Publication rates on the topic of racial and ethnic diversity in dermatology versus other specialties

Background: The population of the U.S. is becoming more diverse every year. The field of dermatology is not following the same trend. Objective: To assess the promotion of diversity in the field of dermatology by analyzing publications focused on diversity, compared to other specialties. Methods: The PubMed database was systematically searched to identify publications focused on diversity from January 2008 to July 2019. The search criteria were as follows: dermatology/radiology/ophthalmology/ anesthesiology/orthopedic surgery/family medicine/ internal medicine/general surgery AND diversity/ diverse/racial/race/ethnic/ethnicity/cultural/culture/competency/competence. Comparisons were made using single-factor ANOVA and two-group t-tests. A qualitative analysis was performed for publications in the field of dermatology. Results: From January 2016 to July 2019, there were 25 publications focused on diversity in dermatology (Mean=6.25, SD=2.06), compared to 6 in radiology (Mean=1.50, SD=1.29, P=0.01), two in ophthalmology (Mean=0.50, SD=0.58, P=0.01), two in anesthesiology (Mean=0.50, SD=1.00, P=0.01), 12 in orthopedic surgery (Mean=3.00, SD=1.41, P=0.04), 23 in family medicine (Mean=5.75, SD=2.22, P=0.75), 9 in internal medicine (Mean=2.25, SD=1.71, P=0.02), and 7 in general surgery (Mean=1.75, SD=0.50, P=0.02). Conclusions: Although the field of dermatology has suffered from a lack of racial/ethnic diversity, efforts to promote diversity via increased publications in the last four years have been stronger in dermatology compared to many other fields

The current status of hepatic transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh.

Tacrolimus is a more potent and satisfactory immunosuppressant than CyA for combination therapy with prednisone. In randomized trials comparing the 2 drugs, the ability of tacrolimus to rescue intractably rejecting grafts on the competing CyA arm allowed equalization of patient and graft survival on both arms when the intent-to-treat analytic methodology was applied. The ability of tacrolimus to systematically rescue the treatment failures of CyA suggested, as a matter of common sense, that it is the preferred baseline drug for hepatic transplantation. This conclusion was supported by analysis of secondary end points, including the ability to prevent rejection. Hepatic-intestinal, multivisceral and isolated intestinal transplantation became feasible on a practical basis only after the advent of tacrolimus. Nevertheless, better management strategies must be devised before intestinal transplantation, alone or with other abdominal viscera, will meet its potential. One such strategy is based on the discovery of the presence of previously unsuspected, low-level donor leukocyte chimerism in long-surviving allograft recipients. We believe that this chimerism is the essential explanation for the feasibility of organ transplantation and a link to the acquired neonatal tolerance demonstrated by Billingham, Brent and Medawar (32). The hematolymphopoietic chimerism in organ recipients explains why weaning to a drug-free state in selected long-term survivors is frequently feasible and particularly if the allograft is a liver. Weaning should never be attempted without a stepwise protocol and careful monitoring of graft function. Recognition of the natural chimerism that develops after whole organ transplantation has led to efforts to augment it with perioperative donor BM infusion. This procedure has been shown to be free of significant complications (including GVHD) in all kinds of whole organ recipients, including those given intestine. The prospects of clinical xenotransplantation must be evaluated in the same context of chimerism as that delineated for allotransplantation with the discovery of spontaneous chimerism. Before addressing chimerism-related questions in xenotransplantation, the additional barrier of the complement activation syndromes that cause hyperacute rejection will have to be surmounted. Although measures to effectively transplant xenografts have so far eluded us, the availability of the more potent drug, tacrolimus, and recognition of the seminal basis of allograft (or xenograft) acceptance via chimerism has inserted an element of reality into the largely wishful thinking that has been evident in discussions about the future of xenotransplantation

Weaning of immunosuppression in long - Term liver transplant recipients

Seventy-two long-surviving liver transplant recipients were evaluated prospectively, including a baseline allograft biopsy for weaning off of immunosuppression. Thirteen were removed from candidacy because of chronic rejection (n=4), hepatitis (n=2), patient anxiety (n=5), or lack of cooperation by the local physician (n=2). The other 59, aged 12-68 years, had stepwise drug weaning with weekly or biweekly monitoring of liver function tests. Their original diagnoses were PBC (n=9), HCC (n=l), Wilson’s disease (n=4), hepatitides (n=15), Laennec’s cirrhosis (n=l), biliary atresia (n=16), cystic fibrosis (n=l), hemochromatosis (n=l), hepatic trauma (n=l), alpha-l-antitrypsin deficiency (n=9), and secondary biliary cirrhosis (n=l). Most of the patients had complications of long-term immunosuppression, of which the most significant were renal dysfunction (n=8), squamous cell carcinoma (n=2) or verruca vulgaris of skin (n=9), osteoporosis and/or arthritis (n=12), obesity (n=3), hypertension (n=ll), and opportunistic infections (n=2). When azathioprine was a third drug, it was stopped first. Otherwise, weaning began with prednisone, using the results of corticotropin stimulation testing as a guide. If adrenal insufficiency was diagnosed, patients reduced to <5 mg/day prednisone were considered off of steroids. The baseline agents (azathioprine, cyclospo-rine, or FK506) were then gradually reduced in monthly decrements. Complete weaning was accomplished in 16 patients (27.1%) with 3-19 months drug-free follow-up, is progressing in 28 (47.4%), and failed in 15 (25.4%) without graft losses or demonstrable loss of graft function from the rejections. This and our previous experience with self-weaned and other patients off of immunosuppression indicate that a significant percentage of appropriately selected long-surviving liver recipients can unknowingly achieve drug-free graft acceptance. Such attempts should not be contemplated until 5-10 years posttransplantation and then only with careful case selection, close monitoring, and prompt reinstitution of immunosuppression when necessary. © 1995 by Williams & Wilkins

A Real-Time Energy Monitor System for the Ipns Linac

Injected beam energy and energy spread are critical parameters affecting the performance of our rapid cycling synchrotron (RCS). A real-time energy monitoring system is being installed to examine the H- beam out of the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) 50 MeV linac. The 200 MHz Alvarez linac serves as the injector for the 450 MeV IPNS RCS. The linac provides an 80 ms macropulse of approximately 3x1012 H- ions 30 times per second for coasting-beam injection into the RCS. The RCS delivers protons to a heavy-metal spallation neutron target for material science studies. Using a number of strip-line beam position monitors (BPMs) distributed along the 50 MeV transport line from the linac to the RCS, fast signals from the strip lines are digitized and transferred to a computer which performs an FFT. Corrections for cable attenuation and oscilloscope bandwidth are made in the frequency domain. Rectangular pulse train phasing (RPTP) is imposed on the spectra prior to obtaining the inverse transform (IFFT). After the IFFT, the reconstructed time-domain signal is analyzed for pulse width as it progresses along the transport line. Time-of-flight measurements of the BPM signals provide beam energy. Finally, using the 3-size measurement technique, the longitudinal emittance and energy spread of the beam are determined

Clinical intestinal transplantation: New perspectives and immunologic considerations

Background: Although tacrolimus-based immunosuppression has made intestinal transplantation feasible, the risk of the requisite chronic high- dose treatment has inhibited the widespread use of these procedures. We have examined our 1990-1997 experience to determine whether immunomodulatory strategies to improve outlook could be added to drug treatment. Study Design: Ninety-eight consecutive patients (59 children, 39 adults) with a panoply of indications received 104 allografts under tacrolimus-based immunosuppression: intestine only (n = 37); liver and intestine (n = 50); or multivisceral (n = 17). Of the last 42 patients, 20 received unmodified adjunct donor bone marrow cells; the other 22 were contemporaneous control patients. Results: With a mean followup of 32 ± 26 months (range, 1-86 months), 12 recipients (3 intestine only, 9 composite grafts) are alive with good nutrition beyond the 5-year milestone. Forty-seven (48%) of the total group survive bearing grafts that provide full (91%) or partial (9%) nutrition. Actuarial patient survival at 1 and 5 years (72% and 48%, respectively) was similar with isolated intestinal and composite graft recipients, but the loss rate of grafts from rejection was highest with intestine alone. The best results were in patients between 2 and 18 years of age (68% at 5 years). Adjunct bone marrow did not significantly affect the incidence of graft rejection, B-cell lymphoma, or the rate or severity of graft-versus-host disease. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that longterm rehabilitation similar to that with the other kinds of organ allografts is achievable with all three kinds of intestinal transplant procedures, that the morbidity and mortality is still too high for their widespread application, and that the liver is significantly but marginally protective of concomitantly engrafted intestine. Although none of the endpoints were markedly altered by donor leukocyte augmentation (and chimerism) with bone marrow, establishment of the safety of this adjunct procedure opens the way to further immune modulation strategies that can be added to the augmentation protocol

Tacrolimus (FK 506), a Treatment for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: Results of an Open‐Label Preliminary Trial

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the liver that is characterized by progressive cholestasis and the development of secondary biliary cirrhosis. There is no widely recognized therapy for this disease, although anti‐inflammatory agents (steroids), immunosuppressive agents (methotrexate), anti‐fihrotics (colchicine), and choleretic agents (ursodeoxycholic acid) have been used in various small series. In the present study, Tacrolimus (FK 506), a new and powerful immunosuppressive macrolide antibiotic, has been used to treat 10 patients with PSC. Each subject had a liver biopsy, ERCP with visualization of the intra‐and extrahepatic biliary tree, and a panel of hcmatological, serological, and biochemical laboratory tests before the initiation of the FK 506 therapy. The FK 506 was administered orally at 12‐h intervals and was monitored by serial plasma FK 506 trough levels. After 360 days of treatment, the median serum bilirubin level was reduced by 75%, and the serum alkaline phosphatase was reduced by 70%. Moreover, the serum ALT and AST levels were reduced by 80 and 86%, respectively. No change in the serum level of BUN and creatinine levels occurred as a consequence of the FK 506 treatment. These data demonstrate that: 1) FK 506 can be used to treat PSC; 2) the response to FK 506 by patients with PSC is rapid; and, 3) no adverse effect on the serum BUN and creatinine levels was observed. It is anticipated that FK 506 will become an important agent for the treatment of patients with PSC because of its powerful immunosuppressive activity. Copyright © 1995, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserve

The UK register of HIV seroconverters: Methods and analytical issues

A Register of HIV-infected persons who have had a negative antibody test within 3 years of their first antibody positive test (seroconverters) is being set up in the UK to monitor the distribution of times from HIV seroconversion to AIDS (the incubation period) and to death. It will also provide a national resource for use by those designing studies in this group of individuals. Clinicians caring for HIV-positive persons in Genito-Urinary Medicine, Infectious Disease and other departments throughout the UK were asked to participate by providing information on eligible subjects. Most laboratories undertaking HIV antibody testing were also contacted and asked to provide the name of the attending clinician for all seroconverters identified through the HIV laboratory reporting systems of the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC) and the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) and for any other seroconverters known to them but not identified by CDSC or SCIEH. Data items sought for the Register include: sex, ethnic group, probable route of HIV transmission, annual CD4 counts, details of therapy and prophylaxis prescribed, AIDS-defining events and vital status. Follow up information is collected annually. Wherever possible, all seroconverters known to a clinic have been identified, whether currently alive or dead, either from clinic records or laboratory reporting or both. The objective is to establish and update a complete register of seroconverters on a long-term basis to provide reliable estimates of the incubation period on which future projections of AIDS cases in the UK can be made