BNT162b2 or CoronaVac as the Third Dose against Omicron: Neutralizing Antibody Responses among Transplant Recipients Who Had Received Two Doses of CoronaVac.

We evaluated neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant and Anti-Spike IgG response in solid organ (SOT) or hematopoietic stem cell (HSTC) recipients after a third dose of BNT162b2 (BNT) or CoronaVac (CV) following two doses of CV. In total, 95 participants underwent SOT (n = 62; 44 liver, 18 kidney) or HSCT (n = 27; 5 allogeneic, 22 autologous) were included from five centers in Turkey. The median time between third doses and serum sampling was 154 days (range between 15 to 381). The vaccine-induced antibody responses of both neutralizing antibodies and Anti-Spike IgGs were assessed by plaque neutralizing assay and immunoassay, respectively. Neutralizing antibody and Anti-Spike IgG levels were significantly higher in transplant patients receiving BNT compared to those receiving CV (Geometric mean (GMT):26.76 vs. 10.89; p = 0.03 and 2116 Au/mL vs. 172.1 Au/mL; p < 0.001). Solid organ transplantation recipients, particularly liver transplant recipients, showed lower antibody levels than HSCT recipients. Thus, among HSCT recipients, the GMT after BNT was 91.29 and it was 15.81 in the SOT group (p < 0.001). In SOT, antibody levels after BNT in kidney transplantation recipients were significantly higher than those in liver transplantation recipients (GMT: 48.32 vs. 11.72) (p < 0.001). Moreover, the neutralizing antibody levels after CV were very low (GMT: 10.81) in kidney transplantation recipients and below the detection limit (<10) in liver transplant recipients. This study highlights the superiority of BNT responses against Omicron as a third dose among transplant recipients after two doses of CV. The lack of neutralizing antibodies against Omicron after CV in liver transplant recipients should be taken into consideration, particularly in countries where inactivated vaccines are available in addition to mRNA vaccines.

Effect of Pretransplant Sarcopenia on Mortality in Liver Transplant Recipients.

OBJECTIVES: Sarcopenia is an important metabolic disorder associated with end-stage liver disease and is an independent predictor of mortality in liver transplant candidates. We evaluated effects of pretransplant muscle mass, muscle quality, and visceral adipose tissue on mortality after liver transplant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 2015-2020, we included 65 liver transplant recipients whose records contained pretransplant liver computed tomography images. We calculated skeletal muscle mass index (muscle tissue area in centimeters squared divided by height in meters squared), visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio (visceral adiposity indicator), and intramuscular adipose tissue content ratio (muscle quality indicator). RESULTS: Median age was 55 years (IQR, 45-63 years), and 48 (73.8%) patients were men. During follow-up, 53 (81.5%) study group patients survived; mean survival time was 71.73 ± 3.81 months. The deceased patient group had a statistically higher pretransplant visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio than the survival group (P = .046). Survival was 100% for 1 positive indicator, 86.2% for 2 positive indicators, and 70.4% for 3 positive indicators (P = .096). Positive correlation was confirmed between pretransplant skeletal muscle mass index and age (P = .043) and pretransplant body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) (P < .001). There was a moderate positive correlation between pretransplant intramuscular adipose tissue content ratio and age (R = 0.529, P ≤ .001) and a weak positive correlation with pretransplant body mass index (R = 0.361, P = .003). Furthermore, pretransplant visceral- tosubcutaneous fat ratio showed a weak positive correlation with age (R = 0.306, P = .013) and a weak negative correlation with the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score (R = -0.301, P = .016). CONCLUSIONS: Pretransplant sarcopenia is an important indicator to predict mortality and morbidity in posttransplant follow-up. Visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio is an important parameter to evaluate sarcopenia in liver transplant patients.

Biliary Complications in Living Liver Donors After Donor Hepatectomy: A Single-Center Experience.

OBJECTIVES: The most frequent postoperative morbidity following living donor liver transplant is biliary complications, which can happen for both anatomical and procedural reasons. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 104 patients who were living liver donors undergoing hepatectomy from January 2011 to April 2022. We evaluated all perioperative finding such as age, sex, remnant liver volume, biliary anatomy, theduration of operation time and hospitalization, and blood loss. RESULTS: Clavien-Dindo classification grade III complications were observed in 24% of all donors, with rate of biliary complications of 7.6% (n = 8). All biliary complications were typified as biliary leakage, and an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography procedure was performed for 5 patients. We analyzed the clinical and surgical features and discovered that the duration of hospitalization was longer in the biliary leakage group than the group without leakage (15.7 ± 5.8 days vs. 30.8 ± 9.3 days, respectively; P < .08). There was no significant statistical relationship between age, the duration of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and remnant liver volume versus biliary leakage (P = .074, P = .217, P = .219, and P = .363, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Early detection and treatment of complications are ensured during the perioperative process by carefuldonor selection andaccurate identification of the patient atrisk for biliary complications.

Pneumatic Dilation in Geriatric Achalasia Patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to share the effectiveness of pneumatic dilation in geriatric achalasia patients. METHODS: Achalasia patients over the age of 65 and those under the age of 65 as the control group who received pneumatic dilation as the first-line treatment were evaluated in the study. RESULTS: The average age of geriatric patients was 72.5 ± 55.92 years (65-90), with 50.3% of them being male. Follow-up was conducted for a mean of 64.52 ± 38.73 months. While pneumatic dilation was successful in 98.6% (141/143) of geriatric patients, it was also successful in 94% (141/150) of non-geriatric patients. Remission after single balloon dilatation was observed in 81.8% of geriatric patients, while it was observed in only 52.7% of non-geriatric patients (P = .000). When comparing remission after single dilatation and multiple dilatations, it was observed that geriatric patients who achieved remission after multiple balloon dilatation had higher lower esophageal sphincter pressure and Eckardt scores at the diagnosis and higher lower esophageal sphincter pressure and esophageal body resting pressures after the first balloon dilatation. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of elders in the world population is increasing daily and this disease has been known to disproportionately afflict this group. Although surgical treatments, in particular per-oral endoscopic myotomy, have recently gained popularity as therapies for achalasia, pneumatic dilation remains the most commonly used in geriatric patients.

Investigating Whether the Severity of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Is Higher in Liver Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Experience.

OBJECTIVES: Liver transplant recipients have been reported to be a high-risk population for severe disease from COVID-19 infection. In this crosssectional, single-center study, we investigated whether liver transplant increased the risk of death and severe disease in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected data and serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G results of 91 liver transplant recipients seen from September 2020 to March 2021. Liver transplant recipients were enrolled during presentation for scheduled routine follow-up visits. All patients who required serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G tests completed a ques-tionnaire on clinical symptoms during the previous 6 months. RESULTS: Among the 91 patients with SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin M and G results, 7 patients had a known history of symptomatic COVID-19 during the previous 6 months. Of the 84 participants who completed the questionnaire, 21 (25%) had positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin M and G results. These 21 patients also received COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction tests, which were negative in all 21 patients. Overall, only 7 patients stated that they experienced flu-like upper respiratory tract infection symptoms or diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: We documented past SARS-CoV-2 infection in only 25% of our outpatient liver transplant recipients, and most were asymptomatic. We found no significant relationship between symptoms and seropositivity for SARS-CoV-2.

Multidrug-Resistant Infections After Liver Transplantation, Etiology and Risk Factors: A Single-Center Experience.

OBJECTIVES: Patients undergoing liver transplant are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to the development of infections. We aimed to evaluate the risk factors affecting the incidence of infectious diseases after liver transplant and to present the epidemiological data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated patients aged ≥18 years who underwent liver transplant between 2012 and 2020 at our center. We collected infections, causative microorganisms, and antibacterial resistance patterns seen during the first 6 months posttransplant. Risk factors affecting the development of infectious diseases were also analyzed and evaluated. RESULTS: Of 112 patients included in our study, 76 (67.9%) were men, and the median age was 50 years (range, 20-66 years). Within month 1 and month 6 after transplant, at least 1 episode of infection occurred in 67 (59.8%) and 80 (71.4%) patients, respectively. Bacterial infections were the most common type (n = 78, 95.1%), followed by fungal (n = 2, 2.4%) and viral (n = 2, 2.4%) infections. The rate of multidrug resistance in bacterial infections was high (n = 38, 52.7%) and was also a risk factor for mortality in the first 6 months after transplant (P < .001). Pretransplant values of international normalized ratio, creatinine, bilirubin, and posttransplant intensive care unit stay, as well as the presence of encephalopathy, were shown to increase the risk of infection after transplant. CONCLUSIONS: Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections are a significant risk factor for mortality in liver transplant patients. Many risk factors that contribute to the development of infections aftertransplant have been included in prognostic scoring systems of liver failure. Consequently, the severity of end-stage liver failure is directly related to the risk of posttransplant infections.