selfconscious and intimidated, whereas others felt it was less personal than face-to-face sessions would be. It is proposed that video therapy may be particularly suited to the treatment of eating disorders, especially for those with high levels of shame and body-related selfconsciousness and those who require greater levels of control in therapy.
The aim of this paper is to review all qualitative research and questionnaire surveys with people who have experienced an eating disorder or received treatment for it. Studies were identified on PubMed and PsychInfo. Twenty-three studies were identified and key findings are reviewed. Support and understanding are critical aspects of treatment perceived as helpful. Empathic relationships, whether professional or non-professional, were reported as essential to recovery. Psychological interventions (counselling and therapy) are the most popular and perceived as the most helpful. Many patients report that "medical interventions" were unhelpful. Interventions which focus exclusively on weight are reported negatively and many studies identify the importance of addressing wider issues than food and weight in treatment.
Introduction-Vertebral fractures are an under-recognized complication of childhood glucocorticoid-treated illnesses. Our goal was to study the relationship among glucocorticoid exposure, lumbar spine areal BMD (LS BMD) and vertebral shape in glucocorticoid-treated children with new-onset nephrotic syndrome.
Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II (MPGN II)is an uncommon form of complement-dependent acquired renal disease. Although it has been recognized since the 1970s that MPGN II recurs almost universally in renal transplants, data regarding the long-term consequences of disease recurrence are limited. Therefore, a retrospective comparative analysis of 75 patients with MPGN II contained in the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study transplantation database was performed. Five-year graft survival for patients with MPGN II was significantly worse (50.0 ؎ 7.5%) compared with the database as a whole (74.3 ؎ 0.6%; P < 0.001). Living related donor organs had a significantly better 5-yr survival (65.9 ؎ 10.7%) compared with cadaveric donor organs (34.1 ؎ 9.8%; P ؍ 0.004). The primary cause of graft failure in 11 (14.7%) patients was recurrent disease. Supplemental surveys were obtained on 29 (38%) of 75 patients. Analysis of these data indicated that recurrent disease occurred in 12 (67%) of the 18 patients with posttransplantation biopsies. Although there was no correlation between pretransplantation presentation, pre-or posttransplantation C3 levels, and either disease recurrence or graft failure, there was a strong association between heavy proteinuria and disease recurrence. The presence of glomerular crescents in allograft biopsies had a significant negative correlation with graft survival. At last follow-up, patients with recurrent disease had significantly higher serum creatinine and qualitatively more proteinuria than patients without biopsyproven disease. These data indicate that recurrent MPGN II has a significant negative impact on renal allograft function and survival.
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