BK polyomavirus (BKV) is associated with urinary apparatus pathogenesis in kidney transplant recipient. Immune suppression triggers BKV reactivation that potentially causes polyomavirus associated nephropathy (PVAN), a major post-transplant problem causes graft rejection. Antiviral immunity plays the key role in limiting the viral replication but selection by the immune system or antivirals may cause the evolvement of escape variants with higher fitness. Mutation in VP1, the major capsid protein can allow BKV to escape neutralizing antibodies. In an attempt to detect co-infection and minor variants, BKV VP1 genomic region was amplified by PCR and analysed by deep sequencing from plasma samples of four kidney transplant recipients. BKV genotype I and IV was identified in patients and each patient was detected with one BKV genotype. Multiple point mutations and subsequent changes in amino acid were detected in majority, three out of four, of the patients.

S-metolachlor is an effective herbicide used to control/suppress annual grasses, nutsedges and several broadleaf weeds in sweetpotato. However, a decline in storage root quality and yield has been reported under certain environmental conditions. Information is limited on the effect of S-metolachlor application followed immediately by rainfall on sweetpotato growth and development under different temperatures, as well as the optimum application time. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate sweetpotato responses to interactive effects of S-metolachlor, temperature and rainfall, and to determine S-metolachlor optimum application time. A sunlit, controlled environment experiment was conducted to investigate sweetpotato response to S-metolachlor and rainfall immediately after application under different temperatures. Sweetpotato slips were transplanted into sandy soil filled pots. Treatment combinations included five levels of S-metolachlor, 0.00, 0.86, 1.72, 2.58 and 3.44 kg ha-1, two levels of rainfall, 0 and 38 mm and three temperatures, 25/17, 30/22 and 35/27 °C, day/night. After POST application of S-metolachlor and rainfall, all plants were transferred to sunlit growth chambers that were maintained at their respective temperatures and ambient CO2 concentration for 60 days. In another experiment, S-metolachlor application time was varied to investigate sweetpotato growth and development. Two levels of S-metolachlor 0.0 and 1.0 kg ha-1 and three application times 0, 5 and 10 days after transplanting (DAT) were used and plants were harvested five times, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 80 DAT to estimate plant growth and development. Shoot, root and total plant biomass yields declined with increasing concentration of S-metolachlor across temperatures. In addition, storage root yield and quality decline was S-metolachlor rate dependent and aggravated by rainfall immediately after herbicide treatment across temperatures. S-metolachlor was more injurious on most plant component parameters in the optimum and high temperatures where plant growth was vigorous than in the low temperatures. S-metolachlor application at 0 and 5 days affected sweetpotato growth, including storage roots, but delaying until 10 days minimized the injury. These results can be used to weigh the risk of crop injury against the weed control benefits of S-metolachlor when making management decisions, and to determine application time based on weather information.

No description available.

Transplants of fetal neural tissue survive and develop in lesion cavities produced in adult rats. The present experiment tested the effect of grafting fetal hippocampal or brainstem tissue on the ability of rats with hippocampal lesions to perform on a differential reinforcement of low response rate (DRL) operant schedule. The DRL interval was 20 s. Eighty-six percent of the hippocampal grafts and 69% of the brainstem grafts developed to maturity. Inspection of sections stained using a silver technique for axis cylinders or taken from rats in which the mature transplant had been injected with Fast blue, indicated that these grafts formed connections with the host brain. Consistent with previous reports, rats with hippocampal lesions were impaired in performance of the DRL task. Rats given fetal grafts of hippocampal tissue into the hippocampal lesion site on the day of lesion production were significantly better in performance of the DRL requirement than were lesion-only rats or rats receiving grafts of fetal brainstem tissue. The results of this study confirm that grafts of fetal brain tissue can both develop in a lesion site in an adult brain and ameliorate lesion-induced behavioral deficits.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is being used ever more widely for advanced and refractory malignancies. The family unit and individual members are profoundly affected by this treatment process. Few studies have examined the effect of parental BMT on the family, and there are no known studies which have investigated the impact of parental BMT on children. A descriptive design with longitudinal data from 61 children, ages 10-18, examined children’s adaptation, characterized as emotional and behavioral response, during the acute phase of parental BMT. The study included 3 time points: pre-transplant, during parental hospitalization, and one month after transplantation. The Response to Stress Questionnaire, and subscales from the Child Health Questionnaire and Family Environment Scale were used to assess child, parent, and family variables associated with child adaptation. Child emotional and behavioral response significantly improved over the course of the parent’s transplant, and significant changes in children’s use of coping strategies at each time point were found. The model accounted for 27% to 46% of the explained variance in child behavioral response, and accounted for 41% of the explained variance in emotional response prior to the parent’s BMT and one month after BMT. The model did not explain the variance of child emotional response, however, during the parent’s hospitalization. Family structural change, family conflict, and disengagement coping were found to be the predominant variables significantly associated with more negative child behavioral response across the transplant trajectory. Female child gender and increased use of disengagement coping before the parent’s BMT, autologous BMT during the parent’s hospitalization, and increased family structural change when the parent returned home one month later were significantly associated with more negative emotional response in children. Additional cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, using mixed methods, and include both parent and child data, are needed to substantiate the validity of findings. The data also suggests that significant variables in this model could be further studied for their association with one another and for refining a more accurate and inclusive model that may better explain children’s adaptation.

Stem cell transplant is often considered the last hope for the survival for many cancer patients. The CD34+ cell content of a collection of stem cells has appeared as the most reliable indicator of the quantity of desired cells in a peripheral blood stem cell harvest and is used as a surrogate measure of the sample quality. Factors predicting the yield of CD34+ cells in a collection are not yet fully understood. Throughout the literature, there has been conflicting evidence with regards to age, gender, disease status, and prior radiation. In addition to the factors that have already been explored, we are interested in finding a cancer-chemotherapy interaction and to develop a predictive model to better identify which patients will be good candidates for this procedure. Because the amount of CD34+ cells is highly skewed, most traditional statistical methods are inappropriate without some transformation. A Bayesian generalized regression model was used to explain the variation of CD34+ collected from the sample by the cancer chemotherapy interaction. Missing data was modeled as unknown parameters to include the entire data set in the analysis. Posterior estimates are obtained using Markov chain methods. Posterior distributions identified weight and gender as well as some cancer-chemotherapy interactions as significant factors. Predictive posterior distributions can be used to identify which patients are good candidates for this procedure.

Bakgrund: Idag finns möjligheten att få ett nytt hjärta när det egna hjärtat inte går att rädda. Att vid hjärtsjukdom genomgå en hjärttransplantation medför en stor hälsoförbättring och ökar livslängden. Hjärttransplantationsingreppet kan anses lyckat och prognosen kan vara god. Trots denna positiva förändring kan hjärttransplanterades upplevelser om livet påverkas både fysiskt och psykiskt med nya utmaningar som följd. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att belysa erfarenheter av att leva med ett nytt hjärta efter en hjärttransplantation. Fokus låg på två frågeställningar: ”Vad är hjärttransplanterades fysiska, psykiska och existentiella erfarenheter efter en hjärttransplantation?” ”Vilka behov av stöd ger hjärttransplanterade uttryck för?”. Metod: Den kvalitativa litteraturstudien baserades på tio vetenskapliga artiklar. Artiklarna granskades kritiskt enligt en modifierad granskningsmall för kvalitativa studier. Därefter analyserades resultatet grundligt. Resultat: Genererade tre teman: Fysiska erfarenheter – som innefattar fysiska prestationer och fysiska konsekvenser av medicinering, Psykiska och existentiella erfarenheter som bestod av förändringar, paradoxala känslor, hantering, donatorn och donatorns familj och känslan av att inte bli förstådd samt Behov av stöd – där stöd från familj, vårdgivare och andra hjärttransplanterade ingick. Konklusion: Författarna insåg under arbetets gång att forskning om upplevelser och känslor efter hjärttransplantation är belyst i liten utsträckning. För att sjuksköterskan på bästa sätt ska kunna vårda och bemöta hjärttransplanterade personer krävs mer forskning inom området. På så vis kan vården utvecklas till det bättre. / Background: When one’s own heart can’t be kept any longer, there’s a possibility to get a new heart. To undergo a heart transplant when suffering from heart disease entails a major improvement in health and increases life expectancy. A heart transplant procedure can be considered as successful and the prognosis may be good. Despite this positive change, it can affect heart transplanted peoples experiences of life, both physically and mentally and life can be followed by new challenges. Aim: The aim of this literature review was to describe the experiences of living with a new heart after a heart transplant. Focus was based on the two questions: ”What is heart transplanted peoples physical, psychological and existential experiences after a heart transplant?”, ”What need of support does the heart transplanted people express?”. Method: This qualitative literature study was based on ten scientific articles. The articles were critically reviewed according to a modified review template for qualitative studies, thereafter the articles results were analyzed thoroughly. Results: Generated three themes: Physical experiences – which comprises physical performance and physical consequences of medication, Psychological and existential experiences – that considered of changes, paradoxical emotions, coping, the donor and the donor’s family and the feeling of not being understood, The need of support – where support from family, caregivers and other heart transplanted people was included. Conclusion: During the course of the study the authors discovered that research on the experiences and feelings after heart transplantation was only slightly illuminated. For the nurse to care for and respond cardiac transplant people in the best way, more research in this area is required. More research contributes to development and better healthcare for heart transplanted people.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and mortality of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after kidney transplantation (KTx) remain unclear. This study's aims were (1) to investigate the pooled incidence/incidence trends, and (2) to assess the mortality/mortality trends in KTx patients with RCC. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases from inception through October 2018. Studies that reported the incidence or mortality of RCC among kidney transplant recipients were included. The pooled incidence and 95% CI were calculated using a random-effect model. The protocol for this meta-analysis is registered with PROSPERO; no. CRD42018108994. RESULTS: A total of 22 observational studies with a total of 320,190 KTx patients were enrolled. Overall, the pooled estimated incidence of RCC after KTx was 0.7% (95% CI: 0.5-0.8%, = 93%). While the pooled estimated incidence of de novo RCC in the native kidney was 0.7% (95% CI: 0.6-0.9%, = 88%), the pooled estimated incidence of RCC in the allograft kidney was 0.2% (95% CI: 0.1-0.4%, = 64%). The pooled estimated mortality rate in KTx recipients with RCC was 15.0% (95% CI: 7.4-28.1%, = 80%) at a mean follow-up time of 42 months after RCC diagnosis. While meta-regression analysis showed a significant negative correlation between year of study and incidence of de novo RCC post-KTx (slopes = -0.05, = 0.01), there were no significant correlations between the year of study and mortality of patients with RCC ( = 0.50). Egger's regression asymmetry test was performed and showed no publication bias in all analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The overall estimated incidence of RCC after KTX was 0.7%. Although there has been a potential decrease in the incidence of RCC post-KTx, mortality in KTx patients with RCC has not decreased over time.

To sustain the health and viability of renal transplants, adherence to immunosuppressant therapy (IST) medications is critical. Studies continue to identify decreased adherence rates as time from transplant increases (Chisholm-Burns, Kwong, Mulloy & Spivey, 2008; Chisholm, Lance, Mulloy, 2005; Chisholm, Mulloy, & DiPiro, 2005; Nivens & Thomas, 2009). While previous research has explored the effect of variables known to influence IST adherence in adult renal transplant recipients, limited studies have explored these variables in a population of renal transplant recipients with longer time posttransplant intervals. The purpose of this study was to examine demographic variables, time posttransplant, immunosuppressive agents, health beliefs, social support, and symptom experience and test their relationship to adherence in a population of long-term renal transplant recipients. A cross-sectional correlational design was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 98 adult renal transplant recipients who were three or more years from transplant. Participants completed five instruments: 1) demographic survey, 2) the Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ), 3) the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Modified Social Support Survey (MSSS), 4) the Basel Assessment of Adherence with Immunosuppressive Medication Scales (BAASIS), and 5) the Modified Transplant Symptom Occurrence and Symptom Distress Scale- 59R (MTSOSD-59R). A composite adherence score (CAS) consisting of a self-report measure of adherence (BAASIS), nontherapeutic serum drug assay, and collateral report of adherence as provided by two transplant clinic professionals was used to determine final adherence group classification (adherent/nonadherent). Analysis of the relationship between all independent variables and adherence was conducted using Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient. Mean scores for medication complexity, health beliefs, social support, and symptom experience were 4 compared between age, gender, and time posttransplant groups using independent-samples t tests. A logistic regression prediction of probability was conducted to determine which of the variables that demonstrated a significant relationship to adherence were most predictive of adherence. Of the total sample population (N = 98), 39.8% (n = 39) were classified as adherent and 60.2% (n = 59) were nonadherent. Results demonstrated no significant relationship between age (continuous variable), time posttransplant, immunosuppressant medications (measured by a medication complexity index), health beliefs, symptom experience, and adherence. Weak, but significant relationships between age groups (r = -.213, p=.035), tangible social support (r = .215, p =.017), emotional informational social support (r = .274, p = .003), positive social interaction support (r = .199, p = .025), total overall social support (r = .274, p =.003) and composite adherence group classification were found. Older participants ( > 55 yrs) were significantly less adherent than younger ( < 54 yrs) participants. Mean scores for emotional / informational (EMI), positive social interaction (POS), and total social support (MSSS) were significantly lower in nonadherent participants. Regression results indicated the overall model of two predictors (age grouped [ < 54 yrs; > 55 yrs] and EMI social support subscale) was statistically reliable in distinguishing between adherent and nonadherent participants (-2 Log Likelihood 116.244; Goodness-of-Fit x 2 (2) = 13.664, p = .001), correctly classifying 69.1% of the cases. Findings from this study contribute to the body of research exploring predictors of immunosuppressant adherence in long-term renal transplant recipients. Data suggest both younger age (< 55) and categories of social support predict adherence in long-term renal transplant recipients. Healthcare providers caring for renal transplant recipients long-term 5 should consider annually assessing older participants for adherence as well as for changes in social networks.

At Santa Margarita Ranch, California, oak mistletoe (Phoradendron villosum) parasitizes valley oak and blue oak but cannot be found growing on coast live oak despite its abundance and ability to parasitize coast live oak in other areas. It seems as though this species of mistletoe is specializing on certain host oak trees, but the mechanisms of this specialization are unknown. In order to investigate this pattern, we utilized a type of machine learning in GIS called supervised classification as well as a reciprocal transplant study in the field. The three species of oak trees were classified with 87% accuracy using drone imagery and 95% accuracy using open source NAIP imagery. This classification technique could be applied to the whole state of California as long as ground truth points for each species were collected. This could be extremely useful for large scale forest management projects and ecological questions. Unfortunately, the classifier was unsuccessful at distinguishing mistletoe from host and so the number of mistletoe on each host could not be quantified using this technique. The reciprocal transplant study involved collecting mistletoe fruit from individuals growing on each of the three hosts and experimentally applying them back onto all three hosts. This allowed us to test whether there are host races of mistletoe that specialize at growing on certain hosts. We found that seeds from each host origin germinated equally well regardless of where they were dispersed, and seeds survived best on coast live oak, regardless of where they originated from. Based on these results, there must be some mechanism, other than host races, that explains the lack of mistletoe on coast live oaks at Santa Margarita Ranch. Future projects should investigate whether evidence for host races can be found at a later stage of seedling development and the roll of bird dispersers in creating the pattern.