Pulmonary infections after renal transplantation: a prospective study from a tropical country.

Pulmonary infection is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in renal transplant recipients. In a prospective study, we characterized their epidemiology in a tropical country with high infectious disease burden. Adult renal transplant recipients presenting with pulmonary infections from 2015 to 2017 were evaluated using a specific diagnostic algorithm. 102 pulmonary infections occurred in 88 patients. 32.3% infections presented in the first year, 31.4% between 1 and 5, and 36.3% beyond 5 years after transplantation. Microbiological diagnosis was established in 69.6%, and 102 microorganisms were identified. Bacterial infection (29.4%) was most common followed by tuberculosis (23.5%), fungal (20.6%), Pneumocystis jiroveci (10.8%), viral (8.8%), and nocardial (6.9%) infections. Tuberculosis(TB) and bacterial infections presented throughout the post-transplant period, while Pneumocystis (72.7%), cytomegalovirus (87.5%) and nocardia (85.7%) predominantly presented after >12 months. Fungal infections had a bimodal presentation, between 2 and 6 months (33.3%) and after 12 months (66.7%). Four patients had multi-drug resistant(MDR) TB. In 16.7% cases, plain radiograph was normal and infection was diagnosed by a computed tomography imaging. Mortality due to pulmonary infections was 22.7%. On multivariate Cox regression analysis, use of ATG (HR-2.39, 95% CI: 1.20-4.78, P = 0.013), fungal infection (HR-2.14, 95% CI: 1.19-3.84, P = 0.011) and need for mechanical ventilation (9.68, 95% CI: 1.34-69.82, P = 0.024) were significant predictors of mortality in our patients. To conclude, community-acquired and endemic pulmonary infections predominate with no specific timeline and opportunistic infections usually present late. Nocardiosis and MDR-TB are emerging challenges.

Oculo-otological Manifestations in a Case of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis.

A 44 year old lady presented with acute onset of loss of vision in the right eye and cough with mucopurulent expectoration for two months. Ophthalmic examination revealed central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO). Chest radiograph showed multiple cavitatory nodules with fluid levels. Sputum was negative for AFB and ANCA was strongly positive suggestive of a diagnosis of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA). Within the next few weeks the patient had rapid detenoration due to left eye CRAO, progressive bilateral hearing loss, facial palsy and retro orbital mass. The aggressive disease responded well to steroids and cyclophosphamide.

Systematic Review of Women Leading and Participating in Nephrology Randomized Clinical Trials.

Introduction: Women are underrepresented in the leadership of and participation in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We conducted a bibliometric review of nephrology RCTs to examine trial leadership by women and participation of women in nephrology RCTs. Methods: A bibliometric review of RCTs published in top medical, surgical, or nephrology journals was conducted using MEDLINE and EMBASE from January 2011 to December 2021. Leadership by women as corresponding authors, women trial participation, and trial characteristics were examined with duplicate independent data extraction. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between trial characteristics and women leadership and trial participation. Results: A total of 1770 studies were screened and 395 RCTs met eligibility criteria. The number (%) of women in corresponding, first, and last authorship positions were as follows: 89 (22%), 109 (28%), and 74 (19%), respectively, without change over time (P = 0.94). The median percentage (interquartile range [IQR]) of women trial participants was 39.0% (13.5%) with no difference between women or men lead authors (P = 0.15). Men lead authors were statistically less likely to enroll women in RCTs. Women lead authors were less likely to be funded by industry (odds ratio [OR]: 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.14-0.63; P = 0.002) or lead international trials (OR: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01-0.83; P = 0.03). Trials with sex-specific eligibility criteria were more likely to have women leaders (OR: 2.56; 95% CI: 1.19-5.49; P = 0.02) than those without. Discussion: Gender inequalities in RCT leadership and RCT participation exist in nephrology and did not improve over time. Strategies to improve inequalities need to be implemented and evaluated.

Implementation of a 1-Day Living Kidney Donor Evaluation Program: A Qualitative Analysis of Donor Candidate and Stakeholder Perspectives.

Introduction: A lengthy donor evaluation process hinders living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT). At The Ottawa Hospital, 1-day evaluation process was recently developed, with a goal to accelerate the determination of donor suitability. The major objective of this study was to solicit feedback from donor candidates and key stakeholders who participated in the 1-day living kidney donor evaluation process, to determine the program's acceptability and factors influencing its implementation elsewhere. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with donor candidates who participated in the 1-day living kidney donor evaluation process, and with stakeholders who are instrumental to the implementation strategy. Interviews were conducted via videoconference or by telephone from May 2022 to December 2022. Directed content analysis was conducted using 2 unique frameworks for stakeholder and donor candidate interviews. Results: Our study included 13 stakeholders and 18 donor candidates, of whom 16 (89%) were women and 7 (39%) proceeded to kidney donation. Eighteen (100%) perceived the process to be both time-effective and cost-effective, due to reduced travel and missed work time. Thirteen (72%) felt that the 1-day evaluation may accelerate determination of donor suitability. Sequential virtual sessions with a nurse and social worker in advance of the evaluation day were seen as providing critical education and support. Among stakeholders, 11 (85%) emphasized donor candidate care and faster candidacy determinations. Conclusion: The 1-day evaluation process was preferred by most donor candidates, and was perceived as time-effective and cost-effective by most interviewees. An expedited, 1-day evaluation may accelerate determination of donor suitability and improve LDKT rates.