Risk factors for infection after liver transplantation

AbstractInfection is a common cause of morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation. Risk factors relate to transplantation factors, donor and recipient factors. Transplant factors include ischaemia-reperfusion damage, amount of intra-operative blood transfusion, level and type of immunosuppression, rejection, and complications, prolonged intensive care stay with dialysis or ventilation, type of biliary drainage, repeat operations, re-transplantation, antibiotics, antiviral regimen, and environment. Donor risk factors include infection, prolonged intensive care stay, quality of the donor liver (e.g. steatosis), and viral status. For the recipient the most important are MELD score >30, malnutrition, renal failure, acute liver failure, presence of infection or colonisation, and immune status for viruses like cytomegalovirus. In recent years it has become clear that genetic polymorphisms in innate immunity, especially the lectin pathway of complement activation and in Toll-like receptors importantly contribute to the infection risk after liver transplantation. Therefore, the risk for infections after liver transplantation is a multifactorial problem and all factors need attention to reduce this risk

A SimplifiedMethod of Toilet Training Adults in Residential Settings

Asimplified version of Azrin and Foxx\u27s method of toilettraining was evaluated in an adult with profound mental retardation. An ABAB reversal design was used to evaluate intervention effects. Results indicated that the procedure was effective in reducing toileting accidents and in increasing appropriate urinations. Additionally, continence was maintained at a 3 month follow-up evaluation

Internal Filters : Prospects for UV-Acclimation in Higher Plants

Wavelength-selective absorption of solar radiation within plant leaves allows penetration of visible radiation to the chloroplats, while removing much of the damaging ultraviolet-B radiation. Flavonoids are important in this wavelength-selective absorption. Induction of flavonoid synthesis by solar radiation, and specifically by UV-B radiation, is discussed as this relates to the potential acclimation of plants to enhanced solar UV-B radiation that would result from stratospheric ozone reduction