Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complex disorder for which currently there is no accepted definition. Having a uniform standard for diagnosing and classifying AKI would enhance our ability to manage these patients. Future clinical and translational research in AKI will require collaborative networks of investigators drawn from various disciplines, dissemination of information via multidisciplinary joint conferences and publications, and improved translation of knowledge from pre-clinical research. We describe an initiative to develop uniform standards for defining and classifying AKI and to establish a forum for multidisciplinary interaction to improve care for patients with or at risk for AKI. Members representing key societies in critical care and nephrology along with additional experts in adult and pediatric AKI participated in a two day conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in September 2005 and were assigned to one of three workgroups. Each group's discussions formed the basis for draft recommendations that were later refined and improved during discussion with the larger group. Dissenting opinions were also noted. The final draft recommendations were circulated to all participants and subsequently agreed upon as the consensus recommendations for this report. Participating societies endorsed the recommendations and agreed to help disseminate the results. The term AKI is proposed to represent the entire spectrum of acute renal failure. Diagnostic criteria for AKI are proposed based on acute alterations in serum creatinine or urine output. A staging system for AKI which reflects quantitative changes in serum creatinine and urine output has been developed. We describe the formation of a multidisciplinary collaborative network focused on AKI. We have proposed uniform standards for diagnosing and classifying AKI which will need to be validated in future studies. The Acute Kidney Injury Network offers a mechanism for proceeding with efforts to improve patient outcomes.

Acute Kidney Injury Network: report of an initiative to improve outcomes in acute kidney injury

BIOE 402. Medical Technology Assessment. 2 or 3 hours. Bioentrepreneur course. Assessment of medical technology in the context of commercialization. Objectives, competition, market share, funding, pricing, manufacturing, growth, and intellectual property; many issues unique to biomedical products. Course Information: 2 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or above and consent of the instructor.

“Bioinformatics” 특집을 내면서

The aim of this updated guideline is to provide comprehensive and timely evidence-based recommendations on the prevention of future stroke among survivors of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. The guideline is addressed to all clinicians who manage secondary prevention for these patients. Evidence-based recommendations are provided for control of risk factors, intervention for vascular obstruction, antithrombotic therapy for cardioembolism, and antiplatelet therapy for noncardioembolic stroke. Recommendations are also provided for the prevention of recurrent stroke in a variety of specific circumstances, including aortic arch atherosclerosis, arterial dissection, patent foramen ovale, hyperhomocysteinemia, hypercoagulable states, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, sickle cell disease, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and pregnancy. Special sections address use of antithrombotic and anticoagulation therapy after an intracranial hemorrhage and implementation of guidelines.

/pdf/guidelines-for-the-prevention-of-stroke-in-patients-with-4s66xf1dte.pdf

Guidelines for the prevention of stroke in patients with stroke and transient ischemic attack: a guideline for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association

The importance of knowledge on tolerance of normal tissue organs to irradiation by radiation oncologists cannot be overemphasized. Unfortunately, current knowledge is less than adequate. With the increasing use of 3-D treatment planning and dose delivery, this issue, particularly volumetric information, will become even more critical. As a part of the NCI contract N01 CM-47316, a task force, chaired by the primary author, was formed and an extensive literature search was carried out to address this issue. In this issue. In this manuscript we present the updated information on tolerance of normal tissues of concern in the protocols of this contract, based on available data, with a special emphasis on partial volume effects. Due to a lack of precise and comprehensive data base, opinions and experience of the clinicians from four universities involved in the contract have also been contributory. Obviously, this is not and cannot be a comprehensive work, which is beyond the scope of this contract.

Tolerance of normal tissue to therapeutic irradiation.

https://ebmt.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/GVHD1.pdf

National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: I. Diagnosis and Staging Working Group Report

Ninety-seven patients randomized to receive (45 patients) or not to receive (52 patients) intravenous cytomegalovirus immune globulin before and after allogeneic marrow transplantation were evaluated retrospectively for the occurrence of bacterial and fungal septicemia in the first 100 days post-transplant. In a proportional hazards regression test, infection prevention regimens, immunoglobulin administration, age and occurrence of acute graft-versus-host disease were tested simultaneously for the occurrence of septicemia in the pre- and post-engraftment period. Of these factors, only patients receiving immunoglobulin had significantly fewer episodes of septicemia following engraftment with 11 (26%) patients in the globulin group having 14 episodes compared to 22 (42%) patients in the control group having 27 episodes (p = 0.039). None of the patients experienced complications with the immunoglobulin infusions. These results suggest that the administration of intravenous immunoglobulin may be a practical and effective method to decrease the incidence of septicemia following marrow transplantation.

The effect of prophylactic intravenous immune globulin on the incidence of septicemia in marrow transplant recipients.

Interstitial pneumonia is a major determinant of early and late morbidity and mortality following bone marrow transplantation. Among 952 patients receiving allogeneic marrow grafts in Seattle, 35% developed interstitial pneumonia within 100 days of transplant. Development of early cytomegalovirus (CMV) or idiopathic interstitial pneumonia was infrequent in patients with aplastic anemia prepared only with cyclophosphamide. Use of total body irradiation (TBI) in the transplant preparation, increasing patient age, pretransplant seropositivity for CMV antibody and post-transplant development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) all increased the risk of CMV pneumonia. Late interstitial pneumonia was studied in patients with chronic GVHD. Among 198 patients with extensive chronic GVHD, 31 episodes of interstitial pneumonia (seven idiopathic, six CMV, six pneumocystis, five miscellaneous and four unknown causes, and three varicella-zoster) were observed 3-24 months after transplant. In untreated patients with chronic GVHD, 15% developed late interstitial pneumonia. Patients with chronic GVHD who received prednisone +/- azathioprine as immunosuppressive therapy and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole for infection prophylaxis had an 8% incidence of interstitial pneumonia. Patients with chronic GVHD given immunosuppressive treatment without trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis had a 28% incidence of interstitial pneumonia. Trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole significantly reduced the incidence of late interstitial pneumonia in patients with chronic GVHD (p = 0.001).

https://stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/stem.5530040712

Early and late interstitial pneumonia following human bone marrow transplantation.

The management of chronic graft-versus-host disease☆

In the late 1950s, the technique of human marrow transplantation was first applied, and these initial attempts were viewed with enthusiasm as a means to treat blood dyscrasias or marrow failure. However, these early attempts often met with failure; in a study of 203 of the early marrow grafts, only 22 (11%) were unequivocally successful allogeneic transplants [1]. The problems preventing success included graft failure, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), bleeding and infectious complications resulting from marrow and immunologic ablation, and recurrence of disease [2]. During the 1960s, advances in histocompatability typing, pretransplant conditioning, immunosuppressive therapy, and improved supportive care and infection control laid the groundwork for a resurgence of human marrow grafting. Today, marrow transplantation is considered an effective treatment for severe aplastic anemia, acute leukemias, and immunodeficiency disorders [3–5] (see chapter 8).

Keith M. Sullivan

Papers

The effect of prophylactic intravenous immune globulin on the incidence of septicemia in marrow transplant recipients.

Early and late interstitial pneumonia following human bone marrow transplantation.

The management of chronic graft-versus-host disease☆

Head and Neck Complications of Bone Marrow Transplantation

Fanconi's anemia treated by allogeneic marrow transplantation.