Association between statin intensity and femoropopliteal stent primary patency in peripheral arterial disease.

BACKGROUND: Statins are widely used in coronary and peripheral arterial disease, but their impact on patency of stents placed for peripheral arterial disease is not well-studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate femoropopliteal stent primary patency according to statin intensity at the time of stent placement and compare this effect to other covariates that may influence stent patency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review identified 278 discrete femoropopliteal stent constructs placed in 216 patients over a 10-year period; Rutherford categories were 2 (3.6%), 3 (12.9%), 4 (21.2%), 5 (49.6%), and 6 (12.6%). Stent locations were common femoral (1.8%), common femoral/superficial femoral (0.7%), superficial femoral (50.7%), superficial femoral/popliteal (32.7%) and popliteal (14.0%) arteries; 63.3% of stents were paclitaxel-eluting. Primary patency of each stent construct was determined with duplex ultrasound, angiography, or computed tomographic angiography. Greater than 50% restenosis or stent occlusion was considered loss of patency. Cox proportional hazard and Kaplan-Meier modeling were used to assess the effect of statin use and additional covariates on stent patency. RESULTS: Patients on any statin at the time of stent placement were half as likely to undergo loss of primary unassisted patency as patients on no statin therapy (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.19-0.87; P = .004). Moderate/high intensity statin therapy conferred 17 additional months of median stent patency compared to the no statin group. Antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulant therapy, drug-eluting stents (versus bare metal or covered stents), and Rutherford class were not predictive of stent patency (P = 0.52, 0.85, 0.58, and 0.82, respectively). CONCLUSION: Use of statin therapy at the time of femoropopliteal stent placement was the most predictive examined variable influencing primary unassisted patency.

Intranodal Glue Embolization for Postoperative Lymphatic Leaks in the Groin and Pelvis: Comparison with Sclerotherapy.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of and adverse events related to intranodal glue embolization (IGE) with those of intracavitary sclerotherapy for the treatment of postoperative groin and pelvic lymphatic leaks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 2015 to July 2021, IGE for postoperative pelvic or groin lymphocele or lymphorrhea was performed in 33 patients. From January 2010 to July 2021, 28 patients with postoperative pelvic or groin lymphocele were treated with sclerosis alone. Clinical success was defined as resolution of drainage within 3 weeks of the last intervention performed without recurrence. Patients presenting >1 year after surgery or with <30 days of follow-up were excluded. Patients with lymphorrhea treated with IGE were not statistically compared with those in the sclerosis group because they were not eligible for sclerosis. RESULTS: Clinical success was similar between the groups (lymphocele IGE, 15/18, 83.3%, vs sclerosis, 15/23, 65.2% [P = .29]; lymphorrhea IGE, 8/9, 88.9%). The mean number of interventions performed to successfully treat a lymphocele was significantly higher in the sclerosis group (2.5 for sclerosis vs 1.3 for IGE; P = .003; lymphorrhea IGE, 1.0). The mean time to resolution was significantly longer for sclerosis than for IGE (27 vs 7 days; P = .002; 4 days for lymphorrhea IGE). There were no sclerosis-related adverse events and 2 IGE-related adverse events: (a) 1 case of mild lymphedema and (b) 1 case of nontarget embolization resulting in deep vein thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: For treatment of postoperative pelvic and groin lymphoceles, IGE results in faster resolution with fewer interventions compared with sclerosis. IGE is also an effective treatment for postoperative groin lymphorrhea.

Sirtuin-1 expression and activity is diminished in aged liver grafts.

The cellular mechanisms underlying impaired function of aged liver grafts have not been fully elucidated, but mitochondrial dysfunction appears to be contributory. Sirtuin1 has been identified as a key mediator of mitochondrial recovery following ischemia-reperfusion injury. The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences exist in sirtuin-1 expression/activity in old vs. young liver grafts and to determine correlations with mitochondrial function, graft metabolic function, and graft injury. Old and young rat liver grafts (N = 7 per group) were exposed to 12 h of static cold storage (SCS), followed by a 2 h period of graft reperfusion ex vivo. Sirtuin1 expression and activity, mitochondrial function, graft metabolic function, and graft injury were compared. Sirtuin1 expression is upregulated in young, but not old, liver grafts in response to cold storage and reperfusion. This is associated with diminished tissue ATP, antioxidant defense, and graft metabolic function in old liver grafts. There was no evidence of increased inflammation or histologic injury in old grafts. Sirtuin1 expression is diminished in old liver grafts and correlates with mitochondrial and metabolic function. The sirtuin pathway may represent a target for intervention to enhance the function of aged liver grafts.

Increasing antepartum Tdap vaccine administration: A quality improvement initiative.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends antepartum Tdap vaccination for women with each pregnancy to protect themselves and their vulnerable infants through transplacental transfer of maternal antibodies. Our aim was to increase the rate of antepartum Tdap vaccine administration by 20%. Obstetricians were surveyed to identify their present approaches and barriers to antepartum Tdap vaccine administration to help guide the development of our intervention. Limited staff training, lack of vaccine on site, and cost were the most commonly identified barriers. Using these survey responses, existing literature, and brainstorming conversations with colleagues, an interdisciplinary workgroup then created a fishbone analysis and developed a 5-step intervention to address these barriers: (1) educate providers and patients on Tdap and pertussis; (2) increase Tdap availability to all pregnant women; (3) remind staff of the established Tdap standing order to facilitate administration; (4) encourage obstetricians to offer Tdap; (5) transfer documentation of Tdap administration from office to hospital. To monitor changes in the process over 15 months of pre- and post-intervention, data were collected from monthly chart audits and a two-phase control chart was created. The main outcome measure was proportion of eligible women who received Tdap during current pregnancy. In the pre-intervention period, 362 of 636 eligible women (56.9%) received Tdap during their current pregnancy; in the post-intervention period, 457 of 708 eligible women (64.5%) received Tdap during their current pregnancy. This absolute difference of 7.6% (64.5% vs. 56.9%, p < 0.01) represents a 13.4% relative increase (64.5%/56.9%) in the proportion of clinically eligible pregnant women who received Tdap. This represents a clinically and statistically significant increase in the rate of antepartum Tdap immunization. More research is needed to further understand obstetric barriers and maternal refusal of antepartum Tdap administration.

Kidney Donor Profile Index Is a Reliable Alternative to Liver Donor Risk Index in Quantifying Graft Quality in Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The most established metric for estimating graft survival from donor characteristics in liver transplantation is the liver donor risk index (LDRI). The LDRI is calculated from donor and transplant-related variables, including cold ischemic time. Because cold ischemic time is unknown at the time of organ offer, LDRI is not available for organ acceptance decisions. In contrast, the kidney donor profile index (KDPI) is derived purely from donor variables known at the time of offer and thus calculated for every deceased donor in the United States. The similarity in donor factors included in LDRI and KDPI led us to hypothesize that KDPI would reliably approximate LDRI in estimating graft survival in liver transplantation. METHODS: The United Network of Organ Sharing registry was queried for adults who underwent deceased donor liver transplantation from 2002 to 2016. The cohort was divided into quintiles of KDPI and LDRI, and graft survival was calculated according to Kaplan Meier. Hazard ratios for LDRI and KDPI were estimated from Cox proportional hazards models, and Uno's concordance statistic was compared. RESULTS: In our analysis of 63 906 cases, KDPI closely approximated LDRI in estimating liver graft survival, with an equivalent concordance statistic of 0.56. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that KDPI can serve as a reasonable alternative to LDRI in liver acceptance decisions.

Hib antibody responses in infants following diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, and conjugated Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) combination vaccines with decreasing amounts of tetanus toxoid.

BACKGROUND: While combination vaccines have contributed to improved vaccine uptake rates in children, studies have documented varied immunogenicity to specific vaccine components. We studied whether varying the amount of tetanus toxoid (TT) in a DTaP and Hib combination vaccine would result in immunogenicity comparable with separate, concurrent administration. METHODS: We evaluated the immunogenicity of Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (mDTaP) vaccine combined with tetanus-conjugated MBL Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (mHib) in a single injection (DTaPH). We compared four DTaPH vaccines containing varying concentrations of TT. We also evaluated the immune response to the DTaP vaccine manufactured by Connaught Laboratories (now known as Sanofi Pasteur) given with mHib and with Wyeth Hib-CRM197 (HbOC) as separate injections. Vaccines were administered to 240 healthy infants at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, and blood specimens for antibody determination were obtained before each immunization and one month after the third immunization. RESULTS: We found no significant differences in immune response to the vaccines between the four DTaPH groups. Hib antibody responses were similar in the mHib and the HbOC groups but significantly lower in the DTaPH groups, as measured by Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell neutralization titers and filamentous hemagglutinin antigen (FHA) geometric mean concentrations (GMC) of anti-Hib antibodies. There were no significant differences between the groups in pertussis or tetanus toxoid antibody levels. CONCLUSION: Reducing tetanus toxoid amounts did not produce comparable immunogenicity for Hib. The nature of the interaction between immune responses to DTaPH components should be explored further to enable the development of better Hib-containing combination vaccines.

Update on barriers to human papillomavirus vaccination and effective strategies to promote vaccine acceptance.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article provides a clinically relevant review and analysis of the latest research regarding barriers to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and strategic efforts to promote this vaccine. RECENT FINDINGS: HPV vaccines are safe, effective, and could prevent the majority of HPV-attributable cancers, if vaccination coverage is high. However, uptake of HPV vaccine lags behind other vaccines recommended for 11 to 12-year olds. A lack of provider recommendation has consistently been found to be a key barrier to increasing vaccination rates. Lack of knowledge about the vaccine among parents coupled with an overestimation of parental vaccine hesitancy among providers also hinder vaccine uptake. Strongly recommending the vaccine as a safe, routine immunization that prevents cancer, and coadministering it with tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine and quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine, enhance vaccine uptake. In some cases, reminder and recall systems result in additional increases in vaccination rates. SUMMARY: Recent publications reveal new information about the implementation of HPV vaccines. Provider recommendation is a key approach, as is offering it routinely at the same time as other universally recommended adolescent immunizations. With the integration of these concepts into the clinical setting, adolescents can be better protected against HPV and its associated diseases.

Human papillomavirus epidemiology and vaccine recommendations: selected review of the recent literature.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article provides a clinically relevant review and analysis of the latest research and recommendations regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. RECENT FINDINGS: Although studies have found that bivalent and quadrivalent HPV vaccines are well tolerated and effective, high-risk HPV types not included in these vaccines are responsible for a significant burden of disease worldwide. Clinical trials have found that the recently licensed 9-valent vaccine, which includes five additional high-risk HPV types, is well tolerated and efficacious. This vaccine was added to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices HPV vaccination recommendations in 2015. A two-dose series in girls and boys 9-14 years old with a 6- or 12-month interval between doses has been shown to result in antibody titers noninferior to those measured after the three-dose series in women 16-26 years old. The Food and Drug Administration is considering these data. SUMMARY: Recent publications highlight the safety and effectiveness of HPV vaccines, the licensure of the 9-valent HPV vaccine, and the revision of HPV vaccine recommendations.